British Airways defends loyalty scheme changes

British Airways has insisted changes to its loyalty programme will create a fairer system and are not designed to reduce the number of people rewarded. The airline is switching from awarding points based on the distance flown or fare class to the amount spent, at a rate of one point for every pound. To qualify for gold status – which features benefits such as access to first-class lounges and enhanced baggage allowance – customers will generally need to earn 20,000 points per year. The announcement of the changes in late December 2024 led to frequent flyer website headforpoints.com to accuse the airline of “effectively washing its hands of the leisure market”, claiming it will be “impossible to earn gold for small business travellers, economy travellers or self-funded leisure travellers”. On Wednesday, British Airways announced a bonus offer enabling customers to earn up to 550 additional points per flight based on their cabin class will be extended for the rest of the year. It has also introduced a guarantee of bronze status for anyone taking at least 25 flights annually, such as commuters. Benefits for this status include access to business class check-in desks and free seat selection from seven days before departure, even if travelling on an economy ticket.<br/>