Travelocity becomes the first major online travel agency to launch a loyalty program to give its most dedicated customers priority service, exclusive discounts and additional perks, the online travel company said yesterday. The VIP program adds an extra layer pampering to it existing customer loyalty program launched last November.
Under the VIP program, the company aims to “minus the fine print and red tape” of traditional loyalty programs.
“A simple ‘thank you’ for your business is often lost in today’s competitive travel market,” the company said in a statement.
Travelocity tested the VIP program last fall via a sampling of customers with results that indicated the test group scored “significantly” higher than the control group in the “highly satisfied” category.
The program gives customers a dedicated 800 number, the ability to earn more points on purchases, including three points for every $1 spent on flights and hotels, advance notice of sales and special VIP-only promotions, travel perks such as airport shuttle and car rental discounts and everyday exclusive discounts.
To be eligible, customers must book five times in a 12-month period, with some single reservations qualifying as two or three bookings. There are no sign up or initiation fees.
Last November, Travelocity bowed its standard customer loyalty program, which offers incentives for booking flights, hotels and vacation packages. The “surprise and delight” offers can include such benefits as a custom anthology of The New Yorker with a hotel booking in New York City or a $25 gift certificate with a qualified reservation for Napa Valley, CA (PROMO Xtra, Nov. 9, 2005).
Southlake, TX-based Travelocity is the fifth largest U.S. travel agency, booking $7.4 billion in travel worldwide in 2005.
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