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The merger between Korean Air and Asiana Airlines is still not finally accepted by the authorities, but Asiana has already announced what would happen in that case to the Asiana Club.

For a period of ten years, you can keep the miles you have accrued in the Asiana Club before the merger and use them from there. This can be an interesting option, as only flight miles are converted from the Asiana Club to Korean Air’s Skypass at a 1:1 ratio. Non-air partner miles, however, will only be exchanged at a 1:0.82 ratio. This was one of the key points raised by the competition authorities, and the airlines hope that by retaining the Asiana miles, they can allay these concerns.

However, if you are an Asiana Club member and plan to use your miles on Star Alliance partners, you shouldn’t wait too long!

In 2014, Etihad bought the ailing Alitalia with the promise of making it “the sexiest airline in Europe” (in the words of then-CEO of Etihad, James Hogan). The rest is well known.

Several management teams thereafter, an out-of-court settlement between the Italian state and Etihad for a compensation payment of 300 million EUR for the mismanagement at that time has now been reached.

What does this historical digression have to do with frequent flyers today? In 2024, Etihad recorded a record profit of 476 million USD – which shows that the margin for the airline is becoming very narrow in view of the amount to be paid. And frequent flyers will certainly have to contribute their part. Miracles from Etihad Guest are unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Sometimes the ideas of loyalty managers take strange turns…

For example, Vueling: One must already be grateful in Europe if a low-cost airline even offers a Frequent Flyer Program – the list of counterexamples is still very long, from easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air to Volotea and Smart Wings – Vueling is now taking an even stranger path in its Vueling Club.

As a basic member, you no longer earn any miles with Vueling flights. Only from the Smart level onwards do you earn 3 miles per EUR, which increases to 5 and then 7 miles at the higher Elite levels.

The elite levels are now reached on a revenue basis, with a minimum annual spend of 200 EUR with Vueling required for the Smart level. If you fly less, the program probably won’t bring you any benefits anyway, so why this complication…?

Furthermore, it seems that as a Vueling Club member, you can still collect miles on all Vueling flights if you book the flights through Iberia. Or Iberia Club members can collect miles on Vueling flights as usual.

Hand on heart, how many Marriott brands can you name off the top of your head? 5? 10? That should be the range for most of us.

However, Marriott has the problem, like many other hotel chains, of having many more brands in their portfolio. 35 in the case of Marriott, to be precise.

To bring those closer to their Marriott Bonvoy members, you will receive 2,500 bonus points and a bonus status night per stay at any hotel brand for stays between February 26 and May 10. You need to register for this promotion by April 26.

This may not be the most generous promotion the world has ever seen, but it might be an incentive to brush up on your general knowledge a bit.

Luxury hotels, however, often have a completely different problem: they are independent or just a group with a few properties, so a customer loyalty program is hardly worthwhile, or it only offers customers limited benefits, as they are not necessarily loyal to a specific hotel.

Journey Rewards has recognised this market gap and is now offering a program platform for such hotels (and luxury rentals). 1,400 accommodations worldwide – with a total of only 5,000 rooms! – are currently available.

The program offers flexible redemption options, including the possibility of point pooling. A status system is also offered, and the highest published level, Legend, is reached with an annual spend of 50,000 USD.

Certainly surprising for many, the announcement came that Allegiant Air, based in Las Vegas, will acquire Sun Country Airlines, based in Minneapolis. This will create a force in the US market that cannot be underestimated, focussing on the leisure market.

As part of the merger, which should be completed by the end of the year, the two Frequent Flyer Programs Allways Rewards and Sun Country Rewards will also be combined. It will certainly be interesting to see what the product will look like, as the Allegiant program largely revolves around a co-branded credit card, while Sun Country takes a more traditional approach.

Given the constant devaluations of many other US programs, there is hope that the new airline will choose a different strategy here to gain more attention in the market!

Until January 17, an extraordinary auction is taking place in the Emirates Skywards program.

The program is auctioning seven Platinum cards with specific numbers, which grant the holder Platinum status for up to 20 years. The proceeds from the auction will be entirely donated to the Emirates Airline Foundation, which cares for children in need around the world.

The auction is now, of course, entering the hot phase, and currently, the lowest bid is at 325,000 AED, granting five years of Platinum status. To secure the 20-year Platinum level, a minimum offer of 1.5 million AED is required.

The question is hence simple – fly a lot for 20 years or pay a lot now?

The positive surprise of 2025 was perhaps Lufthansa, which did not misuse the switch to a dynamic rewards system at Miles & More for a price increase, as seen in other programs.

While prices in Business Class were partially raised, some reward flights in Economy Class have even become significantly cheaper, especially on short-haul routes.

That’s why the current promotion with Avis is certainly interesting: For reservations until January 31 (and rentals until April 30), you will receive 4,000 bonus miles for rentals of at least two days. With such a rental, you will hence receive enough miles for a round trip for four people from Frankfurt to Paris.

Luxair, which uses the Miles & More program on a co-branded basis, still sees the attractiveness of the program apparently more critical.

That’s why it has extended its own mini-program High Five, which runs in parallel to Miles & More, until April 30, 2027. And for regular Luxair customers, it is certainly one of the most attractive programs at all.

For every five bookings with Luxair within the last 12 months, you receive a voucher worth the cheapest of the five bookings. In the “elite” program – the highest level is reached with 20 bookings – the voucher value is increased by up to 30%.

Since bookings – and not flight segments – are considered for the promotion, one should ideally operate with one-way flights here.

The New Year will also start with some, perhaps interesting, news for frequent flyers.

In March, Air Serbia will launch its own program. So far, the company has used Etihad’s program, Etihad Guest, on a co-branded basis. How this partnership will develop remains to be seen.

In April, Air New Zealand will rename its program to Koru. Aside from a new top elite tier, this is likely more of a rebranding than a fundamental overhaul of the program.

And then we are also waiting for the full launch of Riyadh Air’s Sfeer program, which has already announced partnerships with Air France, KLM, Delta and Virgin Atlantic!