The value of the top five air carrier loyalty programs is worth 200 billion dollars. The commercial ventures of US companies dominate, which in some cases have become the most profitable assets of airline companies. This is what emerges from the data of a report recently published by the consulting firm "On Point Loyalty".

Here is the ranking of the highest-paying programs based on estimated value in 2022: Delta Air Lines' "SkyMiles" is worth $27.92 billion; in second place is American Airlines' "AAdvantage" at 23.93 billion dollars; follows in third place on the podium "MileagePlus" by United Airlines which is worth 22 billion; in fourth place is Southwest Airlines' "Rapid Rewards" at 8.83 billion dollars; follows "Miles & More" of the Lufthansa group which is worth 7.97 billion; finally "Avios" of the International Airlines Group with 7.08 billion dollars.

The first Italian program to enhance frequent flyer customers appears in 53rd place: it is the "Volare" initiative of the national airline ITA Airways, estimated at around 315 million dollars. These are loyalty systems that work on two levels: every time the passenger flies, he earns points to spend to pay for other trips, receive prizes or purchase products; for their part, the airlines earn by selling packets of points to banks that give their customers rewards for using credit cards.