Let me say it clearly: it’s not going to be a banner year for most airlines. Nonetheless, planes will fly — and the more people that occupy the seats onboard, the better for the airlines and the world too.”All you can fly” subscriptions should have a role to play. Certainly more than they do today.
Alongside some obvious appeal, there are developing side benefits to the ‘all you can fly’ model which have bubbled to the surface since the great return of travel. All you can fly subscriptions are not a new idea, but they’re still a damn good one — and likely better now for all involved.
Yes, even if some previous iterations have been commercially, well, challenging.
Long, long ago American Airlines famously offered flight passes so generous, that they had to re-neg them, causing profound grief for the purchasers. People spent years circumnavigating the globe in first class on a daily basis, long after the airlines woes had passed. The devil is in the details. On that note…
All You Can Fly Passes
Wizzair made headlines in Europe and further afield recently with a new “all you can fly” pass. Purchasers paid a fee (around $500) to grab a pass — yep, sorry, they’re sold out — and will pay a fixed rate of basically $10 per flight, for each flight they actually take.
It’s flat rate travel. It’s excitingly dependable to budget around, wonderful for those looking to liven up their lives and certainly a means to explore new global delights.
The big catch? You can only book a few days in advance and seats obviously have to be available at that late juncture.
Naturally, not everyone is ok with winging it with their vacation time, not being able to plan tours, meals and activities, and worrying if all the hotels are booked! As counter points, late bookings can be an easier way to ensure great weather — you don’t get stuck if the forecast sucks — and to take advantage of last minute pricing on hotels. Restaurants are a challenge, but hey.
As I’ve said many times, airlines operate much more like hedge funds these days, with sophisticated pricing models to ensure every seat they sell gets sold. Even with a slight downturn in travel demand, airline seats aren’t always easy to come by, particularly for travelers on fixed schedules. Basically, airlines aren’t losing much with this approach.
You’re not going to win sometimes, and that’s the pricing trade off the airline is wagering against you. But — they need you to get value and still perceive the brand highly. Overtourism woes might be the andidote for that point. I’ll explain.
Side Benefits That Are More Prevalent In 2024
All you can fly subs can help with the bubbling issue of overtourism. Hear me out!
Flights to the most pop-culture hit list destinations are inherently likely to be among those that are sold out or darn close in the three days before travel. Airlines focus their flights on where the most action is. A flight to Dubrovnik in the summer is going to be sold out.
A flight to “that other part” of Croatia, or a country you’d heard good things about, likely less sold out, and that may help to shift travel enthusiasts towards new destinations deserving of recognition. This helps spread the positive impacts of travel to wider areas, rather than the current overtourism logjams in major cities.
Another side benefit is climate efficiency.
One of the most basic ways to look at transportation efficiency is examining just how many people are able to benefit from a singular transportation service. Every seat that does not fly empty makes that plane more environmentally efficient. The booking terms offered by any new ‘all you can fly’ passes would certainly be within windows where the plane was 100% taking off anyway, so I think airlines could claim this as a net positive.
How I’d Design My ‘All You Can Fly’ Pass
I’ll be honest, I prefer getting paid for my airline ideas to giving them out for free on the internet, but i’ll share some broad strokes here.
For starters, a credit or token based system is a fun way to offer an all you can fly, but with opportunities to trade frequency for higher value personal goals. Another, to de-risk the loyalty side, is to still reward travelers with points and status credit, but on a fixed basis of monthly qualification, rather than a game-able distance or segment based system.
Practically speaking, that would look like a “buy this pass, you’ll get credit for 3,500 miles or status credits per month and still have all your perks when you fly”, but there wouldn’t be any additional earning opportunities when on these tickets. Opportunities to earn extra flexibility or bring a friend bring incredible ancillary purchase options while delivering satisfaction.
New Positivity For Travel
The last few years of travel have been an absolutely astonishing roller coaster. There was no travel, then there was more travel than ever, then it lingered longer than expected, and now it’s in a downward spiral and no one wants to admit it.
Travel needs a spark — and this is the kind of thing that would get me back in, big time. I’d love to find places for our family to sneak off last minute on a Friday. There’s a thrill to last minute travel which is totally unique within itself.
