航空公司的“常客价值”大到难以想象
日期:2022-01-19 09:30

(单词翻译:单击)

wJc~-fY3tNZau-!~SF#Lr35@DTJ

Finance and Economics

OvGr=vSfhAS

财经版块

0yCDsjk1Z4L77

Frequent-flyer schemes

(KpyZ-#llZQ--(uN

常客计划

E2S,t]iuQm|X

Lifting off

ML+].S^#-8IL2

起飞

Aw7Q[8p)Bh8^(u@

Loyalty programmes have been a lifeline for airlines

XucQmcp8=jfD^h|l

忠诚计划已经成为航空公司的命脉

3]EahtMyBym&g(KK

WHEN EXECUTIVES at American Airlines unveiled the world's first frequent-flyer programme 40 years ago, they probably didn't imagine it would one day be worth more than the airline itself.

g&dG-9~aML

40年前,当美国航空公司的高管们推出世界上第一个常客计划时,他们可能没有想到这个计划有一天会比航空公司本身更值钱UBl-UN2TchvT.,z*oF

J&=MYzW=#pulX

Last year analysts valued the scheme at around $18bn-30bn, eclipsing the company's current market capitalisation of $12.9bn.

9+FSEG)rTvm!bwuWY

去年,分析师对该计划的估值约为180亿至300亿美元,超过了该公司目前129亿美元的市值X9OivNzY4b4*^F0~gW

JTGn0ii+HMfljneY=Tl%

Such programmes have proved a boon to American carriers in the pandemic.

-gnWrU75y1

事实证明,在疫情期间,这样的计划对美国的航空公司大有裨益)).lI.j,*IDRlLmD;)

9G[hZ0bnWqI|NXVJ

Firms including American Airlines have raised $30bn in debt backed by the schemes.

|tx[KVM]vT|%TJ

在这些计划的支持下,包括美国航空在内的公司共筹集了300亿美元的债务性融资V_5Z~[k[QBMyqBxL1x^.

gAa=KmjmM!igF+~_)aq~

Airlines once hoped simply to foster loyalty by offering customers freebies.

2sLx3IhW8a_Il(9I8

航空公司曾只是希望通过提供免费赠品来培养顾客的忠诚度tC_P5e0353Y;

a)OruI8myhNe]O

Passengers collected miles as they travelled and were awarded a free flight once they racked up enough of them.

D3J3klaueSQ3!ea

乘客们在旅途中累积里程,一旦累积了足够的里程数,就可以获得一次免费飞行机会DY|YONfh2G

p.!RuqZRY|k

But schemes today are far more sophisticated.

()As].ublEGAddC=rN9R

但如今这些计划变得更加复杂z9T&-T8nc._ge2jj5

[o;g4O-1(*)XohOn

Airlines profit by selling miles to credit-card firms at a price that exceeds the cost of providing reward flights and dishing out other perks, such as hotel stays.

~J8m1lzDg!7oyTfX

航空公司通过向信用卡公司出售里程而获利,其售价超过了提供奖励航班和提供其他额外津贴(如酒店住宿)的成本gaB=8gJUw~V+Aa20;=#5

w!kr!0eR&C)B~BhqJ

They also gain when miles expire unused or are cashed in for something of poor value.

q%+#1V)p0IF*f]O

他们还可以通过里程到期未使用或兑换一些不值钱的东西而获利=5bcidvBhtSs

iwIx4v[_*Qu6;+

According to McKinsey, a consultancy, 15-30% of miles expired unused before the pandemic.

nYD8Ze;6oGKbVC~b

根据咨询公司麦肯锡的数据,在疫情之前,有15-30%的里程是到期未使用的Nz3c0y+%rt=tD_on;Hi

cU8f7;9+OC.LwJ)a4

Credit-card issuers in turn use miles to lure customers with bonuses.

[h==GBFSd;yoSL.~~6X)

信用卡发卡机构反过来用里程来吸引顾客Tuj*~V60tx

sr,-YH%)K!Z@WUpeg;re

Airline-affiliated cards tend to rake in much more in transactions a year than other cards.

Q&;PMYUqNTS=RM

与其他卡相比,航空联名卡每年的交易收入往往比其他卡要高得多|&;0|v4~XxW7]PveM_wN

fwI~enI],(6e^xsh4

Many miles are therefore earned not in the air, but through card spending on the ground.

fS!+t9G3~BUt

因此,许多里程不是在空中飞行获得的,而是通过在地面刷卡消费获得的!*AHJFR__N)ZK.V|

)~TP=;e&=3]

That explains why customers earned $6.8bn-worth of miles across big loyalty schemes in 2020, even as many kept to their homes.

(oC7rRl1yft

这就解释了为什么人在家中,但客户在2020年的大型忠诚计划中仍获得了价值68亿美元的里程CTAfZs%bHw

Wwnd7Rp|x,Ms=!e

If they were to rush to convert those miles into free flights as travel takes off again, the profitability of such schemes would be jeopardised.

%71SvCZX02XIg86_Dt7

如果旅行重启,消费者们急于将这些里程兑换成免费航班,那么这类计划的盈利将受到损害+1QV(8iyM[

1vGxu9~q)-hT2isw

But airlines have another way to ensure that their programmes stay profitable: they can deflate the value of their miles.

80%0*tp-zix@p;@VD

但航空公司还有其他的办法来保证他们的项目能够获利:他们可以降低里程的价值FDgk5g|1jyUUN

6L|wB[Na]&Do

In the early 2010s American airlines began to calculate the value of a mile based on a complex formula of fares and routes.

LxsUkV1eajM+IKV

在2010年代早期,美国航空公司就开始根据票价和航线的复杂公式来计算里程的价值3yLJ%PD^mfUtx9

4]qP*W7YqhQc

In 2015 Delta Air Lines stopped disclosing how the value of its miles was calculated and embarked on a series of devaluations, prompting competitors to follow.

-Tms2|NX;!(gu!Z-D

2015年达美航空不再公开里程价值的计算方式,并且开始了一系列的贬值行为,促使竞争对手效仿ozA!QV&&R&67H~U;#9It

,upNi3U|s_NENIe[[f*D

In the past year or so Delta, Southwest and United have devalued miles on major routes by 6-20%.

%l!2PI~K2~Iw7cO9&LAZ

在过去的一年里,达美航空、西南航空和联合航空将主要航线的里程贬值了6-20%e&ZA2z%zHZY;gGN]sAJe

=sX0iNp68i[s

Airlines have tapped loyalty schemes for cash before, by selling miles to credit-card firms at discounted rates.

],HSIJy8|EjKM7c4^r,e

航空公司曾利用忠诚计划来套现,将飞行里程打折卖给信用卡公司PVmqT6yiyrwl7*n

8xSwDZOu9O

United traded its miles with JPMorgan Chase, a bank, for $600m in the financial crisis.

7b-PVsWR*|iA

在金融危机期间,联合航空以6亿美元的价格将里程卖给摩根大通银行RX5xB2N;PFp66EM

vD)XC4@JBB

But the pandemic saw the first use of loyalty programmes as collateral in America, says Benjamin Metzger of Barclays, another bank.

=hLppfLvrF23*YUVU_bY

另一家银行巴克莱的Benjamin Metzger说,在疫情期间,忠诚计划首次在美国用作抵押品g(1)-z9t!FP*s_u1Q

PN28R%R9lN4Cf

United was the first to do so with a secured loan in June 2020. Delta followed with a bond offering soon after.

!u-dVzeYn_z,N

2020年6月,联合航空率先以常客计划担保获得了贷款x8z266GvbL)Xm7。达美航空随后,发行了债券n|GX5[EJFs_yW_5a

arQ~-R(LBFUX0

The deals have attracted more investors than bonds secured by old aircraft (which, unlike loyalty schemes, depreciate).

fo8;T2avAp0YhIW^[*

这些交易比用旧飞机担保的债券能吸引更多的投资者(与忠诚度计划不同,旧飞机会贬值)cKriP(N!ADEXJ

GO8eCSQ;tt8

Scheme-backed debt tends to boast a better credit rating than the airline issuing it.

IveF5gQzQ=

常客计划背书的债券往往比发行它的航空公司拥有更好的信用评级1GNYLDia,K

vd99,,=aFKhU3[q.

And investors are comforted by the structure of the deals, which use the schemes' cash flows to repay debt, and limit risk if an airline goes bust.

T8qiCFXHVu;s

而且,这些交易的结构也让投资者感到欣慰,这些交易利用计划的现金流来偿还债务,且能够降低航空公司的破产风险wm|BxmN;N^

GXCP^AN!L0r@#

Affinity Capital Exchange, a fintech firm, is working with JPMorgan to securitise air miles, so that they can be more easily traded.

Tau_#Bj2+ZZBB0

亲和资本交易(一家金融科技公司)正与摩根大通合作,将航空里程证券化,以便更容易地进行交易Bzv__)PC|Q,JuJ3M

#z=H]Ktseb+nDW

The trick for airlines in all this is to balance the costs and benefits of perks so that customers stay engaged, while carriers' margins are preserved.

*vhho2SH4M

对于航空公司来说,这一切的诀窍在于平衡津贴的成本和收益,以便在保持公司利润的同时,留住顾客1dXxAT((|C^Joz2X%

@4Y_CIsx7j;zM

Endless devaluations could rattle that equilibrium and upset securitisation arrangements.

LFz5hG_MXa[

无休止的贬值可能会打破这种平衡,打乱证券化准备计划PUI9Qf7gJPicqjq5R~YG

#y@wVKzzD_,^p56nER

Sky-high valuations are not assured.

6d*auu4;9d(*;n

不太可能有过高的价值U,Ajn[l1VfQwXY3+

iCBBP!U=^sWJ(rj&@D0t.g@zUVxF1BLn=jWq[ET)UCoudW[ddCB0Vd
分享到