Air Canada’s Altitude Community Takes Off: Q&A with Ian Di Tullio
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Being part of any airline loyalty program has its perks but Air Canada just made the pot a lot sweeter for members of its frequent flyer program, Air Canada Altitude. The airline launched an online content hub that enables frequent flyers to share their favorite spots around the world and interact with other members within the virtual community. “Think of this website as a high end hybrid between a social network and an interactive travel guide,” says Jean-François Légaré, Altitude media editor at Spafax, Air Canada’s content agency.
APEX spoke with Ian Di Tullio, director of Loyalty Marketing at Air Canada, to find out what inspired the website and how the project offers a unique service to its members.
What inspired the idea?
Frequent flyers often travel alone and have no real way to connect with each other outside of the airport bar. The Altitude Community gives them the capacity to interact and exchange travel recommendations with each other. We want the Altitude Community to be an interactive travel guide curated by and for Air Canada Altitude members.
Is this the first online community for frequent flyers of its kind?
Yes. In the past, credit cards and other brands have launched travel sites to target business people, but it’s the first time that an airline has created a branded platform for its own frequent flyers.
We didn’t want to reinvent Yelp or TripAdvisor – the Altitude Community is an exclusive space that harnesses the travel intelligence of like-minded flyers.
How can users interact with the site? How can they interact with other Altitude Community members?
After they create a profile, users can make lists of travel recommendations in any city or region of the world, like the “Best Steak Houses in Canada” or “Best Places to Entertain Clients in Toronto.” Users can browse and save their favorite lists to create personalized itineraries, and can follow other members to build their own network of travel experts. Direct messages are not available right now, but members can link to their other social media profiles, like Twitter or LinkedIn.
Why is it important to allow for personalization?
Each Altitude member is unique and has their own travel needs, which is why we’ve allowed members to personalize and curate their feeds based on their interests (such as airports, fitness or food) and/or preferred destinations. Users can also choose to get recommendations from specific Air Canada Altitude tier groups for even more personalization.
What are some of the features on the site that first-time users might not know about?
The Altitude Community has a gaming element: Users earn badges and privileges as they share their travel expertise with other members. Some of these badges come with tangible rewards, like travel-inspired gifts or Aeroplan Bonus Miles. The Community also features Guest Lists created by influencers, celebrities and prominent Altitude members. Celebrity chef Chuck Hughes, fashion icon Jeanne Beker and designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg have already shared lists of their favorite places. More will be added on a regular basis.
How much time are users spending on the site?
User engagement has been consistent since the site launch, which is a great accomplishment: our returning users are engaged and willing to explore the site more and more as they come back. They’re also making great lists (we have close to 300 in less than a week).
What has the response been like so far?
The response has been great – more than 8 percent of Air Canada’s frequent flyer community has signed up so far. The goal is to have 20 percent sign up within the next year. The variety in terms of the destination lists also shows the scope of these frequent flyers’ expertise.