The United States is the first international market for Volare membership. More than 20 commercial partnerships and 7 partner airlines.
NEW YORK / ROME – The management of Volare – ITA Airways’ loyalty program – met the major frequent flyers and business partners in the US market in downtown New York to provide updates on the program’s milestones and its news launched in 2023.
“We are very proud to have gathered in New York our corporate partners on the US market and to have shared with them the excellent results achieved this year by the Volare program, which has surpassed the 1.6 million members worldwide. These numbers exceed all our forecasts, and take on even more relevance in North America, which is the first international market for ITA Airways, with a 60% growth in terms of passengers in 2023, and for our Volare program, which here counts around 9% of its foreign members. Our new partnerships and initiatives, presented during the event, confirm that we are on the right track and are continuing to work towards our primary goal: putting the customer at the core of our business, with a loyalty program fully focused on their needs” said Emiliana Limosani, CEO Volare and Chief Commercial Officer ITA Airways.
Launched in March 2022 Volare is ITA Airways loyalty program, and it has continued to grow in its first two years. It was built on the values of Freedom, Personalization, Choice, and Connection, and features an increasingly dynamic structure guaranteeing a tailored experience to all members.
Volare consists of four exclusive Clubs, on an upward scale of increasing levels of premiumness and dedicated priority services: Club Smart, Club Plus, Club Premium, Club Executive. With every purchase on ITA flights and the partners’ marketplace, customers can accumulate the points they need to upgrade to the higher Club level and take advantage of benefits and even more premium services. Furthermore, the advantages for the customers increase along with their status, both in terms of multipliers and services.
In 2023 Volare has reached the milestone of more than 1.6 million members worldwide. Almost 40% are international subscribers with North America representing the first market outside Italy for Volare membership with numbers that are continuing to grow.
To date, Volare has more than 20 commercial partners from the hôtellerie, mobility and finance sectors including 16 in accrual and 8 in redemption. There are also 7 airline partners for accrual which have joined the program.
Among the new partnerships signed in 2023, there is the one with American Express which resulted in the launch of three specific co-branded cards. These include ITA Airways American Express Credit Card, ITA Airways Gold American Express and ITA Airways Platinum American Express Credit Card.
Another major novelty recently introduced in the program is the Executive Reserved, an initiative dedicated to high value customers, who can benefit from exclusive offers and tailor-made services courtesy of specific agreements with an array of selected partners. Among the partners included, there are Forte Village hotels, Palazzo Doglio, Palazzo Fiuggi Wellness Medical Retreat, the historic Neapolitan luxury brand E. Marinella, the Rocco Forte Verdura Resort, Ferrari Trento, Ippolita, Rinascente e 1895 Coffee Designers by Lavazza.
In addition, Executive Club members can give the Premium status to a Volare member of their choice: this upgrade allows beneficiaries to experience some of the program’s most exclusive advantages such as fast track, lounge access and extra baggage.
The United States is the first international market for ITA Airways and the most strategic one after Italy. There are 43 weekly roundtrip flights from North America to Italy operated by ITA Airways in the peak if the current winter season, which are not only means for leisure and business travel but also “bridges” connecting the broader Italian community in the United States. The Italian flagship carrier offers nonstop flights to 6 destinations in North America, namely New York, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington and San Francisco.
In the current winter season ITA Airways is flying to 52 destinations, including 17 domestic, 23 international, and 12 intercontinental. In terms of new winter openings, the Company has recently inaugurated the direct flight Roma Fiumicino – Malè in the Maldives which will be enriching the intercontinental network already including nonstop flights to New York, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and New Delhi.
Further attention to the American market is testified by the expansion of the Company’s intercontinental network in the summer of 2024. In April, ITA Airways will launch the nonstop flight to Chicago and in May it will offer a new nonstop flight to Toronto in Canada. New nonstop flights will also be launched to destinations in the Middle East and Africa, including Riyadh, Kuwait, Jeddah, Dakar and Accra.
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