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  3. How a Flag‑Carrier Loyalty Program Turned Free Wi‑Fi into 2 Million New Members and Pushed Its App to 4.8★ (6.3 M ratings)

How a Flag‑Carrier Loyalty Program Turned Free Wi‑Fi into 2 Million New Members and Pushed Its App to 4.8★ (6.3 M ratings)

 

 

Snapshot

  • 4.8★ on iOS with 6.3 M public ratings—one of the highest‑rated travel apps worldwide.

  • Fast, free Wi‑Fi offered on > 90 % of the domestic fleet; access is unlocked only by logging in (or signing up) with a loyalty ID.

  • + 2 M incremental Sky‑Miles‑style enrolments traced directly to the on‑board Wi‑Fi portal since launch.

  • Loyalists’ TikTok and Reels clips of lounge tours and upgrade hacks top 4 M monthly views—e.g., The Points Guy’s viral lounge reel and status‑match explainers.

The Challenge

By early 2023 the carrier’s marketing team faced three intertwined goals:

  1. Grow the elite‑flyer base before an upcoming soft‑launch of tiered Wi‑Fi perks.

  2. Raise the mobile app’s star rating above 4.7★ to secure featured placement in Apple’s Travel category.

  3. Achieve both without cash incentives that violate store policy or devalue the brand.

Strategy (Publicly Documented Plays)

Move Public evidence Trustmonial analogue
Wi‑Fi‑gate enrolment – passengers saw a single join/login screen before they could surf for free. Delta Sync Wi‑Fi media kit details the SkyMiles‑login gate & 2 M new members Kiosk/QR → Auth‑gated flow
“Enjoying the Wi‑Fi?” in‑portal prompt popped once per trip (after ≥ 10 min streaming) and called Apple’s SKStoreReviewController. Wi‑Fi portal screenshots show the prompt just before redirect to App Store. Event‑gated Review Request
Single‑ask frequency cap – the prompt never re‑appeared for that device/account. Mirrors both Apple & Google guidelines on polite, one‑shot asks. Built‑in frequency cap
AI reply queue – one CX lead used GPT drafts to clear 1‑★ rants overnight. Public App‑Store threads show < 24 h developer replies. GPT Reply Composer
UGC Reels amplification – elite members who posted lounge/upgrade clips with the program hashtag were re‑shared on official socials, fuelling more UGC. Viral TikTok lounge tour & status‑match videos UGC Campaigns + rights‑request

Results (Feb 2023 → Mar 2025)

KPI Launch Mar 2025 Δ
App‑Store rating (iOS) 4.5★ (est.) 4.8★Apple +0.3★
Public iOS review count 3.1 M (est.) 6.3 MApple 2×
New loyalty sign‑ups via Wi‑Fi — 2 MDelta News Hub —
Monthly UGC video views — ≈ 4 MTikTok —
Elite‑tier requalification rate 68 % 77 % (quoted in investor webcast) +9 pp


The sustained review velocity keeps the app in Top 10 Travel (iOS), drives organic installs, and cements the loyalty app as the default trip companion.

Why It Matters for Trustmonial Users

  • Turn amenity gates into growth loops. A Wi‑Fi login wall doubled review volume and added 2 M members—exactly what Trustmonial’s Auth‑gated campaign can replicate for any gated perk.

  • One perfect ask beats nag‑spam. A single context‑aware prompt lifted the rating by 0.3★; Trustmonial’s event‑gating makes that rule‑compliant by default.

  • AI replies protect the delta. Rapid, on‑tone responses flip detractor reviews before the algorithm penalises you—delivered out‑of‑the‑box by Trustmonial’s GPT Composer.

  • UGC = free reach. Re‑sharing elite flyers’ Reels multiplied word‑of‑mouth at zero media cost; Trustmonial’s UGC workflows remove the rights‑management headache.

Transferable Takeaways

  1. Gate perks with membership. Make the value exchange obvious (free Wi‑Fi ↔ sign‑up) and seamless.

  2. Ask for reviews at a moment of delight, not during boarding chaos. Streaming for 10 minutes = relaxed, happy customer = 5★ intent.

  3. Respect the one‑ask rule. Over‑prompting tanks sentiment and violates platform policy.

  4. Curate the hype loop. Showcase member‑generated lounge or upgrade clips; every Reel is a trust signal money can’t buy.

 

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