The new Student Club programme from Qatar Airways aims to win young people’s loyalty before they enter the job market. Rose Dykins reports
Qatar Airways has launched Student Club – a loyalty programme specifically curated for students to help them through their educational journey.
All students in full- or part-time education who are aged between 18 and 30 years are eligible to join the scheme.
Powered by the airline’s existing Qatar Airways Privilege Club loyalty scheme, Student Club offers savings and benefits that help make journeys more cost-efficient and tailored to the needs of students.
These include special fares on flights, extra baggage allowance, the flexibility to change the dates of their flight, and free high-speed wifi on board.
Members of Student Club are also automatically enrolled in Privilege Club. This means they can earn Qmiles when travelling with airlines in the Oneworld alliance, or any of Qatar Airways’ airline partners (as well as the airline itself).
They can also earn Qmiles by using Qatar Airways credit cards and when shopping with Privilege Club retail and lifestyle partners. Qmiles can be redeemed for award flights, upgrades or extra baggage when flying with Qatar Airways, Duty Free shopping, and hotel stays with partners.
When they finish their studies, members receive a tier upgrade as a graduation present, plus the chance to earn 5,000 QMiles if they refer a friend to the Student Club scheme.
Student Club members also get a digital card that indicates their membership tier, which can be stored in their phone’s mobile wallet or the airline’s mobile app.
“Our brand new Student Club is designed specifically with students’ needs in mind,” says Qatar Airways’ group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker. “Travel is an important part of their life, with many choosing to study abroad for the duration of their university career or for a semester.
“We also know that the long university vacations are a wonderful opportunity for students to visit family or friends or simply to explore the world. Having listened to the needs of our current student passengers, we are delighted to help them to aim for the skies with our Student Club.”
Qatar Airways says the launch of Student Club is part of its wider transformation of Qatar Airways Privilege Club, which is being remodelled to make sure passengers receive the “very best offers and benefits” as a reward for their custom.
The move is also a clever way of broadening the airline’s appeal to attract Gen Z travellers and enroll them in the airline’s loyalty programme at an early stage of their lives – with the potential to maintain their loyalty as their careers take off in the future.
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