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The Latin American aviation market is tipped for rapid growth in the future as the number of regional and intercontinental routes increases. By passenger capacity, it is now the fastest-growing region in the world, according to IATA.
The growing number of customers in the region presents exciting new opportunities for fostering loyalty. To discuss this further, Cristian Ortiz, CEO of LATAM Pass and EVP LATAM Airlines, joined us on the sofa at World Aviation Festival 2025.
We defined our purpose a couple of years ago for LATAM Pass: ‘With you on your journey of life, always’.
Ortiz has led the development of the LATAM Pass app, which boasts over three million users and high customer scores on the iOS and Android app stores. A new initiative they’ve launched is the ‘Bonus LATAM Pass’: this scheme offers users small rewards as they accumulate points. When they hit certain milestones, travellers can pick an extra reward from a selection of offerings, including more miles, a free bag, or free seat selection.
We give you options, so members can personalise their benefits.
Personalisation has become a significant industry buzzword, especially in the loyalty landscape, However, with the trend still in its infancy, Ortiz doesn’t think anyone, not even LATAM, have done personalisation right so far. Behind the scenes, the LATAM Pass team are working on a bespoke platform, but greater synergy between the digital and physical experience is needed for travellers to feel they are receiving a truly personal service.
Maybe you can get personalisation right in digital landscapes like the app. But if it’s not accompanied with personalisation in your travel experience, the physical touchpoints at the airport or onboard, it lacks consistency and the effect dissipates.
In the future, Ortiz hopes digitisation and personalisation will enable LATAM Pass to offer members unique offers, such as free lounge access for travelling families. This, he explains, will allow LATAM to get closer to its customers, and to deliver an unforgettable service.
For me, success in generating and maintaining loyalty is to be able to offer relevant stuff to our different members, and doing it seamlessly through [the app].
🎥 Watch the full interview to hear Cristian Ortiz’s full thoughts on the loyalty landscape in Latin America and the evolution of LATAM Pass.
Questions asked include:
- Latin America is a region with a high growth potential for the aviation industry. How is that potential shaping the loyalty landscape?
- What kind of innovations have you introduced beyond traditional loyalty offerings (for example, points) and which have been the most successful?
- What about personalisation? How do you think that trend will shape loyalty going forward?
- What do you think is the deciding factor in determining whether customers stay loyal to an airline or not?
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