Travelers determined to fly on cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages are sometimes envious how much better passengers are treated who have purchased much more expensive tickets or are elite frequent fliers.
Now passengers who do not travel enough to qualify for top elite frequent flier status and who do not want to pay for Business or First Class seats have another way to access premium services being offered by airlines.
Delta recently added priority boarding and a 20 percent discount on in-flight food, beverages and movies to its many benefits provided to Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles American Express credit card holders. Card holders pay an annual fee of $95 and are allowed to check their first bag for free as well as one free checked bag for up to eight flying companions.
Citibank came out in July with an American Airlines branded Citi Executive AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard that offers many travel perks, including lounge access, priority screening and boarding, and free checked bags for an annual fee of $450.
Chase introduced in July a United MileagePlus Explorer Card that comes with two United airport club passes per year, priority boarding, first checked bag free, along with other perks for an annual fee of $95.
Some airline experts fear that selling such perks threatens to dilute the value of airlines loyalty programs, thus alienating their most valuable customers. For example, by increasing the number of travelers given access to expedited security lanes the chances increase that such lanes will ultimately be no faster than normal security lanes.
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