CHICAGO — There was a time when junior employees wedged into middle seats on predawn flights could console themselves with a small but meaningful fantasy: The miles were theirs. The points — those tiny, glittering promises of future upgrades, lounge access and maybe a vacation — belonged to the employees.
Now, the airlines have changed the rules, kept the branding and made cheap seats feel even cheaper.
In 2026, American, Delta and United have moved toward strikingly similar revenue-based loyalty models.
The old frequent-flyer logic rewarded distance flown. The new math rewards dollars spent.
In practice, that means a cheap fare earns like a cheap fare, no matter how far the passenger travels.
For senior executives and premium-fare travelers, the system may still work. For the coach passenger on a tightly managed corporate travel budget, the loyalty upside is shrinking fast.
Premium Points
Delta and American largely operate on the same 5-to-11-miles-per-dollar earning ladder, depending on elite status. United has pushed the logic further by giving stronger earning power to co-branded credit-card holders. In all three cases, distance has been demoted. Spend has been elevated.
Jack Macleod, President of 360 Live Media, sees real risk in that question.
“Rising travel costs and, to a lesser degree, changes to airline loyalty programs are absolutely factors which could affect trade show attendance, exhibitor staffing and the future attendee pipeline, particularly for younger professionals,” Macleod said.
Macleod connects that concern to a broader post-2020 attendance pattern: fewer people traveling, but more senior people making the trip.
“I would expect the continuing K-shaped economy to strengthen the dynamic we’ve seen since coming back from 2020 of fewer, more senior people traveling to events,” he said. “How can our future audiences build loyalty to our shows if they can’t come?”
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The Show Floor Has to Earn the Trip
Mark Catuogno, CGSP, HMCC, MMP, Director of Global Events at MC Event Consulting, sees clients favoring drive markets and shorter flights, ticketing groups together and working directly with carriers on meeting and group discount codes.
“What has changed is that clients are more deliberate about justifying who attends and why,” Catuogno said.
Macleod said events that outperformed in late 2025 and early 2026 shared one notable trait: “a focused effort on attracting rising leaders to events.”
That may be the strategic takeaway. If airline perks are fading and travel costs are rising, shows will need to make the case for attendance more forcefully — especially to the younger professionals most likely to be cut from the travel list.
John T. Kelley, Vice President and CES® Show Director, Consumer Technology Association® (CTA), owner and producer of CES said, “While travel costs may be one factor in an individual’s travel experience, the primary value of attending events like CES comes from the business connections, education and opportunities that can only happen in person. As organizers, we should continue paying attention to factors that affect affordability and accessibility, particularly for early-career professionals, because today’s first-time attendees are tomorrow’s industry leaders.”
Featured Image Credit: Miguel Ángel Sanz on Unsplash
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