London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Cash-strapped airlines offer up air miles to small businesses, nonprofits

Cash-strapped airlines offer up air miles to small businesses, nonprofits

In response to what's known as "Giving Tuesday," some of the country's largest carriers have begun encouraging their customers to donate air miles to help offset travel costs for organizations.

Despite being battered to its core by the pandemic, the airline industry has collectively found a way to lend a helping hand to struggling businesses and nonprofits.

In response to what's known as "Giving Tuesday," some of the country's largest carriers began encouraging their customers to donate air miles to help offset costs for organizations that rely on travel so they can continue providing essential services to communities around the country.

It comes amid a time when they need it most. The coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent economic recession had left an increasing number of Americans strapped for cash since the springtime. As a result, more than 70% of organizations worldwide reported seeing a "significant" reduction in contributions and as a result, have had to suspended programs involving travel or events, according to a survey conducted by CAF America.

To help, United is encouraging its MileagePlus members to use the crowdsourcing platform, Miles on a Mission, to donate miles for various charities including Thurgood Marshall College Fund, College to Congress and Compass to Care. The platform is comprised of nearly early 40 nonprofits that are trying to raise more than 11 million miles to be used for travel for "life-saving health care, continued education and humanitarian aid," United said.



The carrier promises to match the first 125,000 miles raised for each organization "to help ensure they meet their goals."
"This year has posed unprecedented challenges for us all and has been especially devastating to some of the most vulnerable members within the communities we serve," Suzi Cabo, managing director of global community engagement at United, said.


American Airlines also encouraging its customers and employees to donate their AAdvantage miles to causes the airline supports under its three giving pillars: Miles for Global Health and Well-Being, Miles for Our Heroes. and Miles for Social Good.

Organizations including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Make-a-Wish, Gary Sinise Foundation, Medal of Honor Foundation, UNICEF, American Red Cross, and Feeding America fall under these categories.



Likewise, Southwest is encouraging its Rapid Rewards members to give back to organizations "whose missions are aimed at transforming lives and championing communities across the nation" through the carrier's Points for a Purpose program.


Southwest has kicked off the effort by donating 100,000 of its Rapid Rewards Points to organizations that have recently joined the Points for a Purpose program including Polaris and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.

The organizations in Southwest's program support a range of needs from providing assistance during and after disasters, supporting survivors of human trafficking and making a positive impact on the environment.

Meanwhile, Delta says it will be focusing on "diverse organizations with a focus on women- and minority-owned businesses."

"During this crisis, many diverse organizations, such as women- and minority-owned businesses, have been adversely impacted," Kristen Shovlin, Delta's vice president of sales operations and development, said.

The carrier plans to donate up to 50 million SkyBonus points to these organizations. The carrier will provide 25 million points upfront to eligible SkyBonus accounts.


At the same time, the carrier is also encouraging its customer to donate points or unused tickets, "which will be matched by Delta up to 25 million points," the carrier said.

“2020 has been a difficult year for many as we weather the challenges of COVID-19 together,” said Shovlin.

Earlier in November, JetBlue began this effort by donating 3 million TrueBlue points to a variety of charities. The airline is also encouraging its customers to do the same by donating loyalty points "to help nonprofits continue their work within their local communities."



TrueBlue members can donate points to organizations including Autism Speaks, Make-A-Wish, Together We Rise and World Central Kitchen.

The points will go to a selected charity, and each charity "may use the points for travel necessary to advance its mission," Jetblue said.

The airline has been donating points for years. Since 2012, JetBlue has donated more than 23 million TrueBlue points to Make-A-Wish.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Nvidia’s $5 Billion Bet on Intel Reshapes AI Hardware Landscape
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Trump’s Quip on Biden and Google Lawsuit Revives Debate Over Antitrust Legacy
Macron and his wife to provide 'scientific photographic evidence' that she is a real woman
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
×