What’s the real reason travelers use flight subscriptions?
To get past assumptions, we asked a very simple question to more than 200,000 actual flight subscription users who purchased a Caravelo-powered subscription across six airline partners:
“WHAT IS THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS TRIP?”
The result was remarkably consistent across all six programs.
More than two-thirds of subscription travelers (by far the largest segment) use their subscription to visit family and friends.
In my view, this highlights a defining pattern of modern mobility (that we still don’t talk about enough).
People rarely live where they grew up anymore.
They study in one place, work in another, form relationships across borders, and maintain family networks spread across regions and countries.
As a result, travel is no longer just discretionary or aspirational.
A large share of it is essential and RELATIONAL.
That’s exactly where flight subscriptions work best.
They support:
* Frequent, repeat travel
* Predictable pricing
* Flexibility around timing
* Lower friction for trips that have to happen
In other words, subscriptions don’t primarily fuel “nice-to-have” travel.
They enable “life travel”, so the kind of journeys people will take again and again, regardless of economic cycles.