Riyadh Air Launching Sfeer Loyalty Program, With Unique Sharing Features

It’s an exciting time for Riyadh Air. The airline has just revealed when it plans to launch operations, and has also unveiled its new airport lounge. Now the airline has shared the details of its new loyalty program, though there are still more questions than answers. Still, there are some interesting hints in here…

Basics of Riyadh Air’s new Sfeer frequent flyer program

Riyadh Air is launching Sfeer (which means “Ambassador” in Arabic), its new loyalty program. The airline claims that the program is designed for a generation in motion, and that it “embodies the vibrant, generous spirit of Saudi Arabia.”

Riyadh Air claims that Sfeer “is set to become one of the world’s most unique and exciting loyalty programs, seamlessly combining community engagement with gamified experiences, all while unlocking the very best of Saudi.” The company promotes how points in the program won’t expire, and that Sfeer members will be able to share level points, benefits, and even qualifying spending, with others, to make the travels of friends and family better.

The program is expected to fully launch at some point in 2026, but registration for the program is now open on Riyadh Air’s website. Early registrants will be welcomed into an exclusive group, “The Founders.” They’ll receive priority access to bookings on future flights, along with other benefits, to be announced soon. Furthermore, all members of the loyalty program will receive free Wi-Fi onboard Riyadh Air flights.

Here’s how Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas describes the new program:

“With Sfeer, we’re creating much more than just a loyalty program; we’re building a dynamic, digitally immersive lifestyle ecosystem. Our vision is to truly change the game, offering unparalleled benefits and fostering a unique sense of community among our members.”

My take on Riyadh Air’s new loyalty program

As you can see, details regarding Riyadh Air’s new loyalty program are still quite limited. However, here are some of the key things that stand out to me:

• It sounds like the program will offer revenue based points earning and status qualification, which is hardly surprising
• It’s cool that it’ll be possible to share most program benefits, and even to share elite qualification rewards with others, which is something we’ve never seen before with a program
• Points won’t expire, which is useful for those who aren’t necessarily frequent flyers
• We don’t yet know what elite perks will be like, but I’d expect for them to be pretty typical, with things like priority services, lounge access, etc.
• I love the specific mention of the program offering “gamified experiences,” so I’m curious what that will look like
• I imagine the program will offer all kinds of ways for those in Saudi Arabia to earn points for non-flying means, given how high-tech and digital of a country it is

Riyadh Air has been promising that it’ll be offering an unparalleled digital experience, given that the airline is being built from the ground up. I would imagine the loyalty program will be a key part of this.

I suspect this program will be most interesting for Saudis, or those who travel to Saudi Arabia frequently, given where the airline is based, and that the carrier’s business model isn’t primarily about connecting people between other countries via Saudi Arabia.

Selfishly, my biggest loyalty question is what cooperation will look like between Riyadh Air and its airline partners. The airline has already announced plans to launch partnerships with all kinds of airlines, including Air France-KLM, Delta, Virgin Atlantic, etc.

So while Riyadh Air is closely aligned with all kinds of SkyTeam airlines, there are no official plans for Riyadh Air to join SkyTeam. That’s not too surprising, given the increased focus on agreements between individual airlines, joint ventures, etc. I do hope that we’ll see reciprocal points earning and redemption opportunities between those airlines sooner rather than later.

Bottom line

Riyadh Air has just launched its Sfeer frequent flyer program. While it’s now open for registration, actual details remain very limited, and a full program launch is expected for some point in 2026.

So far we know that points won’t expire, points and status earning will be revenue based, it’ll be possible to share virtually all rewards with friends and family (including elite status qualification), and the program will also have a big emphasis on gamification.

I imagine the program will be most useful for those in Saudi Arabia, though I’m curious if the airline can create a program that’s compelling for those abroad.

What do you make of Riyadh Air’s Sfeer loyalty program?