The lucrative business of airline loyalty schemes

MATT Jones is no ordinary frequent flyer.

When the former chartered accountant flew from London to Cape Town this winter, he skipped the direct overnight flights linking the two cities.

Instead, he set off on a voyage of five flights on four airlines, hopping from London to Oslo and then on to Zurich, Johannesburg and Windhoek, in Namibia. He finally reached his destination after more than four days of travelling.