It should surprise no one that the companies we buy from and interact with collect, analyze, and use that information to keep us as customers and subliminally urge us to spend more of our money with them. Airlines are no exception. Our frequent flyer profiles tell airlines everything they need to know about our travel-buying habits and allow them to target sales and perks on an individual level.

Ben Schlappig from One Mile At A Time discovered that British Airways ranks customers using what they call a Corporate Individual Value, or CIV. Although the name may sound like something conceived by a group of consultants, it is a useful tool for airlines to manage how they treat us. You’ve heard the phrase “I’m just a number,” and that appears to be exactly what is happening here. That number boils down to loyalty and money spent.

The Breakdown Of Your Passenger Score

Credit: Ceri Breeze | Shutterstock

The British Airways Club has four tiers: Blue, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Once you reach Gold status, there are two higher levels: Gold Guest List and Gold Premier. When you fly, you earn points that go towards earning free flights, but those points expire if you don’t earn enough for a free ticket or if they go unused.

However, every point earned goes towards your Lifetime Tier Points, which keep accruing year after year whether you fly one or dozens of times. Head For Points says that British Airways has been using CIV for a decade, and that your score ranges from 0 to 105, broken down as detailed in the table above.

Where Status Matters Most

Credit: British Airways

British Airways, like most other airlines, has a myriad of ways to earn points and tier status. Purchasing 25 BA-marketed flights moves you from Blue to Bronze status, and 50 gets you to Silver. Points are also earned by purchasing vacation packages, and you get bonus points based on the cabin you select to fly in. Making purchases on BA’s branded American Express card also earns points. Head for Points says that your CIV matters most when things go wrong:

“A Club World passenger with a score of zero receives the same meal service, amenities and beddings as someone with a score of 100+. Where it does matter is when things go awry. When day-to-day operations start unraveling, such as with flight cancellations or delays, CIV scores help BA know who to prioritize or rebook first.”

BA’s new long-haul business class product, the Club Suite, replaces the outdated Club World yin-yang seating configuration, first introduced in 2000. At the time, these seats were a world-first, with full lie-flat capability. The new Club Suites have wider lie-flat seats, more privacy, more storage, and direct aisle access for each passenger.

Comments on Schlappig’s post mention how CIV may seem secretive, but can be requested under UK law. Another commenter said CIV is used as a tiebreaker for upgrades and is not unique to BA.

Companies Have Trained Us

Credit: Flickr

Companies have spent decades and billions of dollars tracking and predicting consumer behavior. More than ever, this practice is at the forefront. We’ve been trained to wait for sales on consumer goods during Prime Day or Black Friday, which now seems to last a month.

In the travel sphere, when you log in to your preferred airline or hotel website or app, it tracks your searches. If you abandon a flight search, you’ll get an email a short time later, reminding you that you are interested in buying a flight. It will pick up where you left off, showing flight times, dates, and promotional fare sales. Simple Flying has reached out to British Airways for comment, and we will update the article with any response.