Delta Air Lines’ loyalty program helped the company sustain its earnings while dealing with higher fuel costs during the quarter that ended in September, CEO Edward Bastian said Friday (Oct. 9) during an earnings call.

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“Our growing loyalty ecosystem is one of the most important drivers of our structural durability,” Bastian said during the call.

Bastian highlighted a Delta-American Express partnership that has strong momentum and is expected to delivery remuneration of over $9 billion this year, the high customer satisfaction ratings attained by Delta’s co-brand cards and a new strategic relationship with Hyatt that brings more value to Delta customers.

Delta’s loyalty revenue grew nearly 20% year over year during the quarter, Joe Esposito, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Delta Air Lines, said during the call.

“Our loyalty ecosystem is growing in scale and value,” Esposito said. “SkyMiles membership is growing faster than capacity, and members are engaging more with Delta in the air and beyond the flight.”

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Esposito pointed to brand partnerships with Uber and Starbucks that are seeing growth driven by the deeper engagement of SkyMiles members.

PYMNTS reported Oct. 5 that Delta is among the airlines that have made loyalty points more liquid by giving customers more choices over when and how much of their accumulated rewards to spend.

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