Air Seychelles recently released a statement announcing that the mileage earned on flights to and from Europe has increased.

An economy-class ticket to one of Air Seychelles European destinations now earns 12,000 points, while the same trip in Pearl Class earns 24,000 points. The net result is that only 10 trips are required to earn a free flight to the same destination — a significant reduction from the previous 30 flights.

The increase was intended to increase the competitiveness of the program within the European market.

Program manager Lisa LaPorte hinted that the airline was reviewing similar changes to flights from the U.S.

Regional routes, however, remain unchanged.

“We have not adjusted the regional network due to the capacity constraints we have on these sectors,” LaPorte said. “Instead of reward tickets on these sectors, we encourage our majority local membership to claim on excess baggage. And they certainly do. Seychellios love to shop.”

In a further bid to update the program, Air Seychelles has recently launched online membership applications. LaPorte said that visitors to the Air Seychelles’ Web site, http://www.airseychelles.net, could now join the program and view their statements online. A feedback section with a questionnaire has also been placed on the site to solicit the input of the 3,500 members of the program.