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A few years ago, Starwood announced that it was introducing Delta and its Crossover Rewards program, which reciprocated benefits for elites of both programs. And then nearly two years later, Starwood announced it was launching a new, similar partnership with Emirates. And now, Starwood’s announced a third airline with which it now has a partnership for elites — China Eastern.
As Gary Leff notes, starting in late 2016, China Eastern and Starwood are teaming up for Eastern Explorer Rewards, which will generate similar benefits for travelers when they stay at SPG properties or fly with China Eastern. We don’t have any details other than that as to exact earning rates with both programs, but stay tuned.
Overall, this is good news for both SPG loyalists and China Eastern passengers, as the reciprocal points/miles earning can only be a bonus. Hopefully, SPG will continue to add other airlines to participate in programs such as this. That being said, it’s unclear how these partnerships will work once the Starwood and Marriott merger is finalized later this year — though we still don’t know exactly what Marriott has in store for SPG in general.
Source: thepointsguy.com