toddegalompen

I am living in Switzerland, and both the flying blue and miles & more alliances are convenient for my travel needs, although the latter would give me a few more direct flights. However, the FB program seems to be more generous, with 100% extra miles with platinum status earned already at 70k level miles, while as a senator at MM (100k points) you receive "25% more award, status and HON Circle miles". Is this correct, and are there other (dis)advantages with either allliance? I would appreciate advice regarding which to choose!

delmargal

I live in the US and if it were easier to earn Flying Blue miles from dining, etc. that would be my primary. I'm very biased toward AF though as I've always had great flights/food and service from them.

cardesigner2000

Welcome to Flyertalk first of all^ No need to choose either program; since they are two different alliances there is no overlap. As to which program to emphasize. FB has lower requirements for achieving status 40k for Gold and 70k for Platinum if you're a non-French resident. However, the benefits are less generous than M&M, which offers 2 years elite status and elite qualifying bonus miles unlike FB. Those 100% FB Plat miles do not count towards status. For a more occasional traveler flying mostly economy I would suggest FB to try to get 40k Gold status and take advantage of their 50% off webawards. If you're flying 70k+ in business or first I would definitely recommend M&M since their business and first class bonuses are much higher.

cfischer

welcome to FT

tell us a little bit more:

How many miles do you fly per year?

Do you mostly fly business class or coach class (and if coach, always dirt cheap rock bottom or something more flexible)

What is important to you? Lounge access? Priority seating/check-in? else?

Where do you usually fly to? You also have to look at the alliance partners ...


Scenario 1: You fly 120k+ miles --> look into M&M

Scenario 2: You fly ~40-70k miles --> FB will serve you better


Just be aware that both have low fare classes which do not earn 100% miles, such as N, Q, L on AF. If you have a lot of US travel and like CO/DL out of ZRH, FB will be great for you, since all fare classes earn 100%.

toddegalompen

Many thanks for the advice!

In response to cfischer, I had 73k point with FB last year, about 30% business and the rest flexible economy. Only 6 flights with other programmes. I fly mostly in Europe, at present about 4 times to USA and Asia per year. So, if the likelihood of upgrades and lounge acces is not worse, I should probably go fro M&M.

spartacus

I am not adding an opinion here because I don't fly TATL often and always on lowest fare. But last week I did notice that KL international flights, no matter how short, have 750 mile minimum. So if I was in Big Blue I guess my 20 minute flights AMS-DUS and back would have netted me another 500 miles. The difference would probably add up in a hurry if I was in position to have to fly thru AMS from some of those short trip locales.

dnviessk

Hi there

I have been struggling years ago ini order to get a nice status in one of the airlines.

I am an Miles and More now but what the status can offer me is really restricted. I am really looking at changing to FB Gold as this can be achived flying 30 segments.

You cannot get the Miles and More status SEN per status and renewing FTL will cost you 30 segments.

As SEN is more or less the same than FB Gold (priority boarding, lounge access, priority tag and more miles) If you live in Europe it's ok. Miles and more seems to be more attractuve as it has hubs all over Europe: Frankfurt and Munich for Lufthansa, Vienna, Brussels, Geneva and Zurich for Swiss and Warsaw for LOT.

The problem is if you are not a business flyier it will be very hard to be SEN (10 European Business flights worth £400 each or 3 long haul business class worth more or less £2000 each).

Many of you might agree with me that £4000 or £6000 per year spent for a normal airline status is quite a lot.

To get FB Gold is quite easy: 15 RT to antwerp ansterdam or paris and you can get it: final price: £1500 more or less.

Any suggestion or advice ?

dnviessk

Hi there

I have been struggling years ago ini order to get a nice status in one of the airlines.

I am an Miles and More now but what the status can offer me is really restricted. I am really looking at changing to FB Gold as this can be achived flying 30 segments.

You cannot get the Miles and More status SEN per status and renewing FTL will cost you 30 segments.

As SEN is more or less the same than FB Gold (priority boarding, lounge access, priority tag and more miles) If you live in Europe it's ok. Miles and more seems to be more attractuve as it has hubs all over Europe: Frankfurt and Munich for Lufthansa, Vienna, Brussels, Geneva and Zurich for Swiss and Warsaw for LOT.

The problem is if you are not a business flyier it will be very hard to be SEN (10 European Business flights worth £400 each or 3 long haul business class worth more or less £2000 each).

Many of you might agree with me that £4000 or £6000 per year spent for a normal airline status is quite a lot.

To get FB Gold is quite easy: 15 RT to antwerp ansterdam or paris and you can get it: final price: £1500 more or less.

Any suggestion or advice ?

SatUSIN

I am an HonCircle member of Lufthansa Miles and More for last 4 years and Senator since 2001. I traveled Air France last week and realized that:

1. Air France service is far better than Lufthansa, due to its on-board service, quality of food, etc.
2. The Flying Blue is far better than Miles and More, due to it bonus (%) and lower tier status level threshold. I would have received Platinum life by now if I had been loyal to Air France for last 10 years. I am not aware such concept in Miles and More.

This is purely based on my personal experience. I travel between US and India via Europe atleast once in 6 weeks. I am sure there will be good and bad for all airlines. However, wanted to post my initial reaction, which was above expectation in Air France and Flying Blue. As such, plan to switch my loyalty to Air France.

Mennix

I am Air France Platinum lifetimer. Also had been Lufthansa Senator for quite a while.

No question at all. Flying Blue is the far better programm and Air France / KLM the far better airline.

However: Since some years I do not fly that much anymore as I did before. On the other hand I fly only Business on long haul. Staying 8 hours and more in the chicken box at the back is meanwhile unthinkable for me. I realized, that the best way to fly is giving your loyality always to the best deal.

First upgrades are real seldom ( never had one with Lufthansa, even Senator for some years in a row ) and only some very rare with Air France.

But if you look really for deals it would be nonsense, to stay with an Airline just for miles, if you can save thousands by switching.

Some of the deals I regular book:

Bangkok: From Amsterdam just EUR 1341 on Star Alliance
Manila: From Istanbul just EUR 991 on Sky team
Chicago: Just EUr 1600 on one World

Sometimes you can get the Bangkok deal also with one World.

These are all Business Class fares. Status makes not real sense if you fly in front, because all benefits you have as a Status customer, you also have if you pay for Premium cabins.


Some people I know are crazy enough to pay 3k EUR and more, only to stay with Lufthansa or Air France.

Sometimes I spend more, too but this is if I get great nonstop deals or if I can fly without the cost for a positioning flight and might have local flights available, too ( for example in 4 weeks FRA-KUL-MNL-KUL-SIN-KUL-FRA for just EUR 1950 in Business on oneWorld - MH )

And if you really fly every 6 weeks, you will be able to get free flights ( and most likely make status ) with more than just one alliance.

Just my 2cents

orbitmic

I generally agree with your first point. I prefer AF to LH, although there are limits to that theory: I find LH service globally better than AF (including food) on most European flights, and the LH seat better in long haul Y.

I very much disagree with your second point. For one thing, if you had been Plat for life on FB, you would be shocked by how extremely far it would be from the level of service and support you get as MM HON! Even MM Sen arguably gives you more advantages than FB Plat in the sense that you get access to better lounges which we do not The only real advantage of FB Plat is the life status.

Second, while the mileage bonus on FB is generous, it is worth qualifying. Firstly, our bonus is only for award miles but does not include level miles unlike MM. Secondly, LH is typically slightly less stingy in terms of earning level miles. FB has many more classes only earning 25% on long haul flights, and on European and domestic flights, AF MiNi fares earn absolutely nothing.

Thirdly, spending is both far more expensive and far more difficult on FB. In terms of awards availability, in my opinoin, *A is by far the easiest alliance to spend miles in. It was true when I was MM Sen, and is true now when I use my A3 and UA accounts. Secondly, award levels are vastly different. On MM, you need to spend 105,000 miles for a return from Europe to North America in J and 170,000 in F. On Flying Blue those levels would be 125,000 (for the cheapest band) and a whopping 325,000!

There are plenty of reasons to dislike MM which is not only a very bad FFP but has gone worse lately, but frankly, FB is not your solution IMHO!

MichielR

While opinions differ on the quality of on-board service, there is a distinct benefit of HON which sets it apart from OW and ST highest tiers: the fabulous ground service at FRA/MUC/ZRH. In the case of someone making a transfer every 6 weeks (or 2 every 6 weeks?) this would play an important part. Limo transfers and F lounge access are worth it, IMO.

Maybe FB gives more (bonus) miles than M&M, but after both programs devalued the value of miles for me it is not so much the number of miles that I earn but also whether I can spend them (I find that I almost cannot spend at the rate I earn). Both M&M and FB are good with increased availability for higher tiers, unlike BAEC where I can hardly ever spend my Avios on flights that I want (except flights from Europe to London).

Not wanting to re-open the debate about giving true benefits to FB Plat (but I guess doing it anyway), my view is that on M&M HON is a true step up from SEN whereas Plat is little if anything more than Gold on FB. Now, if AF would make available P upgrades at reasonable levels, provide P lounge entry, and P ground service as part of an improved Plat level, that might change the equation....

Terbang

1) access to better lounges at M&M. Absolutely YES (think about TK lounge at IST)

2) The only real advantage of FB Plat is the life status. This is not rue!
Also LH knows Senator for Life.

olivedel

I admit the TK lounge at IST is very beautiful, but it is often overcrowded, access not very well manned and food diverse but the quantity is not enough to feed the masses.
And due to often lenghty connections at IST, many people using multiple seats to lay and get some rest. Not a very positive experience (same thing happened on my 4 visits).

Yes, but in addition of being SEN 10 years in a row, you have to qualify for 1 million level miles, and be at least 60.
So for me, for example, I can still wait 32 years before being SEN for life, but only 4 before being FB Plat for life...

f0zzyNUE

However FB Platinum does not offer many more benefits than FB gold (if you take away the extra 25% award miles and the free economy comfort and exit row seats). If you prefer to be SkyTeam Elite+ you qualify for two years when you make platinum. in case you don't make platinum requalification you will be downgraded to FB gold, but that status is still SkyTeam Elite+.