Random bonus? "Promo campagne keep going" [sic]

Old Apr 11, 2009, 5:00 am
  #1  
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Random bonus? "Promo campagne keep going" [sic]

Not sure whether this is a mistake, a KLM "journey of inspiration" or just some deperate attempt to halt the exodus of members but I have been given another one of those baffling bonuses in which Flying Blue seems to specialise.

This unexpected account entry is listed as:
BONUS CAMPAGNE KEEP GOING 2008-2009 9 000

Does anyone have any idea what this is for? I am targeted for a current promotion offering 6,000 miles for flying six AFKL sectors between March 15 and June 15, but this is clearly unrelated (I haven't flown all six sectors yet).

I don't wish to seem churlish but, coming after the miles reduction (my most frequent flights now earn a pitiful 187 miles) this is not going to make me "keep going" anywhere except to other airlines.
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Old Apr 11, 2009, 5:24 am
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FB works in mysterious ways....

during an earlier campaign I also couldn't really add up the number of flights when I got certain bonuses; possibly their bad internal structures sometimes might favour a customer...
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Old Apr 12, 2009, 8:31 am
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I posted a thread about this question a few weeks ago, and someone told me I had received an email from FB explaining that. I checked and found the mail. I had forgotten it.
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Old Apr 12, 2009, 8:47 am
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Over the years, I've been the lucky recipient of a number of such bonuses, though not recently. In some cases I was forwarned by e-mail, in others the miles arrived out of the Flying Blue.

Johan
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Old Apr 12, 2009, 9:51 am
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I received such an e-mail back in September: 9,000 miles for flying 3 segments between 15.10.2008 and 15.01.2009. FWIW, I hadn't flown AF or KL since April.

I got the miles in November, a few days after the 3rd segment flown. I wish I could receive a new one any day soon...
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Old Apr 13, 2009, 7:36 am
  #6  
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I received an offer of 9000 miles after flying 5 qualifying segments between feb1 and may1.
But BA is currently having a promotion whereby you get 10 000 miles for each 2-segments in CE. So I flew CDG-EDI in CE (I know CE does not exist on domestic, but the fare class is C so it works). For some 400€, I got 20 000 miles. I then flew another 2 segments and got an additional 20 000 (10 000 for 2 segments plus 10 000 bonus for third return). That's on top of the miles that accrue normally. Frankly, that's much more attractive than FB promortion.
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Old Apr 13, 2009, 10:46 am
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Originally Posted by brunos
I received an offer of 9000 miles after flying 5 qualifying segments between feb1 and may1.
But BA is currently having a promotion whereby you get 10 000 miles for each 2-segments in CE. So I flew CDG-EDI in CE (I know CE does not exist on domestic, but the fare class is C so it works). For some 400, I got 20 000 miles. I then flew another 2 segments and got an additional 20 000 (10 000 for 2 segments plus 10 000 bonus for third return). That's on top of the miles that accrue normally. Frankly, that's much more attractive than FB promortion.
Maybe it is more attractive, but very difficult to obtain with french domestic segments !
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Old Apr 26, 2009, 4:53 pm
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Can anyone tell me if this is valid on all fare codes, or if it has to be flown on certain fares only to qualify for the 9000 miles? I'm thinking of making use of this offer and heading over to France to fly the A320-100 internally - that's another thing, do internal French flights count?

I shouldn't have to ask this, but the email I got with the offer was so ambiguous that I don't know


Thanks,


Dan
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Old Apr 28, 2009, 3:12 am
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Originally Posted by Dunthiel
Can anyone tell me if this is valid on all fare codes, or if it has to be flown on certain fares only to qualify for the 9000 miles? I'm thinking of making use of this offer and heading over to France to fly the A320-100 internally - that's another thing, do internal French flights count?

I shouldn't have to ask this, but the email I got with the offer was so ambiguous that I don't know


Thanks,


Dan
The flights must be eligible for mileage earning. French internal flights count (they only don't count for the status by sector count for French residents). When you make a booking, click on miles earning (on the last page) to make sure they earn some (probably 125) miles before you go ahead and confirm.

I had decided to abandon AF (for *A) after the new rules, but already had one return journey booked, when I received one of their personalised offers of 9,000 miles if I flew six sectors between March 15th and June 15th. So I booked four flights (two returns) at the cheapest rates, for journeys I should otherwise have made by rail.They each only earn 125 miles (because of the crappy new rules), doubled because of my Platinum Status. I'm doing it solely for the 9,000 miles bonus, which gives me more miles to spend over the next couple of years.

Then no need (or intention) of flying AF again, except for one flight in 2010 to ensure another soft-landing as I gradually disappear down the status ladder into oblivion.
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Old Apr 28, 2009, 6:24 am
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Originally Posted by rangerss75
The flights must be eligible for mileage earning. French internal flights count (they only don't count for the status by sector count for French residents). When you make a booking, click on miles earning (on the last page) to make sure they earn some (probably 125) miles before you go ahead and confirm.

I had decided to abandon AF (for *A) after the new rules, but already had one return journey booked, when I received one of their personalised offers of 9,000 miles if I flew six sectors between March 15th and June 15th. So I booked four flights (two returns) at the cheapest rates, for journeys I should otherwise have made by rail.They each only earn 125 miles (because of the crappy new rules), doubled because of my Platinum Status. I'm doing it solely for the 9,000 miles bonus, which gives me more miles to spend over the next couple of years.

Then no need (or intention) of flying AF again, except for one flight in 2010 to ensure another soft-landing as I gradually disappear down the status ladder into oblivion.
Thank you very much rangerss75, that's really useful and appreciated^

I have a three or five sector trip planned around France, so that should get me about 10k miles in total - not bad considering I had also 'abandoned' the FB program. Yearly trips to visit family using Air Europa should keep my miles current.

Thanks

Dan
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Old May 18, 2009, 8:00 am
  #11  
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I am very surprised by the small bonus amount of these periodic "bonuses" offered to FB members. Members of my family got an offer ranging from 3,000 to 7,000 miles for 4 to 7 segments. Even 7,000 is less than 5% of a return Biz flight to Far East (160,000 where I use my awards), so it is peanuts.
I agree that it is better than nothing and that it can be earned by flying domestic flights, which is nice for French residents. At the same time, other airlines are offering huge bonuses. I mentioned above a general BA offer where I got 40,000 miles for 6 UKdomestic/european segments. An attractive BA offer to Italian residents is:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...9/public/en_it

For example you pay some €1,800 (inclusive of €375 in taxes) for a return BIZ trip to NYC and you get a bonus of 120,000 which is what you need for the same award trip. And you earn regular miles on top. SQ also had good bonuses for its PS members.

Why is AFKL so complacent?
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Old May 18, 2009, 8:18 am
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Originally Posted by brunos
For example you pay some 1,800 (inclusive of 375 in taxes) for a return BIZ trip to NYC and you get a bonus of 120,000 which is what you need for the same award trip.
Why is AFKL so complacent?
Is EUR 1,800 for two transatlantic business class tickets sustainable in the long run ? This strikes me more as something akin to desperation for an airline that is extremely reliant on transatlantic premium traffic and who suffered a 17% decline in premium traffic last month.

Still, until we have the same type of data from the three majors, this is pure conjecture on my part.
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Old May 18, 2009, 9:20 am
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Originally Posted by JOUY31
Is EUR 1,800 for two transatlantic business class tickets sustainable in the long run ? This strikes me more as something akin to desperation for an airline that is extremely reliant on transatlantic premium traffic and who suffered a 17% decline in premium traffic last month.

Still, until we have the same type of data from the three majors, this is pure conjecture on my part.
Indeed, ex-LHR traffic has been badly affected by the financial crisis as City busines was a main source of premium travel. The 17% decline is year-to-year between April 2008 and April 2009. This decline is inflated by the fact that Easter vacation was in April 2009, but in March 2008, so premium travel was lesser during April 2009. Nevertheless, premium traffic in April 2009 was boosted by all the BA sales, so the drop in premium REVENUE is probably larger than 17% drop in premium TRAFFIC.
The question however is whether the reaction of BA (and many other airlines) is a "desperation" move or simply quick reaction to market conditions. The alternative chosen by AF seems to be to do nothing and then have a policy to upgrade pax who pay a very low coach fare (see many posts). Of course, the situation is bad for all airlines, but is it better to fill premium seats at 1800 or with upgrades who paid 800 (a typical longhaul coach fare)? I trust BA to be very reactive when the traffic picks up again.

The sad story for ex-CDG pax is that premium fares are much, much higher than ex-LHR or ex-FRA/MUC. Of course, that's good for AF, but FB posters should not forget that a large proportion of its premium LONGHAUL pax are either transit pax or point-to-point pax originating abroad. So AF has a different pricing policy for pax originating abroad. Now, AF policy seems to compete on price to attract them, not on the FFP. That's a choice. Other airlines have been proactive in competing both on price and FFP bonuses.
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Old May 18, 2009, 10:58 am
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Originally Posted by jmbfrance
I posted a thread about this question a few weeks ago, and someone told me I had received an email from FB explaining that. I checked and found the mail. I had forgotten it.
Do you remember when did you receive this email?
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Old Jul 1, 2009, 11:46 pm
  #15  
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BUMP

Well, I still haven't received the 6,000 bonus miles for flying six sectors between March 15 and June 15.

However, since I did receive the earlier random 9,000 miles for "keep going" then I cannot compain. I did check and, no, I never received any kind of earlier email that might have slipped my mind - it was a completely random addition to my account.

Overall not unwelcome but possibly counterproductive...why should I spend extra money to comply with a promotion that doesn't work if I'm going to receive random bonuses anyway?

<sigh>
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