Jasper2009

Can someone explain the "40% award and status miles bonus" to me?

1) The German version of the website (but not the English one) says:

"Sie erhalten nicht nur auf beim Fliegen gesammelte Prämienmeilen, sondern auch auf Statusmeilen eine Meilen-Bonusgutschrift in Höhe von 40 %. Zusätzlich zu den regulär gesammelten Meilen.

Da lässt sich Ihr Gold oder Platinum Status fast doppelt so leicht halten!"

(rough translation: "With the bonus it's almost twice as easy to keep your status")

Earning a 40% bonus means you need 28% fewer flights to re-qualify - a far stretch from "almost half". Is this just stupid marketing speak or am I misunderstanding something?

2) How exactly is the bonus calculated? Is it the based on the actual number of miles credited or on the distance?

E.g. let's assume a Gold member books a flight (distance: 2000 miles) in economy/FlyDeal and business class.

Does the economy flight earn a total of 1400 miles (2000 x 50% x 1.4) or 1800 miles (2000 x 50% + 2000 x 40%)?

Likewise, would the business class flight earn 5600 miles or 4800 miles?

Thanks in advance!

freetgy

Its +40% on the regular milage credit for bonus and status miles

Bonus / Status
1000 / 1000

+40%

1400 / 1400

Jasper2009

Anyone?

SK2751

My experience is the same. 40% added to basic mileage that is dsisplayed on AB website at reservation time.

Jasper2009

Thanks! Maybe I'm just a little dense. Would a Gold member earn 2400 or 2800 miles for a 1000-mile long flight in business class?

SK2751

In my experience 2800 (but tested only on short haul, assuming 2000 is displayed in the website table, or 1000 is displayed but you mean return).

swiss_global

Jasper, you'd earn 2.8 times the actual miles when flying on AB in J as an AB Gold or Plat, both as status and bonus miles in Topbonus (x*2*1.4). Now there are no 1000 mile long AB flights offering J. All short haul are Economy only and there is a fixed amount of miles, depending on your fare type, rather than on the distance. Also these fare type based miles are multiplied by 1.4.

However, please note that this only applies to AB or HG coded flights, not to OW or EY coded flights. Topbonus is one of the few programs which is based on the marketing carrier not the operating carrier. So if you fly an EY marketed flight operated by AB you will only earn the EY based mileage and no 40% Bonus. This is often much less. An AB G/P flying on an AB operated flight from AUH to DUS, on the cheapest EY business class fare (Z) will earn 3126*1.15=3595, if he had booked the cheapest AB business class fare (I) the earning would be 3126*2*1.4=8752.

Jasper2009

Thanks a lot!^ That's the answer I was looking for! That actually seems like a fairly generous policy - somewhat similar to M&M 10+ years ago (when the Exec. Bonus applied to COS bonuses).

Would you be able to answer Q2b.? E.g let's assume a Gold member takes a 5000 mile - long flight in the lowest booking class (usually 50% mileage accruel). Does a Gold member earn 3500 miles (5000 miles x 50% x 1.4) or 4500 miles (5000 miles x 50% + 5000 miles x 40%)?

swiss_global

Yes, more generous than Exec Bonus in the sense it's 40% rather than 25% and this even on a larger basis. It's less generous in the sense it doesn't apply even to closest "friends", whereas Exec Bonus applies to entire LH group plus UA/AC. Bottom line it is primarlily a very strong incentive to book AB's own J class.

I have no personal experience with this. But I would assume it's the same formula (x*fareclassfactor*1.4).

wisenberger

You earn "only" 3500 miles.

herrprofessor

i have also a question like this..
i just got matched to gold and i got an email saying that the first 2 flights will receive double miles...
Moreove i have found this offer https://topbonus.airberlin.com/web/t...6&locale=en_DE


My question is .. if i book a flight TXL-VRA in business i see on the website ca. 20k miles... what will be the amount of award and status miles for the flight?

thx

wisenberger

Well, the only predictable thing with AB/topbonus is its unpredictabilty on mileage earnings.

Having said this, I would think you should earn 28k award- and status miles regularly (including the 40% bonus). In addition another 20k award (and perhaps also status, depending on the content of the email) miles. Thirdly, 40k award miles due to the promo.

wisenberger

double post