tsolaaa

As the Topbonus program is currently frozen I am wondering what other AB FF are doing in regards to crediting their miles.

My situation:
I fly once/twice a month from TXL > ZRH and have tickets purchased up until December (Luckily all using flight vouchers given to me by AB for being delayed so many times in the past six months)

I am Topbonus Silver (Was going to make gold on tomorrows flight) and mainly located in Berlin.

I am curious to see how you other AB FF are proceeding, especially if you are a status member.

As changing the FF number on your AB reservation to, lets say, BA, will take away any OW privileges you have (Assuming you are also not a status member there). So that's the predicament.

If you have upcoming flights (next few weeks) who is still flying with their AB Topbonus number listed on their ticket and why? If you are switching, who are you switching to?

Jma12

I currently credit my OW flights to AS. Even though I do not get any benefits with BA, I can also put the occasional KE, AF, EK and HU flights to AS as well.

I remember when I had status with AB, I was able to just show my AB card and credit to AS.

ralfkrippner

If I'm not mistaken you can't credit AB to AS.

Most central european AB flyers will probably chose to credit to BA or AA. I'm not sure if AB flights will result in award miles much longer to OW airlines however.

Jma12

Right currently only 7 out of 14 OW partners can be credit to AS. I rarely fly AB, but if I do I will credit them to BA.

tsolaaa

Oh, that is a good point. I didn't even think about that. Ugh, what a nightmare. I wish BA or LH would just start a status match promotion so I can kick AB to the curb already.

kauppias

Indeed that would be good for AB elites. But I think they are waiting for the official word that AB is dead, something I think many already know

Not many would credit miles to AB anymore so a rescue plan may be better done sooner then later in my opinion.

tsolaaa

It seems to be a bit of a gamble at the moment. We all know the program is dead but I am trying to hold out hope that they will reach some agreement with another FF programme and transfer my status/miles there. If that is the case, I would continue to place my Topbonus number on my future AB bookings, considering that my future flights all will have significant mileage accrual.

Now that I think about it, even if I was just placing the the TB number on my booking for the priority benefits, I can just show my FF card instead. There is no fast lane security at TXL anyways and at ZRH the security fast lane is never staffed so people are always walking through it regardless.

There doesn't seem to be a way to update your FF number on AB's website, guess I will have to call. If their normal wait time was 30-60 minutes before the insolvency I can't imagine how long it will take to get ahold of someone now.

SK2751

In Terminal C of TXL there is a fast lane for security (just to clarify). On both sides of the terminal.

tsolaaa

Ah yes, true! It is actually somewhat useful there as well.

kauppias

Status May and most likely will (my opinion) transfer in a status match but I highly doubt our topbonus miles can be saved... Unless by some miracle they are transferred to EY...

Tyrolean

QF with me. Since I am Lifetime Gold and Platinum most of my AB flights went into QFF. I had AB only as a second (AB Gold) status mostly via the credit card. So that status won't be a miss.

4 QF segments are done with an annual trip to Australia.

When I cannot reach the OWE with QF in the near future I may think about switching to BA - but I will wait what the Brexit will bring in the future.

tsolaaa

I am lollygagg-ing around with this too much. I ended up not calling Topbonus today before my flight so my miles were "credited" to Topbonus. I just got off the phone with Topbonus's service team and was informed to write to their service department asking that they remove my Topbonus number from the already flown flight, wait for confirmation and then reach out to BA for a milage credit.

...and watch, TB reaches an agreement and all miles that accrued during the freeze are released, and I am f**** again.

uppereastff

As a frequent flyer from TXL I'm writing an article about points lost in the AB bankruptcy. If anyone has anecdotes of their own, I would like to hear them. You can DM me if you like.

SK2751

There is now info in the other thread here, that TB is also insolvent, and presumably liquidated.

Mwenenzi

Air Berlin is not the same legal entity as Top Bonus. From posts on FT the ownership of TopBonus is a very different to Air Berlin.

Normally in ffp's you do not own the ff miles. They let use ff miles subject to t&c's. The ff miles are not your property.