I wanted to give my grandma an upgrade to frankfurt for her birthday to her native germany. My question is this. She already bought her ticket on Lufthansa this time and I wanted to use my us air miles to upgrade her. Does Lufthansa still have a relationship with us air? Any ideas would help. She is 75 and has a bad knee. Should I call lufthansa instead. I know the extra room would help her so much. thanks everybody

Lufthansa is not a US partner. They are part of Star Alliance with United as their US Partner.

Even if she were flying USAirways, she wouldn't be able to use your upgrades unless she was flying with you.

RD, your reply is partially right...

True, you cannot use upgrade coupons (DMSYS01/02) unless traveling with the person whose name is on the coupons.

BUT, you can use your MILES to upgrade anyone you want -- and I've done it many times for friends who were traveling alone. The original question (if I'm reading it right) asked about miles, not upgrade certs.

And yes, this would all have to be on US metal to work.

Hope this helps.

I stand corrected....Read the email too quickly and assumed it was certificates (since I never use miles to upgrade).

Regardless, flying on Lufthansa will not get you anywhere with US Miles.