bmi diamond club - Aegean Airlines joined Star 30/06/10 : earning/burning/lounge discussion thread

As a bmi gold card holder will I be able to access the BMI No.1 LHR lounge if flying on Aegean Airlines - I'll be holding a bmi ticket for this code share flight?
How about if the ticket is on A3 stock?
Any experiences?

Just like to bump this up as I have roughly the same question - except as a Silver DC holder travelling in C travelling on A3 stock.

Does anyone know if A3 have any business lounge at LHR, otherwise? :confused:

Thanks,


m.

I don't believe that Agean have joined the star alliance yet, so, no * alliance benefits (even then I think you'd be relying on a generous dragon for lounge access as the metal you're flying should really take precdence - i.e. as a DC*S you only get access to a lounge on a BD operated flight)

It being C you'd hope they have some form of lounge - but their website doesn't seem to list it as one of the benefits except when flying within Greece from some airports, or leaving Athens.

Thanks - that was pretty much my reading of the situation. Aegean was due to join *A in May, IIRC, although I wonder if their merger with Olympic might have some bearing on that.

m.

They do use bmi for ground services (well last time I was at LHR they used the bmi desks), so they may have some agreement to use the lounge that's independent of any alliance agreements.

If this is the case you'd be gaining entrance on your class of ticket not your diamond club status.

Just to confirm that I was granted access to the Great British lounge on the basis of COS - despite some confusion as to whether this would be allowed at check-in.

The lounge dragon apologised for the long walk I was going to have out to Gate 21 as apparently the Aegean plane (A321) is too large to use Gates 5 and thereabouts (despite there being a pair of BD 321s on Gate 5).

m.

Thanks for the update. CY also have an agreement. A3 will be joining Star and then after that A3 will become Olympic Air so in future all Olympic flights will be able to access Star lounges. I have heard OA will move from T4 to T1 so will be good for future flights.

I have heard OA will move from T4 to T1 so will be good for future flights.

They are, but there'll surely be some consolidation too. The combined airline doesn't need five rotations a day on ATH-LHR.

They are, but there'll surely be some consolidation too. The combined airline doesn't need five rotations a day on ATH-LHR.

Your right it will be reduced to 3 probably 1230/1640/2230 . Most routes on the whole network are being consolidated/reduced CDG being another one. BD codeshare will most likely be maintained also.

Your right it will be reduced to 3 probably 1230/1640/2230.

I agree that five flights is too many, but I would have thought that there was scope for a fourth - considering that OA will no longer be sending A340s to LHR which means a shortfall of 100/150 seats depending on whether they're replaced by A320/1. Having said that, the reduction in capacity will allow them to ramp up prices further :rolleyes:

Most routes on the whole network are being consolidated/reduced CDG being another one.

Do you happen to have a source for this? I'm curious given the almost complete overlap of A3/OA routes what destinations the combined entity intends to serve.

Cheers,


m.

I agree that five flights is too many, but I would have thought that there was scope for a fourth - considering that OA will no longer be sending A340s to LHR which means a shortfall of 100/150 seats depending on whether they're replaced by A320/1. Having said that, the reduction in capacity will allow them to ramp up prices further :rolleyes:



Do you happen to have a source for this? I'm curious given the almost complete overlap of A3/OA routes what destinations the combined entity intends to serve.

Cheers,


m.

The A340's do not belong to Olympic Air, they belong to the Greek govt and are parked at ATH since end of Sept. The last A340 flight was a long time ago and since then its been A320's operated by the new private company run by Marfin Investment Group. So far they are doing a great job.

http://www.starallianceemployees.com/uploads/media/NW_online_march_2010_opti.pdf


The new Business Class on the LHR route:

http://www.olympicair.com/Default.aspx?a_id=1545

http://www.marfininvestmentgroup.com/dm_documents/MIG_Investor_Release_FY_2009_XPvDI.pdf

----

''It noted that the combination of two aviation giants will end the duplication of international destinations and will therefore increase revenue, passenger traffic and yields of the shape up. ''

"For example, in Paris, Olympic operates three times a day and Aegean twice . This number may be limited to three times during the winter and four in the summer, "he said

http://www.capital.gr/Articles.asp?id=935544

The A340's do not belong to Olympic Air, they belong to the Greek govt and are parked at ATH since end of Sept. The last A340 flight was a long time ago and since then its been A320's operated by the new private company run by Marfin Investment Group.

I know - I was thinking that this will be the first summer season without the A340's capacity on the route.

So far they are doing a great job.

I quite agree: they will be a credit to *A when they join. I'm amazed at the turn around in the company and, indeed, the attitudes of the staff. They even managed to get my kids eating octopus the other week - no mean feat ;)

Thanks for the links - interesting reading.


m.

I quite agree: they will be a credit to *A when they join. I'm amazed at the turn around in the company and, indeed, the attitudes of the staff. They even managed to get my kids eating octopus the other week - no mean feat ;)

Thanks for the links - interesting reading.


m.

No probs Im glad you are having good experiences also. Its an amazing turn around from what it was and just shows what can be done with the right management. Roll on Star membership and being able to earn and burn with BMI DC . ^

Congratulations to Aegean who are now officially a Star member. Looking forward to seeing an updated earn/burn info on the BMI Website .

Congratulations to Aegean who are now officially a Star member. Looking forward to seeing an updated earn/burn info on the BMI Website .

Without being cynical, we might be M&M members by the time that happens... ;)

Without being cynical, we might be M&M members by the time that happens... ;)

lol... im not bothered either way :D

Without being cynical, we might be M&M members by the time that happens... ;)

Oh ye of little faith... earn table was updated this morning. They included A3 and added Z class on OS. (I'm a suspicious type and have a little utilily which checks what's changed.)

Oh ye of little faith... earn table was updated this morning. They included A3 and added Z class on OS. (I'm a suspicious type and have a little utilily which checks what's changed.)

Brilliant to see lower booking classes on some decent fares earn full miles ^

Nice to see, just looking at LHR-ATH on EF, that the cheapest 100% earning fares in economy start at not much more than those earning 50%. For October the current cheapest fare is K (50%) at £92 +tax. Next bucket up is L (100%) at £128 +tax.

Nice to see, just looking at LHR-ATH on EF, that the cheapest 100% earning fares in economy start at not much more than those earning 50%. For October the current cheapest fare is K (50%) at £92 +tax. Next bucket up is L (100%) at £128 +tax.

A3 is the new Swiss ;) They also codeshare DUB-LHR / BHD-LHR . I thought it would be crap earning rates so plesantly surprised, great earning opps there.

Aegean Airlines joins Star Alliance Network
30 June 2010

- Connecting Greece to the World
- Improved Access to Greek Vacation Hotspots

At a ceremony held in Athens today, Aegean Airlines was accepted into the Star Alliance network as the 28th member.

Theodore Vassilakis, Chairman of Aegean Airlines said: “Joining Star Alliance is an honour and a great opportunity for Aegean. As of today our customers will enjoy recognition, loyalty benefits and end-on-end global service that Star Alliance is renowned for. At the same time, there will be a ‘star’ on the map, showing that services and access to Greece have been significantly upgraded.”

Aegean Airlines completed the integration and systems upgrade process in a short 12 months, following its acceptance as future member in May 2009.

Jaan Albrecht, CEO Star Alliance said: “AEGEAN brings a wealth of experience and an extensive domestic and international route network to the alliance family. For alliance members, Greece is an important travel market where Athens can be built into a major hub airport with growing connection traffic. It has already become an important player in the Southeast European area and we fully expect entry into Star Alliance will support its further development.”

Connecting Greece to the World

Greece is of strategic importance due to its geographic position in the eastern Mediterranean, acting as the main southeastern access point into the European Union. With AEGEAN, the Star Alliance network to/from/within Greece now covers more than 1,500 weekly flights to 69 destinations in 27 countries.

Moreover, the large Greek communities spread across more than 100 countries – such as the U.S, the U.K., Australia, Germany and Canada – now enjoy the advantages provided by an airline alliance when visiting friends and families.

Also, the business community in Greece will now be able to make use of Star Alliance Frequent Flyer benefits both on domestic flights, as well as on multiple carrier itineraries when travelling across Europe and overseas.

Greece is also an important meetings and conventions market. Hence, the inclusion of AEGEAN into both Star Alliance Convention Plus and Meetings Plus will provide for new business opportunities.

Improved Access to Greek Vacation Hotspots

Greece is undoubtedly one of the most sought after vacation destinations. Not only will AEGEAN provide seamless travel to over 17 domestic destinations, but through the inclusion of these in the Star Alliance Europe Airpass, as well as in the very popular Round-the-World fare, flights to these destinations are now available at very attractive prices. By the same token, Frequent Flyers can redeem their miles to travel to this wide array of new destinations in the Star Alliance network.

Publicly listed Aegean Airlines began operations some 11 years ago and now operates a fleet of 30 aircraft covering a total of 54 domestic and international routes on more than 150 daily flights. Specifically, 26 routes in Greece are covered, as well as another 28 international routes. Since 2008, AEGEAN has become the largest Greek airline in terms of passengers.

ends

About Star Alliance:

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award, Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Blue1, bmi, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAM Airlines, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Air India has been announced as a future member. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers over 21,200 daily flights to 1,172 airports in 181 countries.


About Aegean Airlines:

Aegean Airlines is the largest Greek carrier, carrying 6.6 million passengers in 2009, an increase of 10% over 2008. After taking delivery of 22 new Airbus A320/321, the company operates a fleet of 30 aircraft. Within its ten year scheduled services history AEGEAN has been awarded six times by the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) in recognition of its operating performance, commercial success and commitment to customer comfort and satisfaction. Additionally, AEGEAN has been repeatedly awarded by the Athens International Airport as the single largest contributor to the airport’s passenger growth. AEGEAN has also received the Skytrax World Airline award as the best regional airline in Europe for 2009. In February 2010 the shareholders of Aegean and recently privatized and re-fleeted Olympic Air entered into an agreement that, once approved by EC authorities, will eventually lead to the merging of the two companies.

http://www.flybmi.com/bmi/en-gb/about-us/information-centre/press-releases/20100630.aspx

Threads consolidated and retitled. :)

Looks like they have a nice reponse for travel disrutions:

In case you are Gold Member and one of your Aegepan flights was cancelled or postponed due to the volcanic ash limitations (16/04/2010 – 21/04/2010 & 09/05/2010) please fill in the relevant fields below in order to make use of our special offerhttp://en.aegeanair.com/interestform.aspx

One free upgrade to Business Class for your next round-trip flight

To be honest I'm more interested in accumulation of miles from *A partners into the A3 programme, than accruing them in bmi. The earn threshold for Gold level looks very attractive indeed. I'm hoping A3 will kep a decent *A Gold threshold after DC finally goes M&M next year. If that doesn't work out, looks like I'll be switching alliance.

Well, just to confuse things that's started to be talked about in the other thread...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/bmi-diamond-club/1100408-prock-schauer-roadmap-integration-diamond-club-m-m-agreed-11.html

See post 145 and onwards, although most relevant information starts at post 157.

Looks like they have a nice reponse for travel disrutions:

http://en.aegeanair.com/interestform.aspx

Yes my Uncle took advantage of that , it was a nice gesture.

Hmmm.... The "J" fare bucket seems to be listed twice in the BD earnings chart, both at 2x and .5x. Comparing to other *A earning numbers I'm guessing that the latter is correct and that the 2x is supposed to be "A" but it is interesting to see it twice.

Hmmm.... The "J" fare bucket seems to be listed twice in the BD earnings chart, both at 2x and .5x. Comparing to other *A earning numbers I'm guessing that the latter is correct and that the 2x is supposed to be "A" but it is interesting to see it twice.

Hmm, I assumed the opposite when entering the data into my calculator. The majority of 'J' fares on *A airlines earn 2x, with a small number earning 1.5x or 1x.

J is mid level economy in A3's program; they don't use it for Business Class. LH M&M treat it as 'el cheapo' class and give the 125 miles flat rate for Domestic/European sectors and 0.5x on anything else.

Sorry, this may be OT, but I can't seem to find the award chart for Aegean Airlines, or any information regarding expiry of miles on their programme. Can anyone help?

J is mid level economy in A3's program; they don't use it for Business Class. LH M&M treat it as 'el cheapo' class and give the 125 miles flat rate for Domestic/European sectors and 0.5x on anything else.

Ah, fair enough, I should probably have looked into it further before assuming! I've updated the database.

Sorry, this may be OT, but I can't seem to find the award chart for Aegean Airlines, or any information regarding expiry of miles on their programme. Can anyone help?

http://en.aegeanair.com/milesandbonus/Content.aspx?code=nolimits

So it is 4k + 16k to reach A3 gold. Does this mean that it is only 16k to retain A3 gold or must you hit 20k again?
The website T&C is not very clear on requirements to retain gold

So it is 4k + 16k to reach A3 gold. Does this mean that it is only 16k to retain A3 gold or must you hit 20k again?
The website T&C is not very clear on requirements to retain gold

Wow. 4K for *S:eek: I know it's not a brillaint "middle of the road" status to have, especially when compared to OW Saphhire but it sure is handy, especially in the states to avoid those baggage charges!

I think I'm in...

So it is 4k + 16k to reach A3 gold. Does this mean that it is only 16k to retain A3 gold or must you hit 20k again?
The website T&C is not very clear on requirements to retain gold

It sounds like an A3 *G needs just 16k to retain A3 *G.

Nice (for as long as it lasts).

Of course, their FFP may get re-jigged when the finally merge with Olympic.

So it is 4k + 16k to reach A3 gold. Does this mean that it is only 16k to retain A3 gold or must you hit 20k again?
The website T&C is not very clear on requirements to retain gold

16k to retain.

Just went over the A3 T&Cs, and while they need to be updated to accommodate the new *A carriers, it appears that the old FFP had a blackout dates policy on awards. One of those periods is Christmas to New Year (which, if not for a hard blackout is already a natural blackout as it is), but there are some other select dates during the year as well.

I noticed that you can now earn on P class on Agean.

hi,

looking at a redemption with these guys to Larnaca, any good or not?

In fact, flew them last week in (paid)biz. Reasonably ok flight, good wines and ok food. Moving curtain between C and Y so the seats are standard Y with middle seat blocked. They use Gulfair lounge in LHR T4 which is a very good lounge IMO. Worth 18k miles IMO. Miles have not posted yet as A3 systems does not recognize DC for some reason, but that won't bother you for a redemption flight:D:D

Threads merged. :)

In fact, flew them last week in (paid)biz. Reasonably ok flight, good wines and ok food. Moving curtain between C and Y so the seats are standard Y with middle seat blocked. They use Gulfair lounge in LHR T4 which is a very good lounge IMO. Worth 18k miles IMO. Miles have not posted yet as A3 systems does not recognize DC for some reason, but that won't bother you for a redemption flight:D:D

Do Gulf Air honour *A privileges at their lounge in LHR T4?

Do Gulf Air honour *A privileges at their lounge in LHR T4?
No.
For some reason A3 flights to LCA go from T4 while all other A3 flights are from T1- A3 has Gulfair lounge as their contract lounge in T4.

I suspect it's because the slots were originally Olympic's - they may be tied to T4 for the time being.

At present there's simply no room at the T1 inn for it at that time of day. The other two OA slots were fine to move over.

hi,

looking at a redemption with these guys to Larnaca, any good or not?

Very nice little airline. Flying out of Thessaloniki they boarded the lounge Pax last and on their own bus.

Hot meals - real food - in Y.

Cabin much as you would expect on any A3xx, but service with a smile.