SAS EuroBonus - 40 Qualifying flights cheaply (or "returning with the same flight")

As the topic says I'm wondering if anyone has had any experience of doing mileage or status runs with Eurobonus resulting in them going back and forth with the same plane? I'm writing this in the context of me being hellbent on going from scratch to 40 legs on SK metal before my qualification period ends in May. I'm iffy on the purposes other than it being me being stubborn and determined to do it. The thread is supposed to be a log of sorts on my progress and also for discussing this kind of semi-retarded traveling in general. Also, EBGs wanting to scold me for diluting the value of their own status are free to do so. I'd invite the rabid environmentalists too, but I'm guessing they're a rare breed on this forum.

Me:

* student (so it's not going to be a 40 legs in record pace)
* Based out of ARN
* Limited budget (or.. not really, but keeping it cheap is a fun challenge)

Starting point: 0 flights, 0 points (I do fly alot, but always on reward tickets bought with my parents' EB-points)

Timeframe: Now to May 31st, 2012

Budgeting: As a student I'm eligible to buy "last minute youth fare" (booking class V intra-european), ranging from ~350-450SEK per leg intra-scandinavian and 350-600ish for most european routes. Including costs for the airport train to/fro at 130SEK one-way I'm trying to keep the total costs averaging less than 450SEK per leg = 18000SEK from zip to EBG. Bookings will thus have to take place less than 24h before takeoff.




Flights so far:

2012-01-20

SK485 ARN-OSL 0700-0800
SK455 OSL-CPH 0915-1025
SK436 SPH-GOT 1120-1205
SK158 GOT-ARN 1250-1350
SK867 ARN-OSL 1430-1530
SK461 OSL-CPH 1715-1825
SK1430 CPH-ARN 2015-2125

Seven flights in the same day, although no immediate backtracking. The main observation here being that SAS apparently gets it's "most punctual airline in the greater milky way local supergroup of galaxies" (or whatever they call it) by wildy overstating the actual flight time.

So far so good then, 7 legs, for a total cost of less than 3000SEK. For tomorrow:

2012-01-22

SK1415 ARN-CPH
SK1416 CPH-ARN
SK1419 ARN-CPH
SK438 CPH-GOT
SK439 GOT-CPH
SK1259 CPH-AAR
SK1260 AAR-CPH
SK1430 CPH-ARN

Ranging from 0615 to 2125. The destination list is kind of depressing, but I expect them to become more interesting in due time.

Comments, advice, ridicule and such are all welcome.

/T

3000/7 *40 = 17 142SEK = >2500USD
Is it really worth it?

I'd rather fly one flight, credit that to US and pay $1499 to "Buy up to Preferred" if you really want *G that bad.

Or figure something up with Aegean.

But I guess if you have already have bought and paid 14 flights you may as well go on with your plan. Is May 31st when your qualifying period ends or why the fixed date? I'm just wondering that shouldn't you do such a stunt like this rather in the beginning of the qualifying period and not the end?

Edit:
Something constructive also: Blue1 has very cheap returns to e.g. OUL and VAA from HEL, starting from 51€ R/T so about 220SEK per leg. Of course you need a ticket to HEL first, but that should be too hard to get cheap either.

3000/7 *40 = 17 142SEK = >2500USD
Is it really worth it?

Not really, but money isn't really the issue. I was a bit put off by the actual flying of so many legs at the beginning, but yesterday proved to be quite enjoyable.


I'd rather fly one flight, credit that to US and pay $1499 to "Buy up to Preferred" if you really want *G that bad.

Or figure something up with Aegean.

Don't know if there's some unlogical bias here, but being based in SK-country I can't but feel that SK*G would be more useful than some auxillary *G, the cost differences notwithstanding. Although I do feel a bit boned by the 70.000p-requirement for Sweden, which is probably part of the reason as to why I'm resorting to segment-whoring.



But I guess if you have already have bought and paid 14 flights you may as well go on with your plan. Is May 31st when your qualifying period ends or why the fixed date? I'm just wondering that shouldn't you do such a stunt like this rather in the beginning of the qualifying period and not the end?

Correction: 15 flights. May 31 is the end of the period, yes. In real terms it would probably be better to do the stint of flights at the beginning of a period as to get "almost 2 years" or somesuch, but I'm expecting to do alot of "regular" flying during my next qualification period and onwards, thus the stunt isn't going to be a regular annual feature but rather just a device to obtain EBG a year earlier.

Hm, browsing through the timetables a question arose:

Does the "operated by X" flights booked on SAS website count toward the segment limit if it's not operated by SAS, Wideroe or Blue1? I'm thinking primarily of those flights between CPH and very close destinations (Århus, Aalborg, Hamburg etc) operated by Cimber Sterling.

And thinking yet further it strikes me as bizarre and loophole-like that this "EBG for 40 segments in any booking class" even exists. Seeing as taxes for a 350SEK segment amounts to around 70%, SAS basically doles out EBG for a gross turnover increase of less than 5000SEK/500EUR. Albeit on tickets that would in all certainty be unfilled without those student discount fares.

If flight is under a wet lease from Cimber it will qualify as a segment, if a code share it will not, not sure if true for all destination but for Vilnius you can tell from flight number what type of flight it is,

I think the rule is the same throughout, also KF wetleased segments qualify at least.


And thinking yet further it strikes me as bizarre and loophole-like that this "EBG for 40 segments in any booking class" even exists. Seeing as taxes for a 350SEK segment amounts to around 70%, SAS basically doles out EBG for a gross turnover increase of less than 5000SEK/500EUR. Albeit on tickets that would in all certainty be unfilled without those student discount fares.
Fuel surcharge is not a tax, just a part of the fare that has been renamed.
Plus, you don't get anything (i.e. SAS doesn't have to give you anything) for the EBG unless you fly more in the future, so it is not just the MR revanue they get from you (ok, theoretically you could only fly other *A in the future, but that is unlikely). And most of all, I don't think there are many people that are still willing to do that, especially as that still probably is not the cheapest *A Gold to get.

And on the other hand, you are probably one of the very few Golds that have actually flown 40 segments more to get the card, as most who don't qualify for it with their flights anyway do max a few extra MR or "would have rather flown with someone else but needed to fly SAS to qualify" legs.

I salute you!

I have actually been toying with this idea myself*. Sure, it is not the most effective way of getting gold but one of the more funny ones!

The intra scandinavian sectors are pretty short, that makes it effective. And apparently there is very good availability on the student tix! Keep reporting!

*(I don't need a SK *G, but I had HKG-TPE in mind for myself, CX flies 14 r/t flights a day, but as they are 1h35min, it is only possible to do 8 segments a day. )

...
I was a bit put off by the actual flying of so many legs at the beginning, but yesterday proved to be quite enjoyable.
...

Glad to hear, hope all the coming sectors are too!

May I ask why you want *A Gold status? Apart from the 'segment run' flights, how much flying do you actually do in a year? I don't really see the point of getting the status if you only plan to do i.e. 10-15 flights after raching EBG, and it's not like EBG gives you any benefits outside of an airport (girls don't really care (need EBP for that :p), money saved in annual fees for credit cards is just a few hundred NOK etc. Actually, EBG doesn't really give you that much in an airport or onboard either, so for a student there are much better ways to spend that kind of money that are still travelling related (i.e. discounted Business Class campaigns on longhaul, purchase US Airways miles and fly First Class with *A partners etc.).

However, I sort of started out like you, being a student with a limited budget, but I decided that getting EBG status would be smart due to quite a few longhaul flights on SAS every year (and that really paid of in regards to i.e. upgrades). After that, work related flying has increased a lot, so now EBG is quite handy and I don't have to do mileage runs to keep my status, but it requires that you do fly fairly frequently. Keeping *A Gold status just as a hobby, where 90% of the flying is actually reaching/keeping the status and then only 10% is "enjoying" the status on other flights, is sort of a waste in my opinion.

Spending 17.000+ SEK to enjoy a lounge and Fast Track for a couple of weekend trips here and there with friends, is really not worth it (plus you can only guest one friend into the lounge). Then I'd just buy discounted Business Class tickets whenever I went somewhere, but again, I don't know your flying routines.

If you do decide to join the EBG club, you're of course more than welcome. I'll even buy you a drink in one of the lounges ;)

May I ask why you want *A Gold status? Apart from the 'segment run' flights, how much flying do you actually do in a year? I don't really see the point of getting the status if you only plan to do i.e. 10-15 flights after raching EBG, and it's not like EBG gives you any benefits outside of an airport (girls don't really care (need EBP for that :p), money saved in annual fees for credit cards is just a few hundred NOK etc. Actually, EBG doesn't really give you that much in an airport or onboard either, so for a student there are much better ways to spend that kind of money that are still travelling related (i.e. discounted Business Class campaigns on longhaul, purchase US Airways miles and fly First Class with *A partners etc.).

However, I sort of started out like you, being a student with a limited budget, but I decided that getting EBG status would be smart due to quite a few longhaul flights on SAS every year (and that really paid of in regards to i.e. upgrades). After that, work related flying has increased a lot, so now EBG is quite handy and I don't have to do mileage runs to keep my status, but it requires that you do fly fairly frequently. Keeping *A Gold status just as a hobby, where 90% of the flying is actually reaching/keeping the status and then only 10% is "enjoying" the status on other flights, is sort of a waste in my opinion.

Spending 17.000+ SEK to enjoy a lounge and Fast Track for a couple of weekend trips here and there with friends, is really not worth it (plus you can only guest one friend into the lounge). Then I'd just buy discounted Business Class tickets whenever I went somewhere, but again, I don't know your flying routines.

Actually, I might not have explained my situation clearly enough. I do fly very regularly, actually surpassing the 40 legs limit during the past couple of years, although not exclusively on SK planes, and always buying award tickets using large and constantly in-danger-of-expiring points on family member's accounts. This is more about me building up a FF account by myself and then keeping it there by weening myself off that other source of tickets and start buying my own. The *G, in my mind, is supposed to reinforce that determination. To have no other motivation than to get the status in order to enjoy the (mostly negligible) perks would of course be lunacy.

Also there's a drunken bet involved there somewhere, so some measure of lunacy must be acknowledged. :rolleyes:

As for the discount business tickets etc you make a good point, and I do travel longhaul to some extent. But most of it is intra-european for which early seat selection, fast track and lounge access would be convenient but not really worth doling out extra money on C-class tickets for when the seating on board is pretty much the same as the cheap-o-tickets. Now don't you come and poke holes in my logic by pointing out that paying full fare on shorthaul would be cheaper than segment-running my way into EBG! (I'd probably say that one big hit to the head is "better" than many small cuts)

Also there's a drunken bet involved there somewhere, so some measure of lunacy must be acknowledged. :rolleyes:

Now that's probably the best reason for a segment run I've ever heard! ^:p

Too bad for you that there are no plan-your-points promo at the moment.

Btw, my guess is that the OP have seen a cute cabin attendant that he want to flirt with. :P

Too bad for you that there are no plan-your-points promo at the moment.

I don't know what that is...?

Btw, my guess is that the OP have seen a cute cabin attendant that he want to flirt with. :P

On SAS flights? Maybe if the average age of the cabin crew wasn't about twice that of my own.

Having lunch in CPH atm, using a lounge access pass (some kind of eurobonus promo sent to a family member). All good so far despite bad weather at both CPH and ARN.

I don't know what that is...?

You can estimate (guess) the number of flights you will make within a given timeframe, and if you meet your target SAS will award you more extrapoints. However, for economy I believe it is only 300 points per leg, while they award 2000 per leg in economy extra, for a maximum award of 24,000 points. I try to max it out whenever it's on.


On SAS flights? Maybe if the average age of the cabin crew wasn't about twice that of my own.
Indeed. Crew members under 30 are a rare breed, but they do exist.

Indeed. Crew members under 30 are a rare breed, but they do exist.
As airlines downsize and get rid of the junior employees, one has to wait for natural attrition of the older ones before any "new" ones can be (re)hired. Same issue in the US.

SK485 ARN-OSL 0700-0800
SK455 OSL-CPH 0915-1025
SK436 SPH-GOT 1120-1205
SK158 GOT-ARN 1250-1350
SK867 ARN-OSL 1430-1530
SK461 OSL-CPH 1715-1825
SK1430 CPH-ARN 2015-2125

/T


Sorry if I missed something but can I ask how you in fact booked the flights? Were you able to combine them under one PNR or did you buy a bunch of individual one-ways?

Sorry if I missed something but can I ask how you in fact booked the flights? Were you able to combine them under one PNR or did you buy a bunch of individual one-ways?

The same booking won't allow backtracking with the same plane due to short connection times. Also hunting for student last minute fare means getting 2-3 legs on the same PNR at the very most. But I do try to clump them together in pairs in order to make the individual legs cheaper. The system will only show those when you put in start-finish that lacks a direct route, and that pretty much means that almost all flights will be going through arn, cph, osl or got for cheapness' sake.

I do try to keep the tight connections on the same PNR while the one's with better time allowances can be separate.

Today's legs are done. 15 flights in one three-day weekend. Next binge is probably going to be thursday and saturday.

The system will only show those when you put in start-finish that lacks a direct route, and that pretty much means that almost all flights will be going through arn, cph, osl or got for cheapness' sake.

If you want some change, try ARN-HEL-OUL (and reverse) for example, you can book that as last minute youth fare for 550SEK per 2 legs.

I do try to keep the tight connections on the same PNR while the one's with better time allowances can be separate.

Wouldn't a miss-connect still be equally devastating for the schedule, as the free reroute still probably doesn't get you to the next destination in time?

If you want some change, try ARN-HEL-OUL (and reverse) for example, you can book that as last minute youth fare for 550SEK per 2 legs.

Thanks for the tip!


Wouldn't a miss-connect still be equally devastating for the schedule, as the free reroute still probably doesn't get you to the next destination in time?

I'm thinking that in order to "compartmentalize" losses, I'm gonna have to try to build the itineraries so that a missed flight at most means 2-3 missed legs, but yes, having two routes on the same itinerary doesn't change much. But having most flights on a given day going out of the same hub (thus one plane being late = skip one "there-and-back-again") and placing a long lunch break somewhere in between.


I do note that only 5 out of 15 legs are registered in my eurobonus-page, and not in chronological order (2 trips from yesterday are there, but not 4 from friday). Is there any logic to that or should i just wait for the three week period and then "efterregistrera" (whatever that is called in english)

It usually takes a couple of days, but my impression is that its in chronological order. I wouldn't worry yet.

If you are just looking for No. of segments and lowest fare, you should consider CPH to AAR or AAL. I believe these fares are some of the lowest available in the SK network - and flight times are really short so you will be able to do a lot of return flights in 1 day (but not 40 segments)

My opinion: EBG is not worth the hassle, time and money spend on this (IMO insane) project.

Does the "operated by X" flights booked on SAS website count toward the segment limit if it's not operated by SAS, Wideroe or Blue1? I'm thinking primarily of those flights between CPH and very close destinations (Århus, Aalborg, Hamburg etc) operated by Cimber Sterling.



If the flight No. to&from AAL/AAR is SK 12XX - then it is a SK operated flight and you will be fine. If the flight No. is SK 8XXX it is a code share flight operated by Cimber and you should stay away.

If the flight No. to&from AAL/AAR is SK 12XX - then it is a SK operated flight and you will be fine. If the flight No. is SK 8XXX it is a code share flight operated by Cimber and you should stay away.

Actually, some of them seem to be neither. They're flights branded SK3XXX, flown on Cimber Sterling ATR72s and eligible for base points in eurobonus, but according to the booking system only worth 75 instead of 150 points for a discount economy leg. Seems kinda strange. Also I did spot a few Cimber CRJ200s painted in SAS colours (with "operated by Cimber Sterling for SAS" printed on the side).


If you are just looking for No. of segments and lowest fare, you should consider CPH to AAR or AAL. I believe these fares are some of the lowest available in the SK network - and flight times are really short so you will be able to do a lot of return flights in 1 day (but not 40 segments)

I did, yesterday I went to/fro AAR. The terminal there did get me sorta confused since there is no transit area but only a direct exit. Thus had to rush over to the departure hall, check in again (due to invalid mobile BP) and go through security in order to catch the same plane back.

But the flight itself was comfortably short.


My opinion: EBG is not worth the hassle, time and money spend on this (IMO insane) project.

Probably not, but I'm determined to do it. If nothing else than to be able to say that I did it.

EDIT. Compiling the total cost including aiport train To/fro twice, the average cost of each leg thus far is 443kr, 408kr excluding the train. Should be able to press that number beneath 400 with some tweaking

Completed a ARN-OSL-CPH-AAL-CPH-ARN for a grand total of 20 flights, so now I'm halfway there after 10 days and about SEK8000. I should be EBS by now, but for some reason my EB page is still missing 4 legs from the 20th and 22nd. Should I contact SAS or will the extra 15% points be correctly registered even if my page says I'm still EBB?

I seem to remember that the EB class you had when the booking was made stays on the trip unless manually corrected. When I reached EBG, I had a trip booked the following week and I asked them on FB if I could use the Fast Track/lounge access eventhough I hadn't received the new card yet. The reply I got was that I should be able to use it if it said EBG on the boarding card (which it did). She also mentioned that she had corrected the earning for the higher percentage.

will the extra 15% points be correctly registered even if my page says I'm still EBB?

I qualified for EBS with a short SIN-BKK flight on TG - but this posted well after the BKK-CPH, which was flown later but posted with EBB points only. I had to contact EB to have the 15% bonus credited, that showed up as "SAS Irregularity Points" in a week or so.

As airlines downsize and get rid of the junior employees, one has to wait for natural attrition of the older ones before any "new" ones can be (re)hired. Same issue in the US.

Also depends which airline. Some are known to have oldies and some plenty of youngsters (budget airlines)

Really like this post, thought I will never fly SAS etc anymore but after reading this :)

TjumpT > I did a similar thing late last year to achieve EB*G just in time before a couple of transatlantic flights (for various reasons the 3 bag, 70 pounds each allowance that I can use on transatlantic returns started by United was very important to me).

With my company only buying lowest eco tickets, I never had enough miles for EB*G, had been stuck at EB*S for years.
Just decided to make a run for it and enjoyed the whole process, from planning to flying. Weird? Maybe for some...

I only did this with domestic flights, did not want to rush in between the terminals at CPH, ARN or GOT.
A typical journey was GOT-ARN-OSD-ARN-UME-ARN-GOT, starting at 09:35 in the morning, back in GOT at 19:45 in the evening. Got a few funny looks from the FA's (you are travelling back?) but except that had no issues at all. Since the flights going into OSD/UME was the same flights returning, I had time to exit, re-enter through security, and then back onto the plane even though the connection times was as low as 25 minutes.

For one flight, I even asked the FA's if I could leave my small bag in the overhead bin while re-boarding, explaining the situation. After a consultation with the captain there was no problem with that (I had the same seat on the way back).

Booked the tickets as regular return tickets (GOT-ARN, ARN-OSD and ARN-UME), and booked well in advance as to get an average leg price of under SEK 400. Needed a total of 18 legs to go from EB*S to EB*G.

For me, it was a fun way of getting to EB*G. Was it worth the effort and the money?
Well, the bag allowance (as long as I start the journey on United metal) on my intercontinental travels is one important perk, the lounge access (both SK lounges and United Clubs in the U.S.) have added a lot of comfort to my travels. So for me, it was a fun ride. Hope it works out for you as well.

TjumpT > I did a similar thing late last year to achieve EB*G just in time before a couple of transatlantic flights (for various reasons the 3 bag, 70 pounds each allowance that I can use on transatlantic returns started by United was very important to me).

With my company only buying lowest eco tickets, I never had enough miles for EB*G, had been stuck at EB*S for years.
Just decided to make a run for it and enjoyed the whole process, from planning to flying. Weird? Maybe for some...

I only did this with domestic flights, did not want to rush in between the terminals at CPH, ARN or GOT.
A typical journey was GOT-ARN-OSD-ARN-UME-ARN-GOT, starting at 09:35 in the morning, back in GOT at 19:45 in the evening. Got a few funny looks from the FA's (you are travelling back?) but except that had no issues at all. Since the flights going into OSD/UME was the same flights returning, I had time to exit, re-enter through security, and then back onto the plane even though the connection times was as low as 25 minutes.

For one flight, I even asked the FA's if I could leave my small bag in the overhead bin while re-boarding, explaining the situation. After a consultation with the captain there was no problem with that (I had the same seat on the way back).

Booked the tickets as regular return tickets (GOT-ARN, ARN-OSD and ARN-UME), and booked well in advance as to get an average leg price of under SEK 400. Needed a total of 18 legs to go from EB*S to EB*G.

For me, it was a fun way of getting to EB*G. Was it worth the effort and the money?
Well, the bag allowance (as long as I start the journey on United metal) on my intercontinental travels is one important perk, the lounge access (both SK lounges and United Clubs in the U.S.) have added a lot of comfort to my travels. So for me, it was a fun ride. Hope it works out for you as well.

Thanks for the input, it's very appreciated!

It's been kinda slow lately as I'm too chicken to book tight connections with the weather gods raging all over northern Europe. Also I'm still waiting for 4 missing legs on the EB account to be registered in order to make me EBS. Thirdly I've gotten the point booster offer, which starts counting at march 1st. As for booking the normal return tickets I'm fairly certain that last minute student fare tickets with layovers (such as ARN-CPH-AAR, counting as two legs) are cheaper on average and easier to find. Your way would certainly work too, although I'm under the impression that the OSD and UME routes take longer than the ones further south? The longest ones I've been doing until now are ARN-CPH and OSL-CPH, which are both barely an hour long.

Reaching 40 flights before may 31st should be easy enough, considering I'm halfway there after only three days of traveling.

I assume your mileage run is going well. I am considering doing a hop CPH-ARN-CPH (this seems to be the cheapest connection on SK out of CPH on the day I can do this). I have never been connecting intra Scandinavia, so I do not remember how things look. Do I have to redo security ? Or can I simply leave the plane, go out to the gate, and board back ? is this usually the same plane, or might I need to do a lot of running around ARN?

I assume your mileage run is going well. I am considering doing a hop CPH-ARN-CPH (this seems to be the cheapest connection on SK out of CPH on the day I can do this). I have never been connecting intra Scandinavia, so I do not remember how things look. Do I have to redo security ? Or can I simply leave the plane, go out to the gate, and board back ? is this usually the same plane, or might I need to do a lot of running around ARN?

Hi Wazow. On several occasions I've been sticking to airside when making the connections, but do make sure to have a BP printed out beforehand (I used mobile web BPs).

Or you can just go for the Aegean. Do 5 round trips to MAD via CPH on the youth fares, and you'll have a *G with them. It's only fraction of the cost, and besides it's not that anybody will care if your gold card is from SAS or A3. There's no such thing as status recognition these days, and of course Jantelagen plays a huge roll.

Or you can just go for the Aegean. Do 5 round trips to MAD via CPH on the youth fares, and you'll have a *G with them. It's only fraction of the cost, and besides it's not that anybody will care if your gold card is from SAS or A3. There's no such thing as status recognition these days, and of course Jantelagen plays a huge roll.

There is such a thing as 25% extra earnings though. With that and the new 100% economy earnings I'll probably be requalifying myself to EBG with my normal flight pattern (moderate amounts of intra-scandinavian economy and one-three longhaul premium eco/Business each year) without any crazy stunts. And seeing as one of the main points of my EB points accrual is to book intra-scandinavian award tickets, I'm thinking that A3*G would be much more of a hassle to deal with.

The status recognition itself isn't really important to me anyhow. As long as the extra baggage allowance, fast track and extra earnings are being honored I'm all fine.

The youth tickets are booked in V which gives 100% on A3. For some reason I've had some major issues in getting my SAS miles credited to my A3 Account, hence why I'm considering to switch to EB instead.