kai.lileboo

Hi,

I believe many of you are experts here but I would like to share with you my proposal to M&M Management for new earning levels with Lufthansa group and other airlines that use M&M as their own programme.


I think they will just laugh if they even read my letter. I believe the actual M&M earning is just ridiculous. I can understand LH downgrade other *A tickets but they should encourage to use its own flights and also give more extra miles, more status miles and more executive bonus.
It is just unbelievable that for a First class ticket BCN-FRA-EZE return for fore than 7600€ you barely collect 48000 miles. Not to mention the V, S or Q classes on Intercontinental flights which used to earn 100%, now earn very little!
Regarding the new spending levels on EU routes effective 15th Sept 16, well another trick. They lower YQ tax, and they charge more for award ticket itself.

I have been doing the extensive research for the past weeks and found out interesting alternatives and different FF programmes which may fit into my way of life.

Please find below some details of the letter I sent them.

European flights:

• 3000 M + 75% exec. Bonus Clases C/J/D/Z
• 2000 M + 50% exec. Bonus Clases P/Y/M/U/B
• 1000 M + 25% exec. Bonus Clases E/W/S/Q/H/V
• 500 M + 25% exec. Bonus Clases K/L/T

Intercontinental:

• 300% + 150% exec. Bonus Clases A/F
• 200% + 100% exec. Bonus Clases C/J/D/Z
• 150% + 50% exec. Bonus Clases P/Y/M/U/B
Lowest premium eco 150%, other classes 200%
• 100% + 25% exec. Bonus Clases E/W/S/Q/H/V
• 50% + 25% exec. Bonus Clases K/L/T

Introduction of A+A or F+F classes on EU flights in combination with interconti ticket. Now you pay First but fly business and earn business miles.

Example:
LIS-FRA-HKG in First. booking classes A+A and 300% and not J+A earning 200% for the first leg and 300% for the second.

For *A earnings, only four different levels:
• First
• Business
• Premium economy
• Economy.

No earnings on lowest eco fares

Milles for status:

80.000 miles for SEN
200.000 miles for HON (1 year)
50.000 miles for FTL

Miles for requalification:

50.000 miles status SEN
100.000 miles status HON
25.000 miles status FTL


Award tickets:

No YQ tax


For every EUR LH gives 3.05 miles, but takes 77 miles for every EUR spent on awards!
What is the point of being FF?

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Saying all this, after flying LH for more than 35 years, and being SEN for more than 18, I am pretty sure I will not renew the status again!

Cheers

Flying Lawyer

A FFP is a discount scheme and not a "spend a EUR get back a EUR" scheme. I did not realize the I receive 3 miles per EUR and only need to spend 77 miles for a EUR in award ticket value. If so, not a bad deal at all.

SPlDER

The current earning rates are ridicules. 750 EUR economy transatlantic tickets (K class) and 3000 EUR business (P class) gives no any single mile on most FFP programs.
This is main reason why I decided to stop flying LH. I choose LH only if other connection available are much more inconvenient.

appenzeller

the only direction M&M will be moving is spending based and not distance based.

After-all this would make sense - even if we FF do not like it

vbroucek

Why would they even bother reading this?

NA-Flyer

I have a gut feeling that what ever flyers suggest for LH management to adapt, they just do the opposite

mevr

We're talking about an airline that now records "Select Miles" to it's frequent flyers, and after 50.000 Select Miles you'll be the recipient of an amazing 20€ gift card OR, hold on tight, a voucher for a Business Lounge. Yes, you, the frequent flyer that already has access to a Business Lounge, will be given a voucher to access that same Business Lounge. Only with Lufthansa...

Redhat72

I'm not an expert in FF programs but my understanding is that as travel keeps getting more frequent, all major airlines will only make earning of FF miles more difficult. Not to mention, having a status no longer guarantees most of the benefits as there are so many other status pax to compete with. UA is an example & I'm sure LH is another one within Germany.

Already, we see how crowded the SEN lounges are. I won't be surprised if the lounge access for FTL goes away at some point or if the +1 goes away for SEN.

The OP's proposal will create more HONs, SENs & FTLs. I travel from India to US & will be SEN in 2 trips. I won't mind it at all but then I will be looking for a spot to sit in the SEN lounge unless airports work on adding more lounges to accommodate so many status members.

Tyrolean

Keep on dreaming.

LondonElite

Nice try OP, but unfortunately none of this makes any sense. You want to create more elites and give them more miles, and at the same time reduce revenue. This will most certainly not happen. Like I said, though, nice try!

SPlDER

It is not so obvious. From other hand - more miles means more customers. I do not fly in zero-miles booking classes, so often I do not take into consideration LH flights, even if they are more convenient.

Tafflyer

I also avoid LH whenever possible. I do not use their Miles-and-More scheme since it has been so drastically devalued and I do not fly LH because the miles they give to my FFP of choice is so paltry, even on some business class fares.

I still have 140,000 Miles soon to expire that I have a genuine problem finding a use for, since even the Mileage Bargain awards require such high "tax" payments that a purchased ticket (with another airline) is often almost the same price.

I also increasingly dislike staff and crew attitudes to passengers. Germany was never really a service oriented society but my impression from my few LH flights this year is that it has dropped even further.

kai.lileboo

Dear LondonElite,
everyone has different opinion. The ones who fly for pleasure and pay for themselves, the others who fly for business only and never pay a single eur for any flights, the ones who always complain but never do anything, and the ones who just don't care.
So as far as I have experienced those past years, not even the biggest companies now pay extra, many of them shifted all travel to low cost....
Many of OPs have lost their status, many changed airlines and FF programs, but at the end the airline always wins. I don't think there will be many more HONs and SENs etc. and if there are, then they need to keep flying to be able to use the services...and that means constant money for LH (if you don't fly, you don't spend and don't need any status). Even for non revenue tkts, as all may know, LH and others still charge huge taxes...
Why staying with M&M if other programs require half of the miles?
Why stay loyal to LH if others give more benefits to their own programs and LH does just opposite. I can understand they cut the earning levels with other airlines, but should award its own! Why HONs earn only 25% exec.bonus while paying 20 times more than the ones in economy?
As I said, I have been a big big fan of LH for many many years, but at this point I feel the actual rules are just ridiculous. You spend 2600 EUR in P and get 14000 miles? You spend 580 EUR for M class within EU and cannot check one free bag? What will be the next step? No access to lounges if flying on Light fare, even if that is very expensive?
I know many people just said goodbye some years ago, and I think many of us should do the same, but hey, there are still many rich, very rich people who don't mind the status, nor the earning levels....they keep flying LH even if it is much more expensive as others...and that saves LH from red figures.
Also there are many German companies which only allow their staff to fly LH...but I am just not willing to drain my entire budget on LH anymore.

M&M needs to be adapted, of course LH management will do whatever they please, and if they keep doing it, means they can afford it.

weero

I agree here and want to add that the earning complexity and the rapid changes are strong arguments for small and medium sized companies not to get sucked into the update and devaluation insanity.
Like any forced inflation, the rapid devaluation makes the FFP a lot less valuable.

Overall, I do not agree with not flying LH anymore. The airline has consistently resisted a devaluation of its products as sold. Today, LH is one of the best carriers in coach and in F and in PE and Biz its products are at least reasonable.

Ever since I dumped M&M, I find myself flying LH more, LX a lot less, especially when I am certain that I don't need flexibility. In adjusted currency, I get a lot more value per Rouble than I did say 5 years ago.

LondonElite

FFPs everywhere are becoming more restrictive. The days of easy access to a premium status level by flying plenty of cheap economy flights alone are over. Everyone is factoring in a component of how much you actually spend, and I'm sure M&M is not that far off. LH will still fill its planes without giving away status, so it doesn't have to; it has a captive audience who won't change their behaviour. It sounds like you should simply forget about the status and just buy whatever ticket is the cheapest.