Programs: QF WP (LT Gold), LH SEN, OZ Diamond, CO Nothing, HH Gold, SPG Platinum, Avis PC
Posts: 7,463
Quote:
Originally Posted by SMK77
If I were to start flying on LH today, I could spend 16.000 EUR on a First-Class-Ticket to Tokyo and I could do it even a second time because I liked the seat so much. Lufthansa would have earned 32.000 EUR and I would not have made it to SEN!
I could do the LX J Milage Runs and spend just 24.000 EUR and end up as an honorable HON Circle member. I would have boarded 240 flights, visited 240 times one of their lounges, and on top would be rewarded with 600.000 miles and 6 eVoucher to spend.
Who is the better customer?
Actually, a SEN who NEVER flies LH can be an extremely valuable customer for LH. For many airlines, the value of the Frequent Flyer Program is higher or similar as the value (=market cap) of the airline itself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sentom
i think everyone should write an individual email to their respective hotline, but additionally maybe we could get LHRelate involved and have her raise the issue with FRA with a list of names incl. status...
Actually, a SEN who NEVER flies LH can be an extremely valuable customer for LH. For many airlines, the value of the Frequent Flyer Program is higher or similar as the value (=market cap) of the airline itself.
Agree. But the value of those customers decreases with their smartness. FT is working against the profitability of FFPs :-)
Programs: LH SEN, AY Gold, DC Gold, PC Plat Amb, HH Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,173
Now I feel I have made a very good choice when deciding not to even try going for HON and put all and every flights to LH/LX, but rather go "only" for Gold in both *A (SEN) and OW (AY+)
For me SEN is the most sensible *A option (especially with PPB thrown in) with SK going down the drain, but won't overdo it - nicely balanced flight pattern. Also gives me much more options when both *A and OW flights are sensible also from a mileage/status point of view.
My opinion in general: with this kind of rude behaviour against valuable customers LH one day rudely will awake and may then it's too late, This decision is a result of the "climb" cost saving plan of Mr. Franz who maybe will the later LH-CEO. Let's wait and see if this will be a plunge. 1992 LH treated me very rude, so I took off all my intercontinental and european business from LH and moved to AF. Took the Concorde to and from JFK for a very reasonable price, inbound with a driver at CDG, one hotel night in Paris before going back to Germany and a fine diner-voucher, and I experienced AFs first real flat seat in F. So we should really have to reflect, if LH is saving costs on the back of their best costomers why the best customers don't also save costs using other airlines. I'm actually checking alternatives flying from AOI via FCO and CDG. After doing more than 300 k expensive HON miles (ca. 42.000 Euros) in six months and just my already prepaid ticketstock is good for more than another 300 k, I really start reflecting to move some kind of business away from LH to Emirates or someone else. I'll do the next HON till 2013, but if I can't use the lounge any longer after arrival for a simple capuccino and a brioche while waiting for incoming partners, I have to ask why spending one Euro more than necessary to LH.
Salve Luigi
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Programs: LH HON, BA Gold, BMI, Amex Centurion, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Human race (general member)
Posts: 10,210
Quote:
Originally Posted by SenAOI
My opinion in general: with this kind of rude behaviour against valuable customers LH one day rudely will awake and may then it's too late, This decision is a result of the "climb" cost saving plan of Mr. Franz who maybe will the later LH-CEO. Let's wait and see if this will be a plunge. 1992 LH treated me very rude, so I took off all my intercontinental and european business from LH and moved to AF. Took the Concorde to and from JFK for a very reasonable price, inbound with a driver at CDG, one hotel night in Paris before going back to Germany and a fine diner-voucher, and I experienced AFs first real flat seat in F. So we should really have to reflect, if LH is saving costs on the back of their best costomers why the best customers don't also save costs using other airlines. I'm actually checking alternatives flying from AOI via FCO and CDG. After doing more than 300 k expensive HON miles (ca. 42.000 Euros) in six months and just my already prepaid ticketstock is good for more than another 300 k, I really start reflecting to move some kind of business away from LH to Emirates or someone else. I'll do the next HON till 2013, but if I can't use the lounge any longer after arrival for a simple capuccino and a brioche while waiting for incoming partners, I have to ask why spending one Euro more than necessary to LH.
Salve Luigi
If they really stick to this new rule then flying BA via LHR becomes an option again. Being DUS based I have to connect to a longhaul flight anyway whether FRA or LHR doesn't make a real difference. Granted, LHR is a bit of a hellhole but the BA J fares ex-Germany are quite attractive and the onbord experience is better at BA with their true flat seat.
Alternatively, I recently did two BKK returns with CX via HKG. Also quite good. The CX J seat takes some getting used to, but I have now made my peace with this seat. Travel time is a couple of hours longer, but the ex-BKK CX fares are also considerably cheaper than LH.
AY also has some good offers, though I don't like their Embraer service DUS-HEL. However, the fare is the cheapest of all above (LH,BA,CX).
All in all, I really have to ask myself if I have been hunting for the white elephant with this HON card. Probably time to re-group and think about it for a couple of months. Next year would be a re-qualification year for me. So far my HON counter is up to 800k. Time to move some business elsewhere!
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Programs: Severals Golds (BA, BD, AB and LH), Highest tier with HH, SPG and ICRA, lawyer, sometimes a nice guy
Posts: 5,446
Quote:
Originally Posted by weero
There's a not so subtle difference between a loyalty incentive and blunt extortion - and the reason LH offered this obvious benefit is because it lured additional customers into a - for many - otherwise subpar program.
I could not agree more. I am BD G and LH G (formerly called SEN) and I kept LH G for only two reasons:
I can book 11A on a 737/300 and
I have lounge access in TXL and DRS when flying AB.
These are the two and only reasons. For every other demand. BD G did the trick. In practice, I "half wasted" (I still get 11A) 100.000 status miles on LH this year. Considering nearly all of this was LX and LH TATL flights (well, plus 100 E-Class flights on LH), I could have got a bunch of more miles in the air as BD 55+.
Personally, I feel deceived. They whispered: "Hey, Flying Lawyer, don't put all you miles on BD, give them to us, we will give you lounge access whenever you fly - even if you do not fly with us". Flying Lawyer did so and at the end of the day they said: "Hey Flying Lawyer, great you renewed, however, Lounge Access whenever you fly, no way"
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Programs: LH HON, BA Gold, BMI, Amex Centurion, Hilton Diamond, SPG Platinum, Human race (general member)
Posts: 10,210
Quote:
Originally Posted by GUWonder
It's too bad that this feature that was providing an element in common with BA's Executive Club Gold benefits is going away.
Wouldn't a * airline's boarding pass from a penalty-free changeable or refundable ticket for a departing flight work to still provide lounge access?
Yes, the solution is to have a fully flexible C one-way flight parked all the time which you re-book after having breakfast and a shower in the lounge.
If LH want to play hard ball, so can I.
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Am I the only one who thinks that this is strange?
cheers
As long as such guys () are around and state absolute BS nonsense like this
Quote:
I should note at this point that the lounge on top of my "to-do" list is the First Class Terminal at FRA, simply because it is such a great concept ...
the majority of us flyers and good paying customers for LH will experience downgrades, like the upcoming October lounge enhancement.
Yes, the solution is to have a fully flexible C one-way flight parked all the time which you re-book after having breakfast and a shower in the lounge.
If LH want to play hard ball, so can I.
Too complicate and too unhandy, as I usually don't stay longer than a half an hour at the airport after arrival - and there are also restaurants.
For parking a COW for lounge access, even a basic membership would do the job for me - the breakfasts at the SEN- and at the biz-lounges are pretty similar nowadays, as are the showers From next year, I will also start to calculate my flight-expenses. But not on such a ridiculous and ineffective way as LH does with this new rule...
240x2.000x1,25=600.000
) are around and state absolute BS nonsense like this
