After a couple of years as Ultimate (and with sufficient UXP on hand to continue the saga), I did some reassessment as to if there is anything that is
really worth directing most of the travel to a good (Air France) and an absolutely awful (KLM) airline for an overhyped and mediocre "top tier status".
When
100+ GGL got onboarded as Ultis without even a single flight on AFKL as minimum qualification, I was wondering if all the "butt in seat UXP" are really worth it and I went on with an analysis for myself. The result is pretty clear.
After all, Ultimate is the most useless "top tier" status of the three alliances. Nothing, but really nothing is a confirmed benefit, except the upgrade vouchers and the travel assistant line. The latter is the only real benefit, the rest is pretty much rubbish.
The whole "Ultimate recognition" is the biggest bogus in this program. Half of the cabin crew doesn't care at all (hello, dear KLM), the other half doesn't really know what to do.
I can confirm that as an OWE, there is more consistency to the equivalent of "Ultimate recognition" than in the FB program itself.
As an Ultimate, transferring e.g. from CDG T2E Hall K to CDG T2G there is not a
minimal piece of advantage: I have to deal with the same incompetent ADP contractors and the inexistent Sky Priority Lines. It is a P I T A and awful at best and it is delighting to find oneself in the general queue for 20 minutes.
Why for gods sake should I trade a car transfer from the apron for this sh*tshow?
After all, LH HON outperforms FB Ulti pretty much everywhere with regards to consistent ground service and Oneworld has a much more consistent soft product for OWE than Ulti.
I am really wondering how much the oh so hyped "Ultimate Areas" in CDG and AMS would have to improve in order to be on the same level as First Class Lounges on any random Oneworld airline, with access for Oneworld Emeralds. And I am talking about First Class Lounges of CX, JL, QF, QR, means heavyweights and not random airlines.
All things considered: a combination of LH HON and OWE is the way forward, solid ground service on quite a number of airlines AND at a number of airports plus more benefits than Ultimate could ever provide :-)
That I will be continuing to likely renew as an Ultimate is more a collateral damage than an intention.
As an OWE, the whole protocol & status are at leats applicable lliance wide.
Lastly, it is also a matter of product quality: all airlines in the M&M zone defined a few standards. One of the standards: the middle/neighboring seat on all regional aircraft remains blocked for the passenger's conveniece in Business Class. On greedy AF and KL flights in Business on regional aircraf,t I still have someone sitting on my lap, No, thank you.
I'm afraid, but Ultimate status in FB is without any considerable value proposition and also super weak in terms of tangible benefits.
After more than 4 years as oh so "Ulti" -> nah, thank you very much