Xandrios

I'll soon be flying a segment on Avianca operated by Trans American Airlines, or, TACA.

Both TACA and Avianca are supposed to be part of Star Alliance. However TACA is not mentioned on the Earnings page, presumably because they were (partly?) bought out by Avianca.

Should I expect to earn following the Avianca chart, or expect to earn nothing at all?

KLouis

TACA (now completely merged with Avianca) was never called Trans American Airlines, which was the name of TACA Peru! Why they still use this name every now and then, who knows. By the way, last month I flew PTY-SJO in a brand new A320 in TACA livery, but "everything else" (flight number, uniforms, even in-flight magazine) were Avianca. By the way, you are not the first confused FTer.

Xandrios

Thanks

That thread did show up in my initial google search, though it didn't clear up if miles were actually earned. Do I understand correctly that you did get the Avianca miles for your TACA segment?

KLouis

Yes.

kisl

Speaking of Avianca: if you credit a <500 mile AV segment to A3 (class U/T, which earns only 25%), you get the minimum 500 A3 mile and 500 EQM or the distance flown, or just 25% of the distance flown?

Just because AV U/T credited to AV - within Colombia would earn 25% (but min. 500 miles), and 25% EQM (they don't specify min. here, so I don't know if the 500 miles applies or not). Obviously it has nothing to do with A3, just curious how they handle EQM - but apparently even the sign up 1-2k miles count towards elite status?

Thanks

Xandrios

KLouis: Thanks!

kisl: For a U/T (25%) fare you will receive 500 miles for all flights below 2000 miles. All flights over 2000 miles will earn 25% of the distance flow. So basically the 500 miles is the lowest amount you can receive for these fares.

kisl

Thanks Xandrios! That's clear that you'll get 500 redeemable miles, my question was more about if that's elite qualifying miles or not. Or Aegean doesn't distinguish them? I guess not, just wanted to double check with more experienced flyers before I build up my strategy for *A status

znke252

- Checking whether fare classes on A3 for economy U and T earn any miles, so I will know if they count towards segments.

The Miles & Bonus Calculator lists 200 miles, but I don't see U on the earning chart. I'm using an iPad, so the charts don't show properly or sometimes at all.

intuition

U,P,T domestic earns flat 200
U,P,T,E international earns 75% min 400

znke252

Intuition,
Thanks for the quick response. This is good to know.

lento

Hi
How is the earnings with SAS flights on European flights ? Based on distance or fixed ?
Moreover, is SAS flight operated by blue 1 eligible for tire miles on A3 ?

intuition

Distance based, but with minimums.
Blue1 counts as SK, as is noted in post#1

lento

Thanks. SK is still quite attractive then.

eurotexan

LH Press Release

Lufthansa now offers three types of Economy fares: Light, Classic, and Flex. Regarding this change, I am very confused how no matter which you choose (Light, Classic, or Flex), they all book into the same booking class, mostly really low ones or even non-earning ones for A3.

I would have thought that when you pay extra for flexibility (changes, refunds, rebookings), that you get a different (higher) fare class.

I travel LH frequently on business and credit to A3, and am usually buying inside a 14 day window which, prior to this change, would usually book into Q, U, and H. Now when I look at similar fares, they are booking into W which causes the return leg to almost exclusively book into non-earning fare classes (K, T) on A3.

What's even more strange is when looking at Expedia and originating from BHX, it will fail to return any flight results at all for dates in December even though Lufthansa clearly shows fares and flights available on the same days.

Any ideas or comments how to book into better earning classes for A3 purposes?

NWIFlyer

In this case, you're paying for the extra flexibility and lower change fees, not the extra mileage-earning potential. Welcome to the world of Lufthansa ...

I would think, given the LH website does not allow booking into specific fare buckets, that you'll need to book through a competent TA (not an OTA). The cost of the TA's fee and increased fare will most likely outweigh the value of the earnings by some distance - this is simply another move by LH to move to LCC status and provide as few Alliance benefits as possible.