roberino

So for a few months now I have been getting more and more annoyed that seemingly any inter-European flights on LH are in fare buckets that earn no miles on A3. Even flexible J seats earn absolutely nothing. Is it just me?

lhrpete

No, you have to watch out for LH P fares which are what almost everything even expensive flexible tickets book in to these days.

I just don't book with LH and won't until they mend their ways! I think they regard themselves as big and powerful and to a point they are but airlines just as big and just as powerful have gone before now.

fransknorge

Yes Lufthansa is a huge pain in the neck, other airlines of the LH group too but to a lesser extent (as much economy fares earns nil miles but P on OS/LX earns 100% of Miles flown).
I can not avoid them unfortunately as I live near FRA, meaning it is harder for me than average to renew my Gold status and earn enough miles for redemption.

yurtripper

The F class on LO (Business Saver) also earns 0 on A3.

AlicorporateUK

Slightly OT but I was somewhat lurking and genuinely tempted to learn more about A3 in light of a potential switch from EB(D) however, given the circumstances, I think I'll give it a miss - this mostly because there's no great deal of choice to and from Sarajevo/Belgrade/Pristina out of Warsaw apart from the usual suspects [LH/OS/LO-OU] and, from what I gather thanks to a number of posts here, it seems that their earning rates through SK have yet to hit the above described bottom line (I guess it's just a question of time, though, but at this stage even OU seems to be overly generous with a whapping 500 points for a short ZAG-SJJ!). As ever, the grass isn't always greener etc. etc.

G

fransknorge

It is worth it for you toc check it still. It is a lower bar than EBD to reach A3 Gold and i managed despite flying LH mainly. A couple of Greek vacations help.

AlicorporateUK

Thank you - that was indeed amongst my main concerns as in the last couple of years and up to the back end of 2017 I managed to easily get to Diamond mostly thanks to a boring weekly commute (involving SAS 90% of times, meaning qualifying segments); that, however, has changed and, despite my travel patterns remaining pretty much unchanged, the new city pair now involves travel exclusively on other carriers and I am pretty sure that I will not re-qualify merely on points earned through LO/OU/OS/LH. All-in-all, some A3 homework definitely needed here And on that note, thanks again and apologies to the OP for hijacking the thread

G

SPlDER

F is new booking class on LOT- M&B earning tables should be updated sooner or later.
LH P intentionally earns 0 miles.

Xandrios

Hi AlicorporateUK,

It really depends on many factors if such switch would benefit you, or not. Yes, LH group earning rates are not great...however it also depends greatly on the type of fares you get. The lowest K-style economy tickets wont help you much, but the somewhat higher classes earn not so bad in Europe:

* LH 500 to 1250 per segment on most (except few lowest) fares
* LX 50% - 100% on most (except few lowest) fares
* OU 100% on most (except few lowest) fares
* OS 750 per segment on many (except lowest) fares
* SK 100% or up

And there are a few catches (eg P fares don't earn on LH metal), but personally I'm able to work around that by booking LX or OS instead.

The advantages of the A3 program is that you get quite a lot of miles on their own flights, flying them 4 times halves the (re) qualification requirements, and you get the upgrade coupons that effectively allow to fly business class for free a few roundtrips per year.

AlicorporateUK

@Xandrios,

That makes my life much easier, giving me some solid ground for comparison and a decent idea of what I can expect in case.

Thanks!

G

East_and_West

Some more tips from a former EBG. If I understood your post correctly, it is more the *A benefits that you are interested in, rather than the airline specific benefits. In any case, a put together a brief comparison of the FFPs. It's just off the top of my head, so I may be missing some things.

Alliance-wide:

• Obviously when it comes to benefits outside A3 or SK there are no differences.
• When it comes to mileage accrual, EB is usually (but not always) more generous, especially with "popular" airlines, such as LH and SQ. This can matter, especially If you fly long-haul several times per year.
• On the other hand the lower (re)qualification requirements for A3*G makes up for this when it comes to status (but not award miles), in particular if you fly mostly or only within Europe.
• Your award miles do not expire as A3*G (similarly to EBD, but not EBG).

Within the airlines

• Again, M&B qualification requirement is lower than EB, significantly more so if you fly A3 anyway. If you are already A3*G, the miles required to renew you status are halved, and then they are halved again if you fly at least four A3 segments per year. On the downside, note that the 20% bonus miles you get as A3*G does not count towards re-qualification, unlike the 25% bonus Basic points you get as EBG/D (major boost for requalification, especially if you fly long-haul on SK).
• As EBG/D you get more additional bags for free when flying SK, free seat selection, and free wi-fi onboard. You also get to offer silver/gold to a family member or friend.
• As A3*G you get four C class upgrade vouchers for A3 flights.
• Note that your A3*G benefits and mileage accrual carry over to OA (mostly domestic flights in Greece), and EBG/D carry over to Widerĝe (if you fly within the Nordics).

*Observe also that A3 still offer a free checked bag on A3 GoLight fares (unlike SK), and SK still offer free seat selection on SK econ (Go/GoLight) fares (unlike A3), but the above are true for all *G.

yurtripper

Go for it, G! I'm an exile from both SQ and LH/LO schemes and I only switched to A3 this year as my qualifying program. Even though I managed to have 3 round trips that credited to the wrong program (!) I'm still within spitting distance of qualifying for *G, only a few months after joining M&B, thanks to the very generous rates on SK. The much easier requal requirements compared to SQ and LH are what swing it for me, so once you've got over that initial pain barrier there's little that needs to be done - a long haul on SAS and a jaunt to Greece is enough. I don't know how long this state of affairs will last but you may as well make hay while the sun shines.

I'll see you in the Aegean lounge at ATH as a fully made up *G sometime in the near future

AlicorporateUK

@East_and_West,

What an outstanding post - I'm genuinely grateful for your excellent piece of advice, this is much appreciated, mostly given that you seem to be quite 'switched-on' with EuroBonus.

Again, thanks very much

G

AlicorporateUK

Thanks a lot, fellow Varsovian I think it is more likely that we will end up meeting at 'our' Polonez for a Tyskie (or two)

G

yurtripper

Sure thing, but be aware that in Polonez I only drink champers