Segment run (weekend trip)
 

Hi,
To keep my Platinum status I'll have to do some weekend trips during the autumn since I have only 30 segments so far this year. I read that AirEuropa might be a good alternative to accumulate segments. Well, I live in Oslo and found several weekend trips to Spain via PRG with Czech Airlines at reasonable prices. The challenge is to get as many segments as possible (friday till sunday) between airports operated by AirEuropa within the price range 300 to 500 Euro.

I've used both ITA and AirEuropa websites but can't manage to get more than 8 segments including the trip from Oslo...

I will be very happy if somebody manage to increase to amount of segments (qualifying segments of course). :)

If you're prepared to stay in Spain for a few days, you can get some low-price, same-day returns to the Ballearics with UX (BCN-IBZ, BCN-PMI, and some multi-segment trips from other mainland airports).

-- Henry

What about AZ? It looks like you can get at least 6 segments for about €430 (perhaps you can do better on the fare, I just picked a random weekend in October). TRF-AMS-NAP and back produces six segments, and once you're in Italy, you can do cheap flights like NAP-LIN for €44 or LIN-PMO for €49 (make sure the promo fares are valid for segments though). Maybe you can play with open jaws too.

Incidentally, Air Europa often has funny routings through PMI for much the same price as direct flights. Play around with a strictly domestic itinerary on their website and see what you come up with.

Finally, there are some cheap one-ways on Czech. I saw a CPH-BCN and HAM-MAD for under €110 (admittedly mid-week) for mid-September. But if you're patient, maybe you'll find something that works, in which case you could fly in and out on OK, and zip around on UX.

Good luck!

Has anyone actually done a mileage run on Air Europa and got the segments credited to their account?

Last year I did several segments including BCN-MAH, MAH-BCN-IBZ, IBZ-MAD, and only got the 25% miles, even after complaining. I didn't fight it much as I didn't need the segments to move up a level anyway. I think Air Europa was an 'Associate Member' at that point so maybe that had something to do with it(??)

Would hate someone to do a run on their segments and then not get them....

UX flights do count as level segments unless they're operated by other airlines - notably SpanAir! Watch out for these - the flight numbers aren't always that indicative of the operator: for example, BCN-IBZ flights with 2xxx and 6xxx numbers are 'pure' UX, but those with 38xx or 39xx numbers are operated by SpanAir - and don't give miles or segments!

-- Henry

It's actually not that simple. The FlyingBlue rules say:
And then there's the small print which lists a few flight numbers not eligible for miles:
All the Details are available on http://partnersearch.ehn.klm.com/uk_...l=5&p=0&eb=all.

That's a very new rule! I had a SpanAir-operated flight back in March and didn't get anything for it; I remember checking the rules (because I was going to send in a claim) and they said - at that time - "all Air Europa operated flights!"

-- Henry

i may respectfully suggest you to have a 2nd thought at spending money to remain platinum
From my own perspective
I used to do those runs in the 2nd part of the year, 2 years in a row
I remained 4 years platinum, only by segments: so 60* 4= 240 flights on AF,KL, AZ, AM, OK

this year , i reached 30 and i decided to stop the game
Why?
- i still have lounge access with Gold
- 75% to 100% bonus is not worth spending XXXX€ to get them IMHO
- in 4 years top sky elite in skyteam, with 70% of my flights on AF, i got upgraded twice: one HGK-CDG on an awards, one VNO-PRG on OK
=> virtually no recognition
- horrible taxes to use miles

April fool mileage change took its toll

When i make the global addition, really not worth the hassle to spend 6/7 WE in airports to remain Plat

I use AF when no choice (=domestic flights), and i moved all foreign private/prof flights to OW/STAR otherwise

Sorry to say, but they lost me as a faithful customer. AF is above average on longhaul in economy (my flight pattern), but not enough to spend extra money to remain platinum

Otherwise, if you wish to keep your plat status, i always found OK to be nice for Weekend mileage run: low price, PRG is a very pleasant transit point, and a lot of nice eastern european destinations to discover

But even that is over, as the code sharing on CDG-PRG stopped, and much less convenient schedules are available on OK now from CDG

Good luck
PS: i am not surprised at AF financial situation. You can not unplease customers without paying the toll one day or another

As bebert, I have a tough time understanding the logic of spending money and stressful time in flights/connection (and some will be missed) just to get from Gold to Plat.
Say that you get the nice situation of paying €400 for 6 segments. In order to get 18 additional segments you need to spend some €1200. €1600 for 24 segments.
What are the major advantages of Plat over Gold: basically none. The major one is to qualify to Plat for life, and that is an expensive way to get that status. But will you actually often take advantage of the others if you need to qualify on segments? OK you get a 100% bonus instead of 75%. But on most tickets you will only get 25% of distance; so 25% of 25% is very small. I know that there are some very minorother benefits, but will you ever make use of them?
Someone will rightly suggest that Plat has a soft landing to Gold, but if you normally fly 30 segments anyway, why bother as you get gold routinely.

Flying 60 segments as PE instead of GE would earn you about 7.5K extra award miles, when each segment averages 500 base miles. 7.5K miles is worth about 75-150 euro, depending on the way you spend them. So based on just that fact it is in no way worth it to spend thousands for the 25% of extra earnings.

The soft landing to Gold can be an advantage if, for some reason, you will halt flying for a year. Perhaps an illness or accident or something of that nature. Could happen to anybody. So it is a advantage that could be worth something. (But just as well could not be worth anything).

If you plan on getting the Amex Plat card, having FB plat is an absolute must since you can then gift platinum status to a spouse or friend.

Overall though I agree. These advantages, at least for me, are not worth thousands of euros. I fly about 30-35 segments a year, usually direct flights. Flights with transfers to earn extra segments are scarse and often have bad departure or arrival times. The extra effort that it would cost to do an extra 24 segments is just not worth the marginal advantages that FB plat offers.

Hmm... unless I am mistaken, only valid for Dutch residents. For the rest of us this is 'not possible'...

Bebert, I fully concur !

At the present time, I have earned 95k level miles, just because I am a subscriber (quite always onboard an TLS/ORY AC !) and because my employer pays PV for long haul (not biz, but I think that less and less companies pay biz). I suppose I am the typical person AF likes (if you fly 30 TLS/ORY/TLS, one subscriber card, fly 5 TLS/anywhere in France, fly 3 intercontinental PV, you will have earned : 30*2000 + 5000 + 5*3000 (one connection) + 3*12000, you will have 116000 level miles and your company will have spent 30*360 + 600 + 5*700 + 3*1800, that is 20k€.

I am supposed to be the "coeur de cible" of AF, but I dont very well see the advantage of being plat (awards are very difficult to get from TLS, see other posts: I cannot understand why miles I earned flying at an expensive fare cannot be used because the morning TLS CDG flight is ALWAYS impossible to book in biz award with a connection) so I should recommand our friend to stay gold and not to worry and run for segments.

Gold is not so bad, and the extra effort to jump to plat is not worth the money and time.

You are exactly right. You are the exact type of customer AF wants, love, and tailor their product for. (The 'mauvaises langues' would say that you are the only type of customer AF wants, love, and tailor their product for ;) ) -- Full fare economy/premium economy seems to be the magnet AF are aiming for and what they believe the future lies in. Domestic segment (highly profitable), captive clientele (firm contracts), and unlikely to complain too much about FB because as you say, it doesn't really make too much of a difference here and is mostly a 'bonus'. And in that sense, your analysis of the FB benefits is correct too - status and what is associated with it has relatively little impact in your case as most of what you would get from gold would suffice in terms of priority services, lounge access when available, etc.

Indeed, exactly the customer that AF loves and tries to hang on. Assuming that you are an "FB éxilé fiscal" and use a Belgian (or else) mailling address that you only use once a year to receive your new FB card, you get Plat easily on segments or miles. AF is trying to insure that you do not defect your long haul to BA or LH/LX.

You have get me thinking hard about remaining platinum. It will require a lot of extra segment runs and money. However I have been upgraded several times both on short haul and long. And the feeling you get when upgraded is very pleasant! It's also nice to have priority when calling FB. Anyway, both me and my wife enjoy flying, so we'll see what to decide.