La Premiere awards only for Plats and above
Dec 1, 22, 5:19 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: ZRH, MNL
Programs: FB Silver, ANA, Accor Gold
Posts: 920
La Premiere awards only for Plats and above
Just got this in my inbox: Starting January 1 2023, award tickets for La Premiere will be limited to Platinum and Ultimate FB-members and even for them only 1 seat per flight will be released. This is due to high demand for the new product.
Sorry, if this was already posted elsewhere. In this case: mods please merge, thanks.
Sorry, if this was already posted elsewhere. In this case: mods please merge, thanks.
Dec 1, 22, 5:43 am
#2
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 812
Originally Posted by KL803
Just got this in my inbox: Starting January 1 2023, award tickets for La Premiere will be limited to Platinum and Ultimate FB-members and even for them only 1 seat per flight will be released. This is due to high demand for the new product.
Sorry, if this was already posted elsewhere. In this case: mods please merge, thanks.
Sorry, if this was already posted elsewhere. In this case: mods please merge, thanks.
Dec 1, 22, 5:49 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 89
I understand it’s only available to plats, but why only release one seat… Air France does their best to make sure there really isn’t any value in being a frequent flyer anymore. Only perk for plats is free economy comfort, free luggage and lounge. Upgrades are impossible, unlike a lot of the competition. And only one LP seat makes it impossible for couples do something nice with their miles…
Dec 1, 22, 5:50 am
#5
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: BA BAEC Gold (oW Emerald), AF/KLM FB Plat (ST E+), *Alliance Nada
Posts: 279
Originally Posted by Bullspread
my mail received today (in French)
I love the PR exercise and the use of the word "évoluent" to make it sound neutral when it's clearly a deterioration...
Dec 1, 22, 7:04 am
#7
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: Flying Blue, Miles & Smiles
Posts: 358
Originally Posted by Thino
I understand it’s only available to plats, but why only release one seat… Air France does their best to make sure there really isn’t any value in being a frequent flyer anymore. Only perk for plats is free economy comfort, free luggage and lounge. Upgrades are impossible, unlike a lot of the competition. And only one LP seat makes it impossible for couples do something nice with their miles…
Dec 1, 22, 7:04 am
#8
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: France
Programs: FB Plat for Life, UAMP, BAEC, Accor Live Limitless Gold, Marriott silver, Hilton
Posts: 2,771
Originally Posted by KL803
(...). This is due to high demand for the new product. ()
If demand is so high, any normal business would increase supply, wouldn't it?
But this is AF. Is AF a "normal business"?
Dec 1, 22, 8:29 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: LFT
Programs: AA Plat, lots of AA, AS, DL miles & BA Avios, a few UA miles left, former CO Plat Elite (sigh...)
Posts: 10,405
Originally Posted by Thino
I understand it’s only available to plats, but why only release one seat… Air France does their best to make sure there really isn’t any value in being a frequent flyer anymore. Only perk for plats is free economy comfort, free luggage and lounge. Upgrades are impossible, unlike a lot of the competition. And only one LP seat makes it impossible for couples do something nice with their miles…
Dec 1, 22, 9:10 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 20,188
Originally Posted by jlemon
Perhaps the thinking at AF concerning only one seat being released is the Plat will then buy a second seat in Premiere for their traveling companion thus increasing revenue.
Dec 1, 22, 9:43 am
#11
Join Date: May 2020
Programs: Flying Blue, Mileage Plus
Posts: 88
English version, as I received it, albeit without formatting (I can't figure that out); my comments to follow separately.
Changes to La Première Reward Tickets Air France recently unveiled its new and improved La Première cabin. As a result, the airline is updating the restrictions on using Flying Blue Miles to access this highly sought-after cabin.
Starting 1 January 2023, reward redemption in La Première will become a benefit exclusive to Flying Blue Platinum and Ultimate members. In addition, a maximum of one reward seat will be made available per flight.
All existing reservations in La Première will be unaffected, however any changes made to reservations after 1 January 2023 will be subject to the new rules in place at that time.
Yours sincerely,
Your Flying Blue team
Changes to La Première Reward Tickets Air France recently unveiled its new and improved La Première cabin. As a result, the airline is updating the restrictions on using Flying Blue Miles to access this highly sought-after cabin.
Starting 1 January 2023, reward redemption in La Première will become a benefit exclusive to Flying Blue Platinum and Ultimate members. In addition, a maximum of one reward seat will be made available per flight.
All existing reservations in La Première will be unaffected, however any changes made to reservations after 1 January 2023 will be subject to the new rules in place at that time.
Yours sincerely,
Your Flying Blue team
Dec 1, 22, 10:09 am
#12
Join Date: May 2020
Programs: Flying Blue, Mileage Plus
Posts: 88
I was a bit gobsmacked when I saw this today, especially on the heels of Delta's extraordinary announcement about lounge access. I worry about what this portends in terms of further AF announcements about FB, upgrade policies, on board service, etc.
I've not been looking at FT for a while, so apologies if some of my observations are not as acute as they should be. My first reaction to this announcement, however, was a question as to whether the much vaunted and, according to what I understand, overblown new LP "suites" are all going to be deployed by early January on all routes offering that service. If that is the case, there would be some logic to this rather draconian limitation of upgrade possibilities.
That, of course, presumes the LP world is truly salivating at the chance to take up this supposedly enhanced product. I'm not so sure.
My limited experience of LP is mostly between CDG and IAD, as I've previously related elsewhere. I have paid full freight to ride in the cabin numerous times and occasionally used miles or cash to upgrade when my return trip to CDG has been in business. Traveling to IAD, notwithstanding the lack of dedicated ground transportation on arrival, in LP is worthwhile; traveling back to CDG not so much (shorter flight, bleaker inflight and ground catering). Signs at IAD advertising upgrades at the check-in counter and my understanding that most of the others traveling in LP have done so as the result of an upgrade suggested to me that AF had figured out that this was a good way to soak up miles/cash and fill up otherwise empty seats.
This strikes me as a bad commercial strategy for a lot of reasons, not least, as stated above, an overestimation of the anticipated demand.
I'm about to travel in LP and have other trips lined up between now and May, including a return in business for which I was planning to seek an upgrade.
I've not been looking at FT for a while, so apologies if some of my observations are not as acute as they should be. My first reaction to this announcement, however, was a question as to whether the much vaunted and, according to what I understand, overblown new LP "suites" are all going to be deployed by early January on all routes offering that service. If that is the case, there would be some logic to this rather draconian limitation of upgrade possibilities.
That, of course, presumes the LP world is truly salivating at the chance to take up this supposedly enhanced product. I'm not so sure.
My limited experience of LP is mostly between CDG and IAD, as I've previously related elsewhere. I have paid full freight to ride in the cabin numerous times and occasionally used miles or cash to upgrade when my return trip to CDG has been in business. Traveling to IAD, notwithstanding the lack of dedicated ground transportation on arrival, in LP is worthwhile; traveling back to CDG not so much (shorter flight, bleaker inflight and ground catering). Signs at IAD advertising upgrades at the check-in counter and my understanding that most of the others traveling in LP have done so as the result of an upgrade suggested to me that AF had figured out that this was a good way to soak up miles/cash and fill up otherwise empty seats.
This strikes me as a bad commercial strategy for a lot of reasons, not least, as stated above, an overestimation of the anticipated demand.
I'm about to travel in LP and have other trips lined up between now and May, including a return in business for which I was planning to seek an upgrade.
Dec 1, 22, 10:42 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 20,188
The announcement doesn’t tell us if paid upgrades at checkin will still be possible and, if yes, it they will be also reserved to Plat/Ulti or to everyone.
Dec 1, 22, 11:25 am
#14
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 812
Originally Posted by Goldorak
The announcement doesn’t tell us if paid upgrades at checkin will still be possible and, if yes, it they will be also reserved to Plat/Ulti or to everyone.
