May 26, 2014, 8:47 am
Last edit by: SingaporeDon
Every forum on Flyertalk has a personality. A forum gains a personality through user input over time, and Lifemiles is a very definitive example of how users have developed a unique community.
While Flyertalk boards actively encourage sharing of info, the Lifemiles community has developed and thrived via obscuring of certain data elements. It may not be easy for new participants to break through the codes and gain knowledge of the program's quirks, but the overall board community has adopted this unique approach. And frankly, that is not going to change overnight.
If a FT member wants to participate on this board, then they will need to respect other users. Hence, posts that run counter to this community's standards, will be removed.
While Flyertalk boards actively encourage sharing of info, the Lifemiles community has developed and thrived via obscuring of certain data elements. It may not be easy for new participants to break through the codes and gain knowledge of the program's quirks, but the overall board community has adopted this unique approach. And frankly, that is not going to change overnight.
If a FT member wants to participate on this board, then they will need to respect other users. Hence, posts that run counter to this community's standards, will be removed.
C1 North America
C1.5 Caribbean, Bermuda
C2 Europe
C2.5 Middle East
C3 Asia
C4 South America
C5 Africa
C6 Oceania
2X, 3X: in the context of this LifeMiles thread, 2X and 3X refer to any 2nd and 3rd legs of a one-way award ticket.
LifeMiles' Star Alliance Award Chart
LifeMiles' old Star Alliance Award Chart (before Oct 15 2014) // Table of changes
Cash & Miles redemptions: the price per mile purchased during award booking varies significantly depending on how many miles are purchased. The "sweet spots" are between 38% and 58% of the total mileage required, where miles are purchased for 1.5 cents. See here for some examples.
Beware of Cabotage: LifeMiles has been known to issue tickets that constitute Cabotage, and at least one instance of denied boarding has been reported, stranding the passenger. An easily-seen example is travel on Copa from LAX to SJU (via PTY).
Understand Cabotage: Departing country 1, transiting country 2, returning to country 1 (no stopping) *is* cabotage (example: depart JFK, connect in YYZ to return to ORD, or depart Miami, connect in Bogota, return to San Francisco). On the other hand, departing country 1, going to completely unrelated country 2, and ending up in country 3, is not cabotage. So if you fly JFK-JNB-ZRH, for instance, this is completely not cabotage.
Availability: Seeing availability for *A award seats elsewhere is no guarantee they are accessible on Lifemiles. For instance award space shown on ANA often is not accessible on Lifemiles. Similarly, finding award space on single legs doesn't mean you'll get award space on the combined itinerary. And no, there is no way to overcome that.
Screenshot Method
Send email to [email protected] with attached screenshots on Lifemiles website of each individual leg showing availability. Also, screenshot showing no availability as one booking. Include passenger names, gender and DOB and copy of passenger passport. They will either call you for payment or email the itinerary and give you 3 days to call up and make payment by CC.
NOTE: This previous thread has been closed; it can be read here LM F and J routes (and the occasional trick-it)
LM F and J routes (and the occasional trick-it) Rebooted v2.0
Dec 18, 2014, 9:43 am
#1517
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Victoria, B.C.
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AA Gold LT
Posts: 1,941
I can more often find a discounted business class ticket to Europe for example, then I can find availability in "ALL" business (no mixed awards) to Europe using Lifemiles. Plus I get to earn some miles along the way, and can choose any date, not just the second Tuesday in February that has availability.
Dec 18, 2014, 11:19 am
#1518
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
I abhor this saying when applied to this (bolding mine). Are people not supposed to take advantage of this at all? There's a lot of people who saved a lot of money and/or had better experiences than they otherwise would have enjoyed. And the line between being a "pig" and being a "hog" is not often set by us, it is set by LM and its partners. So, unless you don't go near the trough, you will never know whether you are being a "pig" or a "hog". Perhaps anyone who went to the trough ends up being a "hog" at the end, as every opportunity dies eventually with enough time. There's exactly one person who was a definite "hog" in all of this, and he knows who he is. Everyone else is hardly a hog.
Now this last sentence I agree with, though it is still a bit cheaper in other directions if space is available. But straight out NA-Europe J (since F isn't available unless you fly UA and I'd rather not), I don't see value in redeeming as compared to buying, unless flying one way.
Looks like you've all "boomeranged" yourselves into a slaughter. Hope you enjoyed what you've gotten out of the program. I'd have to say that given that AV prices for something like a NA-Europe J trip aren't that far distant from discounted TATL J itself that most of the value of the program has been gutted now, with some limited exceptions.
Dec 18, 2014, 3:40 pm
#1519
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Manaus, AM, Brasil
Programs: Smiles Gold, Amigo Gold, BW Diamond. Exp. MP Silver, HH Gold, IHG Plat., Choice Plat., Le Club Plat.
Posts: 29
Using LM for C1-C2.5 is for me still about 25%-35% less than a discounted Business ticket purchase.
And I think you don't have the flexibility to cancel a normal ticket like you do with LM for $75? But on the other hand you're not so limited in availability.
It's not what it used to be, for sure, unless they do this 3x1 promo that I keep hearing about but have never seen myself.
And I think you don't have the flexibility to cancel a normal ticket like you do with LM for $75? But on the other hand you're not so limited in availability.
It's not what it used to be, for sure, unless they do this 3x1 promo that I keep hearing about but have never seen myself.
For me LM became very uninteresting after the changes (I'm based in C4. MAO). a round trip to C2 is costing 190K, that means almost US$ 3.000! I can find discounted J tickets for less than that.
Dec 19, 2014, 3:20 pm
#1520
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,397
Now people have leftover AV miles after thinking they'd still be able to fly boomerangs, SQ longhaul or dump unflown segments... but good on you if you cashed out and got good value before things were fixed. Too bad, so sad for you if you're left holding the bag and looking at prices for AV redemptions that (with some exceptions) frankly aren't particularly great, especially with the restrictions of limited connection times, no stopovers. I still think the value's been mostly sucked out of the program.
(One thing that's OK is using AV one-way, since one-way J is usually stupid expensive. I'd probably see if I could daisy-chain some awards on AV to cash out a balance...)
Last edited by eponymous_coward; Dec 19, 2014 at 3:36 pm
Dec 19, 2014, 5:06 pm
#1521
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
), ate some good food, and quite enjoyed myself. Still have those one-way F flights remaining, only got about 30k LM left and will probably burn through those soon enough.Oh I agree, the value is heavily gone now. It remains out there though, depending on what you want and how much you are willing to pay, and how many other avenues you have.
Dec 19, 2014, 6:21 pm
#1522
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: TLV
Posts: 522
Since you mentioned AA, it is fantastic value for ME to anywhere in Asia at just 30K for J. Unfortunately they've just dumped LY as a redemption partner. But of course this is completely off-topic here.
Dec 19, 2014, 10:23 pm
#1523
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ, UA, Delta, BMI(RIP), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond (Thanks Amex) Hyatt Discov
Posts: 1,942
Dec 20, 2014, 7:00 am
#1525
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: LH FTL,Hyatt Platinum,BMI Silver
Posts: 50
There are still some smaller loopholes in the system, especially for all those who are very flexible. Nowadays it depends on each itinarary individually, if the redemption of miles still makes sense and is worth it or not.
However, the service and the way how to treat the customers still is bad and we should not forget, that there was recently a big increase in the prices for the redemption of award flights, when they released the new award chart.
I still think that is about time to teach them a lesson and to avoid the purchase of new miles and redemption of award flights, even if it is for a certain period of time only. As they use their loyalty program to get higher revenue by selling their miles, this should let them rethink their policies and the way how they treat their guests.
However, the service and the way how to treat the customers still is bad and we should not forget, that there was recently a big increase in the prices for the redemption of award flights, when they released the new award chart.
I still think that is about time to teach them a lesson and to avoid the purchase of new miles and redemption of award flights, even if it is for a certain period of time only. As they use their loyalty program to get higher revenue by selling their miles, this should let them rethink their policies and the way how they treat their guests.
Dec 20, 2014, 7:16 am
#1526
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Between AMS and BRU
Posts: 8,852
Most of us that were buying the miles only did it because we were getting a good deal, and most also weren't shy to exploit the loopholes to the max. It's hardly unexpected that a lot of those loopholes got closed after the abuse they experienced.
What is now left is the same FFP that was there to begin with, just at a somewhat higher cost and without most of the oppertunities for abuse. You should have enjoyed it while it lasted and should now move on looking for something else to maximize. Don't play the grieved "guest".
If you had behaved the way you did in my house you would have found yourself on the street a long time ago :-).
Dec 20, 2014, 7:27 am
#1527
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,603
Don't embarrasse yourself by playing the innocent FFP member here....
Most of us that were buying the miles only did it because we were getting a good deal, and most also weren't shy to exploit the loopholes to the max. It's hardly unexpected that a lot of those loopholes got closed after the abuse they experienced.
What is now left is the same FFP that was there to begin with, just at a somewhat higher cost and without most of the oppertunities for abuse. You should have enjoyed it while it lasted and should now move on looking for something else to maximize. Don't play the grieved "guest".
If you had behaved the way you did in my house you would have found yourself on the street a long time ago :-).
Most of us that were buying the miles only did it because we were getting a good deal, and most also weren't shy to exploit the loopholes to the max. It's hardly unexpected that a lot of those loopholes got closed after the abuse they experienced.
What is now left is the same FFP that was there to begin with, just at a somewhat higher cost and without most of the oppertunities for abuse. You should have enjoyed it while it lasted and should now move on looking for something else to maximize. Don't play the grieved "guest".
If you had behaved the way you did in my house you would have found yourself on the street a long time ago :-).
Well said. It was great while it lasted and never going to last forever.
Just enjoy the memories of crazy stuff like the back door to LX First and amazing LH First boomerangs.
Dec 21, 2014, 5:37 am
#1529
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Programs: BA Silver, EY Gold, HH Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 12,210
Don't embarrasse yourself by playing the innocent FFP member here....
Most of us that were buying the miles only did it because we were getting a good deal, and most also weren't shy to exploit the loopholes to the max. It's hardly unexpected that a lot of those loopholes got closed after the abuse they experienced.
What is now left is the same FFP that was there to begin with, just at a somewhat higher cost and without most of the oppertunities for abuse. You should have enjoyed it while it lasted and should now move on looking for something else to maximize. Don't play the grieved "guest".
If you had behaved the way you did in my house you would have found yourself on the street a long time ago :-).
Most of us that were buying the miles only did it because we were getting a good deal, and most also weren't shy to exploit the loopholes to the max. It's hardly unexpected that a lot of those loopholes got closed after the abuse they experienced.
What is now left is the same FFP that was there to begin with, just at a somewhat higher cost and without most of the oppertunities for abuse. You should have enjoyed it while it lasted and should now move on looking for something else to maximize. Don't play the grieved "guest".
If you had behaved the way you did in my house you would have found yourself on the street a long time ago :-).
Dec 21, 2014, 9:00 am
#1530
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: LH FTL,Hyatt Platinum,BMI Silver
Posts: 50
Believe it or not, there are also people exisiting, who often used to pay the regular prices for the awards e.g. because the urgently needed to fly a certain leg on a certain date, just needed more convenience on their journey etc.
And those people feel uncomfortable with the new award charts and the higher prices. And no matter, if I am a loyal frequent flyer with Avianca or just bought their miles: We all want to get a certain level of support and customer service.
However, I do admit, that on a few selected dates and occations, I also used to fly for highly reduced prices between the continents. And I do also agree, that, if you overdo it, in a mid term or in a long term you definitely kill every good deal.
And those people feel uncomfortable with the new award charts and the higher prices. And no matter, if I am a loyal frequent flyer with Avianca or just bought their miles: We all want to get a certain level of support and customer service.
However, I do admit, that on a few selected dates and occations, I also used to fly for highly reduced prices between the continents. And I do also agree, that, if you overdo it, in a mid term or in a long term you definitely kill every good deal.