Anyone move to M&M from OW lately?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Berlin
Programs: AA EXP, Lifetime Platinum, 2.6M
Posts: 177
Anyone move to M&M from OW lately?
I am a Berlin based long time EXP on American and the new qualification requirements are making me think this is a good time to move along to LH. Truth be told, lounge access and check in is really all I care about. The upgrade system on all airlines is kind of lame at this point. Avoiding the connections at Heathrow to the US (90% of my flying) is probably a big sell too.
Would love anyone’s opinion if they wanted to weigh in and share their storming of the beachhead.
Would love anyone’s opinion if they wanted to weigh in and share their storming of the beachhead.
#2
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: AMS/RTM
Posts: 2,827
Since you're EXP something tells me you fly a lot of J, so getting SEN should not be too hard. However if all you want is lounge and check in, then a "cheaper" *G might be in your reach, and you could chase (lesser) status within OW or ST.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Berlin
Programs: AA EXP, Lifetime Platinum, 2.6M
Posts: 177
Thanks Malmostoso. It deoends, some years the projects fly me J, sometimes Im in Y the whole year. Its hard to predict. Im always capable of getting the 100K (not sure I could swing 300k a year for SEN unless the J counts for. Buttload of miles in M&M.
I was thinking of doing Aegean for the *Gold and then playing the options. I guess with the OW if Im in J the 15K is no problem, if Im inY it will never happen. Every year is a crapshoot in my line of work.
I was thinking of doing Aegean for the *Gold and then playing the options. I guess with the OW if Im in J the 15K is no problem, if Im inY it will never happen. Every year is a crapshoot in my line of work.
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Berlin
Programs: AA EXP, Lifetime Platinum, 2.6M
Posts: 177
Thanks LondonElite. Almost always LAX so ive been BA to LHR and then to LAX for 15 years now. Took LH to Chicago a couple weeks ago and that transfer in FRA is way easier than the LHR slog
#6
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Berlin
Programs: BAEC; LH M&M; HH Diamond
Posts: 814
That said with 30 LH-group segments (Eurowings not included) in a calendar year (even the cheapest cheapo ones) you can achieve FTL status for two years (this is what I do). This will give you lounge access and J check-in.
#7
Senior Moderator, Moderator: Community Buzz and Ambassador: Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 150km from MAN
Programs: LH SEN** HH Diamond
Posts: 29,517
If you think a transfer in FRA was easy try transferring in MUC. Or wait until your ex-US flight arrives at a B or C gate in FRA.
#8
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Geneva
Programs: LX SEN, AFKL Platinum, BA Bronze,
Posts: 5,642
#9
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: AMS/RTM
Posts: 2,827
Thanks Malmostoso. It deoends, some years the projects fly me J, sometimes Im in Y the whole year. Its hard to predict. Im always capable of getting the 100K (not sure I could swing 300k a year for SEN unless the J counts for. Buttload of miles in M&M.
I was thinking of doing Aegean for the *Gold and then playing the options. I guess with the OW if Im in J the 15K is no problem, if Im inY it will never happen. Every year is a crapshoot in my line of work.
I was thinking of doing Aegean for the *Gold and then playing the options. I guess with the OW if Im in J the 15K is no problem, if Im inY it will never happen. Every year is a crapshoot in my line of work.
Because of the "P" trap, you should also look at SK and SQ, which (still) pay 100% miles for these fares.
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Canada, USA, Europe
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 31,452
I need to go to bed now as I've got an early flight to MUC, but I personally prefer the FRA transfer to the LHR issues. MUC is obviously easier but the route network is not quite as extensive. There will be people who hate FRA and others that can't stand LHR...personally, if you are based in Germany and much of your travel is to the US, I don't think OW is the way to go.
#11
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Stuck on this planet - mainly in STR and LAX
Posts: 5,019
Have been EXP for a few years also. I you can make the 100K status miles on M+M every second year the go for SEN. Otherwise look for an easier Star program.
AA in LHR uses T3, BA is (mainly) in T5. Personally I try to avoid LHR with the extra (often very slow) security for all connections. FRA can also involve some long walks, but still much better than LHR. And MUC, ZRH and the other smaller Star hubs are far more pleasant.
A few additional advantages of beeing SEN:
- Award availability is reasonably good. I am still trying to spend my AA miles and most of the time don't find anything when M+M has good availability, especially with the SEN waitist
- F awards on LH only with M+M SEN/HON
- Generate M+M award miles relatively easy - Credit Card, Payback, Magazine subscriptions etc when you live in Germany
- more flight options between Germany and LAX
Disadvantage of Star: AA now has a relatively good hard product in business with direct aisle access from all seats the 777, in my opinion significantly better than the relativelly small seats on LH, LX etc.
AA in LHR uses T3, BA is (mainly) in T5. Personally I try to avoid LHR with the extra (often very slow) security for all connections. FRA can also involve some long walks, but still much better than LHR. And MUC, ZRH and the other smaller Star hubs are far more pleasant.
A few additional advantages of beeing SEN:
- Award availability is reasonably good. I am still trying to spend my AA miles and most of the time don't find anything when M+M has good availability, especially with the SEN waitist
- F awards on LH only with M+M SEN/HON
- Generate M+M award miles relatively easy - Credit Card, Payback, Magazine subscriptions etc when you live in Germany
- more flight options between Germany and LAX
Disadvantage of Star: AA now has a relatively good hard product in business with direct aisle access from all seats the 777, in my opinion significantly better than the relativelly small seats on LH, LX etc.
#12
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: oneworld, * Alliance, Marriott Bonvoy, HHonors, WoH
Posts: 2,120
Thanks Malmostoso. It deoends, some years the projects fly me J, sometimes Im in Y the whole year. Its hard to predict. Im always capable of getting the 100K (not sure I could swing 300k a year for SEN unless the J counts for. Buttload of miles in M&M.
I was thinking of doing Aegean for the *Gold and then playing the options. I guess with the OW if Im in J the 15K is no problem, if Im inY it will never happen. Every year is a crapshoot in my line of work.
I was thinking of doing Aegean for the *Gold and then playing the options. I guess with the OW if Im in J the 15K is no problem, if Im inY it will never happen. Every year is a crapshoot in my line of work.
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Berlin
Programs: AA EXP, Lifetime Platinum, 2.6M
Posts: 177
Morning everyone, Thank you all profoundly for the great counsel, especially on the finer point of the pitfalls of A3.
@NewbieRunner you are 100% right, I will be trying to make my connections MUC all the time if I can
did some research and had a couple of questions:
@AlienInTheFatherland: I'm not sure I understand the play here, I can't find it on the M&M chart, if you fly 30 segments on LH metal you achieve Gold status for two years? I could easily do the 30 segments...but that doesn't seem like very much? I'm probably reading your advice wrong so any clarification would be really helpful.
@Unterwegs, you're right the AA J seats are actually really good and I was disappointed in the LH J I was on last month inasmuch as it's a tight fit. That being said, it is worth the switch if I can't maintain EXP in a year where I don't spend 15K
@Jaenks thank you for the tip on TK. That might be a good move. Do they have a lifetime program as well? How have you found the advantages in general? Doesn't look terrible on LH redemption so could be worse.
General question: some of you have indicated I should go for SEN. Am I calculating earning rates wrong? I usually do 100-150 a year but would do some runs if it meant stretching a little, but I could never double my mileage in a year to make the 600K in two years. Am I wrong or is there some earning pattern I'm not understanding that is easier to achieve SEN if you're willing to go downtown on the system?
@NewbieRunner you are 100% right, I will be trying to make my connections MUC all the time if I can
did some research and had a couple of questions:
@AlienInTheFatherland: I'm not sure I understand the play here, I can't find it on the M&M chart, if you fly 30 segments on LH metal you achieve Gold status for two years? I could easily do the 30 segments...but that doesn't seem like very much? I'm probably reading your advice wrong so any clarification would be really helpful.
@Unterwegs, you're right the AA J seats are actually really good and I was disappointed in the LH J I was on last month inasmuch as it's a tight fit. That being said, it is worth the switch if I can't maintain EXP in a year where I don't spend 15K
@Jaenks thank you for the tip on TK. That might be a good move. Do they have a lifetime program as well? How have you found the advantages in general? Doesn't look terrible on LH redemption so could be worse.
General question: some of you have indicated I should go for SEN. Am I calculating earning rates wrong? I usually do 100-150 a year but would do some runs if it meant stretching a little, but I could never double my mileage in a year to make the 600K in two years. Am I wrong or is there some earning pattern I'm not understanding that is easier to achieve SEN if you're willing to go downtown on the system?
#14
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: AMS/RTM
Posts: 2,827
@AlienInTheFatherland: I'm not sure I understand the play here, I can't find it on the M&M chart, if you fly 30 segments on LH metal you achieve Gold status for two years? I could easily do the 30 segments...but that doesn't seem like very much? I'm probably reading your advice wrong so any clarification would be really helpful.
General question: some of you have indicated I should go for SEN. Am I calculating earning rates wrong? I usually do 100-150 a year but would do some runs if it meant stretching a little, but I could never double my mileage in a year to make the 600K in two years. Am I wrong or is there some earning pattern I'm not understanding that is easier to achieve SEN if you're willing to go downtown on the system?
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Berlin
Programs: AA EXP, Lifetime Platinum, 2.6M
Posts: 177
Thanks Malmostoso. I obviously read the acronyms wrong and you helped me clear that up.
Seems like even though there are quicker qualifications to SEN on other *A carriers at the end of the day its better to dump all the flights into one carrier and if I am trying to use one carrier to get around Europe and the US then maybe LH is the best (sigh) option if I ditch OW
Seems like even though there are quicker qualifications to SEN on other *A carriers at the end of the day its better to dump all the flights into one carrier and if I am trying to use one carrier to get around Europe and the US then maybe LH is the best (sigh) option if I ditch OW