2018 Status requalification race
Dec 5, 2018, 11:55 pm
#16
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: next to HAM
Programs: LH M+M
Posts: 960
Dec 6, 2018, 12:53 am
#17
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: BRU
Programs: LH HON**
Posts: 379
2018 was a dead year in terms of SEN renewal for me, because I already extended the SEN status to 2021 with my 2017 earnings, but my mix of carriers and cabin classes was completely different in 2017 vs 2018. Basically, in 2017 I did a lot of United and LH Group in Premium Economy, which qualifies for SEN renewal but not for HON. In 2018, however, my travel has been almost exclusively LH Group in First and Business, which counts towards HON.
I reckon that I only earned 55k HON qualifying miles in 2017 compared to 460k HON qualifying miles in 2018. That should then leave me with a run for 140k HON miles in 2019 and under current circumstances that should be feasible. Whether it is worth it, is perhaps another question... but going for gold on multiple alliances doesn’t look very interesting to me either, I mostly end up on *A anyhow.
Dec 6, 2018, 2:23 am
#18
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,132
The QR and AA flights netted me 1275 TP on BA, but I don't have any silver or bronze status there because I have not flown 2-4 BA segments :facepalm:. Attaining BA Gold gives you nothing but lounge access on OW, which is rather pointless when you are in business anyway and tend to avoid transits in LHR. I still have time till Feb 9 to maybe achieve that.
DL was nice, but the ground experience in ATL/DTW/CDG/AMS was not so earth shaking that it would convince me to leave ship.
Thats what the dead year is for.
DL was nice, but the ground experience in ATL/DTW/CDG/AMS was not so earth shaking that it would convince me to leave ship.
Thats what the dead year is for.
Dec 6, 2018, 1:39 pm
#19
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: 29,510
My first longhaul trip this year to South America was mostly on awards or on non-*A carriers. Two trips to Japan on LH and SK plus an A-fare return to SFO secured SEN requalification, but I still have a P-fare return to South Africa before the end of the year and will overshoot my target.
Dec 6, 2018, 2:39 pm
#20
Join Date: Dec 2006
Programs: LH SEN, FB Plat., HH D.
Posts: 5,050
My first longhaul trip this year to South America was mostly on awards or on non-*A carriers. Two trips to Japan on LH and SK plus an A-fare return to SFO secured SEN requalification, but I still have a P-fare return to South Africa before the end of the year and will overshoot my target.
One trip to Mexico on AC and one to South America in Avianca made the difference.
If they don’t discontinue Lifetime Senator I may have to qualify only once more, one small advantage of getting old
Dec 7, 2018, 6:34 am
#24
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: WAW
Programs: A3(*G), Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,534
The QR and AA flights netted me 1275 TP on BA, but I don't have any silver or bronze status there because I have not flown 2-4 BA segments :facepalm:. Attaining BA Gold gives you nothing but lounge access on OW, which is rather pointless when you are in business anyway and tend to avoid transits in LHR. I still have time till Feb 9 to maybe achieve that.
DL was nice, but the ground experience in ATL/DTW/CDG/AMS was not so earth shaking that it would convince me to leave ship.
Thats what the dead year is for.
DL was nice, but the ground experience in ATL/DTW/CDG/AMS was not so earth shaking that it would convince me to leave ship.
Thats what the dead year is for.
Dec 7, 2018, 6:47 am
#25
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,132
My point is the elite status benefit of BA is just lounge access and the ability to select a seat in a premium cabin for free. No upgrade vouchers, no discounts on redemptions for a companion etc. Even after 1500 TP and 4 BA segements. My mistake was to credit my OW flying on QR/AA/AY by default to BAEC. I didn't expect to fly that much OW, so by Q4 I realized I should have used the FFP of one of those airlines. In the end I used the 40% bonus promo to move some Amex MR points to BAEC and cleaned out the account to book a one way MUC-CCU ticket in business on QR. Which was an interesting excercise too. Its amazing how complicated airline web IT can be.
Dec 7, 2018, 6:48 am
#26
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: WAW
Programs: A3(*G), Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,534
Can't compete with the big hitters on here but I'm following in Fabo.sk's footsteps and will get exactly 30 segments after my trip home for Christmas (WAW-MUC-BHX-FRA-WAW). The return trip is on DEC 30 so I'm just sneaking in 
This year I switched from SQ to A3 for trying to get *G (should get it at the beginning of FEB) so I've done fairly well to also requalify for FTL alongside that. Next year is a dead year anyway - so I can wait for the inevitable S19 meltdown on LO with an attitude of detachment!
This year I switched from SQ to A3 for trying to get *G (should get it at the beginning of FEB) so I've done fairly well to also requalify for FTL alongside that. Next year is a dead year anyway - so I can wait for the inevitable S19 meltdown on LO with an attitude of detachment!
Dec 7, 2018, 6:53 am
#27
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: WAW
Programs: A3(*G), Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,534
Yes, that wonderful feature of BA premium cabin travel I forgot about completely. My point is the elite status benefit of BA is just lounge access and the ability to select a seat in a premium cabin for free. No upgrade vouchers, no discounts on redemptions for a companion etc. Even after 1500 TP and 4 BA segements. My mistake was to credit my OW flying on QR/AA/AY by default to BAEC. I didn't expect to fly that much OW, so by Q4 I realized I should have used the FFP of one of those airlines. In the end I used the 40% bonus promo to move some Amex MR points to BAEC and cleaned out the account to book a one way MUC-CCU ticket in business on QR. Which was an interesting excercise too. Its amazing how complicated airline web IT can be.
My point is the elite status benefit of BA is just lounge access and the ability to select a seat in a premium cabin for free. No upgrade vouchers, no discounts on redemptions for a companion etc. Even after 1500 TP and 4 BA segements. My mistake was to credit my OW flying on QR/AA/AY by default to BAEC. I didn't expect to fly that much OW, so by Q4 I realized I should have used the FFP of one of those airlines. In the end I used the 40% bonus promo to move some Amex MR points to BAEC and cleaned out the account to book a one way MUC-CCU ticket in business on QR. Which was an interesting excercise too. Its amazing how complicated airline web IT can be.
Dec 7, 2018, 7:21 am
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 11,551
Yes, that wonderful feature of BA premium cabin travel I forgot about completely. My point is the elite status benefit of BA is just lounge access and the ability to select a seat in a premium cabin for free. No upgrade vouchers, no discounts on redemptions for a companion etc. Even after 1500 TP and 4 BA segements. My mistake was to credit my OW flying on QR/AA/AY by default to BAEC. I didn't expect to fly that much OW, so by Q4 I realized I should have used the FFP of one of those airlines. In the end I used the 40% bonus promo to move some Amex MR points to BAEC and cleaned out the account to book a one way MUC-CCU ticket in business on QR. Which was an interesting excercise too. Its amazing how complicated airline web IT can be.
My point is the elite status benefit of BA is just lounge access and the ability to select a seat in a premium cabin for free. No upgrade vouchers, no discounts on redemptions for a companion etc. Even after 1500 TP and 4 BA segements. My mistake was to credit my OW flying on QR/AA/AY by default to BAEC. I didn't expect to fly that much OW, so by Q4 I realized I should have used the FFP of one of those airlines. In the end I used the 40% bonus promo to move some Amex MR points to BAEC and cleaned out the account to book a one way MUC-CCU ticket in business on QR. Which was an interesting excercise too. Its amazing how complicated airline web IT can be....M&M has some huge weak spots that are not as bad on BA. You'd have to have a mental illness to book a classic award using M&M in Europe. 30k + €100 on LHR-FRA? That's nonsense! Short-haul redemptions are incredibly valuable in a FFP because the whole point of having a FQTV status is to use it when you fly Y. European J is terrible value, so flying LHR for max £35 is excellent. There are so many instruments to upgrade on BA, far more than LH. Remember GUFs are not a GGL benefit, but anyone can trigger one at 2500 TPs and they are far, far more valuable than an eVoucher given you can cover 16 segments on one PNR for two people. eVouchers are crap in comparison. There's also Amex 241, the Lloyds Amex coupon.
Plus let's remember its just not as easy to earn M&M miles as Avios. So not only do many redemptions cost more miles, taxes more too, the miles themselves are more difficult to obtain.
And while the LH lounges have improved to the point where I'd say I'm happier in a refurbished SEN with a full bar and better gin that BA has in its CCR (Which is ridiculous if you think about it) BA wiped the floor with LH back when their lounges were really good at the Silver and Gold level.
When you were tucking into your bucket industro-potato salad and leberkase back in 2012 I was enjoying nice champagnes (LH still has NO champagne in their SEN lounges, it's prosecco and Sekt only. ), dishes from an a la carte menu in the Gold lounge.
The slop buckets have reversed a bit
.
Dec 7, 2018, 7:38 am
#29
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,132
Great BAEC European redemptions: ex MUC only relevant if you are flying to MAD or LHR. Sadly the price fight on these routes is so tough that fares are in the 129€ range, so I was never able to cash in my BAEC miles. Earlier this year I tried to redeeem on JAL for NRT-SIN, no joy. I regularly take the family to HEL, no chance to redeem BAEC on that route. Trust me I tried since 2011. Hence my clean out this year.
Yes, the magical GUF at 2500 TP. Again you have to fly a lot of BA via LHR to redeem, which is not really an ideal. Never reaching 2500 TP in my down year. I did look to find BA trips (mainly for my 4 segments to get gold/silver) to get to Asia and the US, but even though we have 4-5 LHR flights from MUC each day it was either with 55-70 min transits in LHR, sometimes with lovely T3-T5 options, or spend half a day in LHR to catch a transfer, which to the US would have meant taking the super early BA flight from MUC. And of course the award winning BA business class on longhaul where you have to pay money not get an exhibitionist aisle seat.
Yes, the magical GUF at 2500 TP. Again you have to fly a lot of BA via LHR to redeem, which is not really an ideal. Never reaching 2500 TP in my down year. I did look to find BA trips (mainly for my 4 segments to get gold/silver) to get to Asia and the US, but even though we have 4-5 LHR flights from MUC each day it was either with 55-70 min transits in LHR, sometimes with lovely T3-T5 options, or spend half a day in LHR to catch a transfer, which to the US would have meant taking the super early BA flight from MUC. And of course the award winning BA business class on longhaul where you have to pay money not get an exhibitionist aisle seat.
Dec 7, 2018, 7:41 am
#30
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: WAW
Programs: A3(*G), Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,534
Apart from the obvious point that BArbara is the most premium carrier in the European skies ...M&M has some huge weak spots that are not as bad on BA. You'd have to have a mental illness to book a classic award using M&M in Europe. 30k + €100 on LHR-FRA? That's nonsense! Short-haul redemptions are incredibly valuable in a FFP because the whole point of having a FQTV status is to use it when you fly Y. European J is terrible value, so flying LHR for max £35 is excellent.
There are so many instruments to upgrade on BA, far more than LH. Remember GUFs are not a GGL benefit, but anyone can trigger one at 2500 TPs and they are far, far more valuable than an eVoucher given you can cover 16 segments on one PNR for two people. eVouchers are crap in comparison. There's also Amex 241, the Lloyds Amex coupon.
Plus let's remember its just not as easy to earn M&M miles as Avios. So not only do many redemptions cost more miles, taxes more too, the miles themselves are more difficult to obtain.
And while the LH lounges have improved to the point where I'd say I'm happier in a refurbished SEN with a full bar and better gin that BA has in its CCR (Which is ridiculous if you think about it) BA wiped the floor with LH back when their lounges were really good at the Silver and Gold level.
When you were tucking into your bucket industro-potato salad and leberkase back in 2012 I was enjoying nice champagnes (LH still has NO champagne in their SEN lounges, it's prosecco and Sekt only. ), dishes from an a la carte menu in the Gold lounge.
The slop buckets have reversed a bit.
...M&M has some huge weak spots that are not as bad on BA. You'd have to have a mental illness to book a classic award using M&M in Europe. 30k + €100 on LHR-FRA? That's nonsense! Short-haul redemptions are incredibly valuable in a FFP because the whole point of having a FQTV status is to use it when you fly Y. European J is terrible value, so flying LHR for max £35 is excellent.There are so many instruments to upgrade on BA, far more than LH. Remember GUFs are not a GGL benefit, but anyone can trigger one at 2500 TPs and they are far, far more valuable than an eVoucher given you can cover 16 segments on one PNR for two people. eVouchers are crap in comparison. There's also Amex 241, the Lloyds Amex coupon.
Plus let's remember its just not as easy to earn M&M miles as Avios. So not only do many redemptions cost more miles, taxes more too, the miles themselves are more difficult to obtain.
And while the LH lounges have improved to the point where I'd say I'm happier in a refurbished SEN with a full bar and better gin that BA has in its CCR (Which is ridiculous if you think about it) BA wiped the floor with LH back when their lounges were really good at the Silver and Gold level.
When you were tucking into your bucket industro-potato salad and leberkase back in 2012 I was enjoying nice champagnes (LH still has NO champagne in their SEN lounges, it's prosecco and Sekt only. ), dishes from an a la carte menu in the Gold lounge.
The slop buckets have reversed a bit
.