Significant changes in 2021 for Status (re-)qualification criteria
Oct 18, 2019, 3:47 am
#16
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,659
You can get HON for a little more than 15k $ a year if you only do partner specials.
I once calculated it for FTL, SEN ans HON, let me quickly search the numbers from the VFT.
EDIT: Here the numbers:
HON is possible for 15'000-20'000.- per year:
6x ARN-MUC-FRA-EZE (50k HON Miles for 3000.-)
oder
4x ARN-MUC-FRA-SIN (46k HON Miles for 2700.-)
2x ARN MUC-FRA-HKG (42k HON Miles for 2500.-)
1x ARN-MUC-ZRH-DXB (33k HON Miles for 2000.-)
IMO still not an insignificant amount of money.
I once calculated it for FTL, SEN ans HON, let me quickly search the numbers from the VFT.
EDIT: Here the numbers:
HON is possible for 15'000-20'000.- per year:
6x ARN-MUC-FRA-EZE (50k HON Miles for 3000.-)
oder
4x ARN-MUC-FRA-SIN (46k HON Miles for 2700.-)
2x ARN MUC-FRA-HKG (42k HON Miles for 2500.-)
1x ARN-MUC-ZRH-DXB (33k HON Miles for 2000.-)
IMO still not an insignificant amount of money.
Oct 18, 2019, 5:46 am
#17
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London | Sydney
Programs: LH HON, QF CL, SQ TPPS, AF Plat, VS Gold, VA Plat, EK Gold, HH Diamond, WoH Globalist, Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,528
You can get HON for a little more than 15k $ a year if you only do partner specials.
I once calculated it for FTL, SEN ans HON, let me quickly search the numbers from the VFT.
EDIT: Here the numbers:
HON is possible for 15'000-20'000.- per year:
6x ARN-MUC-FRA-EZE (50k HON Miles for 3000.-)
oder
4x ARN-MUC-FRA-SIN (46k HON Miles for 2700.-)
2x ARN MUC-FRA-HKG (42k HON Miles for 2500.-)
1x ARN-MUC-ZRH-DXB (33k HON Miles for 2000.-)
IMO still not an insignificant amount of money.
I once calculated it for FTL, SEN ans HON, let me quickly search the numbers from the VFT.
EDIT: Here the numbers:
HON is possible for 15'000-20'000.- per year:
6x ARN-MUC-FRA-EZE (50k HON Miles for 3000.-)
oder
4x ARN-MUC-FRA-SIN (46k HON Miles for 2700.-)
2x ARN MUC-FRA-HKG (42k HON Miles for 2500.-)
1x ARN-MUC-ZRH-DXB (33k HON Miles for 2000.-)
IMO still not an insignificant amount of money.
Oct 18, 2019, 5:55 am
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 11,583
FTL for 240 EUR is possible. My personal value estimate is under 250 EUR.
Oct 18, 2019, 6:22 am
#19
Moderator: Lufthansa Miles & More, India based airlines, India, External Miles & Points Resources
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 48,182
During the last change in qualification for HONs the aim was to bring down the number from 8000+ back to ~2000 like in the original 2005 plan for HON Circle. Cost of HON Status Under New Rules
The result was that they came down to 4000-5000.
I doubt we are back at 8000 HONs that a severe cull is needed.
The result was that they came down to 4000-5000.
I doubt we are back at 8000 HONs that a severe cull is needed.
Oct 18, 2019, 7:18 am
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 11,583
It's a bit odd that as a business grows and revenue increases that you decide to keep HON the same and not expand the resources to cover it. You will get to the point that creaming the top 2k off the top might be just a hairs width difference from the top pax. Very odd.
Plus it raises the issue, is HON designed to attract prospective pax with all its benefits or give benefits to sheep that would eat from your trough anyway? If the latter, why bother?
Plus it raises the issue, is HON designed to attract prospective pax with all its benefits or give benefits to sheep that would eat from your trough anyway? If the latter, why bother?
Oct 18, 2019, 7:58 am
#21
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,754
I would not be surprised to see some changes to how status miles are calculated for many FF programs, following United's lead.
Personally, I think LH's miles based on booking class system is/was the best (from LH's point of view), as it provided more miles for high margin tickets - e.g. full price economy (Y, B) got more miles than discounted business class (P). Unfortunately my thoughts didn't stop them changing the award miles to revenue based.....
Is it too late for miles&more to make changes to the 2020 qualification criteria this year?
Personally, I think LH's miles based on booking class system is/was the best (from LH's point of view), as it provided more miles for high margin tickets - e.g. full price economy (Y, B) got more miles than discounted business class (P). Unfortunately my thoughts didn't stop them changing the award miles to revenue based.....
Is it too late for miles&more to make changes to the 2020 qualification criteria this year?
Oct 18, 2019, 8:54 am
#22
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: BRU
Programs: LH HON**
Posts: 384
I did my own maths this afternoon: I qualified after spending 82k. 100k would be a stretch and to be honest it already takes quite some effort for non-DACH-based travelers to foresake other options (still *A carriers) and transit through LH countries.
So maybe this was the first & last time that I made it. Oh well, the status is at least valid to Feb 2022...
Oct 18, 2019, 9:37 am
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,622
You must be on those Eurowings fares bought through OTAs for about €6 from CGN to TXL. Would take a bit of running and I would rather just get there through necessary travel, which is quite easy for me. However, reaching SEN is not possible for me without a lot of extra outlay, And I really think the incremental increase in benefits is not really worth. Now, AF KL Platinum.. that's a different story!
Oct 18, 2019, 10:15 am
#24
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: FRA, SIN
Programs: LH, WoH, Bonvoy, ALL, SH-L
Posts: 232
There's a big difference between SEN and FTL
Oct 18, 2019, 3:18 pm
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,622
I really think there is very little difference between the lounges, though. Most of the time, I would prefer to be in the FTL Business lounge. DUS airport is a particular example of that. And as SEN, you appear not to get free checked baggage on Light fares, unlike as Air France Platinum across all SkyTeam airlines. And it seems like you very rarely get op-ups, not that those exist any more these days. Certainly had a few as AF Plat. Just looking at it, it really doesn't look all that great in the end and it is never motivated me to really push the boat out and go for it.
Oct 18, 2019, 10:54 pm
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 1,481
Some see significant differences between SEN and Business lounges, others don‘t.
But status is not only about lounges. If you are SEN, you are *A as well. And that is a big difference to *S, also about lounge access.
And it doesn’t make sense to compare FTL and SEN based on comparing them to AF Plat.
You are very welcome to feel very comfortable with AF, AF Plat and Skyteam and to think that they are superior to LH, SEN and *A.
Btw: HONs don‘t get free checked baggage on economy light fares as well. So your AF Plat is even better than HON. That’s great!
But status is not only about lounges. If you are SEN, you are *A as well. And that is a big difference to *S, also about lounge access.
And it doesn’t make sense to compare FTL and SEN based on comparing them to AF Plat.
You are very welcome to feel very comfortable with AF, AF Plat and Skyteam and to think that they are superior to LH, SEN and *A.
Btw: HONs don‘t get free checked baggage on economy light fares as well. So your AF Plat is even better than HON. That’s great!
Oct 19, 2019, 1:20 am
#28
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,659
I believe FTL is not a status worth running for. The benefits are minimal.
Oct 19, 2019, 4:08 am
#29
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London | Sydney
Programs: LH HON, QF CL, SQ TPPS, AF Plat, VS Gold, VA Plat, EK Gold, HH Diamond, WoH Globalist, Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,528
It depends how close you are to it and your needs. I gifted FTL (select benefit) to a friend based in Poland who has to fly a number of times a year to China for work in cheapest available economy. It has completely transformed his travel experience (seat selection, lounge access, even op-ups) and he’s as grateful for FTL as I am for HON. It’s all relative.
Oct 19, 2019, 4:33 am
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,622
I don't get the bit about seat selection as FTL, I certainly don't get it on SWISS. I personally think FTL is quite good and suits my needs fine, moving around central Europe, and gives me lounge access when I need it (except those silly Eurowings rules). Anyway, I tend not to book LH or LX long haul any more, too many mediocre or downright bad experiences. I nearly always book SkyTeam long haul and the only bad flight I had was an Aeroflot one to Bangkok. Otherwise, AF KL Platinum is really good and you feel well taken care of. I have no idea if they are superior to LH and all their SEN gubbage, but I just find the average flying experience on SkyTeam better.