FlyerLX

Thank you Oliver...

Does this apply to the status extensions already announced? What about status expiring Feb 22?

oliver2002

Status expiring Feb 22 will be dealt with in November 21, like it always has been.

Comatose.Captain

No covid extention has been annouced for those FTL and SEN whose status is slated to end in 02/22 or 02/23. The only FTL and SEN which will receive a one-year extension are those whose status card currently shows an expiry date of 02/21 and who fail to renew the "regular" way in either 2019 or 2020.

FlyerLX

I’m well aware of what has been announced... I was interested to see if anyone knows something useful that has not been announced...😆

Comatose.Captain

Read the pertinent threads.

Those who got a little more info (certain HON, operators of travel agencies, ...) did communicate in line with the info I repeated. Let me try to paraphrase what was shared: M&M will not do anything for FTL/SEN with 02/22 expiry at this stage. Their "justification" is that if things remain pretty bad throughout 2021, there's still time to announce an extension for those 50% of elites who got nothing.

tem123

Received my new SEN credit card today, valid until 02/22.
It has the same number as the old card but the three stars are now gold and embossed compared to the old card where they were plain white!

YuropFlyer

In fact, since not very many FTL/SEN will qualify in 2020 (Let's say, below 1% is probably a fair estimate), almost ALL M&M Elite members (HON aside) will lose their status on 1st March, 2022 as it looks like. And they ALL only got 2021 to renew their status, which means right now, almost the full qualification period is already bookable, but I suppose hardly any takers yet.

So how to motivate your FTL/SEN, your so-called "loyal" customers, to actually stay with LH group? For the next 2-3 months, they'll hardly have any benefits, even IF they fly. After that, it will take months to get things even ANYWHERE close to normal. Let's say, by August/September, we'll get into some kind of "semi-normal" situation. This is optimistic. It will take several months till flights become some kind of "normal", even at much reduced rate (50%?)

So by the end of 2021, we'll have had - optimistic calculations ahead - probably about 35% of Pre-COVID-19 flights. 20% Q1, 30% Q2, 40% Q3, 50% Q4.

LH would have been smart to realize that situation and asap come up with a plan for their Elites months ago.

Other airlines keep "extending" their status levels. Why can't LH do the same? Or at least do a promise that "2021 will have significantely lower re-qualification threeshoulds, and we're going to announce this shortly".

We all know the situation in 2021 isn't clear yet, the vaccination program will take several months even in developed nations, and even after that, several months will pass till we know more.

So why not right now assure all their elites, their FREQUENT FLYERS, that they're safe with LH, that their status is extended, and/or easier to maintain for the coming years?

Telling them "well, we might extend or lower qualification threesholds, will tell you end of 2021" is a complete joke.

Since LX hardly offers anymore direct connections Ex-ZRH, I can just as well book any other airline, as almost all destinations will be 1-stops anyway.

FlyerLX

I agree with everything you say here.

There seems to be a strong feeling that:

(a) it wouldn’t kill LH to just extend the status of those expiring in Feb 22 by one year, and

(b) it’s not OK for LH to say “wait patiently, keep booking as much as possible, and we’ll see if we extend you in Nov or Dec 21”.

By the end of 2021 I want to have made my plans for 2022.... Add that to the uncertainty over the new status structure (they’ve said when they can’t commit to introducing it but not when they can commit to introducing it), and for the first time in years I’m now seriously thinking about switching to TK or even a different alliance...

Comatose.Captain

I agree with the remained of your post but the above isn't strictly true. There are also a bunch of FTL/SEN which had 2020 as their dead year. That is, they re-qualified in 2019 and have secured their FF status through 02/23 already.

But yeah, I think M&M is really mismanaging this in comparison to other airlines. LH can be so innovative in some areas (look at how their incubator in Berlin improves the functionality and user experience on the app and web site, among other things). But they are too conservative in managing the loyalty programme. In German, we say "Sie ruhen sich auf ihren Lorbeeren aus" (they bathe in their own past glory).

They missed doing something for elites in these difficult times (e.g., status extensions for those with expiry 02/22). They also missed the opportunity of doing something in the areas beyond flying. For instance, the could have leveraged their branded credit cards to let you swap some award miles for status miles in 2021. Or they could have incentivized new CC sign-ups by promising award and/or status miles (for 2021). They could have done more to let you earn through partners (newspaper subscriptions, premium retailers etc.). And they could have given back to elites in some way. E.g., SEN get a personal assistant or some other benefit when shopping at Bicester Village or other partner retailers. FTL and SEN get a free subscription at some partner magazine like the Economist. Or again, buy status miles through making some purchase at a partner outside aviation. The possibilities are endless.

IAN-UK

Variations of this will be playing on the suspicious minds of M&M strategists

M&M has built a strained relationship with its members: one hand promoting the image of generosity with warm customer service, the other hand working to reduce the benefits customers receive and increasing the costs of maintaining status.

These tensions of course exist in other FFPs: it's just that in M&M the smoke is thicker and the mirrors distort reality more effectively.


This creates an atmosphere of mutual suspicion and mistrust: the programme strategists worry that members might find some some way to take unintended benefit from the programme, while we try to see through "enhancements" and try to make sense of the obscurity covering "lifetime membership" and the silliness of "stars".


In dealing with those for whom 21/22 is the second year of the two-year cycle, the artful M&M minds will be desperate to avoid a situation where members feel safe in maintaining LH status while flying with other carriers. As always, they will want to wait for the last minute to relieve the pressure on those seeking to renew membership, as when they've handed out bonus status (not award) miles at the very end of collection periods strained by LH strikes.

sophialite

Dealing with Swiss and LH on F flights over the past 5 months has been an unmitigated disaster, especially when compared to my travel experience on AF P. I can’t use the lounges in ZRH and there’s zero ground support.

I suppose I could tolerate that if LX didn’t constantly cancel LHR-ZRH flights, which makes connecting all the more difficult. Would I take an overnight layover at the transit hotel in ZRH over AF P out of loyalty that really gets me nothing? Nope.

Key question is whether I’d take an overnight layover in ZRH’s transit hotel over flying direct BA F or UA Polaris, especially when the latter two have been far cheaper. Luckily I haven’t faced this choice yet.

One more F longhaul flight between now and EOY 2021 gets me HON through 2024. Will be easy enough to pull off with two cancelled F vouchers sitting in LX’s system. After that, I’ll likely be a free agent from here on out.

FlyerLX

Exactly... And this is always what people misunderstand... Airlines do not intend FFPs as a reward for loyalty, but as a motivation to fly with them in the future. Extend the status for free and you remove motivation...

lefrid

Which is why all the other FFP managers are stupid then...

FlyerLX

Well... I’m not keen to call anyone stupid... I guess it depends on which commercial strategy an airline takes...😊

wien_expat

I'm getting more frequent updates and more detailed information from fringe hotel chains where I hold middle-status than I do M&M. That last 'Senator News' email was more words to say more or less nothing tangible than I've ever seen. This situation is quite frustrating, and loyalty will likely end up being to the cheapest c-class rather than to Star Alliance/LH.