Covid19: M&M Elite Status Extensions?
#271
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,525
Maybe this is the downside, possibly the only downside for us, of running a two yearly qualification thing. It just makes it logistically harder for them to deal with overall, so if you already have status until 2022 like myself, logically they can't do anything about it right now because your status is still valid. No point touching it until this time next year - for them - by which time we will know how this year has been, which probably won't be great. I think they would be crazy to not extend those like myself who have status until 2022, because there is little chance we're going to get off the ground much in the first half of this year.
#272
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: HAG
Programs: ST E+, *G, some hotel gold...
Posts: 7,832
Is there any news, official or unofficial, about further extensions, or is the extra status miles it?
So far I have 2 segments this year total, the rest of the year does not promise to be much better, and though I can sink 500 EUR to a week of hopping around Poland later this year, not sure it is the best of ideas. At the same time, I would like to keep my FTL as it looks more and more like I will be stuck with either one or two M&M airlines for my "commute" in the coming years.
So far I have 2 segments this year total, the rest of the year does not promise to be much better, and though I can sink 500 EUR to a week of hopping around Poland later this year, not sure it is the best of ideas. At the same time, I would like to keep my FTL as it looks more and more like I will be stuck with either one or two M&M airlines for my "commute" in the coming years.
#273
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 302
Is there any news, official or unofficial, about further extensions, or is the extra status miles it?
So far I have 2 segments this year total, the rest of the year does not promise to be much better, and though I can sink 500 EUR to a week of hopping around Poland later this year, not sure it is the best of ideas. At the same time, I would like to keep my FTL as it looks more and more like I will be stuck with either one or two M&M airlines for my "commute" in the coming years.
So far I have 2 segments this year total, the rest of the year does not promise to be much better, and though I can sink 500 EUR to a week of hopping around Poland later this year, not sure it is the best of ideas. At the same time, I would like to keep my FTL as it looks more and more like I will be stuck with either one or two M&M airlines for my "commute" in the coming years.
If you don't mind economy or need to travel alone for 2kEUR you can get premium economy in E to bogota which would give you 55000 miles for return trip.
Tomasz
#274
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,525
Is there any news, official or unofficial, about further extensions, or is the extra status miles it?
So far I have 2 segments this year total, the rest of the year does not promise to be much better, and though I can sink 500 EUR to a week of hopping around Poland later this year, not sure it is the best of ideas. At the same time, I would like to keep my FTL as it looks more and more like I will be stuck with either one or two M&M airlines for my "commute" in the coming years.
So far I have 2 segments this year total, the rest of the year does not promise to be much better, and though I can sink 500 EUR to a week of hopping around Poland later this year, not sure it is the best of ideas. At the same time, I would like to keep my FTL as it looks more and more like I will be stuck with either one or two M&M airlines for my "commute" in the coming years.
#276
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: HAG
Programs: ST E+, *G, some hotel gold...
Posts: 7,832
If you can travel with someone else for 2kEUR per person you can get 38000 (32k from flights + 2k (CON-bonus) + 5k(INTER-bonus)) status miles by flying from MAD to Bogota and return (business class for 2). I just did this trip for my vacation and first time every my wife is also a senator (she never went beyond FTL).
If you don't mind economy or need to travel alone for 2kEUR you can get premium economy in E to bogota which would give you 55000 miles for return trip.
Tomasz
If you don't mind economy or need to travel alone for 2kEUR you can get premium economy in E to bogota which would give you 55000 miles for return trip.
Tomasz
FTL also gave peace in that if somewhere Skyteam was not a great option, I could count on some level of comfort flying via FRA/MUC/VIE/WAW/ZRH. Same proved crucial in December 2019, where I had flown to Cyprus and a quick lunch in Munich prevented me starving all the way to Larnaca. The alternative would have been to try and survive 4 hours crammed in a Transavia flight. And not even the XP to show for it, back then.
At the same time, I haven't flown LH since February 2020 or any group airline since March of the same, and from what I have seen in the M&M forum, it's been quite the downhill ride since.
#277
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,525
Well I really am like you (no LH Group since beginning of March 2020) and moving more over to SkyTeam. But there, I am with Air France KLM, not OK (CSA Czech Airlines, right?) I hope CSA don't disappear, because with the AirEuropa takeover and the probable transformation of Alitalia into something else, SkyTeam is beginning to look a lot less interesting in Europe. Whereas LH Group is widespread with a lot of hubs.
About elite status extensions, AFKL offered an extension both last year and this year, along with the double XPs promotion. For me, personally anyway, they have handled the whole thing better than LH Group.
About elite status extensions, AFKL offered an extension both last year and this year, along with the double XPs promotion. For me, personally anyway, they have handled the whole thing better than LH Group.
#278
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 569
With M&M, you need to be a major nerd to follow along. Some colleagues of mine use M&M as their sole or, at least, primary program. They ask me what they need to do! What M&M has done is full of special rules. One rule applies to elites with expiry 02/21 but not to elites with expiry 02/22. One rule is for SEN and FTL but not HON. Another is just for HON. One rule applies to status miles (EQM), but not to select miles, HON miles, or RDM. Another applies to EQM and HON miles but not to the other categories. For another promo you need the right CC *and* elite status. Such a convoluted mess.
EDIT: I don't think it's a problem per se that a program has all the bells and whistles such as a 3-region award for the nerds. However, it's not good if you almost need a degree to understand the difference between status miles and status star points, flight segments, HON circle miles and select miles.
Plus promotions where you need like several nested if-then-else statements to describe how it affects different mileage categories.
Last edited by FlyerTalker324193; Jul 13, 2021 at 4:01 am
#279
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: HAG
Programs: ST E+, *G, some hotel gold...
Posts: 7,832
Well I really am like you (no LH Group since beginning of March 2020) and moving more over to SkyTeam. But there, I am with Air France KLM, not OK (CSA Czech Airlines, right?) I hope CSA don't disappear, because with the AirEuropa takeover and the probable transformation of Alitalia into something else, SkyTeam is beginning to look a lot less interesting in Europe. Whereas LH Group is widespread with a lot of hubs.
About elite status extensions, AFKL offered an extension both last year and this year, along with the double XPs promotion. For me, personally anyway, they have handled the whole thing better than LH Group.
About elite status extensions, AFKL offered an extension both last year and this year, along with the double XPs promotion. For me, personally anyway, they have handled the whole thing better than LH Group.
Leaves me with OS (currently 4x weekly), LO maybe starting mid-September baring any further delays, and potentially EW who still seem to plan to re-start service from DUS in winter schedule.
UX I won't miss too much - other than going to Spain, they never seemed that interesting, and Spain is a well served market, but I am looking at AZ situation with a slight worry.
Absolutely. Even if we remain in the *A universe, other programs have been more straightforward. They gave straight-up status extensions and then ran promos granting extra EQM (or EQS...).
With M&M, you need to be a major nerd to follow along. Some colleagues of mine use M&M as their sole or, at least, primary program. They ask me what they need to do! What M&M has done is full of special rules. One rule applies to elites with expiry 02/21 but not to elites with expiry 02/22. One rule is for SEN and FTL but not HON. Another is just for HON. One rule applies to status miles (EQM), but not to select miles, HON miles, or RDM. Another applies to EQM and HON miles but not to the other categories. For another promo you need the right CC *and* elite status. Such a convoluted mess.
EDIT: I don't think it's a problem per se that a program has all the bells and whistles such as a 3-region award for the nerds. However, it's not good if you almost need a degree to understand the difference between status miles and status star points, flight segments, HON circle miles and select miles.
Plus promotions where you need like several nested if-then-else statements to describe how it affects different mileage categories.
With M&M, you need to be a major nerd to follow along. Some colleagues of mine use M&M as their sole or, at least, primary program. They ask me what they need to do! What M&M has done is full of special rules. One rule applies to elites with expiry 02/21 but not to elites with expiry 02/22. One rule is for SEN and FTL but not HON. Another is just for HON. One rule applies to status miles (EQM), but not to select miles, HON miles, or RDM. Another applies to EQM and HON miles but not to the other categories. For another promo you need the right CC *and* elite status. Such a convoluted mess.
EDIT: I don't think it's a problem per se that a program has all the bells and whistles such as a 3-region award for the nerds. However, it's not good if you almost need a degree to understand the difference between status miles and status star points, flight segments, HON circle miles and select miles.
Plus promotions where you need like several nested if-then-else statements to describe how it affects different mileage categories.
#280
Join Date: May 2015
Location: SIN
Programs: LH HON, SQ TPPS, QR PLAT, EK SILVER, VN TITANIUM, HHilton Gold, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 115
Is there any news, official or unofficial, about further extensions, or is the extra status miles it?
So far I have 2 segments this year total, the rest of the year does not promise to be much better, and though I can sink 500 EUR to a week of hopping around Poland later this year, not sure it is the best of ideas. At the same time, I would like to keep my FTL as it looks more and more like I will be stuck with either one or two M&M airlines for my "commute" in the coming years.
So far I have 2 segments this year total, the rest of the year does not promise to be much better, and though I can sink 500 EUR to a week of hopping around Poland later this year, not sure it is the best of ideas. At the same time, I would like to keep my FTL as it looks more and more like I will be stuck with either one or two M&M airlines for my "commute" in the coming years.
#281
Join Date: May 2018
Location: FRA
Programs: LH SEN
Posts: 1,455
I'm in a similar situation, my usual destinations (Australia, Japan, Singapore, USA) are either closed to me or hard to access so other than the credit card bonus none of the current promos are doing anything for me.
#282
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between DM464 and DM463 on the NAPSA26 RNAV TRANS in EDDM
Programs: this and that
Posts: 1,731
During today's virtual call for German speaking SEN and HON they stated that they are aware that the current situation and the restrictions that are still in place make it tough for people to requalify and that they are in the process of evaluating options for people to keep / extend their status. This still seems to be WIP and the next meeting to discuss options is scheduled to take place in two weeks. They didn't communicate anything in today's call, other than "we are aware of the situation, we are in discussions, we will notify the public within the next couple of months how we will proceed".
#283
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: WAW
Programs: A3(*G), Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 2,534
During today's virtual call for German speaking SEN and HON they stated that they are aware that the current situation and the restrictions that are still in place make it tough for people to requalify and that they are in the process of evaluating options for people to keep / extend their status. This still seems to be WIP and the next meeting to discuss options is scheduled to take place in two weeks. They didn't communicate anything in today's call, other than "we are aware of the situation, we are in discussions, we will notify the public within the next couple of months how we will proceed".
As my A3 *G has just been extended for 12 months, I could make a stab at retaining FTL by year end if I knew for sure that an extension isn't going to be granted (eg a segment run similar to what Fabo.sk is considering). But if they don't even tell us until October or later where we stand then it's too late to take appropriate action.
#284
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between DM464 and DM463 on the NAPSA26 RNAV TRANS in EDDM
Programs: this and that
Posts: 1,731
Maybe my level of expectation how LHG manages the situation has reached a super low level, but at least they are acknowledging the situation that it will be super hard if not impossible to requalify for a lot of status holders whose status is expiring in 02/22. I am part of this group.