What is HON worth to you?
Oct 29, 2008, 3:40 pm
#76
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 44
For me HON was worth about 8K. As my employer only pays for Y tickets that was the money I spent out of my own pocket to pay the difference to C. Was it worth it? The perks are nice, but in times when I needed the "attention" (i.e. missed connections) the status sometimes proved to be a drawback (anyone remember that for a whole HONs flying out of SAS managed stations would be tagged as *Blue/Base?).
As I changed my travel patterns to spend more time with my family (and the employer still only pays Y) I will probably end up 100K miles short for my requalification next year. Would I spend 15K for two MRs to SIN in F (not doing the HON Run again): Probably not.
As I changed my travel patterns to spend more time with my family (and the employer still only pays Y) I will probably end up 100K miles short for my requalification next year. Would I spend 15K for two MRs to SIN in F (not doing the HON Run again): Probably not.
Once I came in late. No transfer. They hat put me on a later flight. I ran to the gate and made it in time for my earlier flight. But, so sorry, my seat had been given to someone else. The flight was overbooked...
In Y you can totally forget your status. Same as Cityline. It is like flying BA. I've been on a flight in a Canadair Jet and was the only one on the plane with a seat neighbor. Probably the other 30 people on the plane were also HONs.
Oct 29, 2008, 4:00 pm
#77
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Point Place, Wisconsin
Programs: LH HON, BA Gold, EK Gold
Posts: 14,505
I did the same and I regret every penny. I've qualified for HON end of last year. So far I needed the direct transfer about 10 times. In half of the cases it didn't work. But hey, you get nice apologies and most of the time a reason ("we were so busy transferring other HON´s").
Once I came in late. No transfer. They hat put me on a later flight. I ran to the gate and made it in time for my earlier flight. But, so sorry, my seat had been given to someone else. The flight was overbooked...
In Y you can totally forget your status. Same as Cityline. It is like flying BA. I've been on a flight in a Canadair Jet and was the only one on the plane with a seat neighbor. Probably the other 30 people on the plane were also HONs.
Once I came in late. No transfer. They hat put me on a later flight. I ran to the gate and made it in time for my earlier flight. But, so sorry, my seat had been given to someone else. The flight was overbooked...
In Y you can totally forget your status. Same as Cityline. It is like flying BA. I've been on a flight in a Canadair Jet and was the only one on the plane with a seat neighbor. Probably the other 30 people on the plane were also HONs.
Oct 29, 2008, 11:58 pm
#79
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: SZG, Austria
Programs: LH(OS) HON, IC RA
Posts: 33,194
I did the same and I regret every penny. I've qualified for HON end of last year. So far I needed the direct transfer about 10 times. In half of the cases it didn't work. But hey, you get nice apologies and most of the time a reason ("we were so busy transferring other HON´s").
Once I came in late. No transfer. They hat put me on a later flight. I ran to the gate and made it in time for my earlier flight. But, so sorry, my seat had been given to someone else. The flight was overbooked...
In Y you can totally forget your status. Same as Cityline. It is like flying BA. I've been on a flight in a Canadair Jet and was the only one on the plane with a seat neighbor. Probably the other 30 people on the plane were also HONs.
Once I came in late. No transfer. They hat put me on a later flight. I ran to the gate and made it in time for my earlier flight. But, so sorry, my seat had been given to someone else. The flight was overbooked...
In Y you can totally forget your status. Same as Cityline. It is like flying BA. I've been on a flight in a Canadair Jet and was the only one on the plane with a seat neighbor. Probably the other 30 people on the plane were also HONs.
Oct 30, 2008, 12:27 am
#80
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: OSL/IAH/ZRH (time, not preference)
Programs: UA1K, LH GM, AA EXP->GM
Posts: 38,265
Welcome to FT HombreDeLasNubes
You are only the second HON I heard to be so critical of LH's operations. But then I am the only SEN to constantly complain. Or almost constantly as totti told me not to!
I wonder how even in premium centric airlines such as LH and SQ the elite benefits could take such a bump - I just sat next to a PPS on an SQ birdie who did not find one pleasant wording for KrisFlyer and his treatment by SQ. I felt understood!
So why did you not sign up as HONbreDeLasNubes, if I may ask
?
You are only the second HON I heard to be so critical of LH's operations. But then I am the only SEN to constantly complain. Or almost constantly as totti told me not to!
I wonder how even in premium centric airlines such as LH and SQ the elite benefits could take such a bump - I just sat next to a PPS on an SQ birdie who did not find one pleasant wording for KrisFlyer and his treatment by SQ. I felt understood!
So why did you not sign up as HONbreDeLasNubes, if I may ask
?
Oct 30, 2008, 1:20 am
#81
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: bella italia
Programs: LH HON, AF FB Platinum
Posts: 633
Salve Luigi
Oct 30, 2008, 2:54 am
#82
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: NUE
Programs: LH SEN (I miss my HON days), Sixt Diamond, everything else is silver by now
Posts: 139
All in all, I am happy with HON and the service most of the time.
I just stated that I wouldn't pay money out of my own pocket again to attain it.
Oct 30, 2008, 4:54 am
#83
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: FRA
Programs: LH, Avis, Hyatt, ...
Posts: 4,213
While I actually do believe that and also believe that this was the decisive factor in launching the expensive HON program .. it strongly collides with the schedule driven logic as andre1970 explains.
As we see in prime examples such as SMK77 - many premium flyers go out of their way to travel in the fattest possible luxury.
I do agree that LH probably hasn't planned for those who do MRs and fly ZRH-STR 4 times a day but HON is not tailored for people with schedule only in mind.
As we see in prime examples such as SMK77 - many premium flyers go out of their way to travel in the fattest possible luxury.
I do agree that LH probably hasn't planned for those who do MRs and fly ZRH-STR 4 times a day but HON is not tailored for people with schedule only in mind.
If a SEN is short for qualification or a HON is short for requalification some may decide for an extra trip or a pure MR. This may make perfect sense due to all the benefits involved. But this is still different from the thinking from scratch, which is "This is the (total) money I have to spend to be a HON". I find this still ... eh ... FUNNY.
Oct 30, 2008, 5:55 am
#86
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: FRA
Programs: LH, Avis, Hyatt, ...
Posts: 4,213
Which brings us back to post #71 - the millions of added goodies in the HON program would be a flawed investment 
.
.
) HON.Of course, LH must give benefits for their loyal customers, so those loyal customers keep their daily business on LH metal. HON for example makes the difference of spending 12K EURO for a FRA-NRT roundtrip in F either on LH or NH or JAL. If I do this 8 times a year and always choose LH then LH better gives something back, which is the HON status and all the benefits.
Oct 30, 2008, 12:48 pm
#87
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 44
Oct 30, 2008, 12:58 pm
#88
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 44
Exactly! And then it would be great if they also kept what they promise in their nice marketing brochures. I have been SEN for many years, but HON Circle has turned me from a loyal customer to a very dissatisfied one.
And the way LH cut benefits for SEN and HON by always telling people: Hey, that was an improvement!
Not funny, not funny at all...
Oct 31, 2008, 3:10 am
#89
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 413
Exactly! And then it would be great if they also kept what they promise in their nice marketing brochures. I have been SEN for many years, but HON Circle has turned me from a loyal customer to a very dissatisfied one.
And the way LH cut benefits for SEN and HON by always telling people: Hey, that was an improvement!
Not funny, not funny at all...
And the way LH cut benefits for SEN and HON by always telling people: Hey, that was an improvement!
Not funny, not funny at all...
And in all fairness, I think we need to bring services glitches/failures to deliver upon a promise to the attention of LH. The worst enemy one could have is customers who turn grumpy and dissatisfied and complain to the audience that is eager to listen as opposed to the party that is at fault. I am not saying you have not done that, nor am I saying that one should not post bad experiences in these forums. This is merely a reminder to all (including myself), that really, as "obama-esque" this may sound, it is our own responsibility to make sure we hold LH to the standards they promise, by sharing good and bad with them.
and BTW....just plan on some extra time in FRA next time, have a bath at the FCT, smoke a Cigar even if you dont smoke, drink even if you dont drink, eat even if you dont want to and think about how -after all- privileged this is compared to the normal "madhouse", that FRA is....
Oct 31, 2008, 3:41 am
#90
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: SZG, Austria
Programs: LH(OS) HON, IC RA
Posts: 33,194
nnd BTW....just plan on some extra time in FRA next time, have a bath at the FCT, smoke a Cigar even if you dont smoke, drink even if you dont drink, eat even if you dont want to and think about how -after all- privileged this is compared to the normal "madhouse", that FRA is....
