Frequent Flyer Program acepting past flights
 

Hello,

In the past 12 months I have flown a lot and I would like to choose a Frequent Flyer program which accepts my past flights so that they can be added into my FFP. I have never been a member of any FFP until now.

I have flown with these airlines:

Emirates Airlines
KLM
Air France
Air Canada
Lufthansa
Ukraine International Airlines
Air Baltic
Ryanair
EasyJet
Germanwings
HLX.com / TUIfly
ArkeFly / L'Tur

Which Frequent Flyer Programs do I have to choose? Do I have to pay for anything?

Thanks.

Although many FF programs allow you to get flight credit in their own programs for flights flown before joining their FF program, most FF program Ts&Cs I have seen do not allow you to obtain partner credit retroactive to your joining their program. (I admittedly have not checked the FF program Ts&Cs for the airlines you listed.)

So second-to-worst case, it may be you have to open an FF account with each of them in order to get credited retroactively.

Worst case is you don't bother opening a boatload of new accounts and just don't get credit, but learn from the experience so you can improve your earning opportunities in the future.

Actually, it's even easier then to get a credit in their own program. Partners don't know when you became a member of a partner program when you request from them to post missing miles from flights. You just need all the documentation to be in order. I did it for myself and my family.

but wouldn't the program you want to earn the miles in tell you that you opened the account after the flight (on the partner)?

Well, you can strike out the bottom half of your list from Ryanair down for sure. Don't think these airlines have significant FFPs (I think Germanwings has one but it's nothing special).

KLM and Air France are Skyteam, so you would need to credit to either Air France-KLM Flying Blue or one or the other Skyteam airlines.

Air Canada and Lufthansa are Star Alliance, so find a Star Alliance program for those.

Emirates is not in an alliance, but I think you can credit their flights to some alliance FFPs.

I don't know anything about Ukraine International Airlines and Air Baltic.

SmilingBoy.

That's been my experience -- no credit for partner flights flown before joining the target FF program in which you're trying to claim credit.

The original poster's dilemma is lack of membership in any FF program.

For example, AS would not give me partner credit for BA flights flown before joining the AS program. Same response from CO when requesting credit in OnePass for DL flights flown even three weeks before joining OnePass.

Obviously, two program examples does not a statistically valid sample make, so of course YMMV.

Can you provide an example from your experience? Seems like you're saying that you got the target FF program (for example, AS MilePlan) miles for flying on the source airline (for example, BA is an AS partner) by contacting the airline you flew (in this case BA) not the FF program in which you're seeking credit (in this example, AS).

Every time I've tried that, the flown airline basically says if you want partner credit, contact the partner.

Frankly, I don't have experience with partner flights, but with credit from Herth, Thrifty, triprewards and others to Delta, BA and SWA. I got credits up to a year when I contacted Herth or Thrifty with airline FF number and my name saying they didn't post a credit for my rental/ stay with them etc. My FF number was many times created the same day or the day before I have contacted them about activity that happened few month ago. Credit appeared with SWa or Delta with the date of activity (even this account didn't existed then )

Just remembered 1 experience with an airline - Aeroflot credits that I got into brand new Delta account few month after flying Aeroflot.

Whatever you do, do it quickly. Some programs have 30-day or 90-day limits for retroactive credit. The idea is that someone who flies with them and finds out about their program en route will be able to sign up and get credit for it, without having to interrupt their family vacation trip by rushing to a computer the instant they land, but to keep people from resurrecting that flight from 1997. (I know, a bit of an exaggeration because 1997 miles would most likely have expired absent any intervening activity, but that's the general idea.)

This is a great point..