Qualiflyer will be SWISS TravelClub starting Jan 1 2003
 

There are news on www.qualiflyer.com: TAP and SN Brussels will go separate ways and leave the Qualiflyer program. Qualiflyer will become SWISS TravelClub.
Details available on the website.

This links takes you directly to a summary of the new program: http://www.qualiflyer.com/basics/after02/?2.

Nothing about future airline partners yet...

IMHO this is BAD, BAD news. Qualiflyer currently is the most flexible FFP I have ever come accross (eg. eight segments per award ticket, mixing various airlines on awards, extremely cheap C-Class awards and upgrades on European flights). It looks like a lot of this flexibility will get lost.

Today I received my proposal from QF to join the new Swiss TC. Choice of a different FFP has to be submitted until Oct 15. But so far not much information has been published about the conditions of the various programmes, except for the published membership levels and privileges. No earn/spend tables, no partners yet. No way to take an informed decision as of yet.

i agree, we have to chose a FPP without any information about the programs,
i personally would like to split my actual miles on the new SN-FFP and the Swiss Travelclub.



[This message has been edited by beepee (edited 09-06-2002).]

Sabena will allow mileage transfer between members ! (for fee)

... which the FAQ appears to rule out:


Q: I am a regular customer of several of the airlines who operate the "Qualiflyer" programme today.
Can I get half of my miles transferred into one new programme and the other half to another programme?

A: No, for technical reasons it is only possible to transfer the full "Qualiflyer" mileage balance to one new programme


The list of partners will be published in January 2003 according to this same FAQ. No mention at all about award levels.

I just hope LX's new TravelClub puts an end to the rumors about a FFP linked with BA's.

Totally agree. BA's Executive Club is the worst that could happen to us.

Agree, bad news, as the flexibility of combining airlines disappears.
I'll probably stick with Swiss, though. With most of my flights commencing and ending in OSL, I'll usually have to transfer somewhere in Europe more or less wherever I'm usually traveling. Swiss currently offer the best award level for C-class travel, and usually most of the time have availability in Z.

AS a BA EC GOld and no tier status in QG, I'm happy if they get together. Having just transfered 520,000 miles to QG thanks to Amex MR promotion I'd be more than jhappy to use them for BA flights !
I know Swiss flexibility was great (cheap business European flights and upgrades) but I'm sure they'll keep their own specificities in some way. If you look at BA, CX, AA, AY etc. programs within One World they all are different, much more than in S* or Skyteam . Or maybe i'm wrong but anyway, I think BA program is quite good - after all, where else can you get a Europe-JFK Concorde flight for just 64,000 miles (back in Y) ?!! And where else can you get a return trip Europe to BKK/HKG/Rio/sfo/yvr or lax etc. with the flexibility of combining Y + C for just 60,000 miles, or C+C for just 80,000 miles ? BA EC is great !! I hope they'll join BAEC, as far as i'm concerned. although I understand others might feel concerned if they have different needs .

At the moment the Qualiflyer progamme is run by Qualiflyer Loyalty Management, a Swiss Airlines owned company.
The three new programmes will also be run by Qualiflyer Loyalty Management.

My thoughts are that the current airline partners will probably remain the same for all three new programmes with some improvements / new partners here and there.