Cards, miles, business lounge: how to get the most out of air travel

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Find out how airline loyalty programs work and why you should use them to receive bonuses.

Why use loyalty programs

Surprisingly, many frequent flyers do not get airline loyalty cards (I generally keep quiet about bank cards with mile cashback). Like, it is not clear what the point is. Friends! There are two arguments for this: rational and emotional.

From the point of view of ratio, this is elementary profitable. If you fly at least 5–7 times a year, then until the miles are burned out, you no, no, and save at least one bonus ticket. Further more. But even if you just have the card, the chances of getting a nice bonus from the airline increase.

I got my first upgrade to business class simply because I was in the loyalty system. The second passenger who was late for the flight received seats in the last row by the toilet.

From the point of view of emotions and excitement, the pursuit of miles, bonuses and statuses is an exciting game with its own rules and tactics. But more on that below.

Do not neglect this opportunity. This is not a bakery loyalty card, there are very valuable prizes at stake here. Join the loyalty system of all airlines you fly. You may not even receive the card itself: you do not need plastic, but a number in the database.

The good news: as a rule, points are awarded "back". If you register now, even the last flights in the last 3-6 months will be credited to you.

How it works

To understand the structure of the system, you need to know and distinguish three concepts:

1. Qualifying(status) miles(points) are awarded for flights by the airline and its designated partner airlines.
2. Non-qualifying(bonus) miles (points) are awarded for using the services of partner companies of the loyalty program, as well as for other special offers and promotions.
3. Flight segments (flights) are equal to the number of direct flights by the aircraft of the airline (and sometimes its partners) - the number of take-offs and landings (flight with one stop - two segments).

Terms may vary from airline to airline, but their loyalty programs are always based on this star trio at the entrance. And at the exit - status (gold, silver …) and awards (services that can be bought for accumulated miles of all types).

At the same time, you can spend any miles on awards, but only qualifying (status) miles work to acquire a status. Or, you can get the status by typing a certain number of flights.

The miles piggy bank is extremely rare. It will be useful to study the specific rules, but in general the logic is this: in order for miles to be burned, you must not fly at all on the airline's flights for three years.

But the status is usually earned by miles and flights that you have accumulated in a specific calendar year. At the same time, you receive an increased status at the time the conditions for the end of the current year and for the next one are fulfilled (for some, even with a small "tail" after). You need to re-confirm the status annually (of course, if you want to renew it). They give nothing for life.

And further. Keep track of who is flying. Even if your airline sells a ticket, this does not mean at all that it is the flight operator (direct carrier). It may well be that she is just offering you tickets for a code-sharing flight from another airline. In this case, there may not be accruals of flight segments and qualifying miles - read the rules.

Code sharing has other nasty surprises as well. For example, it often does not support online registration.

And yet why

Let's get back to existential questions.

Why save miles? To, for example, pay for tickets with them. Everything is clear here.

Why do I need a status? And here the answer will be more detailed. Statuses (depending on their level and the rules of a particular airline) provide many advantages. I will not cite huge excerpts from the rules and advertising materials of carriers, but I will share my own experience. What makes me especially happy:

1. Increased baggage allowance. They are already in effect with the silver status, and then these norms grow more and more.
2. Dedicated Priority Checked Baggage Tag. Outwardly, this is just a beautiful accessory, but it is believed that with it your suitcase is served in a special order and even given out upon arrival in the first place (in most cases it is).
3. The increased number of miles you earn for each flight. This bonus (10% to 75%) is credited with non-qualifying miles. So they will not bring you any closer to updating or improving your status, but they can then be spent.
4. Dedicated service counters at the airport. In fact, you are not going to the general queue, but to the queue for business class passengers. Even if you just need to drop off your luggage, it's convenient. True, for example, Aeroflot's queue can sometimes be longer than in economy class. But for the most part, of course, it's time saving.
5. Access to business lounges. This is no longer for everyone and not always: Aeroflot gives this right only with a gold status, and, for example, Belavia already with a “silver”, but only for one passenger - without your companion.
6. The choice of seats in the cabin. This is a rather murky thing. Some have it, some don't. But in general, a status passenger has a number of preferences in choosing the desired seat in the cabin in advance, long before the check-in opens.
7. Service class upgrades. My favorite thing. Now I am not afraid of the word "overbooking", but I wait and hope that on my flights the economy class will be overcrowded and I will be transferred to business or comfort as a frequent flyer, who is therefore at the beginning of the waiting list.

There is also a strategy for working on upgrades. It's not always blind luck. It is important to choose the right flight and airline in general.

There are also a number of other advantages. They boil down to the fact that the person with the card will be prioritized everywhere: when you need to get on a completely crowded flight, when you want to get on board the plane without queuing, and even when you want an emergency exit seat.

In general, it is really convenient to be a status passenger.

Working on it

If you decide not just to accumulate miles, but to earn a status, then you need a strategy. It sounds funny, but it is. You can not get worn out only by flying 200 times a year, and in other cases it is worth considering the process. However, there are only two main questions.

1. Which airline to choose?

The underlying reason is simple. When you don't bother with miles and flights, you are looking for the cheapest and most convenient flights. But when you save up, you need a specific airline. This narrows down the choice.

I will not be original and say that in Russia Aeroflot will almost always be the best option:

• The largest route map, which means that there is a high probability of receiving status benefits from your next trip.
• Rossiya Airlines is also included in the Aeroflot Bonus program (which means that as many as two Moscow airports are suitable for you, as well as even more destinations and flights).

Added to this are very generous mileage awards (the best in Russia) and a good fleet of aircraft. In general, you can not choose Aeroflot as your main airline only because of your great love for S7 or if you live in Domodedovo or Novosibirsk (but this is no longer a fact). No intrigue.

2. What to save for status?

Let me remind you that there are two options: miles and flights. And how you can decide what to focus on, but in practice, your choice will most likely fall on the flight segments.

As a rule, airlines give statuses for a similar number of flights and thousands of miles per year. But few economy class flights will give you even a thousand qualifying points. And to score 20, 30, 50 thousand points is not really realistic at all. But 20, 30, 50 flights are quite.

I only know one person who earns statuses with miles. He flies across the Atlantic in business class. At a corporate expense, of course.

The most cheating route is Moscow - St. Petersburg. Flights are dark every day, the ticket price starts literally from 2,000 rubles, but one flight segment is also given for it. So in case of a shortage of a couple of flights before the end of the year, I recommend to rush to St. Petersburg for the weekend. Or vice versa. Or with a transfer, if you live in some third city (get as many as four segments for a round trip route).

By the way, sometimes choosing routes with transfers is also an option. They are cheaper, but the status is closer. Maybe there will also be time left for a walk between flights. Although, of course, this is an option for maniacs like me.

It was not in vain

You can live without all these miles and statuses. And it is quite possible to fly. But once you get an upgrade or go into the business lounge a couple of times, you are addicted. I would like to come back and get some more special compliment from the airline. You start planning your trips in a certain way and choosing the right flights for you …

The modern aviation industry has long lost its mid-century charm. Today it is a huge conveyor belt for the economical movement of tens and hundreds of thousands of tons of people at any distance. And only premium classes of service, loyalty programs and the opportunities hidden in them continue to make our flights something special.

Have you tried it yet? Join our club!

The editors may not share the author's point of view.