Starting June 3, Lufthansa Group airlines – Lufthansa, Lufthansa City, Austrian Airlines and SWISS – will change how passengers earn miles. Instead of using a fixed chart, miles will now be calculated based on factors such as ticket price, fare type, travel class, route, flight timing and booking date.
No more Flex Plus
Travellers will be able to choose from the following fare types across the different classes: Light, Classic and Flex fares for flights within Europe and, Light, Basic, Basic Plus and Flex fares for intercontinental flights.
Products like Flex Plus and mileage bargains will no longer be available and it will not be possible to redeem miles for taxes, fees and airline surcharges.
Flex Plus currently allows Miles & More members to use their miles to cover the airlines’ surcharges associated with Awards Flights. From June 3, clients will not be able to use their miles to reduce the cash portion owed for surcharges.
Tier vs Fare
According to Lufthansa, the status benefits of a frequent flyer will depend on the Award Flight fare type, as well airline’s fare conditions.
“Under the new system, each fare type will have different baggage, seating, cancellation and rebooking rules and fees. Light fares, for example, will not include checked baggage, seat reservations or refunds, even for Miles & More elite members, making this one of the most restrictive awards any airline loyalty programme offers,” explains The Points Guy.
No rate redemption
According to The Points Guy, Lufthansa has not yet advised what redemption rates will be tied to cash fares.
Lufthansa said it would be adjusting the mileage amounts in line with current prices for the first time since 2019.
“While a major airline loyalty programme moving to dynamic pricing is nothing new, Lufthansa's approach seems complex and restrictive. Unless travellers want to redeem miles for economy-class flights on off-peak dates, they will likely need more miles for bookings and an advanced knowledge of the inclusions and restrictions of the 22 new award fare types,” reports The Points Guy.
This is a developing story.
