Are you a OneWorld or Star Alliance frequent flyer looking for a way to get into a SkyTeam loyalty program? Vietnam Airlines is now offering an interesting way to get into an Elite Skyteam frequent flyer status. This is now possible through a status match campaign the airline has launched. Here’s who can apply and if it’s a good deal.
In this post:
- Una panoramica dello status match Vietnam Airlines
- Chi può utilizzarlo per entrare in LotusMiles?
- Conviene fare questo status match?
- Quali i benefit degli status offerti?
A Way into Elite SkyTeam Frequent Flyer Status with Vietnam Airlines
There have been a lot of shifts and moves with airlines moving from one alliance to the other in the last years and months. Just to mention a few, Virgin Atlantic entered SkyTeam, SAS is entering SkyTeam also in a matter of days, and ITA will be moving over to Star Alliance within the next 2 years. With all these major shifts and changes it is a particularly good idea to position yourself accordingly with your loyalty program.
An option to move from a frequent flyer program to another without losing your acquired status is offered by Vietnam Airlines. The southeast Asian airline has just launched a status match campaign which it hopes will attract some new frequent flyers into the SkyTeam eco-system.
A status match is exactly what it sounds like. It allows you to move over from one airline’s loyalty program to another without losing your acquired status. The destination airline will match your origin status with its own. In some cases fees are waived in others, such as the Vietnam Airlines one prices range from 59 $ to 299$ USD.
Who Can Apply for the Vietnam Airlines Status Match?
The list of origin airlines and frequent flyer programs from which you can apply for Vietnam Airlines’ status match is quite long. Here they are:
Vietnam Airlines LotusMiles Status | Titanium | Gold | Platinum |
---|---|---|---|
Airline Matched Status | |||
ANA | Bronze | Platinum | Diamond/Platinum/SuperFlyers |
Aer Lingus | Silver | Platinum | Concierge |
Air Canada | 25K | 35K/50K | 35K/50K/75K/100K |
Air China | Silver | Gold | Gold/Platinum |
Air India | Silver | Gold | Gold/Platinum |
Air New Zealand | Silver | Gold | Gold/Elite |
Alaska Airlines | MVP | MVP Gold | MVP 100K/MVP 75K |
American Airlines | Gold | Platinum | Concierge Key/Executive Platinum/Platinum Pro |
Asiana | Silver | Gold | Diamond/Diamond Plus/Gold/Platinum |
Avianca | Silver | Gold | Gold/Diamond |
British Airways | Bronze | Silver | Gold/Gold Guest List/Premier |
Brussels Airlines | Frequent Traveller | Senator | HON Circle/Senator |
Cathay Pacific | Silver | Gold | Diamand/Diamond Plus/Invitation |
China Southern | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
COPA | Silver | Gold | Gold/Platinum/Presidential Platinum |
Croatia Airlines | Frequent Traveller | Senator | HON Circle/Senator |
EVA Air | Silver | Gold | Diamond/Gold |
Egyptair | Silver | Gold | Elite/Gold/Platinum |
El Al | Silver | Gold | Platinum/Top Platinum |
Emirates | Silver | Gold | IO/Platinum |
Ethiopian Airlines | Silver | Gold | Gold/Platinum |
Etihad | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
Finnair | Silver | Gold | Platinum/Platinum Lumo |
Iberia | Silver | Gold | Infinita/Platinum/Prime/Singular |
Icelandair | Silver | Gold | |
JAL | Crystal | Global Club/ Global Club Crystal/ Global Club Sapphire | Global Club Diamond/Global Club Premier |
LOT | Frequent Traveller | Senator | HON Circle/Senator |
Lufthansa | Frequent Traveller | Senator | HON Circle/Senator |
Malaysia Airlines | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
Philippine Airlines | Elite | Premier Elite | Million Miler |
Qantas | Silver | Gold | Chairmans Lounge/Platinum/Platinum One |
Qatar Airways | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
Royal Air Maroc | Silver | Gold | Ambassador/Platinum |
Royal Brunei | Silver | Gold | |
Royal Jordanian | Silver Jay | Gold Sparrow | Platinum Hawk |
SWISS | Frequent Traveller | Senator | HON Circle/Senator |
Shenzen Airlines | Silver | Gold | Gold/Platinum |
Singapore Airlines | Silver | Gold | Gold/PPS/PPS Solitare |
South African Airlines | Silver | Gold | Gold/Platinum |
Southwest | A-List | A-List Preferred | Companion Pass |
Sri Lankan | Classic | Gold | Platinum |
TAP | Silver | Gold | Gold/Navigator |
Thai Airways | Silver | Gold | Gold/Platinum |
Turkish Airlines | Classic Plus | Elite | Elite/Elite Plus |
United Airlines | Premier Silver | Premier Gold | Global Serivices/Premier 1k/Premier Gold/Premier Platinum |
Virgin Australia | Silver | Gold | Platinum |
As you might have noticed, in some cases you can choose which status to match yours with. You can either go for Gold or Platinum in Vietnam Airlines’ LotusMiles. Which to apply for depends on what you forecast your travels to look like in the next 12 months.
I mentioned before that prices vary between 59 and 299$ to apply for the status match. Here’s the detail of how prices vary if applying for:
- Titanium – 99$ (in most of Asia 59$)
- Gold – 159$
- Platinum – 299$
To get started with this status match, provided you meet all the qualifying criteria, you’ll need to fill the application for at this page: Lotusmiles Status Match
Is This Status Match a Good Deal?
Well, that all depends on your travel needs. For some it might be a fantastic opportunity for others less. For instance if your travel habits are changing significantly and you find yourself flying more and more with SkyTeam airlines and don’t have a frequent flyer status with one of their airlines, then yeah probably you should go for it. Also you should if you plan to fly significantly more SkyTeam in the next 12 months than on OneWorld or Star Alliance.
If you’re only going to occasionally fly SkyTeam or don’t have a big flight schedule lined up on their airlines maybe don’t be too hasty.
What Are Vietnam Airlines’ LotusMiles Main Benefits?
Just a quick recap of what LotusMiles offers in its highest tiers. I’ll cover the whole loyalty program in a separate post. However here’s in a nutshell what the loyalty program offers in its top tiers:
- Extra Baggage Allowance (for all tiers)
- Priority Check-in (for all tiers)
- Airport Lounge Access (for Gold and Platino)
- Fast-track at security and immigration (for Platinum only)
A standard offering we are used to see with other frequent flyer programs in their top tiers. What makes the offer quite interesting is the fact that it is in all effects a shortcut into a SkyTeam Elite tier. You will maintain your matched tier and benefits for the following 12 months. Thereafter LotusMiles rules apply and you’ll need to reach the qualifying points threashold.
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