A long time in the making, Lufthansa Miles&More has now confirmed to members in writing that they will drastically change their program structure in terms of status qualification and validity effective January 1, 2024.
Lufthansa Miles&More has already cut back the program substantially in the last year, first by attaching the award miles to the ticket value and then by updating their award chart making award flights more expensive.
It all started in November 2019 when we reported on some rumors that Lufthansa was mulling over the implementation of steep cuts into their established status qualification structure. These rumors have now proven to be correct.
Lufthansa has then mailed out physical letters to their premium customers (HON Circle, Senator) outlining the changes and directing customers to a designated website for further information.
It was all said and done, ready to do until Covid hit and Lufthansa decided to postpone the designed changes until further notice due to the grounding of flights and temporary collapse of the aviation market.
Lufthansa still held onto these plans and eventually decided to make January 1, 2024 the date when the change will take effect. As the carrier is required by law to make changes public in advance they scheduled a whole range of webinars that were all canceled at the last minute and now Miles&More sent out the communique about the new program structure today with email.
Here are the details of the email:
In 2019, we announced that we would be revising our status programme – then everything changed.
On 1 January 2024, the modifications will finally be coming into effect. Our aim is to offer you an attractive and transparent programme – clear and simple. These changes will not affect the awards programme. You will still be able to earn award miles in the usual way.
Points system replaces status miles
In the future, rather than earning status miles, you will earn Points. The number of Points you earn on your flights will depend on just two criteria: the travel class and whether you are flying continental or intercontinental. The thresholds for achieving our frequent flyer status will also be adjusted in the process.Achieving frequent flyer status
You can earn Points with the usual airlines – just like you previously earned status miles. To achieve frequent flyer status within the new programme, a certain amount of your flights must be operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Eurowings Discover and Air Dolomiti or the co-issuing Miles & More airline partners.1 You will continue to qualify as a HON Circle Member exclusively on flights in Business and First Class operated by the airlines mentioned above.Earning period and term amended to one year
The term of your status will be at least one year. The period for earning the necessary Points will extend over one calendar year for any frequent flyer status. This will also apply to HON Circle Members.Frequent Traveller Lifetime and Senator Lifetime awarded for outstanding loyalty
Our long-standing frequent flyers will be rewarded with Frequent Traveller Lifetime or Senator Lifetime status. This will be based on the sum of all Points earned on flights operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Eurowings Discover, Air Dolomiti or the co-issuing Miles & More airline partners.Programme becomes less complex
To simplify the programme, Miles & More Selections in its current form will be replaced by actively crediting benefits, such as eVouchers you can use to upgrade to a higher travel class, or Frequent Traveller and Senator partner cards. Status Stars, the Executive Bonus and the Senator Premium Award will also be discontinued.
So much for the official marketing spin Lufthansa puts out to camouflage what it actually means.
You can access the Miles&More website will all the details here so let’s see what they will do to us.
The most noteworthy change is that you’ll no longer earn status based on the distance flown, instead you’ll earn the status points based on firm flight categories.
This doesn’t change how you earn redeemable award miles and this only impacts earning status points.
In the future, only two criteria will be used to determine the number of Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points you earn: the travel class and whether it is a continental or intercontinental flight.
The number of Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points will be the same for all members, for example, there will be no more Executive Bonus in the new Points system. However, it will still apply to award miles.
Points and Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points
Economy Class
- 20 Points/20 Qualifying Points for each continental flight
- 60 Points/60 Qualifying Points for each intercontinental flight
Premium Economy Class
- 20 Points/20 Qualifying Points for each continental flight
- 80 Points/80 Qualifying Points for each intercontinental flight
Business Class
- 40 Points/40 Qualifying Points/40 HON Circle Points for each continental flight
- 200 Points/200 Qualifying Points/200 HON Circle Points for each intercontinental flight
First Class
- 40 Points/40 Qualifying Points/40 HON Circle Points for each continental flight
- 300 Points/300 Qualifying Points/300 HON Circle Points for each intercontinental flight
Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points will be awarded for each flight segment.
Astounding: No more distinction between cheap and high value booking classes. Only the class of service counts so a customer flying the cheapest economy fare that currently only earns minimal status miles will soon earn the same as someone who books a Flexible Y Full Fare.
Examples
1) ZRH – FRA – NYC in Business Class with SWISS:
you get 240 Points, 240 Qualifying Points and 240 HON Circle Points.
2) VIE – YYZ in Economy Class with Air Canada:
you get 60 Points (and no Qualifying Points or HON Circle Points).
Note that Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia count as part of the continental zone.
The above being a cheeky little tweak of the geographical zonig to avoid people gaming the system and obtaining “cheap” Senator or HON Circle status with mileage runs to North Africa as they planned to in the past under the first published changes. As soon as those were announced people were planning mileage runs to Tunis which was rather amusing.
How do you actually earn status and what is the requirement?
In the future, the programme will reward those who mainly choose to fly with the Lufthansa Group airlines and the co-issuing Miles & More airline partners.
To achieve Frequent Traveller or Senator status, you will need both Points and Qualifying Points.
HON Circle status can only be achieved with HON Circle Points.
You will only earn Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points with the following airlines: Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Eurowings Discover and Air Dolomiti, plus Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Luxair. HON Circle Points are only credited for flights in Business and First Class.
Frequent Traveller
From 2024, you will achieve Frequent Traveller status by earning 650 Points and 325 Qualifying Points within one calendar year.
Senator
In the future, you will achieve Senator status by earning 2,000 Points and 1,000 Qualifying Points within one calendar year.
HON Circle Member
If you wish to achieve HON Circle status in the future, you will only need HON Circle Points. In the future, you will achieve HON Circle status if you earn 6,000 HON Circle Points with Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Eurowings Discover and Air Dolomiti, plus Croatia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines and Luxair, within one calendar year.
With these changes the program will become entirely Lufthansa Group Centric. Being a Star Alliance member basically means nothing anymore and customers should be extremely careful before ending up on a codeshare that is operated by a star alliance member.
Status will be awarded for a one year period only, currently it’s given for two years but that will be a thing of the past.
There are also changed to benefits given to members who qualify for a certain status. For example Senator members will no longer automaticall receive two upgrade vouchers upon reaching the status and HON Circle members don’t receive an immediate Senator nomination benefit. Why?
Well, because Lufthansa “wants to continue to award benefits while making the programme less complex.”
Miles & More Selections will no longer be available in its current form from 1 January 2024. This will make it easier for you. In the future, if you earn more than a certain number of Qualifying Points or HON Circle Points per calendar year, you will receive additional benefits automatically without having to claim them:
Frequent Traveller
- 800 Qualifying Points: mileage exchange
Senator
- 2,500 Qualifying Points: 2 eVouchers
- 3,500 Qualifying Points: 15,000 award miles
- 5,000 Qualifying Points: Frequent Traveller partner card
HON Circle Member
- 7,000 HON Circle Points: 2 eVouchers
- 8,500 HON Circle Points: 30,000 award miles
- 10,000 HON Circle Points: 2 eVouchers
- 11,500 HON Circle Points: Frequent Traveller partner card
- 13,000 HON Circle Points: Senator partner card
I suggest to check out the website closely to figure out if the new program will still suit you from January 2024 onward. I dare to say it’s highly unlikely that many customers aside from hardcore Lufthansa flyers will find this revised program attractive.
That Lufthansa advertises this program overhaul as “simple and transparent” must be some sort of a bad joke I’m missing the punchline of.
Conclusion
Lufthansa has now published the changes that are coming into effect starting January 1, 2024. It was expected that the carrier would take this step sooner or later as they already were on the path to do so prior to Covid.
The fact that Lufthansa sells every little bit of bad news as something that happens based on customer demand is a pathetic excuse and not just “white lie” marketing bollocks but simply a blatant lie as it is. It’s like saying pilots would love to have a shorter runway and preferably an empty tank. Lufthansa has a reputations for bringing up this nonsense of “customers demanded that we do it”.
I haven’t actively collected miles with Lufthansa Miles&More for a good 6 years and actually benefited from this stacking status qualification and soft landing policy. I’m still Senator (by virtue of the last ITA status match) until next February and then Frequent Traveler by soft landing. I keep ANA/Singapore Airlines as Star Alliance Gold status and that will confer sufficient benefits on the rare occasions that I’m flying LH without the need to participate in this new LH Group centered “loyalty” program.
