Elite airline status beats life without elite airline status every time. Airlines don’t make it easy these days, and the little perks like extra bags, priority check in, fast track security, comped preferred seats and the occasional upgrade really come in handy. As competition heats up in Europe, one airline is looking to take in frequent flyers from the cold…
The Status Match
Note: Many readers used a previous status match TO Airberlin, so this could be an excellent opportunity to retain OneWorld status at another airline.
Iberia is offering status matches to those left stranded by Airberlin, while also hoping to head off competition from Lufthansa. They’ll accept Lufthansa or Airberlin elite status and match you to an equal level of status with Iberia. It of course wouldn’t hurt to try with status from another airline, if a good story exists. This status counts on all OneWorld partners, meaning you’ll have lounge access, priority boarding and preferred seating access on all OneWorld flights. Nice!
Why You Should Do This
If you fly Airberlin- duh. The airline is largely shutting its doors and all your frequent flying will mean nothing when they do. If you fly with Lufthansa (or perhaps another airline) this gives you a whole new network of airlines with which you’ll receive benefits. You get to keep your current status, so you lose nothing- only gain. If you want to read about the match in German, click here.
How To Match And Get More Perks
Iberia has a dedicated website for this opportunity, with everything you need to submit your information and get matched into a great, lucrative frequent flyer program. They’ll match up to OneWorld Sapphire, giving you lounges everywhere you go. Even American Airlines Flagship lounges now allow OneWorld Sapphire members from foreign programs (non American). Enjoy the match, enjoy the status!
HT: SvenBlogt
