Chances are, most people have never heard of Aegean Airlines and have no idea who they are. Well, Aegean Airlines is Star Alliance airline based in Greece with a fleet of 29 short haul aircraft. It’s understandable that most people have not heard of them- they do not fly outside of Europe. However, what some other people may not know is that they offer the lowest elite qualification tiers of any Star Alliance carrier- 4000 miles for Star Alliance Silver and 20000 miles for Star Alliance Gold status. With the current 1000 bonus miles promotion they are having (though it has been going on for quite a while now), that means Star Silver status (and free checked bags on Continental, United and US Airways) for a mere 3000(!) miles, and Star Gold status (free Star Alliance lounge access) for a mere 19000 elite qualifying miles, which is hard to beat. So let’s have a look at their program in detail.
Elite Status on Aegean is obtained by accruing either 4000 or 20000 elite qualifying miles (known as Tier Miles) on Aegean or Star Alliance partners, and once obtained, is valid for three years. Mileage can be obtained based on the mileage accrual tables and are determined by operating carrier- so for example, a United-coded flight operated by Hawaiian would not earn miles. Aegean bases their elite qualification earnings on an absolute sum per segment, rather than per actual mile flown. Super-discounted fares (UTPE) do not earn full mileage credit, and bonuses apply to business and full fare passengers. 500 miles per domestic and 1000 miles per international flight is the base mileage for Aegean-operated flights. Given that Aegean do not fly medium and long haul routes this is actually a better deal than it appears- especially for flights of shorter stage lengths. For partner earning, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines and Austrian adopt a similar flat mileage system, but for all other Star Alliance partners mileage is based on actual flown miles. There are a number of fare classes that do not earn miles, but on the other side they do offer 300% mileage on paid first, 200% on paid business and 150% accrual on Y fares. The class of service bonuses are greater than those at North American-based Star Alliance carriers, making it a lucrative proposition for flyers who purchase paid F or J tickets. Continue Reading
Qantas Frequent Flyer is the frequent flyer program of Qantas and their subsidiaries Qantaslink, JetConnect and Jetstar. They are part of the Oneworld alliance, the world’s third largest airline alliance featuring airlines including American Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific. As with all Oneworld partner airlines, earning elite status on Qantas will count towards Oneworld elite tier qualification (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald) and QFF miles can be both accrued and redeemed on flights operated by Oneworld partners. Their award redemptions are not zone-based like most carriers, rather are distance-based and therefore are often less rewarding than fixed or zone-based award charts.
There are four basic types of Qantas Frequent Flyer awards- the Qantas Classic Award, the Partner Classic Award, the Oneworld Award, and the Qantas and Jetstar Any Seat Award. The Any Seat awards work essentially like revenue fares- you can purchase an Any Seat award on any flight where there is revenue inventory (so for an economy any seat award, you’d be looking at availability in the Y bucket). However, be prepared to pay through the roof for any seat awards- they are essentially the equivalent of American’s AAnytime awards or Continental’s EasyPass awards- they are not the best use of miles, but afford the most flexibility in terms of dates. On the plus side, the do earn status credits and mileage just like a revenue fare, but that’s not much consolation…
The three classic awards are the ones we’re most interested in because they offer the best value for your mileage (even though in Qantas terms, that’s not saying a lot…) The Qantas and Partner Classic awards work in essentially the same way, but the partner awards charge more. Continue Reading
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How to get through Airport Immigration Quickly
Airport immigration for many passengers is all about the long lines. In some countries there can be waits of over 2 hours. Immigration officers are trained to spot certain behaviours that may be suspicious. This may lead to further questioning and even for the legitimate traveller, this is a major annoyance. This article will explain how immigration controls work and show you how to get through them quickly. It will also cover the questions which immigration officers commonly ask and explain how to answer them.
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Air Asia flights
Our essential guide to cheap Air Asia flights provides an in-depth look at the carrier. This guide covers some general information about the airline and the routes it flies to. It also looks at how to get the cheapest possible flights, including some tricks we learned to always find the best deal. Finally, we show an unbiased view of the service onboard Air Asia flights, including seat pitch and in flight service. Continue Reading
