[goalie11]

@AndrewFrame

I was searching, via Google, for any status matches currently being offered and came up with Avianca Brazil, a Star carrier (www.avianca.com.br/en/amigo).

I did the usual in joining the programme and then sent off an email to <a href="mailto:[email protected]“>[email protected] providing my details, new Avianca membership number and a copy (scanned) of my current Gold card with Alitalia.

The Avianca website to join the programme was a nightmare to get through (in Portuguese)) but I managed it in the end and I got notification of the upgrade in 2 weeks.

Don’t confuse Avianca Brazil with Avianca (Columbia) as they are separate.

Copa Airlines from Panama are also offering status match (also SA) but due to a technical update they have said they will do it at the turn of the year.

I also see that Aeroflot have a similar promotion until the end of the year but their qualifying flights are a bit unrealistic.

[IanFromHKG]

Well, this is odd. I sent off my CX Diamond (oneworld emerald) card (valid until July next year) to MilleMiglia and the response I got (clearly standard form as it was in Italian and English) was:
“Dear [XXXX],
the Frequent Flyer card provided does not meet the requirements of the Status Match initiative.
Best regards.
The MilleMiglia Program”

Does anyone have any insights as to why?

[first_class_please]

I got a number of rejections (see earlier post).

Eventually I emailed <a href="mailto:[email protected]“>[email protected] rather than the status match email and after 10 days got a personal welcome email.

Shame I came through 4 days after a trip I had to use the card privileges..

[openfly]

No problems receiving my card, against my BA Gold. But, they offer a matching card to a second person which has been a real battle.
This Alitalia card is useful when travelling on a Skyteam airline, as a BA Gold. I am getting to see how the other half lives!

[peter19]

ian,

I had trouble sending proper scans of the card – i.e downloading form the BA website in sending in (all different formats). I eventually took a picture of my card with my phone and emailed it and that and it was accepted. I got that standard response several times asking each time why it wasn’t valid but never actually got the reason. Then, eventually, sending a rubbish scan did the trick..

[midorosan2]

Hi Ian
I am also in Hong Kong and I did the match with my BA Gold it took I think three attempts but finally succeeded.
Did you include all the information they ask for and did you join their programme and get a membership number, I ask because I had a similar problem that was eventually resolved.

[IanFromHKG]

Yes, I did all those things. Maybe I will try the “iPhone photo” approach!

[AnthonyDunn]

A quick query.

Having been alerted to this from Headforpoints, I was thinking about doing a status match on Senior Management’s BAEC Silver card – which has its year end in 04/2016. The point is that we fly into and out of FCO relatively frequently and, after the May 2015 fire, there is no BA lounge pro tem. My question: could you use your Freccia Alata card to obtain access to the Alitalia lounge even if flying on BA…? Or is that one hope too many?

[Giampaolo]

I was in Rome Fiumicino on Sunday evening at the satellite G-gates, flying BA to LGW and had that idea as well – to ask access to the AZ lounge with the excuse that I have a Freccia Alata Plus status (the card never arrived after 2 months of the confirmation of the status but I am not calling AZ anymore to get one) and that there is no lounge for BA in FCO. I avoided the shame of being refused from the AZ lounge (on the obvious grounds that my ticket is not a Skyteam ticket) by going instead to the beautiful Feltrinelli bookstore located next to gate G7- more interesting than the AZ lounge located at the satellite!

[HHS0001]

I received my FAP 2 months ago and used it extensively, but was really disappointed owing to:
– The status is not automatically (nor manually) recognized when buying tickets on KL/AF thus free KL preferred seats are not available.
-Their customer service unit located in Albania are really inexperienced and never solved an issue (despite being polite).
-If an inquiry is sent to the special e-mail for FAP elites, they reply time is 2 weeks.
-There is a glitch in their reward system which they are not able to fix nor even admit it exists (For example if I want to redeem one way Business class from Egypt to Europe, I have to pay the miles required CAI/FCO, in addition of the miles required FCO/Europe!
-Most of their lounges in Italy are either closed for renovation or remotely located in FCO.

[NNoah16]

Just got my status match BA Gold to Alitalia Freccia Alata Plus. It took 10 days to process and is valid to March 2017
iPhone photo of BA card worked.

[Author]

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