Air berlin to join Oneworld

[dajop]

Good news to OW! Now all they need is to find a decent airline in Africa to fill the gaps .....

Oh more than just Africa, SE Asia (3K?) and mainland China (Hainan?) are also weaknesses.

 

[Flashback]

Good news to OW! Now all they need is to find a decent airline in Africa to fill the gaps .....

I guess in a way OW is to Africa as *A is to Australia...

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Would be good if AB started to service SIN.

PER - SIN - LHR - TXL is a long trip.

PER-SIN-TXL would do me fine.

 

[Flashback]

Would be good if AB started to service SIN.

PER - SIN - LHR - TXL is a long trip.

PER-SIN-TXL would do me fine.

Could always go PER-SIN-FRA-TXL.. but obviously one less stop would be nice. Given there would be less business traffic to Berlin (I'd imagine, anyway) I probably can't foresee it happening any time soon.

 

[SeaWolf]

I flew Air Berlin a few weeks ago between Berlin and Cologne. Was very nice, fare included baggage, there was a cookie, juice and a newspaper. Also, it was the cheapest on the route, well below Lufthansa.

I think that part of the reason there is very little long-haul traffic into Berlin is largely historic. During the Cold War it would have probably been very difficult, and since then no airline has seen a need to change the hub-and-spoke setup they already have to service Berlin.

I have to also mention that I'm a bit surprised by the way that oneworld is growing. It wasn't all that long ago that the CEO was saying they weren't really interested in expansion and that he thought that the number of members they had was 'about right'.

 

[dajop]

I have to also mention that I'm a bit surprised by the way that oneworld is growing. It wasn't all that long ago that the CEO was saying they weren't really interested in expansion and that he thought that the number of members they had was 'about right'.

Well their coverage in Europe has been very peripheral - AY, IB & BA all along the outer edge of Europe, not great hub locations, with MA having the only (very limited) offering in the central part of Europe. Air Berlin, like Kingfisher and even S7 are strong additions within their own regions - and do not come with extensive long haul operations (they do both have some though) that threaten existing oneworld carriers with strong head to head competition. Very clever picking of niche carriers.

 

[Archphoto]

Great news! Was planning a trip from LHR to TXL and PRG with points - and of course that meant LHR-TXL-LHR-PRG with BA later in 2011.

Now I can hopefully just go straight through without all the backtracking and save on some points as well.

 

[medhead]

Just had a look at the news release now. The full annoucement is here:

oneworld - News

As a major player in the European air travel market, Air Berlin served in 2009 a total of 160 destinations in some 40 countries, operating almost 600 daily departures. It carried 28 million passengers, generating revenues of EUR3.2 billion (US$4.5 billion). As of July 2010, Air Berlin operates a fleet of 165 aircraft, including Austria's NIKI, serving 168 destinations.

and

Members of Air Berlin's topbonus frequent flyer programme will be able to earn and redeem rewards on any of oneworld's 13 other top-class carriers, with top tier members able to use any of the group's 550 plus airport lounges, and its network will be covered by oneworld's full range of alliance fares. Frequent flyer cardholders of oneworld's established airlines will be able to earn and redeem rewards when flying Air Berlin.

As a starting point in its oneworld implementation, Air Berlin will develop one-on-one co-operative agreements with key established members of the alliance American Airlines and Finnair, to take effect this coming winter season. Bilateral agreements with British Airways and Iberia are planned to follow.

Just a shame Tempelhof closed

Just been having a look at the topbonus program. I really need the double points bonus on one nominated route.

 

[drron]

And it will bring even more sectors with it-
Austria's Niki to become associate Oneworld member

Air Berlin's Austrian associate carrier Niki is to become an affiliate member of the Oneworld alliance when the German airline joins in early 2012.
Niki, which is almost 50%-owned by Air Berlin, operates low-cost services from locations including Vienna.

now i wont be incorporating this into a DONE but at least OW earning side trips would be on.

 

[dajop]

And it will bring even more sectors with it-
Austria's Niki to become associate Oneworld member

If only a certain Australian based company would allow this "associate member" model apply to it's wholly and 49% owned subsidiaries.

 

[medhead]

Well I did a quick dummy booking for my trip next year to Munich. Tried Air Berlin from FRA to MUC. Well they fly to salzburg via TXL so that is pretty close. The Bavaria rail pass works in Salzburg But only one flight per day and a longish day with the connection

Fare 8 euro with 54 euro fuel surcharge

 

[anat0l]

If only a certain Australian based company would allow this "associate member" model apply to it's wholly and 49% owned subsidiaries.

Well, it could still mean that you get squat all FFP points & status on AB's cheapest fares, however.

Only real advantage is other oneworld benefits, e.g. priority check-in, lounges, boarding and flight integration/connections/interlining.

Fare 8 euro with 54 euro fuel surcharge

Welcome to Europe

Pretty much matches my experience of booking a flight last year. LHR-MUC r/t with LH in cheapest Economy (E). Base fare AUD 10; fuels/taxes/surcharges AUD 180 (or something like that).

Kind of underlines why shorthaul Euro redemptions mostly suck.

 

[medhead]

Well, it could still mean that you get squat all FFP points & status on AB's cheapest fares, however.

Only real advantage is other oneworld benefits, e.g. priority check-in, lounges, boarding and flight integration/connections/interlining.



Welcome to Europe

Pretty much matches my experience of booking a flight last year. LHR-MUC r/t with LH in cheapest Economy (E). Base fare AUD 10; fuels/taxes/surcharges AUD 180 (or something like that).

Kind of underlines why shorthaul Euro redemptions mostly suck.

It is an interesting thing on the earning because you only need 24 flights to make silver in the Air Berlin program. So the return fra to szg is 4 flight for about 100 euro. 600 euro to silver ($1000).

It will be very interesting to see how the program matches up with QF FFP.

Edit I could be wrong but I think that's what the website said.

 

[anat0l]

It is an interesting think on the earning because you only need 24 flights to make silver in the Air Berlin program. So the return fra to szb (?) is 4 flight for about 100 euro. 600 euro to silver ($1000).

It will be very interesting to see how the program matches up with QF FFP.

Edit I could be wrong but I think that's what the website said.

If topbonus Silver would match with QF PS (i.e., both oneworld Ruby), then that's about ballpark.

If, on the other hand, topbonus Silver would be made a oneworld Sapphire tier, then that's very cheap!

No idea what AB will do about the oneworld elite tiers. It may create an additional tier to accommodate oneworld Emerald, or it may resort to two tiers only a la BAEC.

 

[Flashback]

If topbonus Silver would match with QF PS (i.e., both oneworld Ruby), then that's about ballpark.

If, on the other hand, topbonus Silver would be made a oneworld Sapphire tier, then that's very cheap!

No idea what AB will do about the oneworld elite tiers. It may create an additional tier to accommodate oneworld Emerald, or it may resort to two tiers only a la BAEC.

Ballpark? Gee, I wish I could renew PS for only $1k! Only if you find some ridiculously cheap MR would 1k be ballpark..

 

[medhead]

Ballpark? Gee, I wish I could renew PS for only $1k! Only if you find some ridiculously cheap MR would 1k be ballpark..

I've double checked, the return FRA-xTXL-SZG is actually 135 euro return in March/April next year. Assuming that will count as 4 flights, it is showing 4 flight numbers but it might be wrong to apply qantas rules, then it's 810 euro. I guess with the flights to NAN or some of the JASA currently kicking around, it's ballpark.

It will be very interesting to see how the tiers match up. But then silver Topbonus has priority security benefit.

 

[dajop]

Well, it could still mean that you get squat all FFP points & status on AB's cheapest fares, however.

Only real advantage is other oneworld benefits, e.g. priority check-in, lounges, boarding and flight integration/connections/interlining.

Yes you could say that about many of the alliance partners when travelling on cheapest fares. The other advantage is the ability include in xONEx fares FWIW.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Ballpark? Gee, I wish I could renew PS for only $1k! Only if you find some ridiculously cheap MR would 1k be ballpark..

Don't mean to blow my own trumpet, but l picked up QF WP for about $1600 and 30k points (with the double promo of course and a QF ASA (SYD-MEL-HBA vv run)). Like everything in life, once you have achieved that, what's next? (WP+PG or CL...)
As "Dave Noble" has often quoted, and various other friends of mine that are also QF WP's, who are a little bit cashed up, bugger chasing status. Just fly J or F and you get 99% of the Sapphire and Emerald (SG or WP) benefits anyway.

Back to the thread, something like QF from Australia to Asia, then a direct Air Berlin (or any OW airline for that matter) flight to Germany/Hungary would be fantastic. Nothing like flying "over" your final destination (ie, SYD-SIN-LHR-TXL/BUD), and then backtracking another 4 or 5 hours....Oh the joys of it all.

View attachment 1071View attachment 1072

 

[anat0l]

Don't mean to blow my own trumpet, but l picked up QF WP for about $1600 and 30k points (with the double promo of course and a QF ASA (SYD-MEL-HBA vv run)).

Some of us aren't blessed with the double SC bonus nor cashed up with points to the ying-yang.

I said PS was ballpark $1000 - perhaps only requal and not first time qualification - ballpark meaning think MCG size not Subiaco Oval. In saying that, 300 SC in $1000 gives a required rate of $3.33/SC. There are ways to achieve this, although granted they are not "natural" nor simple.

Anyway...topic digression....

Back to the thread, something like QF from Australia to Asia, then a direct Air Berlin (or any OW airline for that matter) flight to Germany/Hungary would be fantastic. Nothing like flying "over" your final destination (ie, SYD-SIN-LHR-TXL/BUD), and then backtracking another 4 or 5 hours....Oh the joys of it all.

That's true, unless you're trying to fly in F, in which case to get the most out of the long hop, there's no choice but to fly via LHR. (Or, you could fly CX or JL.....)

 

[serfty]

OT:

Note that WP is very useful when flying QF (or even AA*), especially longhaul.

A simple economy trans-Tasman return on QF nets over 6000 QFF points, trans Pacific around 30,000.

*AA treat Emerald very similarly to EXP (aside from upgrades)