Back in July, I wrote about Malaysia Airlines’ newly launched status match offer. Since it was initially limited to members of just two rather obscure airlines, it didn’t attract much attention. I have just noticed that the offer has been updated and is now open to a much wider audience, so here comes another update.
The application page is here, and the rules are as follows:
- Members of six airlines are eligible
- You must not be a Malaysian citizen
- Depending on your existing status, you can match to Malaysia Airlines Silver, Gold or Platinum
- The fees are $89 / $199 / $349 respectively
- Once approved, the matched status is valid for 12 months
The six eligible airlines are:
- Air India
- Garuda Indonesia
- Korean Air
- Asiana Airlines
- Vietnam Airlines
- Lufthansa Miles & More
The matched status is valid for 12 months, and the terms explicitly state that there is no soft-landing policy.
The most relevant option for many readers is probably Lufthansa. Miles & More Senator members can match to Malaysia Airlines Gold, equivalent to oneworld Sapphire, while HON Circle members can match to Malaysia Airlines Platinum, equivalent to oneworld Emerald.
Interestingly, back in September, Lufthansa launched a status match promotion for Malaysia Airlines members to celebrate its new routes, so this looks suspiciously like Malaysia Airlines returning the favour. The only problem is that Lufthansa’s match is free!
oneworld Sapphire is a very useful status. When flying partners such as Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, British Airways and Qatar Airways, you can enjoy benefits including free seat selection, additional checked baggage, priority check-in, priority security and boarding, as well as access to business-class lounges with one guest.
Because oneworld is relatively small in terms of participating airlines, status-match opportunities are generally quite limited. Using Sapphire as the benchmark, there are two other airlines offering relatively long-running matches:
- Royal Jordanian: $149, but with residency restrictions
- Royal Air Maroc: $349
I have heard that maintaining Malaysia Airlines status through flying is relatively easy, so if you’re interested, it may be worth doing a bit of research on the qualification requirements.
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