NEWS FLASH
Air Serbia’s new Frequent Flyer Programme (FFP), entitled Elevate has surpassed 100.000 members some two and a half months following its launch. It has registered an average of 1.270 new members per day. Since the start of the programme, Elevate members have travelled to 71 destinations in 35 countries. After Belgrade, the most popular destinations included Zurich, Tivat, Paris and Ljubljana. The 30 - 49 and 18 - 29 age groups make up the largest section of members. In addition to Serbia, which accounts for more than 36.000 members, the largest number of registered users is from Germany, the United States, Italy and Switzerland. Since the launch of the programme, 32 members have automatically advanced to a higher tier based on the status points they have accumulated or the number of flights they have completed.
Air Serbia’s new Frequent Flyer Programme (FFP), entitled Elevate has surpassed 100.000 members some two and a half months following its launch. It has registered an average of 1.270 new members per day. Since the start of the programme, Elevate members have travelled to 71 destinations in 35 countries. After Belgrade, the most popular destinations included Zurich, Tivat, Paris and Ljubljana. The 30 - 49 and 18 - 29 age groups make up the largest section of members. In addition to Serbia, which accounts for more than 36.000 members, the largest number of registered users is from Germany, the United States, Italy and Switzerland. Since the launch of the programme, 32 members have automatically advanced to a higher tier based on the status points they have accumulated or the number of flights they have completed.
Air Serbia’s CEO, Jiri Marek, noted, “Interest among passengers in the Serbian national airline’s loyalty programme. From the launch of the Elevate programme, our goal has been to reward the loyalty of our passengers in a modern and simple way. The results so far show that we have laid a strong foundation, and in the coming period, we will continue to enhance the programme and introduce new benefits to make the travel experience with Air Serbia even better”. As previously outlined, the airline is set to introduce the possibility to redeem points for flights and ancillary services within the coming flights and launch a co-branded card with two banks.
I am eagerly waiting for credit cards. I want to switch my spending to this card to collect miles from daily spending and then be able to redeem it for flgihts or move up tiers to get lounge access.
ReplyDeleteHoping the cards themselves give additional perks as first bag free, similarly to what US carriers offer
You can just take any platinum card in bank and get worldwide lounge access.
DeleteNot to airline-operated lounges, only the crappy Priority Pass ones.
DeleteYou dont earn more by spending more like you do with airline cards. With regular Visa Platinum, Visa Infinite cards you get certain perks for an annual fee
Delete@10:59 although the less said about Belgrade lounge perhaps the better.
DeleteThe Unicredit Mastercard World Elite has the best price/unlimited lounge access, for 2000 dinars per month.
DeleteIn Raiffeisen there is Visa Platinum for 1400 dinars monthly and you get Visa Airport Companion with DragonPass, with unlimited number of entries per year. Many good lounges are available with that card.
DeleteFor example, I visited Austrian Business Lounge in Vienna with my Visa Platinum, and the lounge is literally perfect!
DeleteAll the credit card stuff leaves me cold. The relationship is highly symbiotic—credit card issuers profit massively from customer activity and behavior. Points have become a highly devalued, psychological trap designed to make you spend more money on things you do not need.
DeleteWell I pay monthly 1000 dinars more for Visa Platinum compared to Visa Gold, or some 10 euros yearly more. And in this year I visited lounges 7 times which I would have paid more than 200 euros to enter.
DeleteEDIT: some 100 euros yearly more
DeleteI want lounge access to the Air Serbia lounge!
DeleteIt actually downgrade from Etihad Guest. I was Gold at Etihad Guest and now i am Silver at Elevate. Its not a problem with a status name, as it is with benefits. With Etihad Gold I had an access to AirSerbia lounge +1 person, now I don’t. Also had an access to worldwide louges and now not. Major setbacks
ReplyDeleteThen get Elevate Gold, i don’t know what you expect, its good you even got silver.
DeleteIf they are doing status match, as they promised, he should get the same status on Elevate as he did on Ethiad Guest. Its not a gift its an earned right
DeleteHas the OP applied for a status match? Doesn't seem so.
DeleteOP knows well what they’re talking about. They said it’s not a name issue (in EY program the status names moving from the basic one are Silver, Gold and Platinum - with JU it’s Bronze, Silver and Gold). EY Gold equals JU Silver in terms that it is the second highest tier. The names do not really matter.
DeleteWhat OP is saying is that the perks associated with EY Gold were better than JU Silver and proceeds to offer details. You need the highest level with JU FFP to take a guest into BEG lounge or to access any lounge outside home base. This is a benefit usually offered from the second upgrade from basic level, which translates to JU Silver.
who cares about garbage airserbia stuff once you have etihad gold any other high value membership? Air Serbia will do better match once they start promotions for sure.
DeleteThe use of point without calling call center is much needed. Also, to use them even if they are not enough for the full price of the purchase
ReplyDeleteThey will introduce the first in October and the second is already in use. You can reduce the price by the amount of points you have, it does not have to be the full.price.
DeleteTheir site says: Is it possible to use points for a partial payment of the ticket price?
DeleteCurrently you can only pay with points for full ticket price, but taxes and fees are paid with money.
Interesting if they already changed this.
Would be nice if they credit points. Sent them couple email and they still didn't credit. Tried multiple times via retroactive claim and nothing.
ReplyDeletesame here, sent the email requesting credit of the points on July 29, followed up two times, still no response. I put my membership number in the app and reservation, but they were still not automatically credited. Etihad would credit within a few days.
DeleteSame situation here. Not so professional tbh
DeleteSame here. I am still editing for them to credit me 4 flights.
DeleteInteresting that there are more membera from.foreign countries than from Serbia.
ReplyDeleteThat would mostly be those of us from diaspora 😉
DeleteExactly.
Delete@11:00 considering that the average Serbian citizen still takes less than one flight per year aviation is actually weighted upon 'foreign' (eg. diaspora/tourism etc) passengers, transit travelers, and small (but fast growing) frequent-flying segment of the local population. This is clearly reflected in the uptake.
DeleteI am also having issues in crediting my points. Activity overview in the member's section doesn't really provide much detail and is hard to guess which flights have been credited and which haven't. Retro claim worked for some of my flights and didn't for other without any further explanation. Would be really good if they could add some transparency to the process, I am looking forward to see the announced updates.
ReplyDeleteYeah, having a similar issue. I had two flights in the period applicable for Retro claim, and even after 3 weeks points still aren't credited for neither. I'll try to resubmit claims again and see how it goes. I'd really like to avoid reaching out to the call center regarding such a minor thing.
Delete+1
DeleteI don't understand why they launched it if we can't get flights credited neither automatically nor manually.
Deletedata mining.
DeleteI get flights automatically credited after flying with them. Every time exactly a day after the flight and get an email notification about it.
Deleteretroactive points are not working, should i call them?
ReplyDeleteYou can try, but not expect too much. I am waiting for more than 2 months to credit previous flights. Still no responed
DeleteI was expecting it to be more alluring, and definitely more ready, after all these years. But let's give them some time...
ReplyDeleteTime itself won't resolve issue unless there is action, driven by self awareness or effective external criticism. Case of external criticism is helping change how another airline from the region treats business class passengers. I am a superfan of Air Serbia and Elevate FF, so if constructive criticism can help improve it, I am all for it.
DeleteAirlines having 'superfans' is rather a sweet concept. But yeah constructive criticism is what keeps businesses from stagnation.
DeleteIt is, and good for (Air) Serbia for striving to be part of it, and as an expected consequence, having more first world problems. Now it's just about resolving them they way they get resolved in the (rest) of the first world.
ReplyDeleteCan you credit flights fron the past (before the FFP was launched) and, if yes, how far back?
ReplyDeleteUp to 6 months, or 3 months before joining Elevate - as they say on the portal.
DeleteCan someone explain how much points cost? I have 818, how far can I fly? To Rakovica? When it worth trying to buy some tickets to Europe?
ReplyDeleteHow many Tier points do you have?
DeleteYou have 818 Serbian dinars or 6.5 euros.For that you can't buy even the seat
DeleteThe problem is that the award programme they are offering is just substandard. You usually get substantial benefits with the third level of status (of four).- that is the case with Etihad Guest, Lufthansa Miles & More, Turkish Miles & Smiles, etc. With Elevate, only fourth level makes sense and achieving fourth level is very rare and means you are living in a plane. After so many announcements and waiting time, this is just disappointing.
ReplyDeleteTo add, they shouldn’t even bother so much for this - they could just introduced every 10th ticket as free, like Jat did.
DeleteLiterally you realise very few people
DeleteActually give a F about FF.
I joined the Elevate program right at the very beginning. About a month ago, after Wizz Air canceled my flight, I bought an Air Serbia ticket instead. That flight was never credited to my account, and despite submitting retroactive claim requests multiple times, the miles are still nowhere to be seen. In the meantime, Wizz Air has already paid out the compensation, while Air Serbia can't even credit a single flight's miles. So much for the new program and their professionalism.
ReplyDeleteHow many trips a year do you take with JU?
DeleteReading all those comments from above it gives impression that for Air Serbia is only important to promote with these Elevate numbers. Nothing more
ReplyDeleteIndeed. For the average passenger its useless.
Delete12:13
DeleteMost of those comments are just one very persistent person.
Does anyone understand how the tier points are calculated? Clear with normal points, but nothing on tiers points anywhere…
ReplyDeleteQuestions about tier points remain without reasonable answers.
DeleteI’m going to have 3 flight with JU soon, however I won’t open an account and won’t credit the miles. They will expire in 1 year, that’s ridiculous, the miles shouldn’t expire that soon. And I wish there was a family pooling
ReplyDelete