Qatar Airways Privilege Club has once again extended the tier level expiration of their members (including those who participated in their rare status match campaign that was available in May of 2020) through December 31, 2023.

Members can check their status on the Qatar Airways website, retrieve an electronic membership card with the new expiration date, or request a physical card.

Keep in mind that the QCredits in the account after the status match or obtained by the member regularly might have already expired (or do so in the future) and do not align with the tier status in terms of validity.

I just checked the account of a friend who I matched to Qatar from her KrisFlyer account in 2020, and the extension is now processed for her as well:

Mind you, Qatar Airways (obviously) extended all other members whose status was expiring in previous rounds as well. This policy didn’t just concern those who have matched in the past.

Here is an email sent to members in early 2022:

Then in December of 2022, Qatar Airways sent an update to Privilege Club customers and offered elite members three months status extension through March 31, 2023, as a “Christmas present”.

Qatar Airways Extends Member Tiers Through March 31, 2023 + Hints About Program Change

There were no emails from Qatar Airways Privilege Club about this most recent renewal, which strikes me as rather strange as it’s really very easy to send something positive to the member this way.

The status is simply visible with the new expiration dates in member profiles, either online on the website or through the application.

Note that this status extension doesn’t affect the Privilege Club qualification period.

Conclusion

Qatar Airways Privilege Club has once again extended the status of their tier members and even included those match candidates they accepted back in 2020. Members have now received their matched tier until the end of the 2023 calendar year.

The Qcredits associated with the account will typically NOT carry forward all the way into December and instead expire at the assigned date. You should use these credits somehow until then.

I’m a bit surprised that Qatar Privilege Club has once again decided to extend status memberships while most other programs have returned to regular qualification.

FLYING Media Group (FMG), the owner of FLYING Magazine, has acquired Plane & Pilot from Madavor, a subsidiary of The Bebop Channel Corporation. Plane & Pilot is a monthly magazine and online media site that has served pilot flown aircraft for more than 50 years. 

FLYING and Plane & Pilot have been the top two independent aviation magazines for decades. While the brands have been viewed as competitive at times, the focus of the two magazines has also differed. 

FLYING is an aspirational brand, featuring the latest and greatest in general aviation, spanning the most advanced light sport models to the fastest business jets. Plane & Pilot, on the other hand, has had deeper coverage of the piston community and the world of recreational and private pilots.  

Craig Fuller, the CEO of FMG, said, “The piston market, once thought to be dying out, is now making a robust comeback with new aircraft models, avionics, gear, and many new pilots. Plane & Pilot has developed an incredibly strong following over the past 50 years among pilots that fly piston aircraft and experience their love of aviation through the cockpit. We plan to build on this and dive deeper into the specialized segments of the piston market with expanded investment in Plane & Pilot.”

Plane & Pilot will continue as a monthly print magazine and will be available via subscription and on the newsstand. Current subscribers to Plane & Pilot will receive their magazine and membership benefits, without interruption. 

“Our goal is to keep Plane & Pilot focused on its roots, while expanding the depth and quantity of content that serves the piston community,” Fuller explained. “Therefore, FLYING and Plane & Pilot will continue as separate brands, with differentiated coverage and editorial teams. While there is an overlap in their audiences, our data shows it is quite small. Plane & Pilot goes far deeper into the piston and recreational aviation market than FLYING does. FMG plans to keep Plane & Pilot’s focus on pistons and recreational flying, while FLYING magazine will remain an aspirational brand, covering all aspects of general aviation.”

Fuller added that FMG plans to expand the Plane & Pilot print and digital platforms with deeper coverage of the piston market. FMG is also exploring ways to offer bundled subscriptions for Plane & Pilot and FLYING. “Our hope—especially among the piston community—is that subscribers will see the value in subscribing to both FLYING and Plane & Pilot.”

This is the second acquisition announced by FMG in a week. On March 27, FMG announced the acquisition of ByDanJohnson, the leading source of news and content serving the light sport aircraft (LSA) category. 

The LSA market is poised to see an explosion in investment, innovation, and new products over the next decade, as the FAA overhauls its regulatory standards for light aircraft  through its Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certificates, or MOSAIC. 

ByDanJohson will be rebranded as Affordable Aviation, with LSA content featured throughout FMG’s brands, including FLYING, Plane & Pilot, and FLYING’s new classified aircraft listing brand and marketplace, Aircraft for Sale. 

This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we encourage you to get vaccinated for safer and more convenient travel.

A good sale to Santiago De Los Caballeros

The $491 is the Regular Economy fare with advance seat assignment and normal size carry-on

United also have a $401 fare but that is a Basic Economy fare. United Basic Economy fares do not allow for any advance seat assignment. Rather, your seat assignment will be randomly assigned during check-in. In addition, normal size carry-on that does not fit under the seat is charge a $35 fee each way + applicable gate check fees (but free if you have an United co-branded credit card or if you have United elite status).

Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic – Photo: Keirn via Flickr, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)

Sample Travel Date:

• This is just ONE SAMPLE travel date, for more availability, please follow the “Fare Availability” and “How to Search for Availability” instructions below

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel  from late April – early May or late October or early December or late January 2024.  Availability is limited. Must purchase at least 7 days in advance of departure

• Please note that while this fare is valid at time of posting, if this post is more than two days old, the fare is likely gone.

How to Search for Availability:

• This is just to search for availability. To buy your tickets, scroll down to “How to Buy” section of this post

• Use Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software and use the following search criteria:
  • Origin: SFO
  • Origin Advanced Routing Code:
    • Routing Codes: ua ua
    • Extension Codes: maxconnect 300
      • This is instructing Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software to search for the Basic Economy fare. Use those dates on United and you will be presented with the option to upgrade to the regular economy fare.
  • Destination:  STI
  • Return Advanced Routing Code:
    • Textbox 1: ua ua
    • Textbox 2: maxconnect 300
    • (Click on Advanced Routing Codes link to enable advanced routing code input)
    • Select “See calendar of lowest fares”
    • Length of stay “3-10” (This is just a sample, you can use any 7 day date range like 3-10, 7-14 etc)
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

• The Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software search page should be like below when all values are inputted

• You cannot buy tickets using Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software. To buy, follow our instructions in the “How to Buy” section below.

Fare Class:

• N (Basic Economy)
• K (Regular Economy)

Elite Qualifying Dollars:

Routing:

• SFO – EWR (Newark) – STI (Santiago De Los Caballeros) – EWR – SFO

Stopover:

Mileage:

• Miles Flown: 8,086 miles or 5.0 cents per mile (Basic Economy) / 6.0 cents per mile (Regular Economy)
• Redeemable Miles: 1,570 miles

How to Buy:

• Book on United with dates found on Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software.

Accommodations

• TripAdvisor – One of the leading hotel meta-search engines. Find the lowest hotel prices from 200+ sites.

Car Rentals

• Rental Cars – One of the world’s leading car rental agencies. Includes all the major brands like Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise etc.

Activities and Tours

• Viator – The world’s largest marketplace for destination activities and tours

Background Information:

• Visa: US Citizens – not required. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Dominican Peso (DOP) – $1USD = 54.79 DOP

Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:

For more of the latest cheap San Francisco / Bay Area Flight Deals:

* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Orbitz, accommodation, car rental, activities, or travel insurance affiliate links to make a booking or apply and is approved for a credit card using our link above. Thank you for your continuing support.

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The Flight Deal does not sell travel products or services. We provide you with information about third-party travel suppliers’ offers, and link you to their sites. The information posted by The Flight Deal is valid at the time of publication. However, we have no control over the suppliers, and we therefore do not warrant or guarantee that their offers will not change or become unavailable. Nor are we responsible for their products, services or site content. Please see their sites for their most up-to-date offer information and all applicable terms and conditions.

This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we encourage you to get vaccinated for safer and more convenient travel.

A good sale to Poland. Pricing will vary slightly depending on routing.

Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software will price this $546 (Basic Economy). Use those dates on Lufthansa will reprice to about $528 (Basic Economy) / $698 (Regular Economy)

United and its partners Air Canada, Austrian, Lufthansa and Swiss Air’s $698 fare is a regular economy fare with ONE check luggage and normal size carry-on included

United and its partners Air Canada, Austrian, Lufthansa and Swiss Air also have a $528 fare, but it is a Basic Economy / Economy Light fare. These Basic Economy / Economy Light fares:

• DO NOT allow for advance seat assignment
• DO NOT include checked bags – they are $75 each way for the 1st bag and $100 each way for 2nd
• DO NOT allow for changes
• DO NOT allow for cancellations – so if you cancel after the 24 hour risk free period, the Basic Economy version will have no value for future purchase
• Most online travel agencies are not properly displaying these fares with United / Air Canada / Austrian / Lufthansa / Swiss Air as BASIC ECONOMY

Warsaw, Poland – Photo: Enrico Strocchi via Flickr, used under Creative Commons License (By 2.0)

Sample Travel Date:

• November 28th – December 5th

• This is just ONE SAMPLE travel date, for more availability, please follow the “Fare Availability” and “How to Search for Availability” instructions below

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel from  late November – early December for Sunday through Wednesday departures and Tuesday through Friday returns. A Sunday stay is required. Availability is limited. Must purchase at least 7 days in advance of departure

• Please note that while this fare is valid at time of posting, if this post is more than two days old, the fare is likely gone.

How to Search for Availability:

• This is just to search for availability. To buy your tickets, scroll down to “How to Buy” section of this post

• Use Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software and use the following search criteria:
  • Origin: LAX
  • Origin Advanced Routing Code:
    • Routing Codes: LH LH
    • Extension Codes: maxconnect 300
      • This is instructing Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software to search for the Basic Economy fare. Use those dates on Lufthansa and you will be presented with the option to upgrade to the regular economy fare.
  • Destination:  WAW
  • Return Advanced Routing Code:
    • Routing Codes: LH LH
    • Extension Codes: maxconnect 300
  • (Click on Advanced Codes link to enable advanced routing code input)
  • Select “See calendar of lowest fares”
  • Duration “3-10” (This is just a sample, you can use any 7 day date range like 3-10, 7-14 etc)
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

• The Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software search page should be like below when all values are inputted

• You cannot buy tickets using Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software. To buy, follow our instructions in the “How to Buy” section below.

Fare Class:

Routing:

• LAX – MUC (Munich)  – WAW (Warsaw) – MUC – LAX

Stopover:

Mileage:

Lufthansa is a member of the Star Alliance and United partner. Mileage earning with United is as follows:

• Miles Flown: 12,908 miles or 4.1 cents per mile (Basic Economy) / 5.4 cents per mile (Regular Economy)
• Redeemable Miles: 3,227 miles

How to Buy:

• Support us by using our Lufthansa link to book with dates found on Matrix Airfare Search by ITA Software.
  • Lufthansa labels Basic Economy as “Economy Light” = no check luggage
  • Lufthansa labels Regular Economy as “Economy Basic” = ONE check bag included

Accommodations

• TripAdvisor – One of the leading hotel meta-search engines. Find the lowest hotel prices from 200+ sites.

Car Rentals

• Rental Cars – One of the world’s leading car rental agencies. Includes all the major brands like Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise etc.

Activities and Tours

• Viator – The world’s largest marketplace for destination activities and tours

Background Information:

• Visa: US Citizens – not required. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Polish Zloty (PLN). $1USD = 4.30 PLN

Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:

For more of the latest cheap Los Angeles Flight Deals:

* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Lufthansa, accommodation, car rental, activities, or travel insurance affiliate links to make a booking or apply and is approved for a credit card using our link above. Thank you for your continuing support.

=====

To make sure you receive our latest deals, LIKE our The Flight Deal Facebook Page, follow us on Twitter @TheFlightDeal, or subscribe to The Flight Deal RSS Feed or Subscribe via Email (Once a Day)

The Flight Deal does not sell travel products or services. We provide you with information about third-party travel suppliers’ offers, and link you to their sites. The information posted by The Flight Deal is valid at the time of publication. However, we have no control over the suppliers, and we therefore do not warrant or guarantee that their offers will not change or become unavailable. Nor are we responsible for their products, services or site content. Please see their sites for their most up-to-date offer information and all applicable terms and conditions.

DALLAS — The Italian Government hopes for mid-April approval of a final deal for the sale of a minority stake in ITA Airways (AZ), as negotiations with the Lufthansa (LH) Group progress.

Lufthansa Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Carsten Spohr met in Rome with Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and AZ Chairman Antonino Turicchi, and the talks were “positive” according to a statement from the Treasury.

According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della sera, a deal could be signed between next April 19 and 21. Moreover, LH approved AZ’s new industrial plan. This is an important step towards the final deal, as the business plan, which is kept secret by the companies, explains the strategy of AZ in terms of fleet, networks, and other details.

As announced in earlier negotiations, the deal would allow LH Group to buy a 40% stake in the new Italian airline, increasing to a majority share in the coming years. In December, the value of this minority stake was estimated between €200m and €250m. However, after the company revealed losses in its 2022 financial results, LH may want to negotiate a little more to reduce the price.

However, even if the deal is signed before the end of April, it would not be efficient before the summer. Indeed it will still need to be approved by various regulators, including the European Commission.

ITA Airways

If this deal is signed, this would mark the end of long struggles from the Italian government to sell its new national flag carrier. Indeed, the new airline was created in 2021 just as the former flag carrier, Alitalia, ceased operations due to its bankruptcy.

The new airline took off in 2022, serving again major long-haul destinations in America and Asia while improving its European medium-haul network. The airline also decided to accelerate the renewal of its fleet, with a major aircraft order for modern Airbus A320neos, A220s, A330neos, and A350s.

The new Italian flag carrier is now trying to improve its efficiency and its financial results, despite posting losses for the last quarter of 2022.

Since the beginning of 2022, the Italian government has been trying to sell the airline to other companies. After the end of the bidding period, the government had the choice between the offer of a consortium from shipping company MSC and LH Group, against the joint offer of private investment firm Certares, Air France KLM, and Delta Air Lines (DL).

While the first offer was considered as a favorite, the second one was chosen to enter exclusive negotiations. However, these negotiations failed, as no deal was found before the end of the exclusivity period.

MSC then dropped interest in AZ, letting LH compete alone against the other bid. However, it was announced in November that LH was again the front-runner for the sale, and the German airline group proposed a deal at the beginning of the year. Negotiations with LH have been ongoing since then, but the news today confirms that AZ will most likely join the airline group.

Featured image: ITA Airways’ new A350 EI-IFE in New York JFK. Photo: Francesco Cecchetti/Airways

DALLAS — Boeing announced that it had received a new order from EVA Air (BR), the second-largest airline in Taiwan.

The Taiwanese carrier will receive an additional five units of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, deliveries of which are expected between 2025 and 2027.

The total number of Dreamliners BR will be flying soon will rise to up to 26 units; 13 Boeing 787-9s and 13 Boeing 787-10 variants. However, at the moment of writing only 10 units of the family have been delivered to the airline.

Clay Sun, President of EVA Air, stated, “Our 787 fleet has become the foundation of our carbon-neutral growth strategy and we will continue to leverage this airplane’s unrivaled efficiency and performance for many years to come. This new order supports our ongoing commitment to operate a more sustainable fleet that will enable us to reduce carbon emissions while providing our passengers with world-class service.”

According to Sun, their upcoming new Dreamliners will be put into service on long-haul routes to Europe and North America from its hub in Taipei (TPE). Additionally, it is now official that BR will end up including its popular Premium Economy Class Cabin on the Boeing 787-9 variants, while its longer brother will continue operating in a two-class configuration on flights within Asia and to Oceania.

Interestingly, the Taiwanese carrier is a pioneer in the Premium Economy Class concept, as it was the first airline worldwide to announce and introduce this idea in 1991 with the name “Elite Class.”

Today, this option is still only available on their largest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, but not for long.

About EVA Air

EVA Air is one of the most famous and well-awarded Asian airlines. Based at the Taipei-Taoyuan Airport (TPE), it is the second largest airline in the partially recognized country of Taiwan, following very closely its major rival in the country; China Airlines (CI).

Along with its regional subsidiary UNI Air (B7), this airline operates an extensive network of 57 short-medium-haul and 15 intercontinental routes in total. Additionally, the entity also flies separate cargo services under the brand “EVA Air Cargo”, reaching a total of 20 destinations.

The fleet of EVA Air consists of 20 Airbus A321s in terms of narrow-body aircraft, while its long-haul fleet is composed of 12 Airbus A330s, 10 Boeing 787, and 42 Boeing 777 Family jets. On the other hand, for the shortest flights, UNI Air operates a fleet of 14 ATR 72 propeller aircraft.

In 2014, EVA Air joined the Star Alliance group, which enabled the company to reach for a much larger and quicker expansion worldwide, with the help of neighboring airlines such as All Nippon Airways (NH), Thai Airways (TG), or Singapore Airlines (SQ).

EVA Air Dreamliner. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways