ITA Airways, the new Italian flag carrier that rose from the ashes of Alitalia, is offering a status match opportunity for frequent flyers from a variety of airline programs. While ITA Airways status doesn’t seem to be worth much, it may be something worth looking into even if you don’t have any plans to travel with the airline in the future.
As of today, and running through August 19th, members of the following frequent flyer programs can match over to ITA Airways Volare:
- Aegean Miles+Bonus
- Aer Lingus AerClub
- Air China Phoenix Miles
- American Airlines AAdvantage
- British Airways Executive Club
- Emirates Skywards
- Etihad Guest
- Finnair Plus
- Iberia Plus
- LATAM Pass
- Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- Oman Air Sindbad
- Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- TAP Air Portugal Miles & Go
- Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles
- WestJet Rewards
It’s worth noting that you aren’t eligible for a status match if you participated in a status match with the airline in the past. Also, with ITA Airways currently part of SkyTeam and expected to join Star Alliance after the merger with Lufthansa is complete, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many airlines from those alliances are excluded (though Star Alliance still has a few options).
Completing the ITA Airways Status Match
The status matching process was fairly simple and straightforward. First, make sure you are a member of ITA Airways’ Volare frequent flyer program. I wasn’t so I first registered for an account.
After filling out my information I received a confirmation email from the airline and was able to log in to my new account. Unlike other reports, I was immediately issued a frequent flyer number and digital membership card. Once on your account homepage, you should see the option to request a status match in the lower right-hand corner.
After clicking on the ‘Request status match’ icon, you’re taken to a page which asks for a few pieces of information. Specifically, it requests the name of the program you are matching from, your status level, a photo of your driver’s license or passport, and a photo of your membership card.
I requested a match from my British Airways Executive Club Gold status and, after entering my information, I received the following pop-up stating that my request had been submitted successfully. Now, I’m just sitting in front of my computer refreshing my email like a madman.
Assuming everything worked according to plan, this was one of the easiest match opportunities I can remember. If approved, the status should be valid through December 31st, 2025.
ITA Airways Status Match Benefits
ITA Airways has three published tiers for its Volare frequent flyer program. Each one comes with an increasing list of perks:
- Club Plus, the lowest level elite tier, offers additional luggage allowance, priority boarding and check-in, seat selection free of charge in the rear of the Economy cabin, dedicated customer service, and more.
- Club Premium, the middle tier, offers all of the benefits of Club Plus along with lounge access and fast track security.
- Executive Club, the airline’s top tier status, includes all of the Club Premium benefits along with a welcome kit, free checked gold equipment (???) and an additional Club Premium card for a friend or family member.
Though there are some good benefits listed above, the most exciting ones come from the alliance-wide benefits on partners. Currently, Club Premium and Executive Club members are granted SkyTeam Elite Plus status which provides SkyPriority access throughout the alliance. This includes lounge access, dedicated check-in areas, and additional baggage allowance.
With ITA Airways’ move to Star Alliance looming, that is where things really get exciting. ITA Airways is expected to adopt Lufthansa’s Miles and More frequent flyer program, likely granting top tier status members with Star Alliance Gold status.
Furthermore, if you have the ability to earl Miles and More Senator status through the match, Lufthansa and SWISS First Class award seats become available for booking. Though, for this to be of any real benefit, you better have a bunch of Miles and More points laying around. The program doesn’t have many transfer partners making the points hard to come by.
Summary
ITA Airways is offering a status match to elite members from 19 different frequent flyer programs. If approved, the matched status will be valid through the end of 2025. With Lufthansa’s purchase of ITA Airways looming, it is expected that the status will be carried over in some form to Star Alliance and Lufthansa’s Miles and More program.
Now I just have to sit around and wait to see if my match is approved.
I have Amex Apire card. With Hilton Diamond status. National car Emerald elite status. How can I match my status to Italian Air.
There isn’t a way to match with those statuses gained from a credit card. They are only matching the members with status in the programs mentioned in the article and, to my knowledge, Hilton Diamond and National Executive don’t match to any of those airlines.