The latest iteration of Italy’s national airline – ITA Airways – has been operating since the fall of 2021. Last year, ITA Volare offered a simple and easy status match; and the offer is back again. This time, the window for requesting a status match will run until May 15, 2022.
If you participated in the original status match opportunity, you are not eligible for this one…
How does the status match work?
First of all, you need to become a member of ITA Volare – register here. Once you are registered, you need to look for the Status Match request form in your personal area and upload your:
- Identification
- Frequent flyer membership card (digital or physical)
If your status match is approved, your status will be updated by May 15, 2022, and will then be valid for 12 months.
Which frequent flyer programs are being matched?
This is the list of frequent flyer programs that ITA Volare is matching:
- Aeroflot – Aeroflot Bonus
- Aerolíneas Argentinas – Aerolíneas Plus
- Air Europa – Suma
- Alitalia – Millemiglia
- Air France/KLM – Flying Blue
- American Airlines – AAdvantage
- ANA – Mileage Club
- British Airways – Executive Club
- Czech Airlines – OK Plus
- Delta Airlines – SkyMiles
- Emirates – Skywards
- Iberia – Iberia Plus
- Korean Air – SKYPASS
- Lufthansa – Miles & More
- Middle East Airlines – Cedar Miles
- Qatar Airlines – Privilege Club
- Royal Jordanian – Royal Club
- Saudia – Alfursan
- Singapore Airlines – KrisFlyer
- Swiss – Miles & More
- TAP Air Portugal – Miles & Go
- TAROM – Sky Team
- Turkish Airlines – Miles & Smiles
- United Airlines – MileagePlus
If you have elite status with more than one of the above, it’s obviously in your best interests to choose your highest level of competing status…
Should I even bother?
Skyteam benefits
According to this Flyertalk thread, many SkyTeam alliance partners and lounges don’t seem to have received the memo regarding ITA Volare having joined Skyteam.
So, assuming that you aren’t actually planning to fly on ITA Volare any time soon, then you shouldn’t really expect many elite benefits. Hopefully these glitches will be fixed during your year of elite status…
Merry-go-round
With the rumors of airlines such as Lufthansa taking a large stake in ITA Airways, you could certainly take a gamble that your ITA Airways elite status ends up transferred over to a more attractive frequent flyer program (such as Miles & More).
Alternatively, you never know if your ITA Volare elite status might be useful in 2022 / early 2023 for requesting a status match with another airline. Some poorly-designed matches don’t even care whether you’ve actually flown with the competing airline…
Bottom line
If you have elite status that is due to expire, now is the perfect time to request a status match with ITA Volare. Who knows whether you will be able to use that new status as the basis for another status match.
If you are happy with your Oneworld and/or Star Alliance elite status – and have no plans to fly on ITA Airways – then it might be best to wait and see whether yet another version of this status match promotion comes along in late 2022 or early 2023.
