Since the announcements that the Lufthansa Group will be taking over ITA Airways, many status holders of the Volare program have been hoping for a way to easily gain Miles&More status. Now, until June 10, the long-awaited status match is available – but only for regularly qualified status holders. Anyone who obtained their ITA status through a status match is excluded.
The relatively young frequent flyer program had previously been attractive to many people in Europe due to repeated status matches and the associated SkyTeam benefits. However, ITA will join the Star Alliance at the beginning of next year, and the Volare program will likely not be extended beyond December 31, 2025. To convince members to switch to Miles&More, the program is now offering a status match specifically for them.
It’s quite possible that other airlines will also offer a match for Volare status customers. However, that remains to be seen in the coming months.
Status Match Conditions
The following statuses will be matched:
- ITA Volare Premium ⇒ Frequent Traveller
- With 30,000 to 59,999 points as of January 31, 2025
- ITA Volare Executive ⇒ Senator
- With more than 60,000 points as of January 31, 2025
Eligible members will be informed of the match in their Volare status overview and can apply for it there. Unfortunately, the status duration for the match is only until February 2026, meaning that to retain it beyond that, you’ll need to requalify in the remaining 8 months with 2,000 Points and 1,000 Qualifying Points (for Senator status).
Naturally, you’ll also retain the benefits of your Volare status until January 2026. With ITA leaving SkyTeam on May 1, the Volare status will no longer offer any additional value compared to the Senator status. The remaining differences in benefits (such as lounge access upon arrival) between Volare and Miles&More statuses (on Lufthansa Group and ITA flights) will gradually be aligned over the course of the year.
Is the Status Match Worth It?
According to Miles&More, a second status match will be offered in the fourth quarter of 2025. This will also be available to members who have already taken advantage of the first match. Exact conditions have not yet been announced, so further details are still speculative. However, the status duration is expected to extend beyond February 2026.
Thus, ITA Volare status holders have the choice in 2025 to requalify their status either with Miles&More or with ITA Volare. Since Volare still uses distance-based qualification, requalifying there may be easier for most people, especially if you stick to Lufthansa Group, fully integrated partner airlines, and ITA flights. Based on the current information, there’s no downside to doing the status match now and then doing another one in the fall/winter.
Cover Picture: © Lufthansa Group
Comments (2)
status match meabs that M&M will not take into account the status history of each members. This is a major change compared to previous FF program merges intobM&M they have done in the past. M&M is becoming the most strict program in Europe and let me wonder if the move from ITA to M&M should be questioned preferring to move immediately to other star alliance programs…
Who has more than 60.000 points with Volare …. ?? I doubt that even regular flyers would have put their miles to Volare …