Miles&More: Status Match for ITA Volare Frequent Flyers

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 gain Miles&More status easily. Now, the long-awaited status match is available.

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, and the status will be valid until February 2027.

Status Match Conditions

The following statuses will be matched:

• Volare Club Plus → Miles&More Frequent Traveller
• Volare Club Premium → Miles&More Senator
• Volare Club Executive → Miles&More Senator

The conditions are similar to those of previous promotions. Among other things, the following aspects apply:

• It’s unclear how long the status match will be available
• After the match, the granted status is valid until February 2027. Whether a soft landing to FTL will follow is unknown
• Miles&More accounts that already received a status match in the past are excluded
• A decision on the match is made within 3 days. The update can take up to 10 business days
• No eVouchers are granted with the status match, and overdrawing the Miles&More account is not allowed

How it works

The application process is very simple. If you don’t yet have a Miles&More account, you’ll need to create one first. Note: signing up for the newsletter gives you 500 free miles.

After that, you need to fill out the form on the StatusMatch.com website:

In the second step, you’ll be asked to provide your ITA Volare frequent flyer number and status. Then, as proof, you must upload a screenshot of the ITA site or a photo of your ITA frequent flyer card.

The status adjustment will then be conditionally confirmed:

The actual verification takes three days, and the update takes up to 10 business days. All your benefits will then remain valid until February 2027.

Status Benefits

The most attractive option is, of course, the Senator status. But even Frequent Traveller offers notable advantages, especially access to Lufthansa Group lounges. Here’s an overview of the main benefits:

Frequent Traveller

To normally qualify as a Frequent Traveller (FTL), you need 650 points, of which 325 must be qualifying points. That could be, for example, three one-way business class flights across the Atlantic (with at least two feeder flights within Europe) or 33 short-haul economy flights.

Benefits include:

• Award miles never expire
• Executive Bonus: 25% of the distance or 50% (revenue-based) bonus on award miles with selected airlines
  (equivalent to approx. 8% to 100% more miles, depending on booking class and airline)

For Star Alliance flights (Star Alliance Silver):

• Access to Lufthansa Group business lounges (without a guest)
• Higher waitlist priority

For flights with Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Discover, Brussels:

• Business-class check-in
• 1 extra piece of baggage (not in Light fares)
• Access to Frankfurt Welcome Lounge (after long-haul flight)

For Eurowings flights:

• Access to Lufthansa Business Lounge (from Smart fare)
• Priority check-in

For United Airlines flights:

• 23 kg free baggage (unclear if also in Basic Economy)
• Group 2 boarding

For LOT flights:

• 1×23 kg baggage (instead of none) in Economy Light
• 2×23 kg (instead of 1×23 kg) in Economy Standard

For Luxair & Croatia Airlines flights:

• 1 extra piece of baggage (except in Economy Light)

---

Senator

To normally qualify for Senator status, you need 2,000 points, of which 1,000 must be qualifying points. That equals, for example, 5 long-haul business-class round-trips.

Key benefits:

• Award miles never expire
• Executive Bonus: 25% of the distance or 50% (revenue-based) bonus on award miles with selected airlines
• Dedicated hotline
• Companion Award: 50% mileage discount for an award flight for one companion

For all Star Alliance flights (Star Alliance Gold):

• Access to Star Alliance business class lounges (with 1 guest)
• Additional baggage allowance
  (some exceptions in Light fares, e.g. Lufthansa, Swiss, Air New Zealand, etc.)
• Business/First-class check-in
• Priority boarding
• Fast track security (where available)
• Higher waitlist priority

For Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian, Discover, Brussels flights:

• 1×23 kg baggage (instead of none) in Economy Light on long-haul (sometimes disputed – keep the website ready as proof at the check-in counter)
• Arrival lounge access (with Lufthansa, Austrian, or Swiss)
• Free seat reservation
  (except Economy Light on European flights)
  including free choice of extra-legroom seats

For Eurowings flights:

• Priority check-in & boarding
• Lounge access with 1 guest (from Smart fare)
• Fast track security (where available)
• Large cabin bag (up to 8 kg) is free in Basic fare

For LOT flights:

• Extra baggage in all travel classes (same as Star Alliance Gold)
• Free seat reservation

For Luxair flights:

• 1 extra piece of baggage (except Economy Light)

Two standard benefits are not included with the status match: you get no eVouchers, and you cannot use the “Miles advance” option. Normally, the latter allows overdrawing your miles account by up to 50,000 miles.

Cover Picture: © Lufthansa Group