With the new status programme, you’ll earn Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points instead of status and HON Circle miles on your flights. Only two criteria will be used to determine the number of Points earned: the travel class and whether it is a continental or intercontinental flight. This will make the earning system for achieving status simpler and more transparent, so you can always see at a glance how many Points, Qualifying Points or HON Circle Points you’ll earn towards status for a flight.
You can earn Points with these airlines
Points will be credited to you for flights operated by the Lufthansa Group, co-issuing Miles & More airline partners and Star Alliance airlines.
Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points can be earned on flights operated by the Lufthansa Group and co-issuing Miles & More airline partners. HON Circle Points will only be awarded for Business and First Class flights.
Airlines at a glance
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Points |
Qualifying Points |
HON Circle Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Dolomiti |  |
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| Austrian Airlines |
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| Brussels Airlines |
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| Croatia Airlines |
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| Discover Airlines | |
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| Eurowings | |
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| LOT Polish Airlines | |
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| Lufthansa | |
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| Lufthansa City | |
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| Luxair | |
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| SWISS | |
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| Star Alliance airlines | |
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Number of Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points
Only two criteria will be used to determine the number of Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points earned: the travel class and whether it is a continental or intercontinental flight.
All members will receive the same number of Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points. This means that the Executive Bonus will no longer feature in the new earning system – although it will continue to count towards award miles.
Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points per flight segment
| Economy Class | Premium Economy Class | Business Class 1 | First Class 1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental flights | 20 | 20 | 40 | 40 |
| Intercontinental flights | 60 | 80 | 200 | 300 |
HON Circle Points will only be awarded for Business and First Class flights.
Please note that Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia count as part of Continental Europe.
You can find out more about country classification under “Frequently asked questions”.
Three examples for awarding Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points
Example 1:
Flight from Zurich (ZRH) to Bangkok (BKK) in Business Class with SWISS
You earn 200 Points, 200 Qualifying Points and 200 HON Circle Points.
Example 2:
Flight from Frankfurt (FRA) to Bangkok (BKK) in Economy Class with Thai Airways
You earn 60 Points, but no Qualifying Points or HON Circle Points.
Example 3:
Flight from Zurich (ZRH) to Munich (MUC) in Business Class with SWISS and onward flight from Munich (MUC) to Bangkok (BKK) in Business Class with Lufthansa
You earn 240 Points, 240 Qualifying Points and 240 HON Circle Points.
Frequently asked questions
When did the changes come into effect?
The changes apply to all flights on or after 1.1.2024, regardless of when you book.
What counts as a continental or intercontinental flight?
A continental flight is a flight segment for which the departure and arrival airports are on the same continent. For example, if you fly with Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Barcelona, both the departure and arrival airports are within Europe, and the flight therefore counts as a continental flight. Domestic flights, such as flights within Germany, Austria or Switzerland, also count as continental flights.
Please note that Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia count as part of the eurozone, which means flights from Germany to Tunisia, for example, count as continental flights.
An intercontinental flight is a flight segment for which the departure and arrival airports are on different continents. For example, if you fly with SWISS from Zurich to New York, the departure and arrival airports are on different continents (Europe and North America). The flight segment therefore counts as an intercontinental flight.
| Zone | Region/country |
|---|---|
| Europe | Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Kosovo, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Montenegro, Republic of Serbia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City, Western Sahara |
| North and Central America | Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saba, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Martin, St Pierre and Miquelon, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Eustatius, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, USA, U.S. Virgin Islands |
| South America | Antarctica, Argentina, Bolivia, Bouvet Island, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela |
| Africa | Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini (Swaziland), Ethiopia, French Southern and Antarctic Territories, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Réunion, Rwanda, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Middle East and Asia | Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, British Indian Ocean Territory, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sultanate of Oman, Syria, Taiwan (Republic of China), Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam |
| Australia | American Samoa, Australia, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, US Minor Outlying Islands, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna Islands |
Where can I find my travel class?
Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa and SWISS offer various travel classes: Business Class, Economy Class, and where available, also First Class and Premium Economy Class. You can find your travel class on your passenger receipt or your boarding pass. Some of our airline partners may have different travel classes.
Executive Bonus: Will I earn more Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points as a status customer?
The same number of Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points will be credited for each flight segment, regardless of status.
Frequent Travellers, Senators and HON Circle Members will continue to earn at least 25% more award miles with certain airlines.
Can I earn Points on Austrian AIRail, Lufthansa Express Rail or the SWISS Airtrain service?
Yes, you can earn Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points on journeys with Austrian AIRail, Lufthansa Express Rail or the SWISS Airtrain service in the same way as you would on flights operated by Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa or SWISS.
A maximum number of Qualifying Points or HON Circle Points is defined for achieving each status on these journeys.
The maximum thresholds are: 160 Qualifying Points for Frequent Traveller status, 500 Qualifying Points for Senator status and 1,000 HON Circle Points for HON Circle Member status.
Can I earn Points on journeys with the Lufthansa Express Bus?
Unfortunately, you will not be able to earn Points, Qualifying Points or HON Circle Points on journeys with the Lufthansa Express Bus.
How will Edelweiss flights be handled?
Points, Qualifying Points and HON Circle Points can be earned on LX code-share flights operated by Edelweiss (flight numbers LX8000–8499), provided these flights are booked directly with SWISS under the LX flight number.
How will a retroactive credit be counted?
A retroactive credit will always be applied to the calendar year in which the flight took place. For retroactive credits applied in 2024 for flights taken in the 2023 calendar year, the credit will be in status miles or HON Circle miles. These flights will count retroactively towards achieving or renewing status in 2023.