Lufthansa, easyJet Offer Loyalty Perks for British Airways Defectors

Following the recent revamp of the British Airways Executive Club elite status program the carrier’s competitors are working to capture customers. easyJet and Lufthansa launched status match programs this week, bringing a discounted offer of travel benefits to those willing to change their travel provider. And to pay a bit of money for the privilege.

No More Tiers

easyJet’s No More Tiers promo offers BAEC elites a 50% discount on a year of easyJet Plus membership. That program offers members a large cabin bag, Speedy Boarding, and premium seat selection on every flight. It also includes fast track security, a discount on inflight food and drink, and free access to an earlier return flight where available.

The company waited a bit to make the offer, while also observing a significant uptick in purchases last month compared to December. Hopefully this doesn’t create acrimony among those who switched quickly and paid full price.

---

---

The promotion is available through 12 March 2025, per the published T&Cs. This is different from the 31 March 2025 date given in the press release.

A second promotion, offering 15% off for anyone purchasing easyJet Plus, is available through the end of the month using the discount code PLUS15.

Miles+More Matching

Lufthansa is offering Miles + More status to BAEC elites through a paid status match offer (affiliate link). The offer also extends to members of the Iberia Plus program, which followed BA’s lead in adjusting its program.

---

---

The Lufthansa program excludes BAEC Bronze Members. It also excludes matching to the carrier’s top-tier HON Circle status.

The program costs 99€, with the status valid through February 2026. The company says it can take up to 10 days to verify credentials and grant the new status.

Should it be free?

Capturing a competitors top-tier travelers is a big win for any airline. Given the significant changes to the BA and Iberia programs, would it make more sense to remove the cost barrier to such a shift? That was how airlines used to approach the situation, and certainly attracts plenty of takers.

In recent years, however, more airlines are choosing a paid version, many of them (including the Lufthansa one here) powered by Loyalty Status Co.’s StatusMatch.com. Founded by industry veteran Mark Ross-Smith, StatusMatch posits that a customer who invests in the status, even a relatively small amount of money, will be more engaged once the new status is issued. After all, it is easier to justify breaking old habits once you’ve actually invested in the change.

The same argument works with co-brand credit cards and other subscription products airlines sell, all of which have seen significant growth over the past decade.

So maybe the match could have been a freebie, which is arguably better for consumers in search of wallet candy. But fewer would have shifted their bookings, making it less useful to the airlines and, arguably, the passengers who got the new status and didn’t bother to use it.