Flying, the ultimate guide to accumulating and spending ITA Airways' loyalty program points
How to book an award ticket using fly points and how to accumulate as many points as possible
ITA Airways
SkyTeam
To fly yes or to fly no? That is the dilemma. Those who read TFC often will know very well how much I care about the fate of the Italian airline, and how I have been rooting for the blue planes from the beginning. On one thing, however, I have always been very critical, and that is the Volare program.
In this article:
Sure ITA Airways like all start-ups had to choose carefully what to focus on and what to take its time on. The loyalty program was definitely not one of the first items on the to-do list.
ITA Airways' Flying Program
Born from scratch together with ITA Airways to date it has over 1.2 million members. The Italian airline's frequent flyer program has 4 levels
- Smart
- Plus
- Premium
- Executive
The best bonuses
Actually, there would also be Executive forever, but to date the website does not specify how to obtain it. In fact, former Winged Arrow Forever members were sent the metal card, although In the various status match campaigns done by ITA there had never been any mention of this possibility.
What I like about the program Volare
In my articles I have never hidden the fact that Volare is the most generous program in the world in terms of points. I am talking about the base point multiplier linked to status held, and the bonus multipliers that are triggered by route, cabin and fare. A bonus that can also double the accumulated base points. Other companies that have the same bonus mode do not have similar double bonuses.
In addition to this, it must be said that in recent months Volare has also launched several promotions that have made it possible to Accumulate many points, qualifying and non-qualifying, to all members. For example, at the beginning of the year are. double points were offered throughout the month of February, or on the occasion of the Launching new routes such as flying to Washington, or even the offer introduce a friend where the submitted friend did not even have to book a flight to trigger the bonus.
This generosity Allows high-spending fliers to easily obtain/renew statuses, even with just one flight if you get the right promo right. Not to mention that, to date, promos have never distinguished between qualifying points and reward points, which is the case in all other loyalty programs or even did Alitalia's old Millemiglia.
What I don't like about the program Volare
I have never hidden, for example, that to achieve status I really like the mode used by programs like theBritish Airways Executive Club, similar to AF/KML's Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club, which is the same one that will adopt Lufthansa's Miles&More from next Jan. 1. Basically a fixed number of points that accumulate based on distance traveled and class of travel, regardless of status held.
I find this solution more democratic and rewarding given that allows top status to be achieved even for the frequent flyer who makes many short-haul flights in economy. This mode is simple and allows you to perfectly calculate how many/how many flights you will have to make over the year to obtain the elite level, regardless of the amount of money you will spend on tickets and the status you hold.
I do not like about Volare the fact that although it has been a Skyteam member since its inception, never really allowed users to take advantage of the benefits flying with partners, much less does it allow you to accumulate points when flying with partners.
At the moment then ITA has not yet activated credit card agreements, with large retailers (Millemiglia was partnered with Coop and Payback) and other partners to accumulate points even with everyday spending, but only with a number of hotel chains such as Accor, Avis Car Rental and little else.
How to use Flying Points
Certainly the most problematic aspect, in my humble opinion, is the use of points. From the first day we waited for the table for prize tickets to be published, finally by dint of "stressing" it was directly the #1 of ITA Airways who told us that the award chart on ITA will never exist And that Volare will continue on the path laid out viz. allow points to be used to reserve any seat on board, even the last one available, using cash&points.
It must be said that. ITA Airways with frequent flyer fly Is the only company in the world at the moment to have chosen this path and judging from the latest write-downs and restyling we've seen, no other companies seem to be oriented toward the route charted by ITA Airways.
So you will no longer have to hunt for the few award tickets, because you just select pay with fly points and you can, even zero out (or almost zero out) the cost of the tickets. Sure generosity in accumulation is paid for at the time the points are to be spent.
Therefore, one should not compare Volare points with points from other loyalty programs, because it would be like comparing 1 kg pears with 1 liter of milk, sefore we talk about points earned by flying and not transferring points from other programs. In fact, in this case, it is necessary to evaluate well which conversion rate is best and which use guarantees the best result.
The math is soon done, 1,000 points = 5 euros. Volare points have a fixed conversion to euros, and can be used to scale any amount of the ticket cost, excluding taxes for any ticket in any class of travel on all routes. Even in this ITA is different since other companies, e.g. British Airways, they also allow points to be used to pay taxes and surcharges.
What will change with the sale to Lufthansa
The only certainty is that ITA Airways will switch from Skyteam to Lufthansa, a process that cannot begin until the sale of the Italian company Is approved by the various regulators.
What is certain is that all group companies have one loyalty program, a single accumulation and utilization table, even though they then have different rules inside. For example. it is impossible to book Swiss first class through Star Alliance partners, while for the Lufthansa's first class the rules are different.
Impossible to know what the fate of Volare will be not even Lazzerini knows him, who is still not certain to remain in his post.
An award chart for partner award flights will definitely have to come, just as ITA should prepare an award chart for partner award flights. I find it hard to think that the latest In the world's largest alliance, can impose its line on companies such as United, Singapore Airlines, ANA or Air New Zealand.
At the moment, however, there is no certainty of anything, but a small semblance of normalcy emerges from the rules of accrual, or accumulation, Flying when flying with the few active partners. 
Virgin Atlantic flight, one of the two partner companies along with Korean Airlines, allows Volare members to accumulate points based on miles flown with an additional status-related bonus. This model should then be replicated both when flying Lufthansa, but also with all SA carriers.
My strategy
Volare points, unless extended, will expire on October 31, 2024. Take care not the qualifying points that expire on January 31 each year, But the reward points the ones used to pay for the tickets.
By the end of 2024 we should already have clearer ideas about the marriage with Lufthansa, joining Star Alliance, the future of the loyalty program, and the possibility of accumulating/spending points with partners. I have repeatedly written about having Gold status with Singapore Airlines, a Star Alliance member, until September 2024. I will then decide whether to pursue my executive membership with ITA or to put all my eggs in one basket. SQ, with which I just gave myself a dream prize ticket, Or even directly Miles&More.
Meanwhile until that time my strategy will be to accumulate on my Volare card the ITA flights without spending a single point and eventually figure out how to use them. If I cannot use them to fly with Star Alliance partners I will use the cash&miles function described above to book a ticket with ITA and in the end I will have spent nothing anyway, since the points used will only be those accumulated by flying ITA.