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Reply With QuoteSkywards offers three tiers of membership - Blue, Silver and Gold. There is also an unpublished tier - which has recently been released, called Invitation Only. See image below.
This is for EK's most loyal customers and criteria is still largely unknown. Rumours around the program suggest 50+ First sectors per year and entry into the IO program is by invitation only (by the EK President, Tim Clark's office).
Earning Gold and Silver Status
Tier threshold for Skywards Gold and Silver Membership between a consecutive 12-13 month period:
Qualify and Retain
Silver 25,000 tier miles*
Gold 50,000 tier miles*
*Tier miles will be calculated over a flexible consecutive 12-13 month earning window.
Your tier status will be valid for any consecutive 12-13 month period. Your tier miles earned are based on a combination of fare, cabin and zones of travel. Upon achieving a higher tier (e.g. Silver), the review date to retain that tier will be set to the same month the following year, rounded off to the end of the month (i.e. 12 months, plus any residual days of the month).
Recognition and validity of the membership card will be set to the same month the following year, plus an extra 2 months, rounded off to end of the month (i.e. 14 months, plus any residual days of the month).
For example, if Silver tier is achieved on 17 July 2008, the review date will be set to 31 July 2009. Recognition and card validity would be set to 30 September 2009.
The Skywards program was overhauled at the beginning of 2010, with many members unhappy with some of the core program changes.
The biggest issue for many were the earn/burn ratio's. For example, if you fly between MEL and SIN, and your on a FLEX fare, you earn 7500 Skywards Miles (as a Blue Member) and 7500 Tier Miles. If however, you travel on a SAVER fare, then you'll earn 3750 Skywards Miles and 3750 Tier Miles.
Clearly, EK are wanting to encourage passengers to purchase Flex fares over Saver fares. The challenge sometimes is getting the booking engine to force one over the other.
The benefits of Skywards Gold
In addition to all the benefits of Skywards Silver, you'll also enjoy exclusive Gold member benefits, such as:
- Guaranteed seat reservations, even on fully-booked flights (restrictions apply).
- Personal travel assistance from our dedicated Gold Desk.
- Complimentary e-gate access at Dubai International Airport*.
- Access for members and a guest, to all Emirates and affiliated Business Class lounges. For lounge access in some countries, minors may need to be accompanied by an adult. Members and accompanying guest must be departing on the same Emirates flight.
- Premium Skywards Opening Doors benefits from our worldwide partners.
* Available to all members residing in the United Arab Emirates, or nationals of the Gulf Co-operative Council or of the UAE's visa waiver countries:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the USA and the Vatican.
The Hidden Benefits of Gold Membership
This is entirely dependent on the route you fly and the frequency in which you fly. EK Gold is actually more beneficial to you if you spend most of your time in economy and less so if you regularly ticket in J or F.
EK have a policy of only providing upgrades on an operational basis (ie if the cabin you are ticketed in is oversold). For passengers travelling in and out of Australia, this can be a boon. Typically, you'll receive more operational upgrades on flights inbound to Australia, rather than outbound.
Flights ex Australia are easier to manage, as the the flight controllers don't need to worry about connecting flights.
But if you are returning via ports such as SIN and BKK, you can get very lucky. The strength of the Aussie dollar, the growing popularity of EK as a brand, their increasing schedule and above all, their competitive prices have attracted a decent percentage of the leisure market. It also means that a lot of the holiday makers wont hold Skywards status (in fact, you'll be surprised at how many non members there are on flights in and out of Australia).
The trick is to pick your flights if you can. For example, there are 3 flights a day from MEL to DXB. One is direct. One is via SIN. And the third is via KUL. The direct flight is typically always heavily booked. Makes sense as the people who want to go to Europe and beyond often want the least amount of connections. You're more likely to receive an op-up on the direct flight, as EK will overbook Y (but rarely J). The flights via SIN and KUL are rarely oversold in Y (I've had 3 op-ups ex MEL to SIN), whereas I would have received a dozen plus from SIN to MEL.
On the way home to Aus, I would pick the non-direct service (ie via KUL/BKK/SIN) as when you originate in DXB, you will find you are competing in a very elite heavy hub. If you travel via one of the Asian stop-overs, much more likely that the op-up Gods will smile on you.
How Do EK Decide who gets upgraded?
Thats a very good question and one I have tried to find out since flying EK. Airlines typically look at status, fare paid etc to determine upgrade suitability. Because EK's system is relatively straightforward, all EK would see is that you hold Gold status and that you are either on a Flex or Saver fare. In Dubai, all operational upgrades are handled by a bank of load controllers, stuck way down in the bowels of the airport. In all other cases, operational upgrades are handled by the EK staff managing the flight (which is handed to them at T-24hrs prior to departure). Typically, the load controller managing say the SIN-MEL flight will know who he/she is upgrading before the flight opens for check-in, especially in an extreme case. They will see the passengers already on the flight (from DXB), look at the joining load, and then scan the passenger list for all people with status (ie Golds first, Silvers next, Blues etc).
OCLI (Online Check in) doesn't seem to harm your chances. Nor does a special meal request.
The trick is to understand the load of your flight before you travel. You can check this via several methods. The seat map via EK's Manage Your Booking section is a good guide. The problem is that you will only see the class of service you are travelling in. That's why its much better to use something like Expert Flyer - as this will allow you to look at the entire seat map for all 3 classes (if you're on a 3-class aircraft). There wont be an upgrades from Y to J if J is already sold out.
The other way to check is to call EK. And if you don't get the info you want on the first call, simply hang up and call again. The way to check loads is to ask about the possibility of using miles to upgrade on the flight (even if you don't have the miles in your account). Simply ask the agent to see if there are seats in J. And then ask innocently, is this a busy flight? You can then ask them to see if the day prior or day after is any better.
Because my travel schedule is semi-fluid, I now look for routes which are busy. And I book on the flights with the highest load. As a Gold member, you do receive the benefit of a guaranteed seat on full flights, but it must be a full fare ticket (although I have never been challenged with this).
In closing, out of all the elite status levels I hold (ie UA 1K MM, QF Lifetime Gold), EK wins hands down. I have had more op-ups than both UA/QF in 16+ years of heavy flying.
The benefits of Skywards Silver
Skywards Silver membership instantly entitles you to extra travel privileges, including:
- Extra Skywards Miles when you fly with Emirates.
- Excess baggage allowance.
- Priority check-in.
- Exclusive lounge access to Emirates Business Class lounge at Gate 122 at Dubai International Airport when the member is departing on an Emirates flight. Minors may need to be accompanied by an adult.
How do I earn Miles with Skywards?
Skywards membership gives you two easy and direct ways to earn Skywards Miles - through flights with Emirates*, partner airlines and through non-flight partners.
*Emirates and some partner airlines offer a minimum earning rate for single sector distances of less than 500 Miles.
Earning on flights
Your earning opportunities through flights occur when you fly with Emirates, or with one of EK's partner airlines
Emirates
Every time you fly you will earn Skywards Miles based on the combination of fare purchased, cabin and zones of travel. In addition, you can also take advantage of the Skywards Miles accelerator that will offer special flight bonuses throughout the year.
Family Bonus Programme
You can also take advantage of the Family Bonus programme. You can nominate up to eight family members and when they fly Emirates, 20% of their flown miles will be credited to your account, including bonuses for flying Business or First Class and any promotions.
Earning tier miles
Flying with Emirates also credits your account with the equivalent amount in tier miles, which help you move toward and retain the higher status of Skywards Silver or Gold membership. Once you reach these tiers, you'll gain access to additional benefits and rewards, including a special tier bonus when earning Skywards Miles.
Details on tier miles:
- Help you progress to Skywards Silver and Skywards Gold membership levels.
- Are earned only when you fly Emirates.
- Are earned at the same rate as Skywards Miles and depend on the fare purchased, cabin and zones of travel.
- Are valid for up to 13 months.
Tier miles required to qualify and retain - Skywards Silver
25,000 Miles to be earned in a consecutive 12 month window*
Tier miles required to qualify and retain - Skywards Gold
50,000 Miles to be earned in a consecutive 12 month window*
*This means you will not lose your Miles at the end of the year if you travel in any consecutive 12-13 month period, helping you to maintain your current tier status.
Partner airlines
Continental Airlines Partnership ends 26 March 2011
Japan Airlines 1 Skywards Mile per mile flown
Jet Airways 1 Skywards Mile per mile flown
Kingfisher Airlines 1 Skywards Mile per mile flown
Korean Air 1 Skywards Mile per mile flown
South African Airways 1 Skywards Mile per mile flown
United Airlines 1 Skywards Mile per mile flown - Partnership ends due to CO/UA Merger
Virgin Blue Partnership ends 31 March 2011
Flight Miles at a glance
Economy Class - Base Miles
Business Class - Additional 75%
First Class - Additional 150%
Tier bonus
Skywards Silver - Additional 1.25 Miles per mile earned
Skywards Gold - Additional 1.50 Miles per mile earned
Earning with non-flight partners
Your ability to earn Skywards Miles extends to non-flight partners, with earning opportunities at partner hotels, or with leisure and lifestyle partners, car rental and financial institutions.
Mileage Accelerator
These are one-off mileage bonuses which are awarded by EK and apply to specific routes. They are seasonal and class dependent. For the latest promotions surrounding Mileage Accelerator, click here.
Skywards Contacts
Dubai contact centre
Address
P.O. Box 35436,
Dubai, UAE.
Telephone
In the UAE call 04 214 4444
From the rest of the world call +9714 214 4444
Fax +9714 316 7001
Working hours (open 07:00 - 22:00 hrs. daily)
Karachi contact centre
Address
4 Lakson Square Bldg 1, 265 R.A. Lines,
Sarwar Shaheed Road,
Karachi, Pakistan.
Telephone
In Pakistan call 111 225 535
From the rest of the world call +9221 3520 3377
Fax +9221 3521 2305
Working hours (open 09:00 - 19:00 hrs. Mon to Sat)
Manchester contact centre
Address
Riverside Court, Riverside Park,
Bollin Walk,Wilmslow,
Cheshire SK9 1DL, UK.
Telephone
In the UK call 0844 800 2777
In Germany call +49 699 4519 2000
In Switzerland call +41 44 511 8440
In Italy call +39 02 91483 3383
In France call +33 15 732 4999
In Austria call +43 120 609 1999
From the rest of the world call +44 1625 445 402
Fax +44 1625 524 632
Working hours (open 07:30 - 20:30 hrs. Mon to Sat)
Mumbai contact centre
Address
Emirates Contact Centre, Interface -11,
Unit No. 301 3rd floor,
off New Link road, Malad west,
Mumbai 400 064
Telephone
In Mumbai call 022 4097 4097
From the rest of the world call +9122 4097 4097
Fax +9122 2844 4670
Working hours (open 09:00 - 19:00 hrs. Mon to Fri / 09:00 - 17:30 hrs. Sat to Sun)
Melbourne contact centre
Address
Emirates House, Level 2,
257 Collins Street,Melbourne, Victoria 3000,
Australia.
Telephone
In Australia call 1300 555 551
From the rest of the world call +613 9940 7801
Fax +613 9654 3006
Working hours (open 07:00 - 19:00 hrs. Mon to Fri / 07:00 - 17:00 hrs. Sat / 09.00 - 17.00 hrs. Sun)*
(Ticket office hours open 09:00 - 17:00 hrs. Mon to Fri)
* Hours of operation for customer service by telephone only.
In New Zealand call 0508 759 927
(from 09:00 - 21:00 hrs. Mon to Fri / 10:30 - 19:00 hrs. Sat)
New York contact centre
Address
P.O. Box 709, Mineola,
New York 11501-0709,
USA.
Telephone
In the US and Canada call 1 800 777 3999
Fax +1 516 247 3527
Working hours (open 24/7)
