The SkyTeam airline alliance member ITA Airways (AZ), the successor to Italy’s flag carrier Alitalia, only started flying on 15 October, 2021, less than a year after having been founded. As with many new businesses, there was a host of issues that had to be sorted out in the beginning; these issues included applying for the correct permits to fly to various countries, how ITA Airways would interact with future SkyTeam partners, and of course, what would Volare, their frequent flier program, look like?
In order to tempt new members into signing-up with Volare, periodically, ITA Airways offered something called a status match; in this case, frequent fliers with certain statuses at a number of airlines could send proof of that status, after which they could potentially obtain the Volare equivalent. (A number of airlines have status match challenges throughout the year, including major U.S. carriers)
Having been Delta (DL) Platinum for this year, I sent to Volare a screenshot of my DL status, which was rather quickly approved and converted into Club Executive. According to ITA Airways, being a Club Executive means I “spend much of {my} time with {my} head in the clouds.” Or, in airline lounges, as shown by a recent visit as Club Executive member to the Garuda Business Lounge in Bali, Indonesia.
As we’re nearing the end of 2022, I have been getting unnecessarily anxious about losing both DL Platinum and AZ Club Executive statuses, and therefore my lounge access to so-so wifi, inconvenient workspaces, and mysterious muffin flavors. I say unnecessarily, because this little lagniappe showed up in my inbox earlier today:
Sweet as! Who would’ve guessed that extending my Club Executive status until December 2023 was a possibility? Grazie mille e buon natale, ITA Airways!
Have you ever successfully completed a status match?
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