EuroBonus
Encyclopedia
EuroBonus is the frequent flyer program
of four Europe
an airlines of SAS Group
. It was launched by Scandinavian Airlines System
(SK) in 1992.
, giving the company a near monopoly
on major domestic routes within Norway
. After a few months, the airline Norwegian Air Shuttle
started flying major routes in competition. To remove the edge SAS had over the new airline, the Norwegian Competition Authority
then banned the award of EuroBonus points in Norway from August 1 that year.
In 2005, Morten A. Meyer, the Modernization Minister asked the competition authority to consider extending the ban on frequent flyer miles to include all of Scandinavia
. Norwegian Air Shuttle and Sterling Airlines
had also complained about SAS's bonus program in Scandinavia. It was pointed out that the situation on these routes was different from the monopoly which had been present on the Norwegian domestic market.
The authorities indicated in 2007 that the ban against frequent flyer points would continue, arguing that the ban on EuroBonus had reduced the ticket prices by 30% and boosted competition. SAS Norge, the Norwegian affiliate of SAS protested, arguing that the extent of the fare reduction was exaggerated (claiming 18.4% rather than 30%), and were due to more efficient spending, not the ban on EuroBonus.
Following the development of the market, where Norwegian Air Shuttle since it's start in 2002 has grown to be equal in size to SAS on most major domestic routes, the Norwegian Competition Authority begun yet another evaluation of the ban on domestic frequent flyer points in December 2010.
, the largest award in the travel industry, for best frequent flyer program numerous times. They won the six years prior to 2003, and again in 2004. In 2005 they wound up in a disappointing 13th place. The ban on domestic point awards in Norway, which reduced the value of the program, was part of the reason for EuroBonus's decline in the rankings.
EuroBonus received the acclaimed Industry Impact Award at the Freddy Award Ceremony held in Phoenix, Arizona on April 24 - 2008. What in fact was awarded was the Award Seat Prognosis - transparently displaying any available award seats online for the members setting a new standard for Frequent Flyer Programs can display award availability for their members.
FLUSHING, NY (April 28, 2011) - The winners of the 2011 Frequent Traveler Awards were announced Thursday, April 28, 2011 at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. Over 300 airline, hotel, credit card, loyalty industry representatives and members of frequent traveler programs attended the ceremony. Best Redemption Ability goes to – SAS EuroBonus, read full story here!
several times, there are still SAS Group
passengers who criticize certain elements of the EuroBonus program. One of the most criticised feature (see for example discussions on Eurobonus forum on community site FlyerTalk
) is that so many booking classes are exempted from full earnings of Eurobonus points. For certain routings this means that you have to buy an almost full fare Economy ticket to avoid only earning 25% of the Eurobonus points. On the other hand, Premium Economy fares (dubbed Economy Extra on SAS) earns 150% of the EB-points for the routing in question.
Another often criticized part of the EuroBonus program is the fact that points/miles expire after 5 years regardless of activity. This is as opposed to some other airlines where as long as you keep flying once every two years, your miles will never expire. Or even some airlines like Continental Airlines
where your miles never expire.
Frequent flyer program
A frequent flyer program is a loyalty program offered by many airlines. Typically, airline customers enrolled in the program accumulate frequent flyer miles corresponding to the distance flown on that airline or its partners. There are other ways to accumulate miles...
of four Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an airlines of SAS Group
SAS Group
Scandinavian Airlines System Aktiebolag , trading as SAS Group and SAS AB, is a holding company based in Solna, Sweden. It is the parent company of the airlines Scandinavian Airlines, Blue1 and Widerøe, and the aviation services companies SAS Business Opportunities, SAS Cargo Group, SAS Ground...
. It was launched by Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines System
Scandinavian Airlines or SAS, previously Scandinavian Airlines System, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the largest airline in Scandinavia....
(SK) in 1992.
SAS Group - EuroBonus
- Blue1 (Star partner)
- Scandinavian Airlines SystemScandinavian Airlines SystemScandinavian Airlines or SAS, previously Scandinavian Airlines System, is the flag carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and the largest airline in Scandinavia....
(SAS) - WiderøeWiderøeWiderøe's Flyveselskap AS, trading as Widerøe, is a regional airline in Norway and part of the SAS Group. It operates a fleet of 34 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft , serving 41 domestic and 6 international destinations...
Star Alliance partner airlines
- Adria AirwaysAdria AirwaysAdria Airways d.d. is the Slovenian national airline. Today, the majority of Adria Airways business is in scheduled flights. Adria operates to 16 cities throughout Europe this winter and offers excellent connections to South East Europe. It is a Star Alliance member since 2004 and a Lufthansa...
- Aegean AirlinesAegean AirlinesAegean Airlines S.A. is the largest Greek airline by total number of passengers carried. A Star Alliance member since June 2010, it operates scheduled and charter services from Athens and Thessaloniki to other major Greek destinations as well as to a number of European destinations...
- Air CanadaAir CanadaAir Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...
- Air ChinaAir ChinaAir China is the flag carrier and one of the major airlines of the People's Republic of China. Based in Beijing Capital International Airport, Air China is the world's 10th largest airline by fleet size. The airline ranked behind its main competitors China Southern Airlines and China Eastern...
- Air New ZealandAir New ZealandAir New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
- All Nippon AirwaysAll Nippon Airways, also known as or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 35 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009...
(ANA) - Asiana AirlinesAsiana AirlinesAsiana Airlines Inc. is one of South Korea's two major airlines, along with Korean Air. Asiana has its headquarters in Asiana Town in Osoe-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul...
- Austrian AirlinesAustrian AirlinesAustrian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Austria, headquartered in Office Park 2 on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat, Wien-Umgebung and a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Together with regional subsidiary Tyrolean Airways and charter arm Lauda Air, it operates...
- BMIBmi (airline)British Midland Airways Limited , is an airline based at Donington Hall in Castle Donington in the United Kingdom, close to East Midlands Airport, and a fully owned subsidiary of Lufthansa...
- Brussels AirlinesBrussels AirlinesBrussels Airlines is a flag carrier airline headquartered in the b.house on the grounds of Brussels Airport and in Diegem, Machelen, Belgium and a subsidiary of Lufthansa. It is the largest airline based in Belgium, operating to over 65 destinations in 20 European countries as well as long-haul...
- Continental AirlinesContinental AirlinesContinental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
- Croatia AirlinesCroatia AirlinesCroatia Airlines d.d. is the national airline and flag carrier of the Republic of Croatia. Based in Buzin, Zagreb, the airline is a member of Star Alliance and operates domestic and international services. Its main base is Zagreb Airport, with focus cities being Dubrovnik and Split...
- EgyptAirEgyptAirEgyptAir is the flag carrier airline of Egypt and a member of Star Alliance. The airline is based at Cairo International Airport, its main hub, operating scheduled passenger and freight services to more than 75 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas...
- LOT Polish AirlinesLOT Polish AirlinesPolskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. , trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw, LOT was established in 1929, making it one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. Using a fleet of 55 aircraft, LOT operates a complex network to 60 destinations in Europe,...
- LufthansaLufthansaDeutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
- Singapore AirlinesSingapore AirlinesSingapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
- South African AirwaysSouth African AirwaysSouth African Airways is the national flag carrier and largest airline of South Africa, with headquarters in Airways Park on the grounds of OR Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni, Gauteng. The airline flies to 36 destinations worldwide from its hub at OR Tambo International...
- SpanairSpanairSpanair is a Spanish airline, with its head office in the Spanair Building in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, near Barcelona. It was, until 2009, a subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines, which now holds slightly under 20% of the company. Spanair provides a scheduled passenger network within Spain and...
- SWISS
- TAM Airlines
- TAP PortugalTAP PortugalTAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary...
- Thai Airways InternationalThai Airways InternationalThai Airways International Public Company Limited is the national flag carrier and largest airline of Thailand. Formed in 1988, the airline's headquarters are located in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, and operates out of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thai is a founding member of the Star Alliance. Thai is a...
- Turkish AirlinesTurkish AirlinesTurkish Airlines is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, headquartered in the Turkish Airlines General Management Building on the grounds of Atatürk Airport in Yeşilköy, Bakirköy district, Istanbul...
- United AirlinesUnited AirlinesUnited Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
- US AirwaysUS AirwaysUS Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
Other airline partners
- AirBalticAirBalticA/S Air Baltic Corporation, operating as AirBaltic and styled as airBaltic, is the Latvian flag carrier airline and a low-cost carrier, with its head office on the grounds of Riga International Airport in Mārupe municipality, near the capital, Riga...
- Atlantic AirwaysAtlantic AirwaysAtlantic Airways is the national airline of the Faroe Islands, operating domestic helicopter services and international passenger services as well as search and rescue responsibilities from its base at Vágar Airport, on the Faroese island of Vágar...
- Cimber SterlingCimber SterlingCimber Sterling A/S, still known as Cimber Air and styled as Cimber Sterling, is a Danish airline based in Sønderborg, Sønderborg Municipality, Denmark, operating scheduled domestic and international services in co-operation with Scandinavian Airlines and Lufthansa...
- City AirlineCity AirlineCity Airline was a regional airline based in the Air Cargo Building on the grounds of Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport in Landvetter, Härryda Municipality, Sweden. It was privately owned and operated a medium-sized European network from its main base at Landvetter. The airline was wholly owned by...
- Estonian AirEstonian AirAS Estonian Air is Estonia's national carrier, owned by the Estonian state. The airline is based in Tallinn, Estonia. It is a regional airline feeding into the Scandinavian Airlines System network via Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen from Estonia....
- Ethiopian AirlinesEthiopian AirlinesEthiopian Airlines , formerly Ethiopian Air Lines, often referred to as simply Ethiopian, is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It serves as the country's flag carrier, and is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia...
Hotel partners
- Anantara Hotels, Resorts & SpasAnantara Hotels, Resorts & SpasAnantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas is a luxury resort and spa operator based in Bangkok, Thailand, with a currently portfolio of 14 resorts operating across Asia Pacific and the Middle East, with its spa brand expanded into Africa ....
- Best Western HotelsBest WesternBest Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...
- Country Inn & Suites
- First Hotels
- Hilton Worldwide
- Kempinski Hotels
- Marco Polo Hotels
- Mirvac Hotels & Resorts
- Missoni Hotels
- Omni Hotels
- Pan Pacific Hotels and ResortsPan Pacific Hotels and ResortsPan Pacific Hotels and Resorts is a hotel-management company with 20 hotels in 11 countries in the Pacific Rim region. The company is a founding member of the Global Hotel Alliance, the world's largest alliance of independent hotel groups. The hotels are usually 30-storey buildings with balconies...
- Park Inn
- Parkroyal Hotels & Resorts
- Radisson Edwardian Hotels
- Radisson Hotels & Resorts
- Radisson Blu Hotels & Resorts
- Regent Hotels & Resorts (selected hotels)
- Scandic HotelsScandic HotelsScandic Hotels is a hotel chain headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden with its main operations in the Nordic countries. Alongside hotels in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, the company also has a presence in Belgium and the Netherlands, Estonia and Lithuania, Northern Germany, Poland, and Russia...
- Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts
- The Doyle Collection
- The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts
- Tivoli Hotels & Resorts
Other non-air partners
- Alfa Quality Moving
- AvisAvis Rent A Car SystemAvis Rent a Car System, LLC is a car rental company headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, New Jersey, United States. Avis, Budget Rent a Car and Budget Truck Rental are all units of Avis Budget Group....
- American ExpressAmerican ExpressAmerican Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
- ApolloApolloApollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
(Charter) - Canal DigitalCanal DigitalCanal Digital is a Scandinavian television distributor and internet service provider that was founded in March 1997 as a joint venture between the French pay-TV company Canal+ and the Norwegian telecommunications operator Telenor...
- Diners ClubDiners ClubDiners Club International, founded as Diners Club, is a charge card company formed in 1950 by Frank X. McNamara, Ralph Schneider and Matty Simmons...
- EasyPark
- e.onE.ONE.ON AG, marketed with an interpunct as E•ON, is the holding company of the world's largest investor-owned energy service provider based in Düsseldorf, Germany. The name comes from the Greek word aeon which means eternity....
(Partnership ended in September 2011) - EFEF- Computing :* Entity Framework, an object-relational mapping framework for the .NET Framework.- Culture :* Ef , a post-rock band from Sweden* Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two., a Japanese adult visual novel series by Minori, or its anime adaptations....
- Flygets Långtidsparkering (Airport parking)
- HertzHertzThe hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
- Hugo BossHugo BossHugo Ferdinand Boss was the founder of clothing company Hugo Boss.-Early life:Boss was born in Metzingen, Germany. After completing his apprenticeship and one year of employment, he founded his own company in Metzingen in 1923.-Support of Nazism:Boss joined the Nazi Party in 1931, two years before...
(In Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm) - HurtigrutenHurtigrutenHurtigruten or Hurtigruta is a Norwegian passenger and freight line with daily sailings along Norway's western and northern coast. Sometimes referred to in English as Norwegian Coastal Express, Hurtigruten ships sail almost the entire length of the country, completing the roundtrip journey in 11...
(Cruise) - Jyllands-PostenJyllands-PostenMorgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
(Newspaper in Denmark) - Language Direct
- MasterCardMasterCardMastercard Incorporated or MasterCard Worldwide is an American multinational financial services corporation with its headquarters in the MasterCard International Global Headquarters, Purchase, Harrison, New York, United States...
- MQ Store
- Operator One
- Plusdeal (Available in Denmark)
- PresentkortTorget (Gift cards available in Denmark, Finland, Norway & Sweden)
- Securitas DirectSecuritas DirectSecuritas Direct is a security company based in Malmö, Sweden and active in 9 European countries. It was listed at Nasdaq OMX Stockholm in 2006, when it was distributed to the shareholders of Securitas AB. In 2008, the company was bought by ESML Intressenter AB and delisted....
- Select Collection (Luxury travel)
- SixtSixtSixt is a European car rental company. It has around 3,500 service stations in over 80 countries. Sixt was founded in 1912 by Martin Sixt in Munich.-Company facts:*Revenue : €1.44 billion*EBIT: €153.3 million*EBT: €121.647 million*Employees: 2,015...
(Only accrual) - StopService (Affinion)
- The EconomistThe EconomistThe Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
- Trumf (In Norway)
Membership levels
EuroBonus has four membership levels. The entry level is "Basic", followed by "Silver", which is attained by earning 20 000 Basic points in a year. Benefits include business class check-in and extra baggage allowance on some flights, as well as 15% extra bonus points on SAS Group flights. Following that is "Gold", which requires 45 000 - 70 000 Basic points depending of your country of residence. Since 2010 it is also possible to achieve Silver and Gold status by taking a certain number of SAS-flights. For residents of Norways it is 20 and 35 individual flight respectively (excl. Norwegian domestic flights). In Denmark Gold level requires 40 one way flights within 12 months. Gold benefits include all Silver benefits, plus priority security at certain airports, access to SAS and Star Alliance lounges and a 25% bonus on points on SAS Group flights. There is also an exclusive membership tier, called "Pandion", which is awarded personally to 1500 selected customers by the CEO of SAS. Each Pandion membership is reevaluated yearly, and you have to "fly more than the pilots and crew of SAS" in order to be eligible. In practise the membership is awarded according to revenue created for SAS by a single flyer rather than the amount of EuroBonus points earned. Benefits include guaranteed seats on SAS flights, even on fully booked flights, and exclusive service.Norwegian ban on frequent flyer miles
In 2002, SAS bought up the rival airline BraathensBraathens
Braathens ASA, until 1997 Braathens South American & Far East Airtransport A/S and trading as Braathens SAFE, is a former Norwegian airline that operated from 1946 until it merged with Scandinavian Airlines Norway to become SAS Braathens in 2004. The airline was based in Oslo, first at Fornebu,...
, giving the company a near monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
on major domestic routes within Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. After a few months, the airline Norwegian Air Shuttle
Norwegian Air Shuttle
Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA , trading as Norwegian, is the second-largest airline in Scandinavia. In 2010, it transported 13.0 million people. As of October 2011, Norwegian operates a total fleet of 62 aircraft; 17 Boeing 737-300s and 45 Boeing 737-800s...
started flying major routes in competition. To remove the edge SAS had over the new airline, the Norwegian Competition Authority
Norwegian Competition Authority
Norwegian Competition Authority is Norwegian Government agency responsible for managing the Competition Act of 2004, including regulations imposed through the European Economic Community. This includes regulating cooperation that hinders competition, misuse of a dominant market position and...
then banned the award of EuroBonus points in Norway from August 1 that year.
In 2005, Morten A. Meyer, the Modernization Minister asked the competition authority to consider extending the ban on frequent flyer miles to include all of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Norwegian Air Shuttle and Sterling Airlines
Sterling Airlines
Sterling Airlines A/S was a low-cost airline with its head office at Copenhagen Airport South in Dragør, Dragør Municipality, Denmark. It was created in September 2005 through the merger of two Danish airlines — Sterling European Airlines and Maersk Air — which had been bought by the Icelandic...
had also complained about SAS's bonus program in Scandinavia. It was pointed out that the situation on these routes was different from the monopoly which had been present on the Norwegian domestic market.
The authorities indicated in 2007 that the ban against frequent flyer points would continue, arguing that the ban on EuroBonus had reduced the ticket prices by 30% and boosted competition. SAS Norge, the Norwegian affiliate of SAS protested, arguing that the extent of the fare reduction was exaggerated (claiming 18.4% rather than 30%), and were due to more efficient spending, not the ban on EuroBonus.
Following the development of the market, where Norwegian Air Shuttle since it's start in 2002 has grown to be equal in size to SAS on most major domestic routes, the Norwegian Competition Authority begun yet another evaluation of the ban on domestic frequent flyer points in December 2010.
Freddie Awards - FT Awards
EuroBonus won the Freddie AwardsFreddie Awards
The Freddie Awards, named after Sir Freddie Laker in honor of his accomplishments in marketing travel during the 1970s, is the "oldest and most prominent" recognition award for frequent traveler reward programs....
, the largest award in the travel industry, for best frequent flyer program numerous times. They won the six years prior to 2003, and again in 2004. In 2005 they wound up in a disappointing 13th place. The ban on domestic point awards in Norway, which reduced the value of the program, was part of the reason for EuroBonus's decline in the rankings.
EuroBonus received the acclaimed Industry Impact Award at the Freddy Award Ceremony held in Phoenix, Arizona on April 24 - 2008. What in fact was awarded was the Award Seat Prognosis - transparently displaying any available award seats online for the members setting a new standard for Frequent Flyer Programs can display award availability for their members.
FLUSHING, NY (April 28, 2011) - The winners of the 2011 Frequent Traveler Awards were announced Thursday, April 28, 2011 at Citi Field in Flushing, New York. Over 300 airline, hotel, credit card, loyalty industry representatives and members of frequent traveler programs attended the ceremony. Best Redemption Ability goes to – SAS EuroBonus, read full story here!
EuroBonus reversed auction
EuroBonus offered a bonus-trip for two on SAS Facebook Wall - to selected destinationsa at fixed dates. The EuroBonus-member who first accept the price given by EuroBonus through commenting on the wall won the offer. The ‘cooler’ you was, the lower the award price, but with the risk of someone else got it. Four auctions so far and the offers was sold for at least 60-80% less than normal. (please note that airport taxes & fees was not included in the point price)Criticism of the Program
Although EuroBonus has been awarded the Freddie AwardsFreddie Awards
The Freddie Awards, named after Sir Freddie Laker in honor of his accomplishments in marketing travel during the 1970s, is the "oldest and most prominent" recognition award for frequent traveler reward programs....
several times, there are still SAS Group
SAS Group
Scandinavian Airlines System Aktiebolag , trading as SAS Group and SAS AB, is a holding company based in Solna, Sweden. It is the parent company of the airlines Scandinavian Airlines, Blue1 and Widerøe, and the aviation services companies SAS Business Opportunities, SAS Cargo Group, SAS Ground...
passengers who criticize certain elements of the EuroBonus program. One of the most criticised feature (see for example discussions on Eurobonus forum on community site FlyerTalk
FlyerTalk
FlyerTalk is an Internet forum for discussion of airline frequent flyer programs, hotel loyalty programs and other issues related to air travel...
) is that so many booking classes are exempted from full earnings of Eurobonus points. For certain routings this means that you have to buy an almost full fare Economy ticket to avoid only earning 25% of the Eurobonus points. On the other hand, Premium Economy fares (dubbed Economy Extra on SAS) earns 150% of the EB-points for the routing in question.
Another often criticized part of the EuroBonus program is the fact that points/miles expire after 5 years regardless of activity. This is as opposed to some other airlines where as long as you keep flying once every two years, your miles will never expire. Or even some airlines like Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
where your miles never expire.