After a short outage, Lufthansa awards are back on United MileagePlus
Kyle Olsen is a points and miles reporter at TPG. Since the age of 16, he has been pursuing elite status, visiting 75 countries across six continents. His passion for travel began with his own business which he started at age 13. He is now an expert at maximizing points, miles, and elite status across all major programs.
Sept. 26, 2022
•
3 min read
After a short outage, Lufthansa awards are back on United MileagePlus
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Editor's Note
/em></strong><em> On Sept. 27, 2022, United told TPG that MileagePlus awards on Lufthansa have been restored. The following post reported the initial outage.
United MileagePlus members do not currently have access to most Lufthansa award space.
A TPG reader recently reported that Lufthansa awards have not been available on the United website despite appearing on Air Canada, ANA and other Star Alliance partner websites. We've verified this on various routes.
For example, Air Canada Aeroplan shows Lufthansa and United economy-class award tickets from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) on Oct. 27.
The Lufthansa and United awards are bookable using LifeMiles, the points currency for Star Alliance carrier Avianca.
However, United’s website is not showing the Lufthansa flight — instead, you can only book the United flight.
The same goes for this flight from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Frankfurt. Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Avianca and ANA all show award availability in economy class for one passenger.
However, when we search on the United website, only United connecting economy class seats are available.
This isn't the first time we've seen United have this issue. In July 2021, some of Lufthansa's award space disappeared from MileagePlus until returning later in the year. This time, however, the issue seems more widespread based on our tests.
In a comment to TPG, a United spokesperson said, "We are aware of this issue and are actively working with our partners to restore the Lufthansa award option as quickly as possible." This leads us to believe that this is a website issue and that Lufthansa awards will soon return to United MileagePlus.
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Related: The best websites for searching Star Alliance award availability
Bottom line
Right now, United MileagePlus members cannot book most Lufthansa award tickets.
To book a Lufthansa award, you'll have to look into other Star Alliance points currencies. In the meantime, we recommend booking Lufthansa award tickets with Air Canada Aeroplan or Avianca LifeMiles as both programs do not pass on fuel surcharges.
We're hopeful that Lufthansa award tickets will be bookable with United miles soon. We'll update this article when we have updated information.
Additional reporting by Andrew Kunesh.
Featured image by NATE HOVEE/SHUTTERSTOCK
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
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- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
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- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees