Air Italy, 49% owned by Qatar Airways, is a partner of British Airways and their mileage currency is Avios.
The airline will sell top tier Gold status for 500 euros (US$558) or Silver status for 200 euros (US$223).
Normally Gold status takes 50 Air Italy flights or earning 45.000 Avios on Air Italy Flights in a year. Silver 25 flights or 20,000 Avios from flying.
Silver Benefits:
- Priority check-in, security, and boarding
- Advance seat assignments
- Free standby
Gold benefits:
- Benefits of Silver status, plus
- Lounge access
- Priority baggage handling
Ultimately these are weak benefits and I wouldn’t pay the asking price for them. Unfortunately Air Italy status does not confer elite benefits on partner airlines. So it’s not a back door way to have lounge access flying economy on British Airways, Iberia, or Qatar.
Indeed though Qatar Airways is the largest owner of BA and Iberia parent IAG, as well as owning stakes in oneworld airlines Cathay Pacific and LATAM, Air Italy is not a member of oneworld and one imagines American Airlines will fight tooth and nail to keep it that way. Otherwise $558 for status granting a year’s American Airlines Flagship lounge privileges would be a pretty decent deal.
We’ve seen paid status offers before, for instance oneworld member s7’s offer of mid-tier status for $263 per month. I’ve never seen top tier status offered for purchase this inexpensively, but the price seems relatively in line with the trivial benefits.
(HT: Travel With Massi)
