frequently asked questions for bmi product enhancements
check in
Will all Diamond Club members be seated together onboard?
The pre-seating automated process will sit Diamond Club members with valid gold, silver and blue plus membership at the front of the economy cabin. Dependent on fare rules or card privileges, it will be possible that some Diamond Club members may choose to select a different seat outside this area but it is expected that only a minority of customers will choose to do this.
Will Diamond Club members be pre-boarded and disembarked first?
No, still remains the same, Star Alliance gold and silver cards can board at their leisure.
boarding
Will baggage allowance remain?
Yes, there will be no change
What if the aircraft is full or Diamond Club member is travelling with family or work colleague/s and therefore do not want to sit in designated area?
We cannot force Diamond Club members to sit at the front of the aircraft and if they request to sit at the back then we will serve them as part of the in-flight service (IFS) regardless of where they are sitting. These customers will be served as part of the service flow rather than served separately; e.g. before the IFS service, however the crew will check the Passenger Information List (PIL) to be aware that they not seated at the front of the aircraft.
service
Will any other service be offered e.g. newspapers?
No the rest of the service will remain the same.
What if a Diamond Club customer does not want the complimentary food, can an alternative be offered?
The Diamond Club member can take part of the complimentary products such as a drink or a sandwich or a shortbread biscuit. If the Diamond Club member wants items outside of the complimentary products they have to pay.
Will a diamond member have to pay the difference if they want to buy an additional item?
Yes, this should be one transaction and the ipaq should automatically deduct the cost of the complimentary products while charging for the extra item.
what are the complimentary products on board?
They are:
- one sandwich OR one snack item shortbread biscuit, Fruity Flapjack or Kit Kat bar
- one drink
The one drink can be:
- tea, coffee, cappuccino or hot chocolate
- wine
- spirit with mixer (e.g. vodka and orange, tomato juice, coke or lemonade)
- water (250ml)
- beer
Can a Diamond Club member have champagne as a part of their complimentary products?
No, champagne is not included in the complimentary products offered.
Can a Diamond Club passenger have an additional drink instead of a sandwich or snack?
No, a Diamond Club member is entitle to one complimentary drink, sandwich/ snack.
Will this new service be on all routes?
It will be on all mainline routes but not on DME, longhaul, regional or charter.
What if a passenger is in business class and a Diamond Club member are they still entitled to the new service?
No, they receive the business class service.
general
What if a Diamond Club member changes their flight times at the last minute? Will sufficient food be available?
The initial TOB loading will ensure that all LHR departures are catered with sufficient fresh food. After the first three months we expect to revert to fresh food being provided on a booked load plus buffer process and this will always be the case for the inbound sector. We expect this to be more accurate than in the past but can never be absolutely sure that shortages will not occur. Airport Services will be asked to ensure that the ‘meal not assured’ process is fully implemented as currently used for business class passengers. This will ensure that the passenger who makes a late change to their flight will be told that there may not be food available for them.
Will there be any changes to how someone becomes a Diamond Club member?
No, any passenger can join Diamond Club. Entitlement to complimentary on-board catering is available for blue plus, silver and gold card members only. A blue plus card will automatically be issued when a Diamond Club member reaches 3000 status miles. Old blue Diamond Club cards, which display an “issued” date rather than an “expires” date and are a darker blue colour, will not be a valid form of ‘payment’.
If an economy passenger is seated next to a Diamond Club member and queries that he has to pay for his refreshments, what is the response?
Any economy passengers seated next to Diamond Club members should be offered the opportunity to purchase from the IFS service. They should also be invited to join Diamond Club. Passengers should be advised that the complimentary products are a Diamond Club benefit for blue plus, silver and gold members only and we would be delighted if they wish to join Diamond Club. We will endeavour to load a full choice for Diamond Club members and additional sandwiches for the IFS bar. However, if there is no choice available, it is the standard response “sorry your first choice was not available”.
Will gold, silver and blue plus members all receive the same service?
Yes.
Did bmi consider putting business class cabins back on some other routes? Why have we decided not do this?
bmi did consider and market test this option. However, in recent years the number of passengers demanding to travel in a business cabin has decreased dramatically. Business class remains viable on selected routes on our network where there is sufficient market demand. However other routes will continue to operate with a single cabin approach. The purpose of the Diamond Club solution is to deliver value back to our most loyal customers who generally travel with us for business purposes.
Did the research not suggest that we should implement business cabins on other routes?
No, we carried out substantial research amongst business purpose travellers and the results support our chosen solution.
Is a free coffee and sandwich enough to bring back business purpose passengers?
Our research suggests that this is one of the main complaints from business purpose passengers who pay more for their tickets. The free sandwich and drink is only one part of our refocus on the needs of business purpose passengers. The continued focus on punctuality is another example of how we meet the needs of these customers.
What if a current blue Diamond Club member has not been provided with a new blue plus card but is asking for a complimentary meal on board?
Only customers with a valid blue plus card are entitled to this service.
Who will receive a new blue plus card?
Any current blue Diamond Club members who has 3,000 or more status miles will automatically be sent a blue plus card by end March 07. A number of other blue Diamond Club members will also be selected to receive a blue plus card based on their current and past bmi flight history.
How long is a blue plus card valid for?
A blue plus card is valid for 12 months. During this time, a blue plus member must earn a further 3,000 membership status miles to retain their card. Those who do will be sent a new blue plus card before their current card expires.
What if a blue plus member does not earn 3,000 miles within the year?
When their current blue plus card expires, they will be sent a letter advising that they have not re-earned blue plus, and therefore have been downgraded to blue level and they will not receive the complimentary products onboard. As soon as their membership status miles balance reaches 3,000 miles they will automatically be upgraded and sent a new blue plus card.
How does a passenger join Diamond Club?
Passengers should visit flybmi.com/diamondclub and click on “join now”. They will instantly receive their new membership number and their online welcome pack, and a virtual blue card that they will see on the screen and can print off
How long will it take to receive a blue plus card once a member has earned 3,000 membership status miles?
As soon as a member reaches 3,000 status miles, their account will automatically be upgraded to blue plus and a new card will be sent to them within 14 days.
What if a lapsed Diamond Club member has not travelled for over 12 months but was a gold/silver member in the past. Do they have to start from scratch?
Their membership number will still be valid in the Diamond Club system. If they try to join Diamond Club again, the system will recognise them and they will be able to get their membership number. They will still need to earn 3,000 status miles to receive blue plus. However, specific communications will be sent out to lapsed Diamond Club members advising them of our product changes to encourage them to fly again with bmi
How many times does a blue member need to fly to earn blue plus status?
To earn 3,000 status miles, members will need to travel on the following number of sectors.
c,d,j,y fares s fares b,k fares m,h,q,v,g,o,w,t,n fares all tiny fares
UK domestic flights 3 sectors 4 sectors 5 sectors 10 sectors 20 sectors
European flights 2 sectors 3 sectors 4 sectors 8 sectors 15 sectors
| fare | c,d,j,y | s | b,k | m,h,q,v, | all tiny fares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK domestic flights | 3 sectors | 4 sectors | 5 sectors | 10 sectors | 20 sectors |
| European flights | 2 sectors | 3 sectors | 4 sectors | 8 sectors | 15 sectors |
Do corporate silver cards (card type 9) receive complimentary products?
yes, and will be accepted as form of payment when swiped through the ipaq
How can I identify a blue plus member compared to a blue member?
New Diamond Club cards are being produced that are a paler blue, and carry the “blue plus” name on them. They also show an expiry date. As mentioned above, these blue plus cards will only be issued to people who have earned 3,000 status miles.
The blue cards that have been in circulation for some years are a much darker blue without any design or writing other than the bmi logo, member’s name, and show an issue date rather than an expiry date. These blue cards do not qualify for complimentary products.
How does someone earn Diamond Club status miles?
Diamond Club members earn status miles whenever they fly with bmi, and also when travelling with any of our Star Alliance partner airlines. Status miles move you through the different levels of membership (blue / blue plus / silver / gold), and as a Diamond Club member you earn status miles at the same rate as you do your destinations miles (that members use to spend on award flights, hotel stays etc).
What are the differences between benefits for a blue member compared to a blue plus member?
With the current changes, the difference is that a blue plus member will qualify for complimentary products in-flight on LHR mainline services and a blue member will not. The blue plus members will have earned this benefit through travelling with us. They will continue to receive this benefit for the 12 months of their membership year. As above, if they do not continue to fly and earn status miles during their 12 month blue plus membership year, they will effectively downgrade to blue status and no longer have this benefit.