Bamboo Airways 2023 status match: Qantas, Singapore Airlines and more

Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways is gunning for the frequent flyers of Qantas and almost 60 other airlines – specifically, all airlines in the Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance families – with its 2023 status match promotion.

That’s an extensive roster covering the likes of Qantas, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, ANA, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, China Airlines, Garuda Indonesia and, well, the list goes on and on... and it will soon include Virgin Atlantic, which is set to join the SkyTeam family.

Founded in 2017, Bamboo Airways is the fastest growing airline in Vietnam, and it’s now flying direct from Melbourne and Sydney to Ho Chi Minh City, as well as non-stop Melbourne to Hanoi.

Up for grabs are Gold, Diamond and First status in the airline’s own Bamboo Club loyalty program, with applications open until December 31, 2023.

Bamboo Airways status match tiers

The entry-level Oneworld Ruby, SkyTeam Elite and Star Alliance Silver tiers are matched to Bamboo Airways’ Bamboo Club Gold, which offers the following useful benefits when flying with Bamboo Airways:

• business class check-in
• priority seat selection
• priority boarding
• additional 5kg of checked luggage with priority bag delivery
• 50 bonus Bamboo Club points on your birthday

Enjoy a visit to Bamboo Airways lounges as a prime perk of a Bamboo Club Diamond or First status match.

Oneworld Sapphire is matched to Bamboo Airways’ Bamboo Club Diamond, which we rate as the status sweet spot thanks to the following benefits when flying with Bamboo Airways:

• business class lounge access (Bamboo Airways confusingly brands its domestic business lounges as ‘First Lounges’)
• additional 10kg of checked luggage
• complimentary upgrade to premium economy or business class if your original ticketed class is full and there are seats available in that higher cabin at the time of check-in or boarding
• 100 bonus Bamboo Club points on your birthday

Oneworld Emerald, SkyTeam Elite Plus and Star Alliance Gold are matched to Bamboo Airways’ Bamboo Club First, which raises the ante on Bamboo Club Diamond perks with the following benefits when flying with Bamboo Airways:

Bamboo Airways 2022 Status Match.

Locking in your Bamboo Airways 2023 status match

There’s one condition to the Bamboo Airways 2023 status match: you’ll need to take a flight with Bamboo Airways to lock in your status

(This is a tighter qualifying criteria than the Bamboo Airways 2022 status match, which was an instant status match without any flying needed.)

If you’re seeking a status match to Bamboo Club Gold (from Oneworld Ruby, SkyTeam Elite and Star Alliance Silver) you’ll need to take at least one economy flight with Bamboo Airways “in the period from June 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023.”

If your aim is a status match to Bamboo Club Diamond (from Oneworld Sapphire) or Bamboo Club First (from Oneworld Emerald, SkyTeam Elite Plus and Star Alliance Gold) you’ll need to take at least one business class flight with Bamboo Airways “in the period from June 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023.”

However, if you’ve already made even an economy class Bamboo Airways flight “from June 1, 2022 to before the time of tier-matching” you can get an immediate status match to Bamboo Club Gold if your status with another airline is “equivalent to First/Diamond tier”, Bamboo Airways notes.

Of course, if you’re planning to visit Vietnam sometime this year – and there are plenty of reasons to take that trip and enjoy a holiday in one of Asia’s most extraordinary destinations – then applying for a Bamboo Airways 2023 status match now and taking a qualifying Bamboo Airways flight during your trip makes sense too.

How to apply for the Bamboo Airways status match

Applying for the Bamboo Airways 2023 status match is fairly easy.

First, click here to join Bamboo Club if you’re not already a member (the web page is in Vietnamese, so make use of your browser’s language translation feature). 

Armed with your Bamboo Club membership number, click here to complete the Bamboo Airways 2023 status match application, which is a Google Docs document.

You’ll need to upload a photo of your passport and the membership card for the frequent flyer program against which you’re seeking a status match; and while the form asks for an address in Vietnam to send your Bamboo Club membership card to, we suggest entering your usual home or postal address.

The airline says it will respond to each application via email “within 5-7 business days”, while any follow-up email enquiries can be sent to [email protected].

Further information on the Bamboo Airways 2023 status match promotion is available at the airline’s website.