Turkish Airlines targets Qantas with free status match

Turkish Airlines is going all-in for flights to Australia, with Melbourne-Istanbul running since March and Sydney-Istanbul beginning in December – and non-stop flights between Australia and Türkiye are slated for 2026.

So there should be no surprise the airline has Qantas and its loyal Qantas frequent flyers in its cross-hairs, with a generous Turkish Airlines status match promotion.

Turkish Airlines is renowned for its business class meals and service.

This is an instant status match promotion: if your application is successful you’ll get four months of Elite tier membership in the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles loyalty program, right off the bat.

That unlocks practical perks such as airport lounge access, free inflight WiFi and seat selection, a higher checked allowance and more.

Turkish Airlines' Istanbul hub boasts an impressive lounge just for Elite-grade frequent flyers.

And because Turkish Airlines is a fully-fledged member of the Star Alliance group of airlines, your Turkish Airlines Elite card also unlocks four months of similar benefits as a Star Alliance Gold frequent flyer across two dozen airlines including Air Canada, Air New Zealand, ANA, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Swiss, Thai Airways and United Airlines.

Want to extend your gilt-edged Turkish Airlines and Star Alliance status for a whole year? Just take one Turkish Airlines international flight, in either business or economy class, within that four-month period.

The Turkish Airlines Qantas status match

Turkish Airlines is chasing high flyers sitting on the top rung of the Qantas loyalty ladder: specifically, Platinum and Platinum One.

Under the status match, Qantas Platinum and Platinum One members will be directly matched to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles Elite status.

But this isn’t just about Qantas: the  Turkish Airlines status match offer covers a broad sweep of competing airlines around the world.

This includes all members of the Oneworld and SkyTeam alliances, along with Emirates and Etihad Airways – but not Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyers, nor of course any other Star Alliance airlines.

There’s arguably never been a better time to put the Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles status match on your to-do list.

Who is eligible for the Turkish Airlines status match?

Turkish Airlines limits its status match to the upper echelon of frequent flyers:

• Oneworld Emerald – this includes Qantas Platinum and Platinum One, British Airways Gold, Cathay Diamond, and other Platinum tiers at the likes of Finnair, Malaysia Airlines and Qatar Airways
• SkyTeam Elite Plus – this includes Air France/KLM Flying Blue Gold or Platinum, Delta Air Lines Gold Medallion or above, Vietnam Airlines LotusMiles Gold or above, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold
• Emirates Skywards Gold or Platinum
• Etihad Airways Guest Gold or Platinum

Note that Turkish Airlines’ eligibility list specifically excludes Oneworld Sapphire members (such as Qantas Gold card-holders)

Any frequent flyers in the list above can request a status match to Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles Elite tier.

While this sits below the top-rung Miles&Smiles Elite Plus tier – which delivers extra benefits such as free upgrades and Elite memberships to gift to family, friends or colleagues – most people will find Miles&Smiles Elite status remains a comfortable fit for their needs.

Sleep easy: most top-tier frequent flyers are eligible for a Turkish Airlines status match.

How to apply for the Turkish Airlines status match

First of all, sign up to the Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles loyalty program – you can do this online, and the process is both fast and free.

Then log into your Miles&Smiles account and visit the feedback page on Turkish Airlines’ website to get the ball rolling.

Under the general Feedback option, click the Write Feedback button, select the New Feedback option, then scroll down to the Miles&Smiles program category.

Applying for the Turkish Airlines 2023 status match.

Clicking the Membership processes button will call up a page asking for your personal details plus a text box where you can detail the nature of your feedback.

In this case, your ‘feedback’ should be a short but respectful request for a status match to the Miles&Smiles Elite tier based on your current high-level status with a competing airline.

Applying for the Turkish Airlines 2023 status match.

It’s useful to give some context as to why you’re seeking this status match – for example, you could have many flights to and within Europe planned for the coming year.

Finally, you’ll need to provide supporting documentation such as

• a scan or photo of the front and back your frequent flyer membership card clearly showing your name and your current status’ expiry date
• a PDF of your most recent activity statement with the competing airline showing you taking status-earning flights
• a scan of your passport.

Note that Turkish Airlines may reply asking for more information, so don’t expect to be given this status match straight away; in the past, Executive Traveller readers have reported turnaround times under two weeks from application to approval.

One flight with Turkish Airlines is all it takes to retain your Elite status for a full year.

If successful, your Miles&Smiles account will be upgraded to the Elite tier for four months; again, this also includes Star Alliance Gold-grade perks across all the Star Alliance member airlines.

As with all status match promotions, this offer of free Miles&Smiles Elite status is made entirely at the discretion of Turkish Airlines and it success can vary from one applicant to the next (for example, a request from one Qantas Platinum frequent flyer might be granted, while another declined).

Your Turkish Airlines Elite status includes access to the lounges of Star Alliance siblings such as Singapore Airlines.

Extending your Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles status match

To keep Turkish Airlines Elite and Star Alliance Gold status for a full year, all it takes is one paid Turkish Airlines international flight in either business or economy class within that initial four-month period.

That’s an easy box to tick if you’re almost anywhere within Europe.

You can add a second full year of Turkish Airlines Elite and Star Alliance Gold status by earning at least 15,000 miles on Turkish Airlines flights within that first 12 months – and with Turkish Airlines now flying to Melbourne and soon Sydney, that’ll be easily accomplished with a single business class return trip to Istanbul.