ANA, All Nippon Airways, a Japan-based Star Alliance member airline, launched a status match offer earlier this month that Sebastian wrote about (read more here).
I decided to apply for it, although I already have Star Alliance Gold with both United (lifetime) and Aegean (easy to renew yearly), because there could be additional ANA only benefits, such as discounts at ANA IHG hotels (if Japan ever reopens for international arrivals again).
You can access ANA’s page for the status match here.
Sebastian wrote more about the application requirements, and you should consult with his piece for them.
I was surprised that ANA used a SurveyMonkey form to collect the data for match purposes. However, it is a real ANA page because it was directly linked from the airline’s website.
There were only three airlines mentioned on the drop-down menu (Delta, American, and Japan Airlines), although they match other carriers as well.
I decided to match my AA status, which was still showing as an EXP on the app, although it was recently demoted to Platinum (my lifetime status with AA’s program).
I applied with a screenshot from the AA app on April 7, 2022, and there was no communication from ANA that they had received the match request or if it had been processed.
I had checked the ANA app a few times on my phone, and the status updated today to Platinum.
ANA Mileage Club Platinum Benefits:
Conclusion
It would have been great if ANA had been a bit better with its communication of having received and processed the match.
Also, considering that it is still unclear when Japan will reopen for international visits, it would have been great if the match had been for two years.
There have been few match opportunities from various airlines that try to win over the business now that travel has rebounded to an extent.
