Bamboo Airways’ Extensive Status Match Ahead Of Flights To Australia

In September of last year, Vietnamese airline Bamboo Airways announced plans to operate flights between Brisbane, Melbourne and its main hub in Hanoi. The airline hopes to expand its network with Melbourne-Hanoi services in the fourth quarter of this year, having previously operated repatriation flights on the same route.

Bamboo Airways intends to ultimately create a service connecting Australia with Europe via Vietnam, putting the airline in direct competition with the likes of Qantas, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines.

Who is Bamboo Airways?

Bamboo Airways is a relatively new Vietnamese airline, officially operating its first commercial flight on January 16th 2019. The airline operates a hybrid model, blending the best low-cost carrier features with that of full-service airlines. This means Bamboo Airways’ offering is similar to that of a full-service airline while keeping prices reasonable.

Sound familiar? It’s a similar approach to Virgin Australia’s mid-market plan back home under new owners Bain Capital.

Which aircraft will Bamboo Airways operate?

Bamboo Airways plans to deploy its Boeing 787-9 aircraft on flights to Australia. The airline currently operates three leased Dreamliners and has signed to purchase 30 additional 787s from Boeing with a total listed value of 5.6 billion USD.

Bamboo Airways have configured their 787’s with a total of 294 seats, comprised of:

• 26 seats in business in a 1-2-1 reverse herringbone layout
• 21 seats in premium economy in a 2-3-2 configuration
• 247 seats in economy in a 3-3-3 configuration

Bamboo Airways 2021 status match

Bamboo Airways status match offer covers an aggressive list of frequent flyer programs of almost 60 airlines. That includes all member airlines of the Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance groups which can gain an instant status match without completing any flights with the airline.

While we won’t list all eligible airlines here, the offer covers the big guns like Qantas, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Vietnam Airlines, Delta, Air Canada, Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines.

Eligible members can score Gold, Diamond and First status in the airline’s Bamboo Club loyalty program. So, what do you get from Bamboo

Club status?

Bamboo Club tiers

Bamboo Club Emerald

This is the entry-level tier and is where Bamboo Club members start upon joining.

Bamboo Club Gold

Status match: Oneworld Ruby, Star Alliance Silver and SkyTeam Elite

Gold Benefits Include:

• Access to business check-in
• Priority seat selection
• Priority baggage
• Priority boarding
• Fee waiver on an additional 5kg of checked baggage

Bamboo Club Diamond

Status match: Oneworld Sapphire

Diamond Benefits Include:

• All Bamboo Club Gold benefits
• Access to business check-in for yourself and a guest
• Business class lounge access
• Fee waiver on an additional 10kg of checked baggage
• Upgrades if your original seat class is full and higher seat class is available

Bamboo Club First

Status match: Oneworld Emerald, Star Alliance Gold and SkyTeam Elite Plus

First Benefits Include:

• All Bamboo Club Diamond benefits
• Access to business check-in for yourself and two guests
• Business class lounge access for yourself and a guest
• Fee waiver on an additional 20kg of checked baggage
• Priority customs and security lane

How to apply for the Bamboo Airways status match

Step 1: If you’re not a Bamboo Club member, join at bambooclub.bambooairways.com

Step 2: Snap a photo of your drivers licence or passport, as well as the membership card (physical/digital) from the program you wish to match

Step 3: Apply for the status match via the Bamboo Airways’ status match form

Bamboo Airways says it will respond to each application within 7-10 business days, with any follow-up enquiries sent to [email protected]. Further information is available on the airline’s website.