A reader asked: Can I use my LANPASS miles to buy a ticket on SriLankan Airlines? Do I need to create a SriLankan Airlines FlySmiLes account? We explain how it all works.
LAN Airlines is a huge Latin American carrier, but it doesn’t fly to Sri Lanka. However, both LAN and SriLankan Airlines (as well as 13 other airlines) belong to the oneworld alliance, and you can use your LANPASS miles to fly on those carriers. Members include:
- airberlin
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- LAN Airlines
- TAM Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas Airways
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Jordanian
- S7 Airlines
- SriLankan Airlines
Using your miles on a partner airline is one of the most valuable benefits that airline alliances offer. It gives you the opportunity to visit destinations not served by the airline you have a frequent flyer account with. Sometimes you can even redeem miles from one airline, using its award chart, to fly on a partner airline and get better redemption rates.
You should consider using your miles on a partner airline if:
- You don’t have miles with the partner airline you want to use
- It’s cheaper than buying the award flight using the partner airline’s own frequent flyer program
- The partner airline has a more convenient schedule, better planes and/or better food or service
- The partner airline you want to fly on adds fuel surcharges to its own award flights
In your case, even if you had enough FlySmiLes miles to get an award ticket, it would still be to your advantage to use LANPASS miles because SriLankan Airlines adds fuel surcharges. LAN does not, so you’d potentially save hundreds of dollars.
And no, you don’t have to create a SriLankan Airlines FlySmiLes frequent flyer account since you will actually be making your booking with LAN.
LAN doesn’t allow you to book award flights on partner airlines through its website, so you’ll have to call. Most LAN agents are knowledgeable and helpful, so the process should be easy. Their phone number is 866-435-9526.