FAQ on Flight-Report.com member status changes

Effective for reports posted from 1 July 2019, the requirements for obtaining Silver and Gold status have been improved. While there are no changes in requirements for obtaining Silver and Gold status for those who publish reports in Economy, we have made reaching status a bit easier for frequent Premium cabin reporters.

 EDIT: New Benefit as of July 2020 – The site is Ad-free for Silver and Gold status Members!

Why have the rules for acquiring Silver and Gold status changed?

In 2018 we introduced the Flight-Report.com member status levels to recognize the site’s most active contributors with a simple system based solely on number of reports published within a calendar year. Since the introduction of status levels, however, several members have commented that Flight-Reports in premium cabins generally represent more of a commitment to publish (i.e. more complex product to review, generally meaning a longer report). Premium cabin reports, which represent about 25% of the site’s content, individually generate more views and are therefore being recognized in a more proportionate way.

What are the new rules for reaching Silver and Gold status levels?

Status is now obtained by accumulating “FR points”. It takes 150 FR points to become Silver and 300 FR points to become Gold. Each publication in Economy class / Premium Economy earns 10 FR points, while a publication in Business class earns 15 FR points, and First class is awarded 20 FR points.

What has changed for those who post Economy and Premium Economy Flight-Reports?

Nothing. The number of required posts remains exactly the same as it has always been (15 to reach Silver and 30 for Gold).

Why haven’t my premium cabin reports from earlier in 2019 been awarded “FR points” at the new rate?

The new scale is only applicable for publications since 1 July 2019 and is not retroactive, to keep things fair as the new rules became effective 1 July.

If premium cabin reports generate more views, why not just award more points by numbers of views?

This option was evaluated as there is correlation; however, after much study, it was deemed too complex to award status points based on views, especially since visits to a webpage is always evolving. It is not the intention of Flight-Report to be a popularity contest and we do not want to discourage new contributors, who may get less page visits than an established frequent poster.

Why not a system based on flight distance, to recognize long-haul contributions?

Valuing the contributions of long-haul flights was also considered but it is too technically complex.

How long is Silver or Gold status good for?

“FR points” are accumulated during the calendar year (1 Jan – 31 Dec) and status is awarded once enough points have been collected. Like most airline Frequent Flyer programmes, status is technically awarded for the following year, so for example if you reach Gold status level by 31 December 2019, you will keep your status through 31 December 2020.

Do extra points roll over to the next year?

Nope, the FR points counter is reset ever January 1st.

As always, all of your contributions are appreciated and thanks for being part of our community! ✈