NEWS: Lufthansa new First available on Miles, new Avios Australia route and new Lake Como EDITION

Lufthansa & Swiss new Allegris First available on Miles

Finally, you can allegedly book the new First class offerings from Lufthansa and Swiss with Miles & More. Lufthansa has confirmed that they have officially released the ability to book on miles for its new first class seats. You can also use miles to upgrade from business class to Allegris first class. That was the good news; the bad news is that you need to hold HON or Senator status with Miles & More to book the Swiss seats, and you can’t book using other Star Alliance frequent flyer miles yet. 

The new Allegris product, which includes all cabins, is available from Munich and Frankfurt to a range of destinations. You can find all the current routes on this dedicated page.

HT: Loyalty Lobby

The Lake Como EDITION opens as a new Marriott option for the area

Lake Como is a stunningly beautiful area which already has a good points redemption option with the Hilton Lake Como. Although this is far above what a normal Hilton would offer, if you fancy something even more upmarket, Marriott has the answer. 

The Lake Como EDITION had a trial with a soft opening in September and October, ahead of its  grand opening in March 2026. Lake Como is the 21st hotel location in the brand’s collection, which spans the world from Tokyo to London, New York, and Riviera Maya. You can book from 10 March 2026 with prices starting from €588 or 109,000 Bonvoy points. 

The hotel is situated on Lake Como’s western coast in the town of Cadenabbia and faces Bellagio across the water. The 19th-century palazzo, which first opened its doors as The London, retains its original heritage exterior and original high vaulting of its interior lobby, with classical arches. As you would expect, contemporary design is in sympathy with the hotel’s original features with marble-faced archways, terrazzo floors, and profuse greenery blending the interiors with spectacular natural surroundings.

The signature restaurant is by three-Michelin-star and green-star chef Mauro Colagreco and has a terrace facing the lake. The ground floor’s restaurant and bars feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls that overlook the lake. 

The hotel offers 148 rooms, including twenty-five suites, and two penthouses with nine guestrooms in the Villa Gina. Custom furnishings include a bespoke walnut bed and headboard, set atop a hand-tufted rug of pale blue to reflect the lake below, with a bespoke white Calacatta marble coffee table and curved sofa by Neri & Hu. Every room includes an archway and baseboards adorned with Calacatta Turquoise marble, with bathrooms of Calacatta Gold Stone marble accented by fluted glass doors in polished brass frames. Many of the lakeside rooms feature the original restored French balconies.

As well as the signature restaurant, Cetino,  there are plenty of bars and restaurants as expected from EDITION.  Naturally, there’s a Lobby Bar with waterfront seating for coffee or an aperitivo, and also
an all-day dining restaurant with a panoramic terrace overlooking the lake. 

The hotel is set on a waterside promenade, part of the Lake Como Greenway walking route that connects Cadenabbia to other picturesque villages like Tremezzo and Lenno. The location is well-suited for exploring the area with a private dock that welcomes guests arriving by boat, and EDITION’s own boat fleet offers scenic tours around the lake as well as transport to destinations all along the waterfront. Lake Como’s ferry service also stops at a dock just outside the hotel.

If you want to relax, there’s EDITION’s floating pool on the lake, featuring a restaurant and lounge bar on its dock, along with cabanas and lounge chairs.  EDITION also brings a new level of wellness experiences to Lake Como, through its partnership with The Longevity Suite Group with The Longevity SPA. The spa includes the latest in scientific anti-aging breakthroughs such as The Ultimate Biohacking – a regenerative treatment combining Dry Float Therapy, Near Infra-Red (NIR) technology, and Hydrogen Oxygen therapy, designed to support sleep, boost immunity, reduce inflammation and improve collagen production and elasticity.

For cooler days, there’s an indoor thermal pool facing out towards Lake Como and terraces decked with loungers as well as a herbal sauna, Turkish bath, plunge pools, and seven treatment rooms.

New Avios Australia route

If you are looking for Avios tickets to Australia, it can be tricky, although, as well as BA, you can use your Avios to book on Cathay Pacific, Qatar, Qantas, JAL, or Malaysia Airlines, amongst others, to Australia.

Now Cathay Pacific has added an additional route to Adelaide, which the airline had previously suspended. The service is a thrice-weekly seasonal service connecting Hong Kong with the South Australian capital. Adelaide is the closest major airport to the Barossa Valley, as well as the Clare Valley, if you are a wine-tasting fan. I can also recommend doing the coastal drive to Melbourne from Adelaide or vice versa. You can search for Avios redemptions using the standard Avios search on ba.com

Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer Lavinia Lau said: “We are delighted to return to Adelaide, a city we have a long history with having first launched flights in 1992. Adelaide is a dynamic city on the South Australia coast that offers visitors incredible culinary delights, world-renowned wines, stunning natural attractions, and much more. We look forward to welcoming customers onboard to experience our signature Cathay Pacific service, whether they are flying to this dynamic city, our home hub, or beyond.”

Cathay Pacific is using its Airbus A350-900 aircraft between Hong Kong and Adelaide and offers inflight menus developed in collaboration with Michelin-starred Hong Kong restaurants on flights departing Hong Kong. Cathay’s A350-900 business class features individual, forward-facing suites in a 1-2-1 configuration with direct aisle access for all. 

Wi-Fi connectivity is available across Cathay Pacific’s entire fleet, with the service currently complimentary for Business class customers and Cathay Diamond members, and soon Cathay Gold members starting 15 November, and Cathay members travelling in Premium Economy by the end of this year.

Flight schedules are as follows (all times local):

Hong Kong-Adelaide (11 November 2025 – 27 March 2026)

Cathay Pacific now flies to six destinations in Australia, namely Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Don’t forget it can also be worth considering using the BA Multi partner redemption option as if you are travelling on multiple oneworld airlines on your trip it can work out cheaper in Avios. To use this, you must be flying at least two oneworld airlines, which are not BA, but can also have a BA flight on top of those.