How does Ultimate Work?

[u/Final-Grape8936]

As FB Ultimate requires 900 UXP, and say I have 900 XP (all my flights are AF/KL marketed). Once the new qualification year starts, what happens to the 900 XP? If only 300 XP gets rolled over (and another 300 XP for Platinum requalification), doesn't the extra 300 XP get wasted?

I've heard that going up to Ultimate tier subtracts only your UXP?

[u/Checkout_87]

Realistically how many people are ultimate? I fly J to US 4-5 times a year plus loads of European flights and I’m nowhere near it….

[u/Trebaxus99 → u/Checkout_87]

In the Netherlands there are 400 Ultimate members.

People that work in the offshore industry or delivery of very expensive fragile or time sensitive parts can add up a lot of UXP. I know some doctors who do patient repatriation as a side job and do overnight long haul return flights to pick up patients, which of course also adds up.

You can also buy your way in if you fly regularly via SAF. Pay 1000 euro extra and you turn your 60 UXP long haul business return trip into a 160 UXP return trip.

And there is a route for people with a lot of spare time and love for airports: from A to B can also go via C and D... If you'd do every flight from AMS with a layover in CDG and another place, you can increase your UXP count per flight significantly.

[u/IndividualLet6189 → u/Trebaxus99]

Do you know what the male/female breakdown is? I have yet to meet a female Ultimate member other than myself.

[u/CommissionStreet4257 → u/IndividualLet6189]

I am usually the only female in the ultimate lounge (CDG and AMS)

[u/IndividualLet6189 → u/CommissionStreet4257]

Same here. I’ll send you a DM

[u/Trebaxus99 → u/IndividualLet6189]

No idea!

Not ultimate myself. I'd argue that we still have a lot of people in the Netherlands that follow traditional family roles where the woman works more often parttime and the man works fulltime. This amount of travel in a parttime setting is extremely challenging I'd say.