State Duma deputies will hand over bonus miles to refugees

The State Duma agreed with Aeroflot on cooperation to help refugees and the military, Vedomosti found out. As three sources on Okhotny Ryad said, the corresponding letter was sent to the deputies, Vedomosti got acquainted with its text. In particular, the letter sent to the deputies states that the action is being held to “support refugees and Russian servicemen in the zone of the military special operation.” “The essence of the action is the use of miles accumulated by State Duma deputies during flights under the Aeroflot Bonus program for humanitarian purposes for the needs of Donbass. This action was supported by the chairman of the State Duma and factions in the State Duma,” it says.

The procedure for holding the action was agreed upon by the State Duma Department of Affairs (responsible for the logistics of the lower house of parliament) with Aeroflot PJSC, and they also determined the procedure for implementing this action, the letter says. Miles for flights will be accumulated on the account of an authorized deputy “on the basis of personal applications of deputies”. “As the bonus account is replenished, the authorized member of the faction contacts the Aeroflot-bonus department and determines the goods in accordance with the catalog provided by PJSC Aeroflot, after which humanitarian aid is sent to the regions of Donbass,” the letter says.

The original applications for handing over bonus miles to authorized deputies must be submitted by November 30th. Artem Kiryanov, deputy chairman of the economic policy committee, suggested that “a new format of charitable assistance has emerged with the involvement of Aeroflot: “Since Aeroflot-bonus and their partners can provide various goods and services for miles, they can be in high demand.” Deputies who are passengers of airlines use their bonuses to purchase equipment that is necessary for the military who are in the zone of the special operation, explained the chairman of the transport committee, Yevgeny Moskvichev. But he did not name specific airlines.

Vedomosti sent a request to the press service of the State Duma and PJSC “Aeroflot“.

“The mechanics of such actions is very simple. If we are talking about delivering refugees to places of temporary residence or taking fighters who have been fired to their place of residence, then the miles accumulated in the bonus program can reduce travel costs, says Oleg Panteleev, editor-in-chief of the Aviaport branch agency . – Let me remind you that there were several charitable companies that also used Aeroflot bonus miles – the Give Life Foundation by Chulpan Khamatova, the Khabensky Foundation. They collected miles from donors and used them to transport patients for treatment. From this point of view, the mechanics of the action will not be different in any way.

“With this action, the deputies show that they are ready to give up various privileges and bonuses in favor of citizens in need,” believes Alexander Nemtsev, associate professor at the Financial University. “I think the promotion will allow you to buy more than a hundred tickets [и иных вещей] needy. I am sure that this is not the last initiative of the State Duma. For example, the official housing of wealthy deputies can also be used for good purposes,” he admits.