Based on our meeting with execs from FAQ and their suggestion about a new tier between Elite and SE, I was just wondering will Super elite still be the top tier or will it be the middle tier with reduced requirement? Will the new top tier be based on revenue more than miles? Will a new top tier have many unadvertised benefits like SE does.

I will still make SE on miles this year but have been racking up many flights on reward travel as well. Maybe this is not a good strategy as it will reduce fares paid by about $6-10K. Will that have implications for a new tier status for year 2001?

Personally I think it'll be silly to have 4 "elite" tiers... I don't know any airline that does, and also that means that there'll be 2 Aeroplan tiers for each Star Alliance tiers. Basically I think they shouldn't bother with a 4th tier and just make the existing tiers better, eg Star Alliance upgrades or upgrades that you can use with lower booking classes (especially so for Elites' systemwides... I only need to pay an extra $300 US or so to buy a J ticket than buy a full Y and upgrade ex-SEL, and even then it's not certain that I'm going to be upgraded... just doesn't make sense)

However, I do believe that they need to increase the q-level for Elite.. It's quite possibly the lowest in the world for any airline belonging to a major alliance. They should increase the requirement for Elite and give it more benefits...

stargold

Having not been at the meeting, and also not privy to the thoughts of Aeroplan execs, anything that I could comment is merely speculation. However, I would think that the current 100K Q-mile requirement is reasonable for the SE level. Any benefits for super high fliers above that could well be communicated on a more personal level, as there is not that big of a pool of such travellers. I think that many would welcome a new way to qualify for the tiers, in addition to the Q-miles and segments, if this was based on revenue. This would tend to allow more travellers who tend to fly full fare domestic to achieve the upper tier.

I also wonder (for no personal reason) what the new level will be. Perhaps they'll reduce SuperElite to 70k and create a new UltraElite (omnilingual name) at 100k, the new SE having a few fewer benefits (like say upgrades at 100h instead of time-of-booking) and the new UE retaining time-of-booking upgrades. Certainly they'll have to take away benefits if they drop the requirement to 70k. And perhaps not give class-of-service on upgraded fares.

Are there any more benefits they could actually give UEs? I notice AA has just started automatic complimentary upgrades from Y for EPs. I guess that's to compete with TWA, although the latter offers it to anyone paying for Y, but I think only on connections through STL (perhaps to make up for a lack of non-stop or direct flights in their schedule). If AC did that, it would also be a way to give UEs unlimited upgrades if they were paying enough. They could give this to the new SE too, or perhaps allow SE to upgrade from Y at time of booking but from all other fares at 100h.

Or maybe free lounge membership to UE (I know we all get that now, but under certain circumstances that could become an UE benefit).

Perhaps this hypothetical UE will only count points earned on SE-upgrade-eligible fares? Or count Y fares at 125%.

And what about Prestige? I frankly didn't care at all, but the carrot (or possibility of a carrot) that Prestige might have some limited value, perhaps on a par with CP Club (pre-2000) is actually making me care whether I end up just under or just over 18k this year!

andrew

I don't think we need to worry about 2001 since major changes in tiers or benefits (except at the Prestige level, which they promised to improve) will be negligible from those made this year. But it is in 2002 that this refinement would likely come into being, and notice should be given at the start of the new year 2001 program. I've given a lot of thought about the implications -- as you have -- since our meeting, and don't think people should panic until we know all the details, and they certainly have not yet been worked out.

I have always maintained that SE/EP is a difficult target for someone doing primarily domestic travel to achieve. It is a simple matter to get 100K Q-miles if you are an MP travelling across the country every week, or cross the Atlantic or Pacific once a month, or shuttle between YYC-YVR or YYZ-YOW/YUL every week (using segments to qualify). Sales people and road warrior will have the travel plus the full fares, for the most part, so as not to worry about a new regime of flight miles and dollars spent.

But E/G is easier to reach at the current 35K by blending a domestic travel sked with two international trips during a given year, even as mileage runs. I will have requalified for E/G after SYD later this month, having made a couple of trips to YVR, one each to YHZ and LHR, plus the SYD one. All told, I will have spent slightly more than $3K taxes included. I was able to use my Cdn+ "old" stickers on all but the YHZ trip, for which I paid $150 more and used the "new" ones. (While we don't get 125%, the 100% on discounted domestic fares helped with about 3K Q-miles.) So I can't complain. Even if this tier goes to 50K, it will still be achievable with a mileage run across the Pacific for about $1,400, or on a seat sale around $1,000.

P/C can be achieved with a single trip to HKG or SYD from most places in Canada. Two such trips, and a transcon, will get you E/G at the current levels. And at discounted fares, this is pretty cheap. On full fares, it can be up to 5x more expensive.

A new tier at 75K would likely be tailored to the primarily domestic traveller, while the 100K to the needs of the international traveller. On that grounds, I can see some shifting of current SE benefits to fulfill specific needs of domestic versus international travel, as well as revenue generated. What these are, I couldn't venture. Upgrade opportunities would be a sure feature, but tied into the "credits" program that the proposed automated "bank" would provide for.

Don't think I really answered your query, but am adding some possibilities others might like to explore. We were given some possibilities at our meeting, but as I say, I don't think even M. Trudeau and company even know how this might work. Maybe we should post something on the TWA site, since they have already introduced mileage/revenue-based elite qualification criteria.

The only concern that I have about possible changes in qualifications levels for top tier
levels is getting advanced notice of changes in order to adjust my travel patterns. I have presently qualified for Elite 2001 under the present rules but if the bar was substantially raised I would perhaps
have to do an international trip to get the required points. I need a reasonable heads up to change tactics in mid qualifying season. Any thoughts on when we should learn more about the 2001 changes if they happen ?

airbus320: I doubt they'll revoke your pre-qualification even if they raise the q-level for 2001, which seems unlikely since they will have to take back their words and, for PR, this isn't exactly the move of the year.

But 2002 is a whole new matter it seems...

Just pointing out that they did not notify us of Super Elite the first time it came into being. Had I known it was to come about and the benefits, I may have flown a few extra flights to qualify immediately the first year. Instead I lucked into it the first year by qualifying in the fall. The best benefits (any fare system wide upgrades) came in year two though.

They may not tell us about the new tier until it comes into being and no one would complain about reduced qualifying miles for SE status (if that were the case). Since benefits change from year to year, benefits for SE could be reduced slightly as noted above (after all they cut system wide any fare upgrades w/o notice so it is possible they could go to 100 hr upgrades for SE).

For potential comparison with AC's SE and Elite, TWA's top two tiers go:

Platinum - at least $20,000 US in published fares, 100,000 actual miles, or 20 or more transatlantic segments during a calendar year.
Benefits include:
unlimited upgrades.
Domestic upgrades confirmed at time of booking on Y or B fare; 100 hours prior to departure any other TWA published fare.
international upgrades within 100 hours of departure when purchasing a Y fare; $400 from B fares
no blackout date restrictions and no seat limitations on awards.
1000-Mile Minimum for every flight
100% mileage bonus based on the actual number of miles flown
free Ambassadors Club Access

Elite1 - at least $10,000 US in published fares,* 50,000 actual miles or 10 Transatlantic segments during a calendar year
Benefits include:
Unlimited complimentary domestic upgrades
minimum of 1,000 miles/flight.
50% mileage bonus based on the actual number of miles flown

BB,

Sure they did--at least they told '97 �lites. There was a special promotion--if you flew 25K Q-miles in the last quarter of `97, you got SE for 98. That is how I qualified.

Frankly, I don't see four tiers having any value--it just muddies the waters. SE should stay where it is, and SE`s who break bigger barriers, say 200K Q-miles or a revenue threshold, can get additional perks.

I was Elite in 97 and 96 and . . . but don't recall any premailing about SE benefits (in fact even through 98 I did not know what many of the benefits were until I got my package). They weren't on the website (many benefits still aren't). That is one of the reasons I published them here. Several elites commented the same as me, that, had they known, they would have tried harder to get SE that first year and also the second year.

Maybe I missed or more correctly dismissed the SE advertisement that you received as there didn't seem to be any real benefits other than guaranteed Y seat availability (that's the only one I recall and it alone wouldn't have made me go the SE route.)

I do agree that a fourth tier seems unnecessary the more I think of it. I think they just need to give more to Prestige members and do some tinkering with qualifying for Elite (perhaps with upping miles earned on domestic flights?)

That doesn't mean AC won't implement a 4th tier though. It may even give them a competitive advantage in the marketplace. I have always been impressed by what they come up with so maybe we haven't thought it through as clearly as they have.

[This message has been edited by BlondeBomber (edited 08-04-2000).]

I see a number of us posted at about the same time, so just a few more comments stemming from the meeting:

Lounge access is recognized as a very important element of AC's elite program and we were told they had no plans to go to the U.S. route of charging for membership for SE and E members, nor of charging for alcohol. (The costs of both are far outweighed the backlash they'd receive.)

Any immediate changes would be to improve benefits to Prestige, the entry level tier, then work to fine-tune other tiers with that possible fourth.

An emeritus program to recognize those who have achieved significant travel levels in the past, and who's patterns may have changed. This was an admission there was a 1 million and 2 million point recognition program at AC, as there is at CP. AC's may be Elite, and CP's rolled back from ExecPlat to Elite at the 1 million flight miles mark. There was still a reluctance to provide anything more, but a need to recognize lifetime participation in the programs. (As more of us earlier members are beginning to reach retirement years?)

[This message has been edited by Shareholder (edited 08-04-2000).]