Is Aegean able to sustain itself in the economic downturn？
I think it is not the first time that we have read news about government budget and job cuts in Greece. As a result of that，is the airline safe enough to go through that？ I do not want my points get accumulated on A3 and suddenly it needs to be forfeited...
A quick glance reveals they made a small profit Q1. That would be a better outcome than a few other european airlines.
Then again, points are not "safe" anywhere. Even if you stay away from bankruptcies, you will find your points being devaluated over time, as every program these days are adjusting earn/burn ratios and adding other "enhancements" to the program. Best advice is always to use the points as quickly as you can.
A quick glance reveals they made a small profit Q1. That would be a better outcome than a few other european airlines.
Then again, points are not "safe" anywhere. Even if you stay away from bankruptcies, you will find your points being devaluated over time, as every program these days are adjusting earn/burn ratios and adding other "enhancements" to the program. Best advice is always to use the points as quickly as you can.
Thanks! That's exactly how every loyalty programme is operating these days!
As someone who lost a non-trivial amount of miles/points with JK last January (a lot, really)... I'd advise anyone to spend the miles as soon as it makes sense to do so
A quick glance reveals they made a small profit Q1. That would be a better outcome than a few other european airlines.
Then again, points are not "safe" anywhere. Even if you stay away from bankruptcies, you will find your points being devaluated over time, as every program these days are adjusting earn/burn ratios and adding other "enhancements" to the program. Best advice is always to use the points as quickly as you can.
i.e. AC
Then again, maybe the devaluations can cause the bankruptcy.
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Supporters of the CCP are ruining world affairs.
Programs: TK*G (Elite), Flying Blue Gold, Club Carlson Gold, Miles&More (peasant)
Posts: 285
Having read through the thread, and seen some interesting comments from one member. I would like to start with saying that the A3*G is NOT much of a scam, at least when comparing to the low *G requirements many other *A airlines are offering. For starters take the comparison of A3 and SAS EB who recently lowered their treshold to 50K while at the same time introducing 100% earnings on even the cheapest booking classes. With that in mind, it's possible to earn SK*G with just 3 SAS long hauls + some Eurohop, making it doable for less than EUR 1600 if not cheaper! Getting A3*G will cost roughly the same in most cases, but the only difference is that A3 only gives earnings on higher booking classes in Y or Business Class.
In other words both *G cards will have generated the same level of revenue to the airlines, as opposed to the yileds who are actually higher for an A3*G. I think this makes it justifiable to say that A3*G should be recalled as equally valuable as any other *G, and please don't get so fooled by the 19K requirement treshold because it doesn't really say much...
Having read through the thread, and seen some interesting comments from one member. I would like to start with saying that the A3*G is NOT much of a scam, at least when comparing to the low *G requirements many other *A airlines are offering. For starters take the comparison of A3 and SAS EB who recently lowered their treshold to 50K while at the same time introducing 100% earnings on even the cheapest booking classes. With that in mind, it's possible to earn SK*G with just 3 SAS long hauls + some Eurohop, making it doable for less than EUR 1600 if not cheaper! Getting A3*G will cost roughly the same in most cases, but the only difference is that A3 only gives earnings on higher booking classes in Y or Business Class.
In other words both *G cards will have generated the same level of revenue to the airlines, as opposed to the yileds who are actually higher for an A3*G. I think this makes it justifiable to say that A3*G should be recalled as equally valuable as any other *G, and please don't get so fooled by the 19K requirement treshold because it doesn't really say much...
One shouldn't also forget that most of A3's customers are Greek, and that if the criteria for becoming Gold were similar to those of, say, LH, the airline's best customers would practically be excluded since, on average, you only get 500 miles per domestic segment. Of course, A3 could have different requirements for Greek residents, like AF had (and still has?) for its fidelity programme; here, though, the requirements for French residents were (are) stricter... At any rate, as I wrote in a different thread, it took me ~50 flights to become A3*G, but at that time I was mostly flying Skyteam airlines for most of my international flights.
This is a great thread with lots of good information. Thanks to those who are discussing A3's health and debating the morale question that is sure to be out there, too.
As an infrequent flyer by US standards (about 3-5 flights a year for 15k-22k miles) I appreciate the ability to earn the benefits of *G status vice using a high annual fee credit card. As such, I would not mind investing in A3's financial health, since they are giving me a shot. As such, I would not mind a reasonable fee to keep tbe program alive for international members (that can be waived with a segment or two on A3 metal during the 3 year period). As an alternative, I would be willing to get their co-branded card in the States to keep the status viable for them.
However if simply coding my *aliance flights to A3 is enough to offset my program use, then I will continue to do this.
