WEIGH IN: Leaving AC, Staying or ALREADY LEFT?
Oct 23, 2014, 11:05 pm
#31
Suspended
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: yyz/ord
Programs: AC E50 UA1k 2MM AA EXP Royal Ambassador SPG Platinum
Posts: 1,516
Another customer AC will lose.
with the help of people on this board I decided to end a very long relationship with AC. I had double status for years, and this year will be my last with 50k status.
Reality is AC is a very poor second choice to 1K. I now fly UA and Delta.
I will fly less than 5k with AC this year, and one Rouge flight convinced me of the nightmare ahead at AC.
Next decision is should I give up Blackberry? Wow how non-Canadian I will become.
United just announced record profits, maybe its from Canadians.
Reality is AC is a very poor second choice to 1K. I now fly UA and Delta.
I will fly less than 5k with AC this year, and one Rouge flight convinced me of the nightmare ahead at AC.
Next decision is should I give up Blackberry? Wow how non-Canadian I will become.
United just announced record profits, maybe its from Canadians.
Oct 23, 2014, 11:18 pm
#32
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: YYZ, SFO
Programs: AS 100K, UA*S, IHG Plat, Marriott Titanium, Hilton Diamond | Formerly: AC Super Elite
Posts: 2,476
Haven't decided yet actually.
This year, about 90% of my flying is on my own dime (and on AC); probably projecting a spend of 12K of my pocket money to requal SE. Qual'ed SE last year mostly on Eewnited (before the 50%-ing). 2011, 2012, 2013 qualed for Elite fully on my own dime.
If I quit flying altogether, then I can save quite a nice chunk of money. Even for one year, compounding 12K 8% for 30 years works out to $120K or so? Could buy me another house when I retire
If I stay flying, either:
- continue flying *A but on OZ for lifetime *G at 500K *A BIS miles
- status match to the dAArk side
- status match to DL
One of my coworkers keeps gushing to me about how great DL is. Factoring in my amex plat, I get free DL lounge access + $200 airline credit on DL incidental fees.
Are you going to stay with AC superangrypenguin? If not, what are your plans?
This year, about 90% of my flying is on my own dime (and on AC); probably projecting a spend of 12K of my pocket money to requal SE. Qual'ed SE last year mostly on Eewnited (before the 50%-ing). 2011, 2012, 2013 qualed for Elite fully on my own dime.
If I quit flying altogether, then I can save quite a nice chunk of money. Even for one year, compounding 12K 8% for 30 years works out to $120K or so? Could buy me another house when I retire
If I stay flying, either:
- continue flying *A but on OZ for lifetime *G at 500K *A BIS miles
- status match to the dAArk side
- status match to DL
One of my coworkers keeps gushing to me about how great DL is. Factoring in my amex plat, I get free DL lounge access + $200 airline credit on DL incidental fees.
Are you going to stay with AC superangrypenguin? If not, what are your plans?
Oct 24, 2014, 12:24 am
#34
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: YVR
Programs: Erstwhile Accidental AC E35K
Posts: 2,916
I effectively abandoned AE years ago and have collected only BIS miles for the last 10 years. Pretty much wrote off AC after last year's enhancements. After ~10 or 12 years as an E, this year I have only 2 segments and 1049 AQM on AC metal. Haven't used a single eUp this year. I have three lengthy trips pending, none of which involve AC. I'm liberated!
So the announcements today don't have me very worked up. Not worth it to be loyal to AC any more.
Having said that, once I'm on the aircraft and in the air I have found AC (not Rogue) to be generally pretty good, comparatively of course. It's all the crap and contempt before you board and when things go IRROPS that burns my butt.
I will also point out the obvious: the AC game plan is to dump all the low level status people, so stomping off in a huff is actually what they want. Well, the stomping off part, anyway.
So the announcements today don't have me very worked up. Not worth it to be loyal to AC any more.
Having said that, once I'm on the aircraft and in the air I have found AC (not Rogue) to be generally pretty good, comparatively of course. It's all the crap and contempt before you board and when things go IRROPS that burns my butt.
I will also point out the obvious: the AC game plan is to dump all the low level status people, so stomping off in a huff is actually what they want. Well, the stomping off part, anyway.
Oct 24, 2014, 12:30 am
#35
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 6,222
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9780; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.8+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.0.666 Mobile Safari/534.8+)
Blackberry?!
Do they still have those?
Originally Posted by flybit
with the help of people on this board I decided to end a very long relationship with AC. I had double status for years, and this year will be my last with 50k status.
Reality is AC is a very poor second choice to 1K. I now fly UA and Delta.
I will fly less than 5k with AC this year, and one Rouge flight convinced me of the nightmare ahead at AC.
Next decision is should I give up Blackberry? Wow how non-Canadian I will become.
United just announced record profits, maybe its from Canadians.
Reality is AC is a very poor second choice to 1K. I now fly UA and Delta.
I will fly less than 5k with AC this year, and one Rouge flight convinced me of the nightmare ahead at AC.
Next decision is should I give up Blackberry? Wow how non-Canadian I will become.
United just announced record profits, maybe its from Canadians.
Do they still have those?
Oct 24, 2014, 2:12 am
#36
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: YVR
Programs: AC:50K
Posts: 708
I'm going to be with AC for 2015, simply because I paid for a Europe flight pass before they announced that the number of flights we can upgrade is being cut in half. After I finish the flight pass, my European travel is going to be on BA; I haven't decided what to do about domestic and transborder travel yet.
Oct 24, 2014, 2:37 am
#37
Join Date: May 2011
Location: LHR / BCN
Programs: AC*E, BA, KL
Posts: 38
This is where I'm at. I'm a Canadian ex pat living in the UK for the foreseeable future. I fly a variety of Star partners and this year my percentage of flying was:
AC 20%
LH 15%
LO 10%
LX 10%
SN 10%
OS 10%
SQ 7.5%
TP 10%
SK 7.5%
The carrier I have spent more time on and more money on was AC yet under the new rules, I would fail to quality for renewed E50 status. I see the point they are making that they want passengers who fly mostly AC, the problem is that from where I am and the destinations I go to, this is not an option.
Clearly, staying with AC is not really an option either, unless I find that work takes me to Canada more often. For me the main perks are priority check-in and lounge access. Upgrades are not the most important thing to me although they are very welcome when they come.
I'm considering either a move to BA or just giving up the whole status thing and using Priority Pass for lounge access.
AC 20%
LH 15%
LO 10%
LX 10%
SN 10%
OS 10%
SQ 7.5%
TP 10%
SK 7.5%
The carrier I have spent more time on and more money on was AC yet under the new rules, I would fail to quality for renewed E50 status. I see the point they are making that they want passengers who fly mostly AC, the problem is that from where I am and the destinations I go to, this is not an option.
Clearly, staying with AC is not really an option either, unless I find that work takes me to Canada more often. For me the main perks are priority check-in and lounge access. Upgrades are not the most important thing to me although they are very welcome when they come.
I'm considering either a move to BA or just giving up the whole status thing and using Priority Pass for lounge access.
Oct 24, 2014, 2:50 am
#38
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 15
This is where I'm at. I'm a Canadian ex pat living in the UK for the foreseeable future. I fly a variety of Star partners and this year my percentage of flying was:
AC 20%
LH 15%
LO 10%
LX 10%
SN 10%
OS 10%
SQ 7.5%
TP 10%
SK 7.5%
The carrier I have spent more time on and more money on was AC yet under the new rules, I would fail to quality for renewed E50 status. I see the point they are making that they want passengers who fly mostly AC, the problem is that from where I am and the destinations I go to, this is not an option.
Clearly, staying with AC is not really an option either, unless I find that work takes me to Canada more often. For me the main perks are priority check-in and lounge access. Upgrades are not the most important thing to me although they are very welcome when they come.
I'm considering either a move to BA or just giving up the whole status thing and using Priority Pass for lounge access.
AC 20%
LH 15%
LO 10%
LX 10%
SN 10%
OS 10%
SQ 7.5%
TP 10%
SK 7.5%
The carrier I have spent more time on and more money on was AC yet under the new rules, I would fail to quality for renewed E50 status. I see the point they are making that they want passengers who fly mostly AC, the problem is that from where I am and the destinations I go to, this is not an option.
Clearly, staying with AC is not really an option either, unless I find that work takes me to Canada more often. For me the main perks are priority check-in and lounge access. Upgrades are not the most important thing to me although they are very welcome when they come.
I'm considering either a move to BA or just giving up the whole status thing and using Priority Pass for lounge access.
Oct 24, 2014, 3:03 am
#39
Join Date: May 2011
Location: LHR / BCN
Programs: AC*E, BA, KL
Posts: 38
I'm in pretty much the same boat. I'm a Canadian expat in the UK and have had status (35/50) for the past several years with AC. I'm out now. I'll keep using my lounge access etc until Feb, but then I'll be moving over to something else. Lufthansa or BA probably. I might also do just the priority pass thing as well. I'll have to sit down and figure it out.
Oct 24, 2014, 4:50 am
#40
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: YYJ
Programs: AC SE*MM, Bonvoy LT Plat, HH Gold, National EE, Sixt Plat, Hz 5*
Posts: 2,439
Wirelessly posted (galaxy tab: Mozilla/5.0 (BB10; Kbd) AppleWebKit/537.35+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/10.3.0.1418 Mobile Safari/537.35+)
Thinking hard about leaving. I need to see how many miles I'll lose with the 500 mile minimum gone and see which program is the most suitable.
I'm thinking AA because only EXP get unlimited complimentary upgrades so maybe they will actually clear often.
Other option is to bite the bullet and buy latitude. That should make up the difference lost on the 500 mile minimums, and reduce my booking of flights based on R availability.
Maybe this makes the most sense: Fly AC high flex until the eups run out, stop using eups on yvr-yyc-yeg triangle, Fly paid F on united when possible, Maybe only buy one latitude transcon pass for those in between moments, and for international travel do ikk free j redemptions. This might keep my spend almost in line with where it's at (I figure about 20-30k per year).
The funny thing is that my newly developed strategy will hopefully be moving spend away from AC and not to it, Probably with 60% of travel going to AC next year vs 80% or more this year.
Thinking hard about leaving. I need to see how many miles I'll lose with the 500 mile minimum gone and see which program is the most suitable.
I'm thinking AA because only EXP get unlimited complimentary upgrades so maybe they will actually clear often.
Other option is to bite the bullet and buy latitude. That should make up the difference lost on the 500 mile minimums, and reduce my booking of flights based on R availability.
Maybe this makes the most sense: Fly AC high flex until the eups run out, stop using eups on yvr-yyc-yeg triangle, Fly paid F on united when possible, Maybe only buy one latitude transcon pass for those in between moments, and for international travel do ikk free j redemptions. This might keep my spend almost in line with where it's at (I figure about 20-30k per year).
The funny thing is that my newly developed strategy will hopefully be moving spend away from AC and not to it, Probably with 60% of travel going to AC next year vs 80% or more this year.
Last edited by Nitehawk; Oct 24, 2014 at 4:55 am
Oct 24, 2014, 5:41 am
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat
Posts: 38,186
Wow, M, say it ain't so! Last of the happy warriors...well, there's still ol' P out there like the knight in Monty Python who just keeps fighting as limb after limb is cut away.
Oct 24, 2014, 6:02 am
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Southern Alberta
Posts: 20,550
Oct 24, 2014, 6:25 am
#43
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: YYZ
Programs: Presto
Posts: 638