Antarius

I voted 'Do something else' as I am unlikely to go status chasing anymore. Don't really know how much I will fly next year, but I wont be doing much extra to get a particular level.

A lot of this has to do with my job though.

Catbert10

And I can fly to LHR at a lower cpm, but get far closer to EXP on fewer flights than I can flying domestically. My point is that domestic short or medium haul flyers can show loyalty week in, week out, and are no longer rewarded for it.

And I think your logic about revenue based programs at UA and DL is flawed. Yes, they've added explicit requirements for spend. But you still have to fly the miles or the segments. In other words, a short haul flyer buying expensive tickets may spend > $10K on UA and not make 1K because of the mileage or segment requirements.

AlwaysSunnyInORD

I was disappointed but not surprised by the move to 120 segments. Kind of shocked that miles and points were left at 100K. If my flying stays were it was at this year I shouldn't have any issue, on pace for 140-150 segments in 2014. With that said, 120 is a lot and I feel bad for those who generally qualify around 100. An extra 20 segments at year end isn't something you can just take a weekend or two and knock out like you can with a mileage run to Asia.

This is a tough bump especially for those who fly out of AA hubs and get a lot of direct flights within their region - more than 1 round trip each week on average now.

AANYC1981

120 segments is a lot of flying....so happy the 100K miles is still around....I can barely do that and have had to make up long weekend trips to Hawaii and HKG this year to get there (thankfully SWUs cleared everytime!)

WoodyWindy

Well, it also makes the proportions consistent across tiers, where Gold and Platinum have been multiples of 30 for several years now. (Of course, the industry shift to 30 instead of 25 as the segment multiplier a while back also caused great wailing and gnashing of teeth...)

Danwriter

Was also sorry to see the bump to 120 for EXP for next year, as this was the first year I went for EXP via segments. (Nine to go, will hit 100 mid-month MXP-MIA segment.) But after 13.5 years of this, I'm fine with letting it go and sailing off into the sunset with lifetime PLT. If at this stage I had to fly another 29 segments instead of nine, I'd bail. As it was, this year I had to do four segment runs (BNA-ORD-STL) and turn some straightforward itineraries into marathons. Was it any better than MRs to FRA for a shower? Plus I figure AA moves to revenue-based elite qualification in 2016, and as self-employed I can't go up against corporate travel spending. I may even feel a bit relieved, not having to look at the meter on Jan. 1 and see it reset to zero. Maybe I've had my last Groundhog Day.

adambrock

I normally try to get 3 segments per one way trip, so this really amounts to only 3-4 more round trip tickets for me. I hope I can make that work.

brobab

I have been both EXP and CP for the past ten years running. YTD, I am sitting at 98 segments on AA and 153 on US with another 35 segments minimum by the end of the year. Being able to get Ex Plat with only 120 will free me up to grow UA miles where I am currently silver. I will always qualify on segments - no international travel for me.

I am wondering if 150 segments will still get club membership as it does on US today.

tegelad

I half wish they would have done what United did ... by a F/J/Y/B ticket and you get 1.5 segments per flight .... I looked at my CPM from collecting segments this year, and the minmum is 21 cents and that is due to the minimum 500 mile threshold ....

+-ADT

rikramer

And herein lies the potential problem for AA. People in similar situations as yours (for which there must be many from the EQS qualifying community) would likely bail long before 100. There is little incentive to keep flying after 60 segments if 120 is out of reach. And in your circumstance with Lifetime Platinum, there is little incentive to fly at all if EXP becomes out of reach to you. Personally, I've had years where I could have flown around 60 segments but I have discretionarily kept flying to 100 to make life easier for me as an EXP. Those are 40 tickets which AA would likely not have received revenue for had the threshold been 120. I find it surprising that there isn't a tier in between 60 and 100 or the ability to earn more than 1 segment on a flight if booked in F like on UA.

rikramer

I am starting to book my 2015 flights and have begun to explore what it would mean to hit 120 segments. I currently travel one round-trip flight per week, every week of the year. Interestingly enough, adding a connection to my weekly trip cuts my trip cost considerably. I typically pay ~$250-$350 one way through my home airport ORD. If I start in Milwaukee instead, my total flight cost drops down to $115 one way.

I find this interesting from the viewpoint of AA trying to align our incentives. I will be highly inconvenienced going through MKE and I will loose a lot of additional time in commute, going through airports, etc. And in return American will provide me more services (2 flights instead of 1) and will earn 1/3 the revenue that they would have received had I flown my usual direct flight. It all seems rather silly and inefficient (in my particular scenario at least).

I still haven't made up my mind on what I will do. If only Mitt was right and "Corporations were people"....I'm pretty sure I could rationally convince a person that it was in both of our interests for me to keep providing AA revenue through my direct commutes.

GrumpyYoungMan

I'll most likely crank out 120 next year, as I'm already at 138 this year. However, I won't have as many trips to visit my sweetheart in Chicago, as she'll become GrumpyYoungLady in April. Maybe I won't make it to 120 unless I do some creative routing - which I happen to enjoy doing, for some sick reason.

I don't understand why folks say they will stop at 60 if they can't reach 120. Is having low-to-mid tier status on two airlines worth it? Especially if a challenge isn't available and one has to start from scratch on airline #2?

rikramer

No, my alternative to finding a new path to EXP is simply to stop flying after 60 flights. I have some degree of discretionary travel and can enjoy the benefit of not travelling once I hit ~ 60 flights. Getting mid-tier elsewhere is not on the table.

GrumpyYoungMan

I see - that makes sense. I've seen plenty of posts on other threads where folks say they'll stop using AA after 60 and then go elsewhere; I assumed you were in that category. My mistake.

Danwriter

Or offer some additional perks at various million-mile levels. At 4 mm I'd appreciate an extra year at ExecPlat. But that ain't gonna happen, is it?