EXP considering leaving AA--where to match/credit miles instead?
Dec 26, 2016, 8:41 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: London/NYC
Programs: AA PLAT, DL GOLD (status matched)
Posts: 68
EXP considering leaving AA--where to match/credit miles instead?
Happy Holidays everyone:
I have a question for fellow AA EXPs who have decided to part ways with AA or to seek/match elite status with other airlines.
I’ve been an EXP for the past two years and although the flight I’m about to board will get me to about 70K EQMs for this year, I decided a few months ago to give up on re-qualifying for EXP before Dec 31.
AA has been mostly good for me and I (and my friends and family) have enjoyed those 8 SWUs per year—including a few on SYD-LAX flights and one of them that even turned into a QF upgrade in C after a misconnect on AA.
That said, I’ve had a few experiences this year (details below, for those who care) that just made me want try another airline with better service and less hassle—if there is a sensible option out there.
Here are my general travel patterns: I fly LHR-NYC often on OW carriers , sometimes in J if it’s reasonably priced though I’ve mainly used SWUs on those flights this past year. I fly from NYC or LON to JNB/CPT at least 1-2x per year and from NYC or LON to HKG at least once per year, often in Y+ or J when QR or CX or BA have good deals. I also fly a fair amount of short-haul within the EU (or what’s left of it
Before January comes along and I take a series of flights that will earn me about 35K EQMs (at AA earning rates) in just one month, I wanted to seek advice about whether I should be crediting those miles somewhere else? And if so, where would make sense--CX or BA or QR? Another airline I haven’t thought of? Or a non-OW option that makes sense?
Is it worth trying to match or do a challenge on another carrier before my EXP status expires in late Feb? (My January flights are about 23K flown miles and would be worth close to 35K EQM on AA.) Or should I just start over on a new airline and earn status by the end of the year? I’ll almost definitely get to 100K by end of 2017 if I stay loyal to one program.
Or, despite my gripes below, is AA still the best option out there? Any comments and advice would be welcome
thanks,
P.S. [Gripes with AA: It’s not the reduction from 8 to 4 SWUs that was the final straw for me. It was mainly dealing with AA’s antiquated systems and procedures and tech glitches that came close to causing real problems for me--things like making a routine flight change, paying the change fee and being told by EXP desk it was good to go and then seeing it still show up as “pending” the day before a transatlantic flight and calling and being told that in fact the change was never made because there was a problem with reissuing (despite telling me it was all set) and that in fact I had no valid ticket for travel the next day (but no one bothered to call and warn me). This led to 2 hours of calls and holding with the EXP desk and UK AA line until 3-4 supervisors had worked on it and finally reissued the ticket and charged me only the original change fee -- although along the way they told me I’d have no choice but to cancel it and buy a new one for about $600 more than the change fee I’d paid.
The other major headache was being sent a paper voucher for a refunded flight that took 6 weeks in the mail and then I was told I had to take it to the airport to use it—after booking a flight by phone and telling them I wanted to use a voucher because the website won’t allow it—and when I did the very nice LHR desk agent took almost an hour trying to get it processed and by the time she did, I’d almost missed my flight.
And a lesser gripe, on at least 50% of flights I’ve ever taken with AA the attendants wake you up before landing, reaching across trying to take my own personal Bose Headphones off my head, thinking that they are the AA headphones—you’d think they’d train people to distinguish since the AA ones are marked differently.
I was a UA 1K for a few years before switching to AA and despite all UA’s faults, things like this never happened. Vouchers worked online, when tickets were bought or changed the new itinerary showed up as ticketed within an hour--and SWUs or whatever UA calls them were confirmed or visible as waitlisted online.]
I have a question for fellow AA EXPs who have decided to part ways with AA or to seek/match elite status with other airlines.
I’ve been an EXP for the past two years and although the flight I’m about to board will get me to about 70K EQMs for this year, I decided a few months ago to give up on re-qualifying for EXP before Dec 31.
AA has been mostly good for me and I (and my friends and family) have enjoyed those 8 SWUs per year—including a few on SYD-LAX flights and one of them that even turned into a QF upgrade in C after a misconnect on AA.
That said, I’ve had a few experiences this year (details below, for those who care) that just made me want try another airline with better service and less hassle—if there is a sensible option out there.
Here are my general travel patterns: I fly LHR-NYC often on OW carriers , sometimes in J if it’s reasonably priced though I’ve mainly used SWUs on those flights this past year. I fly from NYC or LON to JNB/CPT at least 1-2x per year and from NYC or LON to HKG at least once per year, often in Y+ or J when QR or CX or BA have good deals. I also fly a fair amount of short-haul within the EU (or what’s left of it
Before January comes along and I take a series of flights that will earn me about 35K EQMs (at AA earning rates) in just one month, I wanted to seek advice about whether I should be crediting those miles somewhere else? And if so, where would make sense--CX or BA or QR? Another airline I haven’t thought of? Or a non-OW option that makes sense?
Is it worth trying to match or do a challenge on another carrier before my EXP status expires in late Feb? (My January flights are about 23K flown miles and would be worth close to 35K EQM on AA.) Or should I just start over on a new airline and earn status by the end of the year? I’ll almost definitely get to 100K by end of 2017 if I stay loyal to one program.
Or, despite my gripes below, is AA still the best option out there? Any comments and advice would be welcome
thanks,
P.S. [Gripes with AA: It’s not the reduction from 8 to 4 SWUs that was the final straw for me. It was mainly dealing with AA’s antiquated systems and procedures and tech glitches that came close to causing real problems for me--things like making a routine flight change, paying the change fee and being told by EXP desk it was good to go and then seeing it still show up as “pending” the day before a transatlantic flight and calling and being told that in fact the change was never made because there was a problem with reissuing (despite telling me it was all set) and that in fact I had no valid ticket for travel the next day (but no one bothered to call and warn me). This led to 2 hours of calls and holding with the EXP desk and UK AA line until 3-4 supervisors had worked on it and finally reissued the ticket and charged me only the original change fee -- although along the way they told me I’d have no choice but to cancel it and buy a new one for about $600 more than the change fee I’d paid.
The other major headache was being sent a paper voucher for a refunded flight that took 6 weeks in the mail and then I was told I had to take it to the airport to use it—after booking a flight by phone and telling them I wanted to use a voucher because the website won’t allow it—and when I did the very nice LHR desk agent took almost an hour trying to get it processed and by the time she did, I’d almost missed my flight.
And a lesser gripe, on at least 50% of flights I’ve ever taken with AA the attendants wake you up before landing, reaching across trying to take my own personal Bose Headphones off my head, thinking that they are the AA headphones—you’d think they’d train people to distinguish since the AA ones are marked differently.
I was a UA 1K for a few years before switching to AA and despite all UA’s faults, things like this never happened. Vouchers worked online, when tickets were bought or changed the new itinerary showed up as ticketed within an hour--and SWUs or whatever UA calls them were confirmed or visible as waitlisted online.]
Dec 26, 2016, 8:56 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,009
I have a question for fellow AA EXPs who have decided to part ways with AA or to seek/match elite status with other airlines.
<snip>
Is it worth trying to match or do a challenge on another carrier before my EXP status expires in late Feb? (My January flights are about 23K flown miles and would be worth close to 35K EQM on AA.) Or should I just start over on a new airline and earn status by the end of the year? I’ll almost definitely get to 100K by end of 2017 if I stay loyal to one program.
<snip>
I was a UA 1K for a few years before switching to AA and despite all UA’s faults, things like this never happened. Vouchers worked online, when tickets were bought or changed the new itinerary showed up as ticketed within an hour--and SWUs or whatever UA calls them were confirmed or visible as wait listed online.
<snip>
Is it worth trying to match or do a challenge on another carrier before my EXP status expires in late Feb? (My January flights are about 23K flown miles and would be worth close to 35K EQM on AA.) Or should I just start over on a new airline and earn status by the end of the year? I’ll almost definitely get to 100K by end of 2017 if I stay loyal to one program.
<snip>
I was a UA 1K for a few years before switching to AA and despite all UA’s faults, things like this never happened. Vouchers worked online, when tickets were bought or changed the new itinerary showed up as ticketed within an hour--and SWUs or whatever UA calls them were confirmed or visible as wait listed online.
With the majority of ffp's benefits are reducing and ff mile award/upgrade costs are going up. Upgrades are now harder to get. The halcyon days of frequent flyer programs a decade ago are gone: just accept reality.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...help-here.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/onewo...help-here.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-...post-here.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/skyte...i-sign-up.html
The grass in not always greener on the other side
Dec 26, 2016, 9:01 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: UK
Programs: BA Silver, AA Gold, A3 Gold, Honors Diamond, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 1,251
If you're flying in premium cabins you'll find gaining status on BAEC is far quicker than gaining it on AA Advantage, however redeeming miles on BA is almost always more expensive than on AA, even post-deval. There are some good redemption opportunities where BAEC beats AAdvantage though so check your flying patterns before switching.
I maintain both BAEC Silver status and AA EXP status so I have a stock of both Avios and AAdvantage miles.
I maintain both BAEC Silver status and AA EXP status so I have a stock of both Avios and AAdvantage miles.
Dec 26, 2016, 9:06 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: ROC/NYC/MSP/LAX/HKG/SIN
Posts: 3,212
Happy Holidays everyone:
I have a question for fellow AA EXPs who have decided to part ways with AA or to seek/match elite status with other airlines.
I’ve been an EXP for the past two years and although the flight I’m about to board will get me to about 70K EQMs for this year, I decided a few months ago to give up on re-qualifying for EXP before Dec 31.
AA has been mostly good for me and I (and my friends and family) have enjoyed those 8 SWUs per year—including a few on SYD-LAX flights and one of them that even turned into a QF upgrade in C after a misconnect on AA.
That said, I’ve had a few experiences this year (details below, for those who care) that just made me want try another airline with better service and less hassle—if there is a sensible option out there.
Here are my general travel patterns: I fly LHR-NYC often on OW carriers , sometimes in J if it’s reasonably priced though I’ve mainly used SWUs on those flights this past year. I fly from NYC or LON to JNB/CPT at least 1-2x per year and from NYC or LON to HKG at least once per year, often in Y+ or J when QR or CX or BA have good deals. I also fly a fair amount of short-haul within the EU (or what’s left of it
Before January comes along and I take a series of flights that will earn me about 35K EQMs (at AA earning rates) in just one month, I wanted to seek advice about whether I should be crediting those miles somewhere else? And if so, where would make sense--CX or BA or QR? Another airline I haven’t thought of? Or a non-OW option that makes sense?
Is it worth trying to match or do a challenge on another carrier before my EXP status expires in late Feb? (My January flights are about 23K flown miles and would be worth close to 35K EQM on AA.) Or should I just start over on a new airline and earn status by the end of the year? I’ll almost definitely get to 100K by end of 2017 if I stay loyal to one program.
Or, despite my gripes below, is AA still the best option out there? Any comments and advice would be welcome
thanks,
P.S. [Gripes with AA: It’s not the reduction from 8 to 4 SWUs that was the final straw for me. It was mainly dealing with AA’s antiquated systems and procedures and tech glitches that came close to causing real problems for me--things like making a routine flight change, paying the change fee and being told by EXP desk it was good to go and then seeing it still show up as “pending” the day before a transatlantic flight and calling and being told that in fact the change was never made because there was a problem with reissuing (despite telling me it was all set) and that in fact I had no valid ticket for travel the next day (but no one bothered to call and warn me). This led to 2 hours of calls and holding with the EXP desk and UK AA line until 3-4 supervisors had worked on it and finally reissued the ticket and charged me only the original change fee -- although along the way they told me I’d have no choice but to cancel it and buy a new one for about $600 more than the change fee I’d paid.
The other major headache was being sent a paper voucher for a refunded flight that took 6 weeks in the mail and then I was told I had to take it to the airport to use it—after booking a flight by phone and telling them I wanted to use a voucher because the website won’t allow it—and when I did the very nice LHR desk agent took almost an hour trying to get it processed and by the time she did, I’d almost missed my flight.
And a lesser gripe, on at least 50% of flights I’ve ever taken with AA the attendants wake you up before landing, reaching across trying to take my own personal Bose Headphones off my head, thinking that they are the AA headphones—you’d think they’d train people to distinguish since the AA ones are marked differently.
I was a UA 1K for a few years before switching to AA and despite all UA’s faults, things like this never happened. Vouchers worked online, when tickets were bought or changed the new itinerary showed up as ticketed within an hour--and SWUs or whatever UA calls them were confirmed or visible as waitlisted online.]
I have a question for fellow AA EXPs who have decided to part ways with AA or to seek/match elite status with other airlines.
I’ve been an EXP for the past two years and although the flight I’m about to board will get me to about 70K EQMs for this year, I decided a few months ago to give up on re-qualifying for EXP before Dec 31.
AA has been mostly good for me and I (and my friends and family) have enjoyed those 8 SWUs per year—including a few on SYD-LAX flights and one of them that even turned into a QF upgrade in C after a misconnect on AA.
That said, I’ve had a few experiences this year (details below, for those who care) that just made me want try another airline with better service and less hassle—if there is a sensible option out there.
Here are my general travel patterns: I fly LHR-NYC often on OW carriers , sometimes in J if it’s reasonably priced though I’ve mainly used SWUs on those flights this past year. I fly from NYC or LON to JNB/CPT at least 1-2x per year and from NYC or LON to HKG at least once per year, often in Y+ or J when QR or CX or BA have good deals. I also fly a fair amount of short-haul within the EU (or what’s left of it
Before January comes along and I take a series of flights that will earn me about 35K EQMs (at AA earning rates) in just one month, I wanted to seek advice about whether I should be crediting those miles somewhere else? And if so, where would make sense--CX or BA or QR? Another airline I haven’t thought of? Or a non-OW option that makes sense?
Is it worth trying to match or do a challenge on another carrier before my EXP status expires in late Feb? (My January flights are about 23K flown miles and would be worth close to 35K EQM on AA.) Or should I just start over on a new airline and earn status by the end of the year? I’ll almost definitely get to 100K by end of 2017 if I stay loyal to one program.
Or, despite my gripes below, is AA still the best option out there? Any comments and advice would be welcome
thanks,
P.S. [Gripes with AA: It’s not the reduction from 8 to 4 SWUs that was the final straw for me. It was mainly dealing with AA’s antiquated systems and procedures and tech glitches that came close to causing real problems for me--things like making a routine flight change, paying the change fee and being told by EXP desk it was good to go and then seeing it still show up as “pending” the day before a transatlantic flight and calling and being told that in fact the change was never made because there was a problem with reissuing (despite telling me it was all set) and that in fact I had no valid ticket for travel the next day (but no one bothered to call and warn me). This led to 2 hours of calls and holding with the EXP desk and UK AA line until 3-4 supervisors had worked on it and finally reissued the ticket and charged me only the original change fee -- although along the way they told me I’d have no choice but to cancel it and buy a new one for about $600 more than the change fee I’d paid.
The other major headache was being sent a paper voucher for a refunded flight that took 6 weeks in the mail and then I was told I had to take it to the airport to use it—after booking a flight by phone and telling them I wanted to use a voucher because the website won’t allow it—and when I did the very nice LHR desk agent took almost an hour trying to get it processed and by the time she did, I’d almost missed my flight.
And a lesser gripe, on at least 50% of flights I’ve ever taken with AA the attendants wake you up before landing, reaching across trying to take my own personal Bose Headphones off my head, thinking that they are the AA headphones—you’d think they’d train people to distinguish since the AA ones are marked differently.
I was a UA 1K for a few years before switching to AA and despite all UA’s faults, things like this never happened. Vouchers worked online, when tickets were bought or changed the new itinerary showed up as ticketed within an hour--and SWUs or whatever UA calls them were confirmed or visible as waitlisted online.]
Your complaints were legit, but:
1. Make sure you check the status of your tickets periodically to ensure it is changed to 'ticketed' instead of 'ticket request/pending'. If they did not send you an eTicket number, call them to send you one. That is an indication that the eTicket was confirmed and generated to reflect all the changes of your flights.
2. Paper vouchers are unfortunately not possible to redeem online. I received a couple of these such that I had to go to the airport to complete the transaction of tickets. It's always the AA's way to do it, not because it's merger with US. I understand going from suburbs/even downtown to LHR T3 to process these is absolutely ridiculous. I am based in a small airport that it takes only 10-15min of driving to do, so YMMV. Perhaps you can schedule a bit of time to confirm the purchase with paper vouchers when you land in NYC or LHR before leaving the airport. It definitely hurts, but we have to play by the rules.
3. Taking off the Bose headsets which belong to you is flat out rude. I would write to customer care about this, hoping to improve the inflight service. All they have to do is to get the checklist and see who has or does not have the headset.
If through US is the major starting and ending point of your travels, then I would say the much improved UA is your choice again. Their latest Polaris Business class soft product has been launched, and they received a lot of praise of their revamped product. Food, blanket, pillows, mattress pad, amenities, wine...Everything has become better. The latest Polaris Lounge in ORD beats almost any lounge in domestic US - It's THAT better.
I don't have much hope for the new AA at the moment. If you are absolutely sure you want to keep in OneWorld, you can try Finnair, or cross-crediting, which means you fly AA, credit to BA; you fly OneWorld partners, you credit them to AA.
Safe travels.
Dec 26, 2016, 9:20 pm
#6
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Everywhere you wanna be
Programs: AA EP | UA 1K
Posts: 1,657
AS is status matching so if you're EP then match to MVP Gold 75k. You can credit CX and BA flights to them.
If you just want oneworld status, BAEC makes it easy to earn when flying premium cabins.
If you just want oneworld status, BAEC makes it easy to earn when flying premium cabins.
Dec 26, 2016, 10:02 pm
#7
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,572
I wouldn't be classing BAEC as being better than AAdvantage - especially if liking to make award bookings without paying high surcharges
If planning to use different airlines that are not eligible for earning to AA, then would be worth starting by deciding on what carriers you plan to use and picking a programme accordingly
If staying with the same airlines , especially if travelling in premium cabins, I would check whether you would actually gain by moving. With AA's earning based on fare , it may be better to stay with AA and enjoy the potentially higher mileage earnings
The only time that you actually have to deal with AA is for making award bookings
If planning to use different airlines that are not eligible for earning to AA, then would be worth starting by deciding on what carriers you plan to use and picking a programme accordingly
If staying with the same airlines , especially if travelling in premium cabins, I would check whether you would actually gain by moving. With AA's earning based on fare , it may be better to stay with AA and enjoy the potentially higher mileage earnings
The only time that you actually have to deal with AA is for making award bookings
Dec 26, 2016, 10:17 pm
#8
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 989
I'm in the same situation you are in except I've requal'd for EXP this year already. I usually do international trips, so as soon as my upgrade clears, I switch the FFP to etihad and gets 100% RDM. For domestic itineraries that involve complimentary upgrades though, I end up having to credit to AA for the small amount of RDMs in order to get the upgrade. There was one time when expertflyer showed in advance that the flight was oversold and I had no chance of upgrade that I went ahead and switch to EY as well
Dec 26, 2016, 10:41 pm
#9
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,572
without status , will EY provide what you need from a programme and have redemption values that will be better than AA? If so, then seems like it was a sensible move to change schemes
How have redemptions been using EY?
How have redemptions been using EY?