Canadian Airlines Plus - Weird gift from AA (trying to buy our loyalty?)

I just checked my current AAdvantage account statement tonight and noticed a few new items:

Account Type: Limited Gold
Upgrade Balance (other): 4

I only had 1 AA + 5 oneworld partner flights + 2 AS flights last year (none this year), none more than 800 miles, so I doubt if I am high on their priority list.

What do I do with the status and upgrades? it is a cheap attempt to buy the loyalty of CPlus members? I did write to CAArty about my disappointment about oneworld not rescuing CP but never got a reply.

Did any CPlus members with AAdvantage accounts get this too?

[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 03-12-2000).]

Yep - I got that Limited Gold status too. Wrote an email to the AAdvantage centre about this. We'll see what they say!

I just checked my account and I have the same too. I credited 2 flights on Canadian to AAdvantage last year. I am interested in hearing more about this.

Spoke with the AAdvantage people today. Seems its something from mAArketing aimed at Canadian residents and we should be expecting a letter.

Summary of benefits:

4 500 mile upgrades
use of Gold 800 number
preferred seating
priority boarding

My email to AA desk indicated that I am looking around for another OneWorld partner programme after CP's demise in July. Indicated that I am currently Exec Plat with them.

I'll let you guys know what happens when I hear from them.

I think that's a great offer for anyone who flew AA last year and who doesn't have status with CP, but (without having given it a lot of analysis) I think I'd want AA Platinum if I'm already CP Gold (and AC Elite). And AA's EP if I'm CP EP.

But it's a good start. And we can expect a lot more AA push now that AC is cutting them off even if within the letter of their agreement (e.g. only one CP flight YVR-LAX).

andrew

Thanks for the info. I just checked my AA account, and I was already Gold, but now I am PLATINUM (Yipee) with 8 complementary upgrades !! I wonder how this would affect my upcoming Platinum challenge, or would they extend the Platinum status to 2002 anyways. Does the class of service bonus and status bonus counts towards requalification ?

I just checked my recently created AA account and I have nothing. I don't have any status on CP though, so that might be the difference. I guess it's not a gift to ALL Canadian AA members.....

stevevan: Don't think it has anything to do with current CP status, but if you actually flew AA last year using your AAdvantage account. I do have status with CP, but don't think AA explicitely knows about that.

You guys have peaked my curiosity. Unfortunately I have forgotten my AAdvantage PIN -- I am still on the road -- so can't access my account until I get home later this week. Since I qualified for GOLD last year, I may find I am now considered PLATINUM on the basis of last year and a couple of flights this year that I had credited to AA. Something to look forward to. (Celestar, you may make it yet...! I suspected AA would come up with some promo to hook as many Cdn+ members as possible. Guess this is it. And you may at least be comp'd PLATINUM. Let us know how your quest goes.)

Tried with what I thought was my PIN, and it worked. I was upgraded to PLATINUM (not limited) and there are 8 upgrades in that account. Now to await the arrival of the new card and package, and see what the additional benefits are. The one most valued will be access to oneworld lounges after Cdn leaves later this summer.

Shareholder - I never flew any AA flights last year (or in the last 17 years either). My status with AA is currently the limited Gold.

I don't know if they'll be extending status for status with Exec Pla CP members.

Any CP Exec Plat members know ?

I guess this means that I will get nothing, since I just recently signed up for AAdvantage and therefore have no flights credited to it as of now. I would have been nice to get Gold, it would be my first elite level!

We should all post our current CP and AA status (pre this promotion for AA) to see what they're basing the upgrade on:

Current CP: Gold (1999, 2000)
Current AA: Basic (only one AA flight posted since 1989)
AA segment in 1999, also IB, BA, AY, AS flights <5,000 miles/points from flights in total

[This message has been edited by terenz (edited 03-14-2000).]

Current CP status: Executive Platinum, for 2.5 years
Current AA status: zilch - total of 250 points for online enrollment
No AA "gift"

Current CP: Basic
Current AA: Basic - I didn't even get the 250 for online enrollment - was this a limited time thing?

Current CP: Club
Previous AA: Gold
After the AA gift: Platinum

Given people like Ken who is already CPlus EP and still didn't get the "gift", I would assume that this promotion is not based on your CPlus status, but rather your AA status and activity, and being based in Canada.

Oh, and my spouse:

Current CP: Basic
Previous AA: Gold
After the AA gift: Platinum

Current CP : Executive Plat 1w-Emerald (2 yrs)
Current AA : Limited Gold 1w-?
Current CX : Gold 1w-Sapphire (3 yrs)
Current QF : Silver 1w-Sapphire (2 yrs)
Current BA : Blue 1w-zilch
Current IB : White 1w-zilch

Last year CP: Gold
This year CP: Gold
Previous AA: Basic
Current AA: Limited Gold

1999 AA account activity*: 1 CP flight, 1 AA flight [for OW promo, not completed]

*I think this is a significant factor, possibly the key (my guess is it's AAdvantage members with Cdn addresses who posted to AAdvantage, and maybe also those who flew AA but posted elsewhere). Would those who already posted to this thread mind _editing_ your existing message and adding this? Thanks!

andrew


[This message has been edited by Andrew Webber (edited 03-14-2000).]

I hope that someone can shed some light on what AA is doing. It makes a lot more sense that AA would comp. some AA FF members that have a mailing address in Canada based upon a combination of their CP and AA status. I would however find it rather strange that they would provide complimentary gold status to everyone north of the US border even if they had only flown 1 segment last year.

I talked with AAdvantage rep this morning and she confirmed I was indeed entitled to the full range of PLATINUM benefits and would be getting my kit in the next few weeks with card, guide and luggage tags, etc. This is a special promotion for Canadian AAdvantage members which is based on last year's flight activity in an AA account (and first month of 2000) and current elite/non-elite status, and has nothing to do with your other partner elite status in oneworld (i.e. Cdn+). Those with limited AA activity -- at least one flight -- got "limited" GOLD, but I didn't ask what "limited" meant in terms of benefits versus "real" GOLD.

By the way:

Cdn+ -- GOLD since elite levels established
AAdvantage -- GOLD since making Challenge late last year as part of oneworld promotion with 2 AA flights, 5 CP and one each on IB and BA for about 12K miles and 50K oneworld bonus (CX flight ruled ineligible due to class of service flown); 2 flights on AS in January plus Hilton 2-stays and bonus

I just checked my sister's and brother-in-law's accounts. They unfortunately split their miles (put CP LHR-YVR-LHR on an AA account in Sept.) and put BA/AS on the CP account LHR-SEA-YVR in December.

CP blue
AA Ltd gold (with < 10k miles)

Has anyone received this explanatory letter from AA yet, or their new membership card and the like? I received two letters in the past month from AA , both responding to problems crediting points properly: the first was dated Feb24th and came on Gold letterhead, the second was dated Mar8th and came on Platinum letterhead, reflecting my upgraded status. But still no explanation letter or card...