MilesBuzz! - Need update: Who has eliminated 500-minimum segment earning so far?

It didn't take long for the web site booking bonuses to be dropped by AA, UA, US, NW, CO, and DL after the first one did it.

However I have lost track of who still honors the 500-minimum miles accrual on segments less than 500 miles of actual travel.

As of Aug 23, 2008 who has the 500 min and who doesn't?

I think (but am not sure) that those who still have it are DL, NW, and AA. I know for sure that US dropped it and I think they were the first. Do CO and UA have the 500-min anymore?

(I am very surprised that Delta hasn't followed suit on this. The radius of 500 miles around ATL and JFK includes a HUGE number of flights.)

UA has joined the club. :( :mad:

CO still has a 500 EQM minumum IF you book on continental.com. If not discount coach fares give you 50% EQM.

RDMs are still 500 mile minimum

AS (Alaska Air) still honors the 500 min miles (I think).

AS (Alaska Air) still honors the 500 min miles (I think).

Confirming AS has minimum 500 RDM/EQM's:cool:

If I recall correctly, DL was the first to introduce the 500 mile minimum.** At least among the majors. It had a lot to do with their east coast route profile. As good as it was for them then (back in the day when enhancements were to attract customers), it's that much of a weight now. I watch them as the benchmark for whether this enhancement (discontinuing the minimum) will stick.

**OT: As they did the MM Flyer recognition.

CON just killed the 500 mile minimum (http://www.webflyer.com/programs/notiflyer/comments.php?art=576)

firewind.....iirc, aa had a 750 mi minimum at the start of the program....

firewind.....iirc, aa had a 750 mi minimum at the start of the program....

That is correct, I joined AAdvantage back in 84 and remember well the 750 minimum. With Co's devaluation yesterday, the old AA minimum came to mind.

And another one bites the dust...

Upcoming Policy Change On Shorter Flights

Dear cynicalflyer,

Effective January 1, 2009, we are discontinuing the minimum mileage guarantee for non-elite status members for flights on American Airlines, American Eagle®, AmericanConnection®, oneworld® member airlines, AAdvantage® participating airlines as well as rail service and codeshare service booked under an AA flight number.

With this change, customers will earn AAdvantage miles equal to the actual distance flown or the applicable percentage* of the miles flown, and any associated bonuses will be calculated accordingly. Similarly, elite status qualifying miles and points earned for travel on eligible flights will also be based on the actual miles earned. AAdvantage Executive Platinum®, AAdvantage Platinum® and AAdvantage Gold® members are exempt from this change.

And another one bites the dust...

Upcoming Policy Change On Shorter Flights

Dear cynicalflyer,

Effective January 1, 2009, we are discontinuing the minimum mileage guarantee for non-elite status members for flights on American Airlines, American Eagle®, AmericanConnection®, oneworld® member airlines, AAdvantage® participating airlines as well as rail service and codeshare service booked under an AA flight number.

With this change, customers will earn AAdvantage miles equal to the actual distance flown or the applicable percentage* of the miles flown, and any associated bonuses will be calculated accordingly. Similarly, elite status qualifying miles and points earned for travel on eligible flights will also be based on the actual miles earned. AAdvantage Executive Platinum®, AAdvantage Platinum® and AAdvantage Gold® members are exempt from this change.

Was this an email? news item? internal memo? Where did this come from?

Was this an email? news item? internal memo? Where did this come from?

E-mail to AAdvantage members from AA, subject line "Upcoming Policy Change On Shorter Flights".

Is the 500-mile minimum really that valuable?

Given the onerous time-suck that airline travel has become, there is very little reason to take a short flight, except as a connector to a longer flight. We each have our own thresholds for driving, but I would not hesitate to hop in the car for any trip under 350 miles. Just this past weekend a colleague and I attended a conference in Virginia. I drove from NYC and he flew LGA-IAD. On the return Saturday, I spent 3.5hrs in the car while he spent 10hrs in transit.

If I end up taking a 350-400 mile flight, I really don't care about losing credit for 100-150 FF miles when I can easily earn that many from my credit card, dining rewards, etc.

If the under-500-mile segment is part of a larger trip, then the difference in total miles accrued with/without the 500-mile minimum is further minimized as it becomes a smaller percentage of the total trip.

The only thing that really bugs me is that it no longer makes it advantageous to append short hops (e.g., FLL-MCO) to mileage runs.

Is the 500-mile minimum really that valuable?

Given the onerous time-suck that airline travel has become, there is very little reason to take a short flight, except as a connector to a longer flight. We each have our own thresholds for driving, but I would not hesitate to hop in the car for any trip under 350 miles. Just this past weekend a colleague and I attended a conference in Virginia. I drove from NYC and he flew LGA-IAD. On the return Saturday, I spent 3.5hrs in the car while he spent 10hrs in transit.

If I end up taking a 350-400 mile flight, I really don't care about losing credit for 100-150 FF miles when I can easily earn that many from my credit card, dining rewards, etc.

If the under-500-mile segment is part of a larger trip, then the difference in total miles accrued with/without the 500-mile minimum is further minimized as it becomes a smaller percentage of the total trip.

The only thing that really bugs me is that it no longer makes it advantageous to append short hops (e.g., FLL-MCO) to mileage runs.

One size does not fit all.

I feel fortunate when I have a flight that is non-stop to my destination AND I can afford it. I usually connects SOMEWHERE each week (ATL, MEM, CTL, IAH, ...). Being in FLL I always have a min of 500 miles to any major hub. And sometimes have a less than 500-mile second leg. So driving is not a viable option for me. Nor is rail service.

Example:
Even though MCO is 188 miles from Ft. Laud, I would not drive to MCO to catch a flight to, let's say, Seattle as you suggest. I would however CONNECT in MCO. Its 2 & 1/2 hours one way by car from FLL to MCO. I already get home on Fri night and leave again on Sunday. I don't have the luxury of removing another 5 hours from my life at home. Then there is parking the car at MCO which would cost more money than a ride to/from my home airport. Even though gas prices have dropped recently that does not mean that 5 hours of driving is free.

I feel bad for those that do less-than-500 hop followed by a connection that is also less-than-500.

Old way: (300 + 300) * 2 (round trip) = 2000 miles
New way: 1200 miles

This is a 40% loss in miles (assuming non-elite) for each R/T.

So from this thread I gather those that no longer have the 500-mile minimum are (of the legacy carriers): AA, UA, US, and CO. So that leaves DL and NW left... and they are merging. We will end up with whatever they decide during the merger.

I am just curious. Why is getting actual mileage such an issue? How many flights do people take typically that are less than 500 miles?

I once flew ORD to cleveland for a job interview .... and hated it. Would have been better off driving .... anytime it is 5 hours or less.

I am just curious. Why is getting actual mileage such an issue? How many flights do people take typically that are less than 500 miles?

I once flew ORD to cleveland for a job interview .... and hated it. Would have been better off driving .... anytime it is 5 hours or less.

This is not a vacuum. Just because YOU flew a short jaunt once and regret it doesn't mean this people aren't flying legs that are less than 500 miles. Des Moines to ORD is 297, then ORD to CLE is 315 miles (source (http://webflyer.com/travel/milemarker/)). To drive this distance would take more than 10 hours one-way (source (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Cleveland,+OH&daddr=Des+Moines,+IA&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=41.623655,-93.619995&sspn=0.229951,0.585709&g=Des+Moines,+IA&ie=UTF8&z=6)).

Not everyone lives in a major market with all non-stop options.

I always liked the 500 mile min but kinda figured that would somehow someday end. In a few overseas carriers I had flown in the late 1990s, I recall the rule never having been in place. Only in the US did it seem to apply and so we got lucky for a while there. I do wish they kept it because people in areas with limited flight distance due to work or location now get the shaft.

oh well, gotta just churn more of those AA citicards and make up for it that way--even if you don't get the status as quickly!
:)MM

...but of course, if you do enough of 'em, you will reach 1m and have lifetime gold :D I am 200k away now

I am just curious. Why is getting actual mileage such an issue? How many flights do people take typically that are less than 500 miles?

I once flew ORD to cleveland for a job interview .... and hated it. Would have been better off driving .... anytime it is 5 hours or less.

Virtually all of us hate the <500 mi. flights. I'm going to take this on on another point.

Most of the discussion is about the short runs by themselves. I suggest that one of the reasons for the 500 mi. minimum was to help make the hub and spokes m.o. palatable to us. The hub and spokes that the airlines force on us. I have flown literally hundreds of times (probably >1,000 times overall) from BOS/PVD/MHT through IAD, JFK, PHL, DCA, EWR on UA, DL, US, CO (and EA, TW and PA... :rolleyes:).

The issue must be at least as acute for midwesterners who fly AA and UA through Chicago. How much this matters was demonstrated when they buckled a few years ago, and started counting segments for elite qualification, in deference to overwhelming pressure from midwesterners.

Is the next step to just count origin to final destination miles (as if it were a nonstop), regardless of the length of the legs to get there? It would be the next step.

the reason they offered the 500 mile min as a bonus to you and I was similar to the reasons for having a mileage program in itself: to develop a sense of loyalty from the customer for flying with airline X by offering a small but nice bonus for flying with airline X. Then everybody did it so they had to kinda keep it around to stay competitive. But lately, all airlines are cutting back on perks and boni, and in so doing, they actually speak to one another about little ways to handle some of the 'fat." developed in the hay day years.

Now, one may think that it has to do with the airlines not wanting us to earn miles anymore... I mean, to be able to burn miles faster is something they could kinda hope you cannot do as easily anymore by wiping this deal out. And to prevent the earnage even just a little bit, they make it harder for you to earn miles faster--on things they 'gave you for free anyway' that you really didn't earn.

But to be honest, I think it is for different reasons than that:

I think it would be one thing if the means thru which you earned the extra miles on a short flight that brings it up to 500 miles per segment were accomplished by some sort of paid partner activity, because then the airlines would still have a profit-gaining reason to keep this bonus around. But since they are just GIVING it away, they decided to do away with it. They all agreed... They all said, hey, if we were to at least GET something from the customer (like dining, buying of goods, partner fees or something) then we would continue this. But we are not about to ask for that, so let's just cut the fat and be done with it. Once they agreed, everyone dropped it.

You will see other 'free perks' start to disappear too over time...

Elite stuff like upgrades are already changing or going away.
But happily, anything that involves the potential for you and I to SIGN UP for or BUY something (which generate partner activity thru the world of portal marketing --like the malls, etc) will in fact stay and actually INCREASE.
(ie: higher credit card bonuses, emilies, mypoints offers, dining and mall offers, new stores on longer lists, promos of such, and the like.)