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Yet to be announced Exec Club changes: your fears, conjecture and general grousing

Yet to be announced Exec Club changes: your fears, conjecture and general grousing

Old Sep 1, 2011, 4:58 am
  #1  
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Yet to be announced Exec Club changes: your fears, conjecture and general grousing

As "Rumour Central" has already started, perhaps we should look at what BA might be trying to achieve with the changes ... on the basis of the evidence so far. I can't see any evidence in the wording released to date that suggests "They're out to get us".
  • Enhancements for Zone 1-3 pax = Perhaps an offset for the impending termination of Euro-cheat? Certainly increasing competitivity within Europe.
  • Changed Miles requirements on many sectors = Correcting perceived anomalies.
  • Future new partners to earn/spend Miles = widening potential customer base.

I can't see any potential benefit to BA for tinkering with status levels at the upper end. Indeed, that has high potential for annoying that part of the customer base that actually generates a lot of revenue, much of it on a very regular basis. IMO any changes are likely to be, as already discussed on another Thread, providing additional minor benefits at the low end [i.e. "Bronze"]. In other words, encouraging more business from the lower end [i.e. less frequent] of the market.

Edit ... thanks for the update, Nicci. You're a :-: ^
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 6:30 am
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Originally Posted by T8191
I can't see any potential benefit to BA for tinkering with status levels at the upper end. Indeed, that has high potential for annoying that part of the customer base that actually generates a lot of revenue, much of it on a very regular basis. IMO any changes are likely to be, as already discussed on another Thread, providing additional minor benefits at the low end [i.e. "Bronze"]. In other words, encouraging more business from the lower end [i.e. less frequent] of the market.
Whilst I would agree with this I would point out that it was only recently they removed Open Doors for Golds for example. Personally I'm hoping we might see some new benefits to make up for this (or even the restoration of Open Doors but I'm not hopeful on that one).
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 11:30 am
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Originally Posted by BA Executive Club
3) Partner rewards pricing gets simpler - the new pricing grid which we will publish at launch should be used for BA only flights, BA plus one partner or partner only flights. The current oneworld multicarrier redemption will also continue to be used for bookings containing more than one partner.
Uh huh. So you're not going to tell us the new partner award chart in advance so we can lock in either current rates if you are raising them on us? That's nice of BA. My guess is that the only values on the chart right now like N. America-S. America and N. America-Asia will be devalued. With the insane fuel surcharges and the likely increased redemption levels for ex-US routes that matter to me, I guess I'll burn the 120k mi I have and call it quits.

Why do I get the feeling that you will screw us? And that the 97% of flights that are not increasing are only BA flights? This sounds like typical marketing spin.

Oh, and FWIW, I thought the partner award pricing was already simple enough. It's funny that companies feel the need to patronize us by treating us like idiots and make things 'simpler' even though it's already simple enough for a 12 yr old to understand.

Excuse my cynicism, but I think all of you who are cheerleading right now will come to regret it. Think about it. Why aren't they telling us the whole award chart right now? Why did they just release the good news?
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 11:34 am
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If they devalue first class partner awards from US-Far East then I'll be canceling my Chase BA card.
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 12:49 pm
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Is it true now redemption to Asia from N. America will now cost 3 times more miles/points with the new change?
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 1:02 pm
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Shouldn't this thread now be retitled "Massive Devaluation to Partner Awards Announced"?

Or since that might be impolite to the official rep, maybe it would be appropriate to start another thread to discuss? I mean that is the big news here. People who liked using BA miles to fly AA to South America, etc. are going to be reamed, while a bone is thrown to those that don't mind paying the ridiculous surcharges on BA international flights (which will require fewer miles).

Originally Posted by BA304
The devaluation you speak of seems to me to be more than balanced out on other routes. Eight times as many routes decrease in price as increase.
No, actually I am proven right. The big news about the partner devaluation was hidden in the initial announcement, but has since been confirmed, at least on Lucky's blog. The reduction in miles on some BA routes is a small bone and no way offsets the costs to millions of BA's north american members that don't use their miles on the short haul intra-Euro routes. And there is no change to the heinous fuel surcharge or LHR luxury taxes, which are a big disincentive to book BA metal with miles and virtually a deal-killer on cattle car awards.
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 1:13 pm
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Originally Posted by Boraxo
a bone is thrown to those that don't mind paying the ridiculous surcharges on BA international flights (which will require fewer miles).

(snip). And there is no change to the heinous fuel surcharge or LHR luxury taxes, which are a big disincentive to book BA metal with miles and virtually a deal-killer on cattle car awards.
Cool - more reward availability for those of us without chase cards
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 1:19 pm
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Originally Posted by Boraxo
The reduction in miles on some BA routes is a small bone and no way offsets the costs to millions of BA's north american members that don't use their miles on the short haul intra-Euro routes.
The mileage reductions are not really "small bone" for BA's UK/EU members when LHR-HKG/NRT/BKK all reduce by 25% and then you have LHR-NYC/BOS/ORD which have reduced by 20%.

And I'm sure a lot of the 'millions' of BA North American members have approx. 100,000 miles sitting in their account thanks to the Chase credit card sign up bonus (Yes - I know a lot will also have earnt them by travel, etc). At the end of the day it was their (Chase/BA) choice to offer than many miles with the sign up bonus but I can't recall the last time any credit card in the UK/Europe offer 100,000 miles as a sign up bonus so I'm pleased that the initial changes benefit UK/EU members.

It is a British airline after all.

Originally Posted by Boraxo
And there is no change to the heinous fuel surcharge or LHR luxury taxes
YQ is pretty common among EU airlines and isn't going to change, IMO. As for LHR taxes - outwith BA's control but you frequently can read in the press over here one airline or another saying how high they are.
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 1:29 pm
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Originally Posted by ColdWalker
Cool - more reward availability for those of us without chase cards
Now, that's a pipe dream.
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 1:31 pm
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Originally Posted by BA Executive Club
Hi all

I knew the trickier questions would come from our most learned group of members

Sorry if it wasn't clear in my earlier post, partner rewards will be priced the same as BA. So - a single pricing table for itineraries which are:BA onlyBA +1 partner or partner only

For multi-partner itineraries these will be priced using the current oneworld multi carrier redemption. The pricing will be based largely on a distance banded model for all reward sectors. We are not purposfully witholding anything or trying to hide anything - I will be as informative as I can and try to keep up with your questions. Please do feel free to prompt me if you feel I am missing something important that needs a detailed or urgent answer.

Nicci

So...right now I have a ORD-HKG First Class Award on Cathay Pacific for 150,000 BA miles.

Under the BA only award chart this same trip would cost 360,000 BA miles.

This is a HUGE devaluation of British Airways miles for US-based members.

I will no longer be flying British Airways, using my Chase BA card or transferring any more Amex membership rewards points to Executive Club if this proves to be even remotely accurate.
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 1:33 pm
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Originally Posted by Boraxo
People who liked using BA miles to fly AA to South America, etc. are going to be reamed, while a bone is thrown to those that don't mind paying the ridiculous surcharges on BA international flights (which will require fewer miles).

....The big news about the partner devaluation was hidden in the initial announcement, but has since been confirmed, at least on Lucky's blog. The reduction in miles on some BA routes is a small bone and no way offsets the costs to millions of BA's north american members that don't use their miles on the short haul intra-Euro routes....
And this is exactly what I was worried about. What's the URL to "Lucky's blog"? I guess on this forum, we'll have to get the official word from user "BA Executive Club".
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 1:34 pm
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Originally Posted by IADtoWhere
I will no longer be flying British Airways, using my Chase BA card
Fantastic ^









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Old Sep 1, 2011, 1:35 pm
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Originally Posted by BA Executive Club
Hi all

I knew the trickier questions would come from our most learned group of members

Sorry if it wasn't clear in my earlier post, partner rewards will be priced the same as BA. So - a single pricing table for itineraries which are:BA onlyBA +1 partner or partner only

For multi-partner itineraries these will be priced using the current oneworld multi carrier redemption. The pricing will be based largely on a distance banded model for all reward sectors. We are not purposfully witholding anything or trying to hide anything - I will be as informative as I can and try to keep up with your questions. Please do feel free to prompt me if you feel I am missing something important that needs a detailed or urgent answer.

Nicci
Good job! BA!

US -Asia will rise from 50k/100k/150k to 120k/240k/360k for eco/busi/first class return trip!

That's 240% more. I feel this is one of the major purposes of changing. "new revitalised Executive Club is coming"
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 1:35 pm
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Originally Posted by GUWonder
Now, that's a pipe dream.
I'm sure your right, but I can but hope that heinous surcharges imposed by the evil British (sic) may discourage some from taking the meagre bone offered by the greedy BA
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Old Sep 1, 2011, 1:35 pm
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Originally Posted by IADtoWhere
So...right now I have a ORD-HKG First Class Award on Cathay Pacific for 150,000 BA miles.

Under the BA only award chart this same trip would cost 360,000 BA miles.

This is a HUGE devaluation of British Airways miles for US-based members.

I will no longer be flying British Airways, using my Chase BA card or transferring any more Amex membership rewards points to Executive Club if this proves to be even remotely accurate.
Holy crap if this is true... and it seems fairly accurate. The partner award chart is critical to the value of BA miles. Otherwise, under the BA only award... my miles become as valuable as SkyPesos!

So I assume we have until November 1 to book under the current redemption charts... if so, yea, I'm planning to book and burn the 380,000 remaining miles on my BA account pretty fast.
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