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BA lifetime loyalty programme soon to be introduced

BA lifetime loyalty programme soon to be introduced

Old Jan 22, 2013, 6:27 am
  #61  
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Originally Posted by Swanhunter
No need to display it until now whereas AA have had a lifetime scheme for many years. Plus we know how challenged BA's IT is..
Indeed Starwood hotels started a lifetime status scheme less than 12 months ago. Prior to the launch of the new SPG scheme no lifetime stays/nights were shown. Now they show back to my join date in 2002.
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 6:28 am
  #62  
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Originally Posted by Littlegirl
I am not sure how exactly giving someone Gold for life makes them loyal.

Surely once you have Gold for life, you can be as disloyal as you like and it does not affect your status!
But it creates an incentive to keep flying BA to reach the Gold for Life threshold. With career progression/change of jobs/etc..., 10 years of continuous flying is a substantial amount in most people's life. It is not stupid for an airline to give an incentive to: a) fly with that airline in the years when they fly intensely and b) keep flying with the airline in the years when they will no longer fly enough to be elite.
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 6:37 am
  #63  
 
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So when is this planned to be announced?

And are we to expect to see lifetime avios/TPs popping up on our personal homepage anytime soon?

I would have expected that such an innovation would have been done as part of the exec club downtime/re-platform which happened late last year.
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 6:40 am
  #64  
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Originally Posted by NickB
and b) keep flying with the airline in the years when they will no longer fly enough to be elite.
Not for those who are based in the US it won't......they don't even have to be all that loyal to get Gold in the first place.
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 6:49 am
  #65  
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Originally Posted by HIDDY
Not for those who are based in the US it won't......they don't even have to be all that loyal to get Gold in the first place.
I live in the UK and requalified for Gold hitting 1600 TP's less than a month into my new membership year based on a single trip that cost me circa 3k.

This was a mixed BA/AA trip but it wasn't difficult to do and in fact it would have been marginally cheaper to have made it 1670 TP's.

It really isn't that hard to get Gold, making it easy to retain after spending relatively little over a few years is probably not a great idea I think but I will keep an open mind.
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 6:56 am
  #66  
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Originally Posted by Littlegirl
I am not sure how exactly giving someone Gold for life makes them loyal.

Surely once you have Gold for life, you can be as disloyal as you like and it does not affect your status!
Isn't it LTN Phobia who switched to BA after reaching Gold on QF? Loyalty doesn't seem to even last a membership year!
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 7:08 am
  #67  
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Originally Posted by Raffles
It would be seen as discriminatory because there is a simple alternative (ie not enforcing the 'continuous' clause) which would not have been discriminatory.

It would, for example, clearly be discriminatory if a law firm told its staff that they had to work for 10 years continuously (ie with no maternity break) before they could be considered for partnership. The principle is the same.
It's not just pregnant women that are discriminated against.

BA discriminates against those who do insufficient flying by setting the TP level for Gold at 1500. By setting it so infeasibly high, they are clearly discriminating against an even larger group of people than pregnant women.

Do you agree?
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 7:36 am
  #68  
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Originally Posted by irishguy28
It's not just pregnant women that are discriminated against.

BA discriminates against those who do insufficient flying by setting the TP level for Gold at 1500. By setting it so infeasibly high, they are clearly discriminating against an even larger group of people than pregnant women.

Do you agree?
I think you'll find that's not how it works ....!
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 7:37 am
  #69  
 
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Isn't the problem with lifetime gold (or silver) that once people earn it they might decide to switch to another aliance to try and get status with them as well?

I am currently loyal to BA and working my way up the status with BAEC helps drive that, but once they gave me a lifetime gold card, I would feel set-free to book with the most convinient or best value airline without any longer worrying about tier points etc. It would be liberating!
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 7:50 am
  #70  
 
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Originally Posted by Tim1975
Isn't the problem with lifetime gold (or silver) that once people earn it they might decide to switch to another aliance to try and get status with them as well?

I am currently loyal to BA and working my way up the status with BAEC helps drive that, but once they gave me a lifetime gold card, I would feel set-free to book with the most convinient or best value airline without any longer worrying about tier points etc. It would be liberating!
True, but wouldn't having the status encourage you also to use it, and enjoy it, on BA?
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 7:58 am
  #71  
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Originally Posted by Tim1975
Isn't the problem with lifetime gold (or silver) that once people earn it they might decide to switch to another aliance to try and get status with them as well?
That's a possibility.....as was seen with the Open Doors benefit some of those loyal customers once becoming Gold started flying with whoever was the cheapest while still enjoying BA lounge access.
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 8:06 am
  #72  
 
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What would be more feasible would be to offer a "fast track" to Gold for those who have racked up 10 or more years at that level.

This could work such that when they retire/reduce their travel they would still have to fly a reasonable amount on BA, but that they perhaps earned double TPs on all flights, therefore still requiring a regular, premium spend on BA (so avoiding the "something for nothing" brigade) but giving them more bang for their buck - a loose equivalent of the EuroCheat formula of old.

That would keep Mr and Mrs Middle Management happy on their two/three longhaul Club World trips per annum without expecting them to jet around the US on pointless journeys to enhance their sad, empty lives.
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 8:21 am
  #73  
 
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Originally Posted by lky
For what it is worth, have it from a super authorative BA source, they will soon be introducing a lifetime reward programme to enhance long term loyalty. Probably lifetime Gold for people who have been Gold for 10+ years - details still to be ironed out, but coming out soon ....
Aaargh - I've been Gold since 1996 and am about to lose it next month just my luck if they introduce something like that just after I get downgraded
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 8:22 am
  #74  
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Originally Posted by Raffles
I think you'll find that's not how it works ....!
Precisely. Glad we agree ^
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Old Jan 22, 2013, 8:24 am
  #75  
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Originally Posted by HIDDY
That's a possibility.....as was seen with the Open Doors benefit some of those loyal customers once becoming Gold started flying with whoever was the cheapest while still enjoying BA lounge access.
It wasn't so much that GCHs "started" flying with other carriers once they got Open Doors - they were flying those other carriers already. (BA doesn't fly everywhere, nor is it the only airline that many people would deign to fly on).
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