SCSA

This post goes to the two very different types of posters on this site: those who travel for a living and those who live to travel.

I'm a leisure travel. I'm successful but in a career that requires work travel MAYBe once per year. But I travel for leisure very often, and learning about the TP run concept is a game changer for me.

Last year I earned Gold less than 30 days before the end of my collection year. This year, because of cleverl TP strategising, I'm 100 points away with 8 months to go.

Work travellers don't need TP runs and, more importantly, don't have time for them.

NickB

You are right and I owe you an apology for lacking moderation in my language in my last post.

LondonElite

Given the recent jump in POUG prices, I'm not so sure that's an attractive proposition for the 'enhanced' CE cabin!

shorthauldad

Not for everyone. I can imagine some FTers will end up with their focus on cheap TPs (ie DUB HNL and co) rather than easy TPs (POUG/AUP).

Someone with a few days to spare could have gone to HNL for just over £1000 and got their 1500 TPs, then be able to fly whatever combination of RFS/redemption/O fares they felt like for the following 23 months, stopping off at the Flounge for F+B each time they pass.

bafan

In answer to the OP, yes, far too much.

And you could be forgiven for thinking it is mostly from people who have been wanting Avios at little or no cost and have treated BA almost like a charity.

Not that I would think that of the complainants.....

HIDDY

Considering many on here attach so much importance to the having of status the overreaction doesn't surprise me. Personally it's all just a bit of fun for me. If I earn a reward all well and good if I don't then it's no big deal as it hasn't cost me anything to be part of it.
With the cost of air fares coming down - at times to ridiculous levels of generosity we shouldn't be surprised when rewards are made that bit harder to attain.

Just enjoy what you can get out of it and don't let it rule your life.

mjack99

And I admit I was one and was seriously looking at my options when just a few months after the changes I found myself travelling monthly cross-Atlantic in CW and the issue of not making Gold tier paled into insignificance. I guess you can't tell the future.

1010101

I'm not sure how that fits in with my post?

The only way to be away from airports is to NOT travel, so at least being in a lounge or getting a cheaper holiday with your family is some form of consolation. Nothing to do with TP runs - unless you just wanted to let us all know you REALLY travel a lot?

IAN-UK

I absolutely agree. My solution to Heathrow connections from Manchester was to join M&M, putting CAI, FRA, IST, MUC and ZRH among possible transfer points. BA still comes in handy from London, and gives me QR as another opening to the world from Manchester.

I'm fortunate in being able to keep up M&M and BAEC status, but if push came to shove I'd be loathe to give up a *A.

malioil

I will be the first to admit that I was quite upset yesterday when I read about the changes, as it signalled the end of me actively seeking out British Airways and Oneworld when booking flights, in any class of service. Now that I've thought about it more, I see that my decision is indeed an objective one, and not simply a ''bye-bye BA'' gut reaction.

You see, since I joined BAEC in 2012 I have climbed up the ranks and religiously kept all my flights on British Airways and Oneworld airlines due to the fact that I got plenty of Avios as well as status. In 2014 I flew British Airways' Y 53 times and J 16 times. About 22 sectors of the Y flying was domestic, along with about 10 intercontinental trips- on these trips, I sometimes paid over £500 that TK or their competitors were offering on the same route in order to be on BA metal, for the Avios (about 23,000 per trip) and the perks of status made it worth my while. More so, I am happy with BA's crew and know my way around their system quite well, so why change? Now, there is no longer an incentive to fly with them in either Y or J.

I won't actively seek them out in Y as there are no benefits to doing so except the appallingly crap non-existant fast track and F/J check in, which isn't all that important. My credit card company issues me a Priority Pass so lounge access is taken care of 99% of the time. When flying J, BA no longer makes too much sense to me due to the fact that their product is just falling behind. Both QR and EY serve the route on which I do 60% of my flying on, and at a better price- there is no longer a real incentive to keep paying more for an inferior CW product. If BA's premium cabins were as good as the competition, then at least one would choose them naturally, Avios and TPs be damned. Now, this is no longer the case- there are far more luxurious products available at better prices ex EDI, ex BAH and ex HKG. As I will have all the comforts and privileges of a premium passenger when flying in J, and likely to have them in Y no matter the airline, there is no incentive to 'continue' flying BA unless they are the cheapest and fastest option on a given route (when in Y).

Yesterday happened to be a day when I was making bookings for the next 2 months. I've already booked 8 sectors on easyJet (AMS x2, LIS, PRG, MXP), 4 premium sectors on Etihad (EDI-AUH-BAH-AUH-EDI dep. May) and 4 Y sectors on BA (BAH-LHR-EDI-BAH) simply because they were the cheapest and fastest option on the given day. Had I booked the flights the day before yesterday, you'd have had 16 short haul BA flights (double due to connecting through LHR), 4 CW flights and 4 Y flights booked on BA- thats the change they are forcing, though I am sure they know what they are doing from a business point of view.

I wish British Airways well, they have served me well, but until they sort out their premium products, with the changes to BAEC it no longer makes sense for me, and I fear many other passengers that spend a hell of a lot more than your typical ''once a year'' Y pax but fall short of spending £5,000 a pop, have been ostracised by the new moves.


On another note, today I'll qualify for Gold!

BushwoodCountryClub

I must preface these comments with the fact that my days of being in the top (at least for normal folk) tier of all three alliances is over now.....cost controls at my business mean I will never reach those heights again, or will bother trying to off my own back. And as my Avois are pretty much spent maybe I am less sympathetic.....

It's all very emotive stuff this, when in reality the airline business is simply no longer emotive. People "hate" ryanair yet it flies more people than IAG (almost double BA), and makes more profit.
The fact is, the cost of these "rewards" are factored into the ticket prices, and why either an economy fare is more than it needs to be, or the business class profits are used to subsidise them. Either way someone is paying for the perks, and frankly it's those buying the tickets.

Now, shoot me down if you will, but I am absolutely certain the vast majority of people now purchase a ticket based on the cost v service received, not on the tier points or miles they will receive. Some do for sure....but most don't.

BA will have all the stats and models they need to have gauged the impact of these changes on every member of Avois/EC, looking both backward and forwards in projected spend, and also what their net worth is to the business. They will have picked a line that is the "below it lose, above it benefit" threshold, and this line will not have been picked by accident. They know who they want to keep happy and who is of less interest in terms of money earned

Sad though it is, there really is no link between enhancements like this and BA being hurt by a mass exodus (in passengers or profit). It won't happen.

Globaliser

Thanks, NickB - much appreciated!

mario

Nope. To be honest I find this whole thing quite hilarious. The importance some people here put on FF status verges the unhealthy.

I like coming here for the entertainment it provides.

LonghornSF

I'm a gold card holder. I receive virtually no benefits from this change (other than a slightly less busy lounge, maybe) and the redemption costs have gone way up. These changes are terrible for silvers but they're also bad for golds.

golfmad

Not counting the stickies and threads that have been moved I just counted 10 out of 23 threads related to yesterday's changed on the first page of the forum. Has there been an overreaction to yesterday's announcement? I'd say so.