andy1022

Not sure if this is discussed previously here. I find that the priority awards mechanism has changed, and the new requirements for priority awards seems quite unreasonable, especially Tier 2.

yohy?!

must be some bad financial results coming up...

this looks like a stealth devaluation - ie introduce 3 tiers of awards and then severely limit the ability to redeem at the cheapest one

percysmith

Doesn't affect J(U) and F(Z) redemptions.

percysmith

I did some quick experimentation:

Easter 2-7 Apr HKG-SYD Y(X): Standard - no, Priority 1 - yes, Priority 2 - yes
Easter 2-7 Apr HKG-SYD PE(T): Standard - no, Priority 1 - yes, Priority 2 - yes

Christmas 25-28 Dec HKG-CTS Y(X): Standard - no, Priority 1 - yes (except CX580), Priority 2 - yes (except CX580)
Christmas 25-28 Dec HKG-CTS PE(T): Standard - no, Priority 1 - yes (except CX582), Priority 2 - yes (except CX582)

I can't tell the difference between Priority 1 and Priority 2 right now.

percysmith

Furthermore Priority 1 is much less expensive than old Priority:

(round-trip Economy) old Priority Priority 1 Priority 2
0 - 600 40,000 25,000 30,000
601 - 1,200 55,000 35,000 35,000
1,201 - 2,500 70,000 45,000 60,000
2,501 - 5,000 120,000 75,000 115,000
5001 - 7,500 180,000 120,000 175,000
7,501 - 10,000 220,000 155,000 215,000
10,001* 110,000 260,000 285,000

But unlike old Priority, Priority 1 looks pretty juiced up. Dunno if it means less standard Y/PE awards though.

Rivarix

Maybe CX testing the water with Y/Y+ to see how it goes before making the same changes to J and F?

Btw, I wonder which bucket will our AA colleagues have access to in the future? Maybe just the standard award bucket?

percysmith

Standard I would think! Go check CX582 25Dec HKG-CTS now?

percysmith

I'm also doing some searches for Y/PE. e.g. HKG-SYD for a weekend (I did this quite a bit for weddings/reunions).

In 2013 i got every weekend i asked for provided I am willing to pay 20% extra for PE. Now they all look like a priority 1 in Y.


I'm also going down to BKK with elders on the 14-16 Nov weekend. I redeemed with Avios ages ago.
Revisiting the weekend
- in standard, nothing shows up
- in Priority 1, everything shows up.


Overall my first impression of this Priority 1 change is:
- for AM members redeeming on CX: increase in burn rate in exchange for noticeably improved flight availability
- for non-AM OW members (e.g. Avios) redeeming on CX: massive reduction of availability

Rivarix

If this were true then I do hope they implement it for J and F immediately.

Of my 5 recent requests for J -> F upgrade ex-LAX, only one of them (earlier this month on CX885) was successful. On that flight (at least) 3 folks in F were on AA miles (all three talked about it as they boarded). I'm not someone who plan my trip 360+ days in advance - I booked my last trip about two weeks prior - so if this means more availability for AM members for last minute redemption and/or upgrade then I'm all for it.

As yohy?! stated below, it is a stealth devaluation. However, I notice that miles for upgrade stays the same which means among AM members it is a + for upgrade and - for straight redemption (since both come from the same pool). I wonder if CX true motive is to encourage people to buy revenue ticket + upgrade vs. straight redemption - presumably the former is more profitable for CX?

alphaod

Jesus, that's a big image.

So these tiers are only for PY or Y, not for F or J?

percysmith

I'm not sure this is beneficial for AM upgrades - there's no indication that upgrade availability will be changed (improved). Worst case it might mean their availability also decrease along with standard and partner availability to make room for Priority 1/2 redemptions.


I don't follow how these changes are going to be beneficial for people who upgrade.

QRC3288

+1 could not agree more...this is a frequent problem I've faced. Try to get a J to F award upgrade 2 weeks out and you simply cannot confirm it. Yet you get on the plane, and there always seem to be AA award folks on there. I had a lovely chat with an AA EXP coming from JFK in F. This flight, I could not get an award upgrade until the day before. Yet he and his family had 3 folks up there in the F cabin and they had religiously booked 360 days out.

The other annoyance I have is seat assignments. I can't blame the guys over at AA for being intelligent, so this is on CX - as I've whinged about in other threads, I've bought cash F tickets at the last minute and been in 4D on 74K while award tickets are packed in the preferable seats. My understanding is CX is kinda enforcing the bassinet excuse on 2A/2K to try and protect for MPC elites and cash tickets, but it's so full of loopholes it doesn't work.

I'd be very grateful for CX to reduce partner award availability for J and F, I'd be happy to pay a little more if it meant significantly better available for MPCs. We already have a crap earn/burn ratio compared to most other mileage programs - particularly AA - our benefits are in the softer things. And I'd also love for CX to block off preferential seats on 77H J (mini-cabin) and 77H F (2A, 1A and 1K) for elites like BA does until last minute release.

CuiDawei

Here Here on the Mini Cabin! Should be for CX Diamonds only! Sick and tired of not getting a seat in there. Makes sense to let CX Dm's reserve and then when flight closes if any OW Emeralds requested it and there are open seats they can have it.

percysmith

A check with my dotted line manager on his target redemptions (normally HKG-MEL, few days offset from public holidays) shows the reduction to standard Y inventory is not as bad as I first feared.

percysmith

The AA.com calendar today only shows up to 19/9...but I suppose these folks can call? AA EXP only?