I keep reading that the new program would only be interesting for premium pax traveling on company money... I am not sure it's still the case even then.
In the new and improved scheme, one need 400,000 miles to get a return award ticket in first class to China. A Platinum (100% elite bonus) flying in F on this route (300% COS bonus) would need 8 r/t paid to get one free. Cost is irrelevant (company money) but I might add that AF First class product isn't up to par with other offering so far, and often more expansive... But, let's only compare FFP.
LH would only offer 25% elite bonus to a SEN (they are not generous by nature), but offer 300% COS bonus, and only ask for 180,000 for this F award. So, one would only need to fly 4,5 r/t to get one free trip. In the rare case one would need to get a flexible award and bypass capacity control, it would only cost 6,75 r/t.
Even BA, which is not very attractive, would offer to his Gold BAEC customer a free ticket every 7,75 r/t...
I am not sure FB is convnient even for premium pax.
I just want to see how quickly it takes DL-NW to adjust to the AF-KL rule book. Arbitraging between programs by customers doing what is best for customers is something that the management teams of both airline groups seem to hate. [At DL-NW, the customers using the FF program(s) are seen as the enemy or sheep to be fleeced.]
The foolish government-allowed collusion allowed to these two giant airline groups (i.e., AF-KL and DL-NW) makes customer-unfriendly outcomes ever more likely and infectious.
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This game is not as much fun as it used to be: 2008/2009 Frequent Flyer Program Fleecing Award goes to Delta Airlines
GUWonder, they really did think about you. Now you don't have to agonise about who will be getting next year's award.
I'm merely on DL and NW mileage burn this year and I have had zero regular paid elite qualifying flights on SkyTeam carriers in many months. My SkyTeam ElitePlus (through DL-NW) flying days are scheduled to expire in 2010 and this course of action by the government-enabled colluding AF-KL and DL-NW airline groups keep providing one reason after another to minimize my use of them (for regular paid travel). [Normally I would have credited at least 75k status miles of SkyTeam travel to my DL account by end of next month or mid-March, but not this year -- and nothing to NW either.]
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This game is not as much fun as it used to be: 2008/2009 Frequent Flyer Program Fleecing Award goes to Delta Airlines
Am I right, the segment threshold (15 silver, 30 gold, 60 plat) remains unchanged? So there are still "cheap" ways to keep status but of course with minimal mileage earning which makes it hard to redeem. So it's practically useless to have status but no miles! Example: you do 32 intra-Europe segments in the lowest booking class ending up with Gold Elite Plus status but only 5984 miles which are basically worthless… what a FFP is this!
Seems AF/KLM is moving to a system, where those who pay more are rewarded more (a la SQ PPS Club).
However, I believe that there they actually offer their members extra benefits in stead of what AF/KLM are calling improvements.
I find regrettable that AF is always following BA like a little dog. Instead of implementing such a complex scheme (25, 75, 115, 175% etc ...), one very simple scheme would be 1 NUC = 1 miles for all classes.
You pay 100 NUC for a CDG-MUC for N ticket, you get 100 FBmiles
You pay 2500 NUC for a CDG-NYC for a Z ticket, you get 2500 FBmiles
You pay 13000 NUC for a CDG-SIN for a P ticket, you get 13000 FBmiles
That way, passengers would be very glad to pay any fuel surcharges
I am thinking of moving to QF/BA for my international flight.
Am I right, the segment threshold (15 silver, 30 gold, 60 plat) remains unchanged? So there are still "cheap" ways to keep status but of course with minimal mileage earning which makes it hard to redeem. So it's practically useless to have status but no miles! Example: you do 32 intra-Europe segments in the lowest booking class ending up with Gold Elite Plus status but only 5984 miles which are basically worthless… what a FFP is this!
I can't answer your questions, but the transformation of some of these programs from being a frequent flyer program into a frequent (non-flying) buyer program is gaining traction.
Earning more miles from a $40 hotel stay than a $400+ flight is the case with a number of other airlines.
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This game is not as much fun as it used to be: 2008/2009 Frequent Flyer Program Fleecing Award goes to Delta Airlines
And on top of everything else, those of us who have already purchased tickets on AF for travel after April 1st. and went out of our way to pay extra to get V class fares (was 100% earnings, now going down to 50%) instead of L class (50% pre- and post April Fool's Day) basically get screwed? Thanks a lot Flying Blue.
Eleven weeks to go to April 1st. and we still don't know the specific details of fare class earnings on other ST members (I have an OK tickket for April 1st., AF for June, and various DL domestic flights for May, August and November). If you can purchase a ticket at least 330 days in advance, doesn't basic fairness at the very least demand that there be a similar period before new FB rules are applied??
And on top of everything else, those of us who have already purchased tickets on AF for travel after April 1st. and went out of our way to pay extra to get V class fares (was 100% earnings, now going down to 50%) instead of L class (50% pre- and post April Fool's Day) basically get screwed? Thanks a lot Flying Blue.
Eleven weeks to go to April 1st. and we still don't know the specific details of fare class earnings on other ST members (I have an OK tickket for April 1st., AF for June, and various DL domestic flights for May, August and November). If you can purchase a ticket at least 330 days in advance, doesn't basic fairness at the very least demand that there be a similar period before new FB rules are applied??
What is the harm in writing in to complain to AF-KL about such earning changes to tickets purchased already? While at it, any harm sending the same complaint to the consumer protection authorities? It might not make a difference, but nothing ventured nothing gained.
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This game is not as much fun as it used to be: 2008/2009 Frequent Flyer Program Fleecing Award goes to Delta Airlines
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