Originally Posted by
hardnipples
Not quite. the business model has changed drastically over time as AE and AC are now completely untied at the Corporate ownership level. They still have a marketing agreement and a pricing structure for the exchange of miles for tickets. But it is now clearly a supplier/customer relationship. In fact I bleieve AE will be able to offer more and better travel products as they expand their horizons beyond the AC relationship. Their acquisition of the loyalty group in the UK is a start.
But remember, most of us look at this from the perspective of FFs, not from the perspective of air miles collectors. Most of us don't care about toasters. What we care about is getting D class awards on AC for our wives/companions/SOs/parents/children mostly. In that respect, things have only got worse. Although who knows, the recession might help finally?
And even if they start offering "better" products, surely it will be for an inflated number of miles.