FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Earning and redeeming AA miles / upgrading on BA/IB; BA fuel surcharge (Oct 1, 2010)
Old Oct 1, 2010, 8:29 am
  #68  
Surgee
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,295
Originally Posted by demkr
American to its top tier customers: Go ahead, switch to Star Alliance.
Originally Posted by LH/LX
BA has one of the highest fuel surcharges and taxes in the industry and connecting via London is very costly against connecting via FRA or ZRH or CDG
Originally Posted by GUWonder
I've gained nothing from this AA change -- rather AA's change is stripping value out of the AA miles I've accumulated (and this is just for starters in terms of devaluation).
As an AA elite, the only thing I've gained is mileage earning on the rare TATL BA flight I take. Maybe there will be a good BA MR, but i doubt it--their fares are usually sky high.

More to the point, this comes as a HUGE devaluation to AA miles for redemption. US to Europe, Africa, and much of the Middle East just got extremely expensive in premium cabins, as BA is a huge partner for those regions. Even when taking AA TATL, you're adding on $500/ticket for F.

In my eyes as an AA flier, I just lost a major redemption partner--perhaps the biggest. BA's grotesque fuel surcharges price me out.

I'm finally going for EXP this year, mainly for mileage redemption benefits and opportunities, and now I'm second guessing that decision. And just as I'm planning Africa and India trips.

I never minded the Canada/Mexico workaround. I strongly prefer the old rules.
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