Originally Posted by
Hyperacusis
AmericanAirlines: As has been pointed out by a number of posters here, a deep discount Economy flyer would earn the same progress towards lifetime status than a full fare First flyer, when the latter has possibly paid many times the fare paid by the former. When it comes to qualifying for regular elite status (Gold, Platinum or EXP), premium flyers are rewarded through the Elite Qualifying Points system.
I think this would be a good idea and make it more in line with DL's program. SkyMiles includes partner flying and any MQMs as part of the million miler calculation. You could get the class-of-service bonus counted for those who purchase higher fare tickets. I don't really like AA's three-tier system of points, EQMs and segments because it doesn't reflect people who have a mix of high fare and low fare travel.
For example, when I was traveling for my employer, the travel rules specified that we had to purchase the lowest published fare, but when I was traveling for vacation perhaps I wanted to pay for a J ticket. With SkyMiles - discounting its numerous problems - I would be rewarded for such purchases. If I could wave a magic wand, I would merge EQP and EQM but have a minimum earn of 1 EQM per mile flown.
As for these changes, they don't really affect me. I didn't have hundreds of thousands of dollars stored in Bank Direct, I didn't churn Citi AA cards and I don't shop through the AA portal. I would say that EXP trumps the lifetime statuses, and most people will continue to fly AA even when they hit the lifetime goal. If not, why hit the status if you're not going to utilize it? I can understand the loss of getting 4 SWUs as frequently, but if you're hitting the MM thresholds that quickly, don't you already have a boatload of miles you can redeem for premium cabin travel?
