Just to clarify with actual facts: AC's 35K for STARGold came about for very logical and specific reasons based on the Canadian market but was actually consistent with threshold levels set by the majority of other STAR carriers (as is its shift to 50K for next year). When the threshold was set, AC (and its competitor CP) both only gave 50% status mileage for domestic discounted economy travel. Since the majority of its members earned their status from domestic travel, it was acknowledged that 35K would be a fair number to offset the differential between granting 100% versus 50% for these flights.
Similarly, A3 has a low threshold because the majority of its members who actually live in Greece or the region, fly ultra-short flights within the country, and thus should be able to achieve a parity of STARGold status with less mileage than those in programs of airlines operating in countries where the average flight segment was well over 500 miles.
In LH's case, it uses the 35K threshold for STARSilver instead of Gold because its program is biased towards the high dollars spending corporate fliers who travel internationally in LH's premium classes. This also explains the generosity of mileage credit for C and F fares (200% and 300% respectively).
So each program's thresholds are designed with the particular nature of the country's frequent travellers and the benefits the airline program wishes to bestow. AC decided it didn't want to be a patsy any longer for bottom feeding STARGold aspirants and thus instituted a minimum flights/mileage on AC metal requirement. One hopes A3 sees the wisdom of paring down its STARGold ranks (and thus costs) by similarly instituting a requirement to actually fly A3 for a good percentage of the required mileage. It's a pretty good airline BTW, though most of you would never know it because you've never flown it.
(I now expect the Mod to tell me I have been banned from FT for trying to clarify the record -- and thus being off topic -- but I suppose I can bear a second banning during more than 10-years of postings.)
Last edited by Shareholder; Jun 13, 2012 at 5:20 am