Originally Posted by
mh4ll
Three questions:
Am I correct that everything will stay the same upgrade-wise until late next year when the reservations systems merge, assuming I continue to fly only US metal on US ticket stock?
I'd like to hear from current AA Plats on how they feel about the sticker upgrade system. I am happy that the devaluation wasn't much worse (e.g., revenue requirements) but I can't see how stickers benefit a mid-tier elite. The "thinning of the herd" doesn't seem to outweigh the fact that "earned" upgrade stickers accrue at an abysmally slow rate, and thus any kind of frequent upgrading will require cash.
Does the elimination of the 75k tier in the combined program substantively benefit me as a 50k tier flyer?
I believe the new process kicks in in Q2 2015. In terms of other things staying the same, I would expect that your upgrade rate on those transcons will drop substantially with or without stickers. There are a
lot of pmAA elites out of SFO and LAX.
Eliminating the 75k tier could help you out assuming the priority remains time of booking rather than BIS miles.
Frequent upgrading will require cash. If you are able to achieve frequent upgrades for, oh say, $150 each way on a transcon, count yourself lucky as I would expect the rate of available upgrades to drop once pmUS and pmAA elites start clearing at substantially the same window (as opposed to now where pmAA elites only get to look for upgrades at OLCI).
Just my $0.02