Originally Posted by
eternaltransit
They must have some analysis showing them that x% of gold/plat are either captive or have no authority to make travel plans or are price sensitive enough that the incremental revenue from their loyalty doesn't make that much of a difference to their operations.
I'm gold and am neither "captive" or don't have "authority". All of my flying comes out of my own pocket (being retired from the workforce), so I personally decide where to place my cash.
Being lifetime Exec Plat (as is my partner) with UA always helps and I have 1 million MP miles available to spend at any time. However, I have decided to also retain Gold status with EK because I fly to Europe from AU/SG quite often and find that EK can offer some cost-effective options. If I can also upgrade with points, then so much the better.
I'm certainly not wedded to EK in any way, and the quishy nature of their seats in Y/C does annoy me somewhat. But I am not a large person (neither is my female travelling companion), so unless there is a large person seated next to us it's not too bad. Also, I always ask to be seated next to an empty seat, so if the plane's not full I get a reasonable amount of space. And the free flowing Moet and French red wines do help a little.
That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Emirates should try not to piss me off any further.