Originally Posted by
gengar
Avios was never a particularly strong program since its inception in 2011, often said by BA FF's to be a sign that BA has been consistently profitable and doesn't feel the need to compete on this front. What's sad about MP is that it used to be an incredibly strong program that has been devalued on almost all fronts over the last couple years.
Agree on both fronts and I think it's reflective of the two airlines' respective levels of profitability. BA's focus has for many years now been on premium travelers and it makes money out of that. They shrunk the Economy sections of their planes and continue to do look at expanding the premium sections (eg the ultra-high C version of the 747. They want (and reward) C and F customers and they offer zilch to Y customers. The Avios program reflects that.
UA, by contrast, was not profitable and could not sell premium cabins. They needed BIS more than anything else so they ran with a very generous MP program. They are now making money (IMO more because of the economy than because of management skill) so believe they don't have to be as generous. But they are still, fortunately, more generous than others because, without that, why on earth would anyone willingly put up with UA?