Originally Posted by
hfly
Here is the problem with this program and how it has been implemented. In almost 900 posts, I do not think I have seen anyone even once say something like, "Gee, that's an AWESOME level/status, I'm really going to throw extra spend at AFKL in order to get it." Not one. Instead it has been AFKL's best passengers generally complaining about how at first it is not that much and that the "benefits" are not even provided 80% of the time. That is a big problem for AFKL, because if one looks atAA CK, DL 360, BA Premiere, LH Hons, EK Plat or I/O, etc, you see a lot of people striving for these levels. None of that here.
Can't speak about the non-European airlines schemes which I am less familiar but, as far as the European ones are concerned, I am not sure that I would follow you fully on this.
1) As far as BA is concerned, to start with, we are not talking about BA Premier (which is an invitation-based status rather than level-based status and would therefore be comparable to Club2000/skipper rather FB Ulti). The equivalent of Ulti in the BAEC World is GGL rather than Premier.
2) Second, I would also question the idea that schemes like FB Ulti or LH Hon or BA GGL are designed to be statuses to which one
strives for (i.e. aspirational statuses). It seems to me that it is rather the opposite: they are primarily there as recognition for people who naturally tend to fly an awful lot with the airline rather than encourage incremental flying to reach the level. It seems to me that they are more about not losing a customer rather than as a driver of additional revenue. That said, it is true that there will be a number of individuals who are not the natural targeted constituency for the status and who will take steps to reach it. These are the BA GGLs that acquire their status through MRs from Europe to Hawaii, for instance. A similar phenomenon exists with LH Hons. I would have thought that this is a small constituency which is vastly over-represented on FT and reading the BA Board or the LH Board may give an over-inflated view of the significance of this, I would have thought.
3) Thirdly, if you look at GGL, the things that come with GGL proper are not that huge: essentially additional redemption availability (the so-called "jokers"); waiving of certain fees linked to awards; a dedicated team/phone number, one Gold/2 silver partner cards and Hilton Honors Diamond status. Now, clearly, all of this is better than a kick in the groin but it is hardly a game changer for an ultra-frequent flyer. I do not think that many GGL members of BAEC think, to use your turn of phrase: "Gee, that's an AWESOME level/status"* There are other benefits (viz. access to the Concorde Room when not flying first and upgrade certificates) but they are not directly linked to GGL status as such but rather linked to reaching certain additional thresholds.
4) Now, none of this takes anything away from the fact that FB Ulti is rather under-spec'd and, even worse in terms of implementation. But it does not follow from this that the aim should be to turn it into an aspirational status but rather one that delivers what its targeted audience actually needs.
*:
and I do not mean that this is because Brits would be less likely to use such an American turn of phrase 