FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Loyal to your programme airline or just get the status?
Old May 3, 2018, 11:59 pm
  #8  
GrayAnderson
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
In general (there are exceptions, but the rule is against it at this point), at this point I don't tend to actually credit flying on a given airline to that airline. There are a couple of reasons for this, but most of it comes down to the fact that with a few exceptions there are often better offers within a given airline's partner set out there.

With that being said, as long as there is a solid and definable benefit package which guide me to deal with a given airline, I'll route whatever business I can to them and may even absorb a modest price premium with them...but if you're looking at, say, the difference between a $600 flight and a $1000 flight on a similar product (in paid domestic F or an equivalent product) the $600 product is likely to win. For the record, this is how B6 has won my business on several occasions: A superior product (Mint) combined with usually winning on fares even if their FFP leaves quite a lot to be desired (for example, I don't appreciate getting screwed out of half of my points earnings when I have to call customer service to book because their website has delusions of adequacy when handling Mint-plus-connecting-flight fares, or their chronic inability to credit my fares to SQ instead, even when I load my SQ number in there).

Edit: The same thing applies to hotels, too: I'll pay 10-15% extra for an equivalent property at a chain I prefer (usually due to a combo of repeated positive experiences and a solid loyalty programme), but I won't usually pay 50% extra. On the other end of things, I'll also often pay a premium or take some inconvenience to avoid a chain I don't like (namely IHG, which is ironic since they were my first hotel loyalty progamme), but again this will always have a limit.
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