All in all,
really sux for the most loyal QF customers who had lots of points (just wiped off 20% of their value) and lots of upgrade credits (made them virtually useless).
Good points: Are there any????
1) The new program should keep Ray Martin away. Couples & families who don't fly very much, can take 5 one way flights (ie earn 5,000 pts), transfer them to one family member and use them. Under the old system it would have taken 20 oneway (short sector) flights for an individual family member to get anything.
2) MEL-SYD/HBA/ADL/LST etc all reduced, plus sectors like MEL/SYD-AYQ & ASP also reduced.
3) Use my NZ Airdollars and Rex Rewards in one direction, QF points in the other if need be (wow
)
4) Easier to get to gold and platinum, with increase status credits awarded for many sectors. Great for those who would not have made it there - opportunity to earn the 50%/100% bonus pts to make up for the extra award charges.
Bad points:
1) Increased points for most destinations, (a lot seem to be +20%), but some really crap ones like MEL-BKK (as you have to go via SYD - has gone from 50K pts to 72K) and LAX-JFK from 30K to 50K- a 67% increase!!)
2) Stopovers - despite the comment "there will be no charge for stopovers" - if you do the math, stopovers still cost - in some instances 12,000 pts.Take a MEL-BME return with a stopover in PER one direction. Old system: 30,000 pts + 10,000 for stopover = 40,000 pts. New system: 12,000 + 18,000 + 18,000 = 48,000 pts. (without stopover, this would cost 36,000 pts) therefore stopover is costing 12K. Similarly SYD-JFK with stopover in LAX. Old system = 110Kpts (if did one sector on AA). New system: 137K pts - which is 9K pts for stopover (you'd need 128K pts without stopover)
3) Not sure how they calc distances - on sectors or just the distance between start/end - but if sector distances apply, it really makes it expensive on some routes if direct flight is not available (eg MEL-DRW is 36K on direct flights but if sector distances apply is 50K via SYD/BNE in both dirns).
4) Devalues status as it is easier to get to SG and WP for many, with increase status credits awarded for many sectors. Not so great for those who have already made the status (or would have made it anyway). Only can lead to one thing - bigger queues at checkin and waiting for luggage, and ultimately a decline in privileges if so many make it to higher tiers.
5) Getting charged to make use of some WP privileges - ie requesting a seat be made available will now cost 2,500 pts (OK not such a big deal!)
6) The whole upgrade debacle.
My last four redemptions cost me 147,500 pts. Under the new system they would cost me 187,000 pts.