Originally Posted by
Xrayman
If history is any indicator I expect the phrase “integration”:to be used regularly AND the actual integration to take years if not a decade. Hyperbole you may question…….. ask EVERY Virgin America individual who have been waiting for our prior EQM credit to be “integrated”. But I could be wrong that the promise for integration will still take place.
No doubt there will be some pain next year. But on your specific example of MM credit, HA rather astonishingly assembled decades of FF history and rolled out a shiny new MM program around the time of closing. That gives me some real hope that AS is trying to avoid some of the pain points from the VX merger.
I'm hoping we'll get an announcement on or before New Year's Day about transitional changes in Hawaiian Miles, looking ahead to its being gone around mid-year. A few thoughts on the challenges:
- HA segment qualification: this is a big deal for primarily interisland flyers, but the merger was already in the works when AS eliminated segment qualification in its own program, and I'll be surprised if they go back. Maybe they could keep it for 2025 as a transitional year, but then would AS segments count post-plan merger? And anyway, they presumably want to create an incentive for the HA interisland/UA longhaul flyers to consolidate their flying on HA/AS. So probably best to eliminate at the beginning of the year, but they may not be ready yet, and then what?
- HA upgrade certificates: it would make a lot of sense to mix and match the AS and AA certificate rules, to allow one certificate to be used on itineraries up to ~3,000 miles and two beyond that, clearing as they do currently on AS. If that were going to be the approach, they'd presumably want to notify HA flyers that the current HA certificates won't be issued in 2025 and new certificates will be available in the new plan after the merger.
- Lounges: AS will presumably eliminate free elite lounge access at some point, but that will feel like a significant takeaway for many HA flyers. Perhaps keep the Premier Clubs as-is until proper AS lounges open in at least HNL and maybe OGG, and then offer some sort of a first-year sweetener for new memberships?
- Elite bonuses and plan consolidation: HA bonuses are 50% for Gold and 100% for Plat, while AS 2025 will be 25% MVP, 50% Gold, 100% 75K, and 150% 100K. Will there be some reconciliation when the plans merge for miles earned earlier in the year? I'm assuming not, but that will leave some unhappy people as they re-allocate flying.
- Milestone bonuses: as noted above, not crediting HA EQM toward milestone bonuses will be a real slap in the face if it happens that way.