Like many I have been reflecting on the news and what it means in our household. We are both Silver and have sorted our renewal for the post 1 April 2025 world, so Will keep that until 31 March 2026.
We don't get much travel with work and when we do price wins for employers. We fall into the unfavoured old Silver bucket for a few reasons:
- Family in Sicily (here now) so regular users of the CTA route in summer and of course it was an 80TP CE route, so you would have been mad not to book that unless pricess were v high. That netted 160 out of the gate (or more if family dictated other trips).
- Would look at price v TPs and therefore often book CE when looking to requalify. Of course mix of eco flying in there too using those handy benefits.
- Not much longhaul but where there was we would again do the maths/treat ourselves etc. Handy for TPs.
Honestly not sure how we would hit the £7,500 spend and would we want to? Sure have benefitted from the current system, but certainly I am a loser going forward.
looking at LGW-CTA one way as an example, let's take a Wednesday in June and that is £220 base fare, £11 BA fees so £231 eligible spend or 231 new TPs. Cost with taxes in £278. You would need 27 single flights like that to retain Silver (other spend ignored).
Other shorthaul routes (old 40TP world). I have family near ZRH so again a £230 CE leg would be £169 base fare plus £9 BA fees (rest taxes) so £178 eligible spend and new TPs.
As others have said, for many status will go but if flying club you would still be happy. The real benefit which will be lost is status when in eco - the lounge etc has been so v handy when dashing post work for a flight etc.
In an ironic twist I have a MUC return already booked a few weeks back for May in CE to kick off my TP year. With the conversion of 13.35/TP, I believe that will give me 1,068 new TPs v 80 old. I certainly didn't pay that for my flight.
P.s. my better half got the email, but I haven't.