Originally Posted by
PlungeTEX
Haven’t read all 3000+ posts. Understand people are disappointed. But the writing on the wall has been there for a while. The US programs all went this way years ago. For the truly high value business traveler, this makes status far easier to obtain. BA Gold was laughably easy to obtain in my view even if the perks arent amazing.
the funny part for me is that these changes will allow me to reach GGL with less flying and given my general disdain for BA, the remaking revenue will actually go elsewhere while I still use the jokers etc.
I have been reading this thread with interest as a primarily DL and UA flyer from across the pond...and having a conceptual understanding of the (soon to be extinct) BAEC program but no firsthand experience. Many of the comments and perspectives I have read here are very similar to when DL announced wholesale changes to its program in September 2023. While DL did "retract" from its original plan somewhat (there is some speculation this was part of the plan all along), 2024 was the first year of earning under the new criteria and the changes to status and lounge access go into effect in just a few weeks on February 1. We will see what happens in the coming year, but so far, the projections of large customer defections (and associated revenue shortfall for DL) have not materialized.