Originally Posted by
172pilot
This is a little dramatic I think. There is a MM program but the upgrades have been clawed back. You still get MLL access for life, priority checkin for life, priority boarding for life, extra baggage allowance for life, star gold for life. There are many people who would pay for this ( oh wait, they do with a premium CC).
I do agree that the upgrade situation is bad and needs to be fixed, however as a 75K I was only successful 50% of the time last year. As a 50k it would have been lower, I’m sure.
Unlocking two priority rewards at the start of the year for MM's would have measurable value....
Priority phone access (vs waiting 60mins) would be noticeable value....
Star Gold benefits for life are negligible value for MM's who got there through years of SE level flying, as achieving/maintaining 50k for former SE's just ain't that hard (esp as u mention w credit card spend). Zone 2 boarding isn't really a perk these days...
Upgrades are a game of roulette that I accept, here I don't fault AC for higher load factors & lower availability of upgrades.
But MM program is "ideally" going to appreciate years of loyalty, and giving star gold crumbs that are easy to get anyhow, doesn't give higher mileage flyers much perceptible value.... as some other flyertalk member posted, 2500 SQC (or even 5000) is a slap in the face.
At least my 7 yr old gets to play with the plastic model plane they send
