Teplane

the problem is that, for 100% of those concierge customers like me who fly so much that they sail to requalification each each without thinking about it, there’s nothing but downside. We’ll just get less upgrades and companion vouchers than we’re meant to get under the programme rules that existed until yesterday and no upside whatsoever.

these customers are the top tier of the top tier and every single one of them are getting screwed out of their upgrades.

EI are running a masterclass in how to single out your best customers and mistreat them. The fact that they’ve buried this in the fine print of an email that made out that everything was fine and it was good for us makes it quite galling. If they truly value their top tier flyers, they have to make this right.

DELLAS

There will always be winners and losers ! I once got to lifetime Gold with BMI but never got to use it as at the same time BA took over and we all know the history after that .

The extension of the upgrades actually works well for me based on my use for them but obviously thats very much a personal circumstance.

SPC1759

Yes, and there are many like me (albeit often worse off than me) who will see valuable credits extinguished with no meaningful notice and with no commensurate upside.

EI’s simple solution is not elegant - it’s just crude. There needs to be a mechanism to make things right for the many frequent flyers who will otherwise be disadvantaged by this.

Daragh

Already with 622.5 TPs since Nov 23 as a conc member and 4 vouchers left and a companion ticket remaining, these surely are ok until March 25? That being said I’ve done a few BA trips maybe it’s the chance to share the load well on the way to sliver with BA for the first time. Let’s hope the EI conc benefits remain the same for the next award year looks like IAG loyalty is getting getting streamlined group wide 👍🏼

DELLAS

I presume the complimentary Silver membership for Concierge members will automatically be extended also irrelevant of the TPs earned.

FlightDetective

Yes, I believe everything is being extended and no-one is being downgraded as a result of the changes.

Daragh

Already with 622.5 TPs since Nov 23 as a conc member and 4 vouchers left and a companion ticket remaining, these surely are ok until March 25? That being said I’ve done a few BA trips maybe it’s the chance to share the load well on the way to sliver with BA for the first time. Let’s hope the EI conc benefits remain the same for the next award year looks like IAG loyalty is getting getting streamlined group wide 👍🏼

mailliW

So further changes are coming? Makes me chuckle email is signed off Love, Aer Club

mailliW

I have a few aer space fares prior to end of March. Does it make sense to reschedule these to Apr and make saver fare reservations for March travel.

DELLAS

Great my Sister will be pleased. Once FR cargo she has got used to her fast track , lounges and priority boarding

firestarter197

Possibly, if you don't need the TCs to chase a higher status before the reset then it makes sense to postpone for April so that they are counted for the new qualifying year

FlightDetective

I have to say, I raised my eyebrows when I first saw the signoff as well

firestarter197

A question for those who have grasped the mechanics of the status & benefit extensions:
My partner recently renewed Platinum until July 2025, now at 825TC with her original qualifying year was due to end in July 2024. (Goes without saying that she would have 100% reached Concierge by July 2024 at her current rate of flying for work). My understanding is that she has two choices:

A) Not to chase Concierge in March and accept that she will remain platinum when the reset occurs (even with TCs from April - July 2023 added, she would still be at least 100TCs short of 1,051). In this case, regardless how much she flies over the next year she would be platinum not only until 31 March 2025, but until 31 March 2026 (as per the Aerclub email, since her current Platinum status currently expires July 2025)

B) Chase Concierge in March to earn the shortfall in TCs so that she reaches 1,051 earned for the period 1 April 2023 - 31 March 2024, meaning she would make Concierge following the TC review, with a tier expiry on 31 March 2025. Hypothetically, if she doesn't fly much until then she should make a 'soft landing' to Platinum on 1st April 2025 which will in turn expire on 31 March 2026.

What I haven't been able to answer her is the following:
1. Under Scenario A, when would her Platinum upgrade voucher expire? 31 March 2026 is my understanding from the Aerclub email and the discussion here.
2. Under Scenario B, when would her Platinum upgrade voucher expire? Really not sure on this one. In theory, she shouldn't be made worse off by moving to Concierge - i.e. having the expiry of her Platinum upgrade voucher moved forward - but I am afraid it will be the case.

Any thoughts?

huruburu

I think it is a breach of trust by AerClub to shift the goal posts on the Qualification Period without useful notice. Signing off "Love, AerClub" is inappropriate. AerClub mostly doesn't even answer messages. My Qualification Period, assigned to me by AerClub, is the end of November. Last November I dropped from Silver to Green. However, counting flights booked, I anticipated regaining Silver status by May 2024. Instead, according to the "Service Update" email I got today, the tier credits I will currently have from the end November to April 1 (well over 200), will evaporate and I will either be kept at Green until April 1, 2025, or have to start accumulating 301 tier credits again. It feels more like sabotage than a loyalty program.
I'm happy be a Silver Tier member. This is the first year in a good while I haven't managed it. However, with my given Qualification Period in mind, I planned a balance my tier credit earning flights and Avios flights, with the aim of regaining Silver status early. I may even have enough by March 31, 2023-April 1, 2024. It's a shame to waste people's time, and tier credits.
To respect members' planning, and members' own intentionality in relation to Qualification Periods, I'm not sure what notice is ideal. I am 100% sure that it's not one month. Where's the love, AerClub? Where's the respect?
(Note: I corrected numbers as like many I'm recounting and scrambling due to AerClub's corporate "love." Thank you to Flight Detective for responses. If only you worked for AerClub!)

FlightDetective

With option A, for the Tier Credits she has from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 - what will be the tally? If she is 100 TCs short of 1,051, she may well be bumped up to Concierge. Do you know the exact figure? If I know that, I can tell you if she will go up based on the recalculation, which may mean no chasing is needed.

​​​​​​
How many Tier Credits will you have for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024? I can see you have said you will have 205 from November 2023 to 31 March 2024, but how many did you earn in the 1 April 2023 to November period? You won't need many more for Silver to be given to you, so how many is it exactly? I can then tell you if you will be moved up based on the recalculation.