Global guy

It is not a bad move actually. This is after all a loyalty program and flying with the chosen *A home base partner makes sense for most of us.
I would think achieving 5 segments on AC in 2011 is not difficult for the vast majority of Candian based FF's.
It might be more difficult if you are based elsewhere but still it is a logical move.

VolcanoMan

Oh, I 100% agree, FT's should sign up to their home team and this is a good move by AC. I just, however, think it would be nice to have qualifications that were closer to each other within star alliance. I for one would never sign up to M&M as there's no way I'll ever hit 100k, but 50k, fine (Not that I ever would, living in Montreal!). The airlines are competing for international business from travelers and the savvy will vote by moving programs... after all, airline alliances are designed to add value to the corporate balance sheet AND provide value for travelers...

GlennH

Nothing ridiculous about it.....AE is the only full program in Canada where I can earn miles on groceries, gas, /insurance, VISA card, banking and FLYING.

Why should I sign up for DM or MP just to dilute my AE program benefits? Top tier status is a program benefit.

Besides, as mentioned above AC gets my international business, but on routes within NA which AC does not serve, why should I be punished for not flying with them and taking a flight with a *A carrier that IS part of the alliance with AC?

That is the whole point of *A is it not?

Your Iberia comparison wasn't even remotely close...........

will5404

You can argue for another ten pages but AC is asking that you do 1/3 of your flying on AC in a given year to be top tier. That leaves 2/3 of your flying for all other airlines. Your welcome to consolidate your miles in the Aeroplan program you just won't get status without flying AC at least some of the time.

Your not going to convince people who regularly fly AC that putting less than a 1/3 of your miles on the actual airline your status is with is unreasonable.

The first year I qualified I did 100% of my miles on UA, and if this rule would of been in place I wouldn't of qualified. Yet I still see why AC implemented this rule and I'm supportive of it. This year I've done 85% of my flying on AC.

why fly

1. it seems a reasonable expectation that AC requires some flying on its planes so you can join its program.
2. however it is a cut in the program.
3. lets hope if AC has time to do this they add something, perhaps something from the suggestion thread.

WR Cage

Besides the afore mentioned internaional AC*E who never fly AC, there is another group that gets targetted with this change.

This other group is AC*E who fly Tango fares doemstically and get status through international flying on non AC flights. (think of LH to Europe, UA/CO/US through a USA connection). Alternately this can be extended to YYZ based flyers who use UA through BUF or YVR based flyers going through SEA.

This also has an impact for FTers using USA based MR to get status and then Tango fares for corporate domestic flights.

Crampedin13A

I think it's a smart move by AC and fail to see why they are being considered unreasonable with the requirement.^ BA requires you to fly 4 BA flights along with the required Tier Points to get/maintain status. Probably the only thing that stops there being hordes of U.S. based Silver/Golds that only fly round the U.S. on AA.

GlennH

If I'm not competing with them for space in MLL's or upgrades or any other AC specific benefit, what does it matter to them?

The point here is in Canada, I can only collect miles on everyday living through AE. If I remove my flying activity from AE that is a significant hit to the number of miles I am collecting in AE for any given year. DM or MP has no other benefit to me in Canada whatsoever.

As I have already stated, 5 segments is not a big deal to me but where does this stop? There are no such requirements in place for other *A carriers.

If there was another choice of complete FF program for *A in Canada, I would gladly trade, but there is not. Therefore I am forced to comply.

WR Cage

With everyone's frothing at the mouth over 2012 qualification restrictions, another little nugget was relased on eUpgrades:

So it got me thinking, how much is an eUpgrade credit worth? How many e-credit will be required for short haul YYC-YVR, Transcontinental YYC-YYZ, or YYZ-HKG?

Because the contest is for a "chance" at 10 credits, I am guessing that will be the level of one way short haul, upgrade from a high fare class (similar to old NAU/SWU). With this hypothesis in hand, what would be the earn rate of a credit? Will it be threshold based (eg 10 20 credits at 10,000 miles, or will it be 1 credit for every 1000 miles?

THE VALUE OF AN E-UPGRADE CREDIT HAS MUCH GREATER IMPLICATIONS THAN THE CHANGE IN 2012 QUALIFICATIONS.

Yes I am shouting here, as I think we should be debating the merits of a value of Credit than minor change to the rules. Put it another way, in about one week no one at the AC FT forum will care about 2012 qualification levels, Value of eCredit is much greater.

Let the great debate begin.

yyzgigi

What you see as a cut, many may see as an enhancement. I think this is a good thing and a long time coming.

10k or 5 segments is one round-trip from YQM-SEA and is a very reasonable requirement in my opinion.

why fly

glad you don't negotiate for me.

How any restriction can be good?

will5404

It does matter to them, or they wouldn't of done it.

People have already pointed out similar requirements are on other *A carriers.

helraiser

Wow... soo much discussion over something that to me seems so trivial and imo, those making a big deal of it really should reevaluate where they earn status (ie. those that fly their majority on *A partners and credit to AC's top tier program.)

10k miles or 5 segements is NOT hard to achieve! Heck, I can get close to that on a trip to YVR that'd cost maybe $400 return. YXE-YEG-YVR-YEG-YXE. That's 4 segements.

Personally I've yet to see a valid argument as to why you shouldn't be required to sit on AC metal to earn AC status and seriously, 10k miles or 5 segements... seriously ppl? that's nothing!

cool_xp2002

From my experience as an EWR based FF, flying AC metal has always been my choice as AC usually have better fares on transpacific routes to PEK/PVG via YYZ/YVR. 4 of the 5 trips I've done this year has been on AC.

The interesting factor is that on NYC-YVR route, AC is usually $150-200 more expensive than UA. I'd fly UA on those trips.

Right now I'm sitting on 92K Q miles of which ~73K is on AC metal. After a mid-Dec MR to florida and year end trip to China, I should be qualifying for 2011 SE no problem. First time SE! so excited.....

The latest change definitely won't affect me at all!

ylwae

Not much to get excited about with this announcement. Would have been more interesting if AP had made access to some of the more attractive flight awards contingent on having AC status, rather than have credit-card pumpers on an equal footing with top-tier members.