Packed lounges
#196
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE 2MM; UA MP Premier Silver; Marriott Bonvoy LT Titanium Elite; Radisson; Avis PC
Posts: 35,281
#197
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE 2MM; UA MP Premier Silver; Marriott Bonvoy LT Titanium Elite; Radisson; Avis PC
Posts: 35,281
But yeah, if AC were allowed to yank *G for MLL access then I'm sure reciprocity would occur quickly across *A... and that would suck.
#198
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MLL / AC Cafe
Programs: It's hard to get status when the website won't let me book flights.
Posts: 5,714
#200
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Montreal
Posts: 260
AC is selling them a product and they are paying for it both with large to very large annual fees and by giving AC a portion of every dollar they spend.
In some cases they may be bringing more profit than you.
Why should one class of customers be entitled and the others not, other than that people see it as a zero sum game so just want to exclude "the other guy." SEs never understood it when the benefits started getting slashed from the bottom up, cheering all the way until it got to their own benefits, then it was fits and rage like that wasn't a completely predictable move.
As long as CCs are easy profit centers AC will use the lounge to sell CCs. If fliers want it to stop then fliers need to be ready to pony up the lost profits and nobody wants to do that.
The old days are gone. AC is all about wringing its profit out of every atom of matter under its control, and that sucks for people who got the free ride until now. But that time passed already and people are still talking like it's going to come back. It's not. It's over. Get used to it.
Not that I like it, some other posters here seem to celebrate it. I'm just realistic about it. It's their stuff and they're going to wring every penny out of it and think out of the box for new ways to jam people in ever closer and use their assets more efficiently (which means less pleasantly for the customers) because they will get bonuses if they do this.
#201
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: MLL / AC Cafe
Programs: It's hard to get status when the website won't let me book flights.
Posts: 5,714
Why not?
AC is selling them a product and they are paying for it both with large to very large annual fees and by giving AC a portion of every dollar they spend.
In some cases they may be bringing more profit than you.
Why should one class of customers be entitled and the others not, other than that people see it as a zero sum game so just want to exclude "the other guy." SEs never understood it when the benefits started getting slashed from the bottom up, cheering all the way until it got to their own benefits, then it was fits and rage like that wasn't a completely predictable move.
As long as CCs are easy profit centers AC will use the lounge to sell CCs. If fliers want it to stop then fliers need to be ready to pony up the lost profits and nobody wants to do that.
The old days are gone. AC is all about wringing its profit out of every atom of matter under its control, and that sucks for people who got the free ride until now. But that time passed already and people are still talking like it's going to come back. It's not. It's over. Get used to it.
Not that I like it, some other posters here seem to celebrate it. I'm just realistic about it. It's their stuff and they're going to wring every penny out of it and think out of the box for new ways to jam people in ever closer and use their assets more efficiently (which means less pleasantly for the customers) because they will get bonuses if they do this.
AC is selling them a product and they are paying for it both with large to very large annual fees and by giving AC a portion of every dollar they spend.
In some cases they may be bringing more profit than you.
Why should one class of customers be entitled and the others not, other than that people see it as a zero sum game so just want to exclude "the other guy." SEs never understood it when the benefits started getting slashed from the bottom up, cheering all the way until it got to their own benefits, then it was fits and rage like that wasn't a completely predictable move.
As long as CCs are easy profit centers AC will use the lounge to sell CCs. If fliers want it to stop then fliers need to be ready to pony up the lost profits and nobody wants to do that.
The old days are gone. AC is all about wringing its profit out of every atom of matter under its control, and that sucks for people who got the free ride until now. But that time passed already and people are still talking like it's going to come back. It's not. It's over. Get used to it.
Not that I like it, some other posters here seem to celebrate it. I'm just realistic about it. It's their stuff and they're going to wring every penny out of it and think out of the box for new ways to jam people in ever closer and use their assets more efficiently (which means less pleasantly for the customers) because they will get bonuses if they do this.
Yes - they do make money on the cc, but the cc holders are also the ones who go through tons of booze / snacks and leave a mess.
It's funny but you can almost always spot the very frequent fliers by what they grab in the lounge. Usually it's 1 beverage ( maybe booze maybe not ) and a small something to eat. Then they sit there quite keeping to themselves and usually type on a phone or computer.
But I've see cc holders take 4-5 plates for breakfast and huge amounts of booze too
#202
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: I'm From Here
Programs: AC*SE & 2MM/Bonvoy Gold/HHonors Diamond
Posts: 4,586
#203
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold, NEXUS, GE, ABTC/APEC, South Korea SES, eIACS, PP, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 16,046
#204
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 3,759
It's funny but you can almost always spot the very frequent fliers by what they grab in the lounge. Usually it's 1 beverage ( maybe booze maybe not ) and a small something to eat. Then they sit there quite keeping to themselves and usually type on a phone or computer.
But I've see cc holders take 4-5 plates for breakfast and huge amounts of booze too
But I've see cc holders take 4-5 plates for breakfast and huge amounts of booze too
#205
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: YKF
Programs: AC Elite 50K, Amex AP Plat, Choice Privileges, National Exec Elite, Via Prefrence
Posts: 2,996
I have no problem with cc holders having lounge access. I just think they should have their own lounge and not the MLL.
Yes - they do make money on the cc, but the cc holders are also the ones who go through tons of booze / snacks and leave a mess.
It's funny but you can almost always spot the very frequent fliers by what they grab in the lounge. Usually it's 1 beverage ( maybe booze maybe not ) and a small something to eat. Then they sit there quite keeping to themselves and usually type on a phone or computer.
But I've see cc holders take 4-5 plates for breakfast and huge amounts of booze too
Yes - they do make money on the cc, but the cc holders are also the ones who go through tons of booze / snacks and leave a mess.
It's funny but you can almost always spot the very frequent fliers by what they grab in the lounge. Usually it's 1 beverage ( maybe booze maybe not ) and a small something to eat. Then they sit there quite keeping to themselves and usually type on a phone or computer.
But I've see cc holders take 4-5 plates for breakfast and huge amounts of booze too
What evidence do you have that it is cc holder that are causing the problem? Did you actually go up to someone who was acting like a slob and asked them how they got in here?
I've seen passed out SE's drooling on their best buy laptop bags (used as a pillow) while passed out in a chair. And flip flop OPMers going to town on la vin rouge.
Last edited by kwflyer; Aug 30, 2015 at 11:12 pm
#206
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 3,759
I very much doubt that AC gets any percentage off of the CC merchant fees. There are no AC-branded CCs, only AE-branded.
AC has already established that they are willing to sell MLL access with the MLL annual passes they sell. The CCs are universally cheaper than that, so they have become the preferred method of buying lounge access.
#207
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AC SE MM, BA Gold, SQ Silver, Bonvoy Tit LTG, Hyatt Glob, HH Diamond
Posts: 44,649
What evidence do you have that it is cc holder that are causing the problem? Did you actually go up to someone who was acting like a slob and asked them how they got in here?
I've seen passed out SE's drooling on their best buy laptop bags (used as a pillow) while passed out in a chair.
I've seen passed out SE's drooling on their best buy laptop bags (used as a pillow) while passed out in a chair.
Really? The absolute highest of the Aeroplan CC annual fees is $700, which is the same as a worldwide MLL membership. How much of that fee do you think actually goes to Aimia? $100? Less? And then how much of that gets passed on to AC? $50?
I very much doubt that AC gets any percentage off of the CC merchant fees. There are no AC-branded CCs, only AE-branded.
AC has already established that they are willing to sell MLL access with the MLL annual passes they sell. The CCs are universally cheaper than that, so they have become the preferred method of buying lounge access.
I very much doubt that AC gets any percentage off of the CC merchant fees. There are no AC-branded CCs, only AE-branded.
AC has already established that they are willing to sell MLL access with the MLL annual passes they sell. The CCs are universally cheaper than that, so they have become the preferred method of buying lounge access.
#208
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: YVR
Programs: UA Premier Platinum
Posts: 3,759
A person who buys an MLL membership is definitely going to use the MLL regularly, otherwise they wouldn't buy it. Not everyone who has a CC that entitles them to access is actually going to use it. You get $50 from the guy who drinks a gallon of beer and 2 kilos of pasta, but you also get $50 from all the people who don't even set foot in the MLL. $50 per card per year (in AC's estimation) may actually average out to something reasonable per visit.
#209
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: YKF
Programs: AC Elite 50K, Amex AP Plat, Choice Privileges, National Exec Elite, Via Prefrence
Posts: 2,996
#210
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: YKF
Programs: AC Elite 50K, Amex AP Plat, Choice Privileges, National Exec Elite, Via Prefrence
Posts: 2,996
A person who buys an MLL membership is definitely going to use the MLL regularly, otherwise they wouldn't buy it. Not everyone who has a CC that entitles them to access is actually going to use it. You get $50 from the guy who drinks a gallon of beer and 2 kilos of pasta, but you also get $50 from all the people who don't even set foot in the MLL. $50 per card per year (in AC's estimation) may actually average out to something reasonable per visit.
CIBC's MLL add on to the Aerogold used to be ridiculously low. Just goes to show how profitable the marginal revenue is to the marginal cost of operating the lounges is.
Last edited by kwflyer; Aug 30, 2015 at 11:33 pm