rankourabu

Because as someone speculated above, perhaps contractually they can't?

acysb87

Guys like me at regional airports would support this as well. My spend is generally higher than Rapidair flights. The programs are skewed towards long haul mileage accrual. Those of us that spend significant dollars and get minimal miles towards top tier status feel hard done by.
For example, those spending 4007.00 YYZ/SYD fares r/t get approximately 19320 Q miles and 2 segments. Those spending 1000.00 YSB/YYZ get 2 segments and 500 q miles. Just for fun, YYZ/TPE in P class 4000.00 spend get 24,120 Q miles when COS bonus is added and 4 segments.

There is no method to get lifetime SE based on segments. (IMHO there should be) Mileage wins in current set up.

krayZpaving

They found that because they were looking for that! My inference from that data would probably be that 95% of customers fly a roundtrip once or twice a year - are those the ones at whom your loyalty programme is aimed? (In the sense of it existing to keep customers flying your airline instead of shopping around)

If (big if) your aim is to keep the most frequent fliers loyal to your brand, and (again big if) your loyalty programme is one of the important elements of that, and (huge if) the mile-earning benefits are what make that programme attractive (I'd hypothesise for many most frequent fliers it may be the "elite" benefits other than miles/points like priority boarding, lounge access, concierge), then you should maximise it for those small % of fliers. But if any of those things is untrue (and I'd argue at least one is untrue for Air Canada), then you have a different maximising equation.

ridefar

Really? Why? Or what? They have repeatedly punched the FF community in the face for years, and the consequences have been...? Zilch.

Not directing this at you RangerNS, but the collective cognitive dissonance here is nuts:

- Collective "wisdom": there is no competition and we have to fly AC
- If AC devalues all those miles, FFers will leave. To where?

or

- Evidence: AC has done nothing to improve the program in decades
- Hope: AC will make it all better when they take it in house and create a *massive* financial liability out of the goodness of their hearts.

Is anybody seriously suggesting that AC will assume tens of millions of dollars in liability (the value of all those miles they are going to create just for good will) just because FFers are suddenly so valuable to them? Because they have been willing to improve things by even a tiny fraction of that in the past?

None of us has a crystal ball. But in the absence of one, past behaviour is likely the best indicator of future behaviour. In which case we are all f'ed.

rankourabu

Well not if you own AC stock

KenHamer

Perhaps in 2020 lifetime status will begin to transition to a spend based system.

YEG_SE4Life

That would be cute.

rankourabu

Expect Lifetime gold to be just lifetiime AC Gold - which will no longer translate into Star Gold. Thats all they promised.

jc94

$600k for lifetime SE? Hmmm.
But then I know >$20k ers with E50k. My own AQD has exceeded my status for the past years.

AC will do whatever works for them and their big spenders best.

RangerNS

And in the last decade Nova Scotia has at least imposed laws restricting gift card expiry, and while allows gift certificates to expire, they expire into sticker price. (E.g. your $24.99 prim rib gift will, in 4 years, be worth $24.99, not the fancy dinner).

I'm not expecting AC, AP, Airmiles, PC points or whatever to change.

I am saying the next punch to the face will be legal. And will trigger all but a Royal Inquiry.
​

ridefar

Nothing is expiring. You have points with Aeroplan. You will continue to have points with Aeroplan. They may be worth 80% less, but that is between you and Aeroplan. Not AC. Go ahead sue them. A phrase springs to mind however: you can't get blood from a stone.

AC no doubt thinks they are clean. As do AC's lawyers. Not saying they are, and I am certainly in no position legally to offer an opinion. But it strikes me as a massive stretch to say that because gift cards can't expire in NS, AC must provide you with a like amount of AE miles as of July 1, 2020. Beyond massive. Intergalactic. So they won't. And while you are suing AE will go bankrupt (because it is unlikely they have a sustainable business without AC). And a lawsuit will take years. And if all you have to offer is a gift card precedent, I for one don't like your odds.

This is one of the biggest acts of corporate douche-baggery that I can think of in recent years. That doesn't make it illegal. Immoral != Illegal. They will get away with it. IMO.

Adam Smith

What the heck are you talking about? AC is giving us three years to burn our Aeroplan miles before they end the special relationship with Aeroplan. I don't see how that's immoral or "douche-baggery".

Things change in life, get over it.​​​​​

ridefar

You have no hard how hard it is to craft a response to that and not violate FT's rules.

I'm going to hope this does it: if your attitude is indicative of the general attitude of AC FFers, AC has nothing to worry about. In fact, they should just cancel their FF program, because it well and truly is of no marginal value.

For those that have an ability to reason and apply logic, I wonder what will happen to miles earned on June 29th, 2020? You are going to burn them on a flight on the 30th? Oh wait... they won't post until 5 days later. Too bad. Now take that principle and work backwards. How about June 1st? What about January 1st? What about those people who have an illness in the family or an important project at work that limits their ability to redeem points? F 'em, right? Get over it.

So, for those that think I am overstating the magnitude of the baggery, name one other company whose customers spend tens of thousands of dollars a year who has stated they will take the residual value of their loyalty program and make it zero. Not less. Not a bunch less because reward redemptions are getting harder or more expensive. Zero.

Name. Just. One.

(That isn't bankrupt, morally or financially.)

As a matter of principle it is utterly irrelevant whether somebody has 1,000,000 AE miles or 100 on July 1st, 2020. AC thinks you are both equally valuable. And totally worthless.

So, Mr. Smith, please refrain from telling me what I should "get over" and what I shouldn't. I suspect I was never "under it" in the sense you imply in the first place. That doesn't mean that I am not crystal clear on the implications of AC's actions, and willing to call AC out on their thievery. The fact they had the temerity to announce they were going to rob us blind on July 1st, 2020, does not change the fact that we are, in fact, going to be robbed.

SparseFlyer

Can't you just accumulate on another program until June 30th 2020?

YEG_SE4Life

Am I missing an announcement? All that I am aware of is that A.C. has announced they are starting their own program. They haven't really announced what their plan is for AE points earned up until then. Shouldn't you save the name calling and accusations until that announcement is made?