Are most people getting status with AQM or AQS?
Aug 31, 2019, 6:01 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Montreal & Nashville
Programs: Aeroplan SE100K, Accor Platinum, Bonvoy Titanium Elite, BW Diamond, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 391
Are most people getting status with AQM or AQS?
Looking at the dashboard, are most people getting their status with AQM or AQS or pretty much equal proportions?
I wonder if it's generally easier with one or the other or they made the threshold about equivalent.
Hope it has not been asked lately!
I wonder if it's generally easier with one or the other or they made the threshold about equivalent.
Hope it has not been asked lately!
Aug 31, 2019, 6:25 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Ideally YOW, but probably not
Programs: AC SE*MM
Posts: 1,827
Depends on your flight patterns. If you're commuting domestically and/or to the US you're going to make it on segments most likely. If you've got a handful of J flights from Canada to Asia then you're making it on miles by a long shot, same thing to Europe but you need more flights (obviously).
Personally, I think every year but one I've had my status earned on miles. This year I re-qualified for 2020 SE on miles a couple of months ago, and I'm going to qualify on segments as well by the end of the year (I am already on 83) ... yay me
Personally, I think every year but one I've had my status earned on miles. This year I re-qualified for 2020 SE on miles a couple of months ago, and I'm going to qualify on segments as well by the end of the year (I am already on 83) ... yay me
Last edited by RatherBeInYOW; Aug 31, 2019 at 6:33 pm
Aug 31, 2019, 6:56 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Halifax
Programs: AC SE100K, Marriott Lifetime Platinum Elite. NEXUS
Posts: 4,569
2016: 89,635, 96
2017: 104,747, 131
2018: 141,348, 127
2019, 76,205, 88 (posted, to date)
Both-ish?
This year the miles will finish off just squeaking out over 100k, but possibly in the ~135 range for AQS, assuming I continue my commute to ORD.
2017: 104,747, 131
2018: 141,348, 127
2019, 76,205, 88 (posted, to date)
Both-ish?
This year the miles will finish off just squeaking out over 100k, but possibly in the ~135 range for AQS, assuming I continue my commute to ORD.
Last edited by RangerNS; Aug 31, 2019 at 8:07 pm Reason: ..., xml comment?
Aug 31, 2019, 9:45 pm
#7
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: YAM, CIU, CGN
Programs: AC FOTSG, DL WM
Posts: 190
My bookings are always Economy Standard. It's hard to build much in the way of AQM that way, so it's all about segments for me. The fact that I'm always flying from an outlying connector airport (YAM) "helps" after a fashion too -- most of my round trips are 6 AQS or more.
As to which one is easier -- it depends a lot on what your bookings are and how much you can tweak them. Qualifying on segments is regarded as the more punishing of the two. If your bookings average more than 1,000 AQM per segment -- or if you have some way to make it so that they do -- you should focus on qualifying via AQM. Otherwise you're left with qualifying on AQS.
I kicked off a related discussion on this last year:
Altitude Status Qualification Strategy: Miles vs Segments?
As to which one is easier -- it depends a lot on what your bookings are and how much you can tweak them. Qualifying on segments is regarded as the more punishing of the two. If your bookings average more than 1,000 AQM per segment -- or if you have some way to make it so that they do -- you should focus on qualifying via AQM. Otherwise you're left with qualifying on AQS.
I kicked off a related discussion on this last year:
Altitude Status Qualification Strategy: Miles vs Segments?
Aug 31, 2019, 10:10 pm
#8
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: YHZ | YYZ | YHM
Programs: AC 50K (*G), Hilton Gold, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 636
Every year I’ve qualified for status it has been with AQS. My usual commute is from Toronto or London ON. to YHZ, and I have a stop at YUL or YOW along the way. The occasional trip out to YVR mixed in as well. Without the extra stops I would most likely qualify for P25K, however with I’m going to have E50K for 2020. Currently at 43 AQS but only 21,000 AQM. As a pilot and aviation enthusiast I have no issue spending more time on planes especially if it gets me higher status. Most of my flights are in Standard so AQM is out of the question. This will probably be my last year playing the status game, as I’ll be applying to flying jobs next year.
Aug 31, 2019, 10:51 pm
#9
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: YVR
Programs: AC SE100K, Bonvoy Platinum Elite, IHG Gold, Hertz 5*
Posts: 2,132
Aug 31, 2019, 10:52 pm
#10
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Canada
Programs: AC SE 2MM, HH Dd, SPG; IC Pl/A; AA; DL
Posts: 14,321
In my 20 years as SE, it has always been AQM (or miles before that). Even with one of my unlimited passes, I doubt I get enough segments to come even close (besides unlimited pass segments don't count in the Altitude world or any other world for that matter).
Sep 1, 2019, 4:34 am
#12
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: 35,255
For me, in 2002 it was Elite by segments.
Ever since then it has been qualifying miles/AQM, with the exception of last year.
(and some of us now obtain status by doing 0 AQM, 0 AQS, and 0 AQD
)
Ever since then it has been qualifying miles/AQM, with the exception of last year.
(and some of us now obtain status by doing 0 AQM, 0 AQS, and 0 AQD
)
Sep 1, 2019, 5:58 am
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Montreal & Nashville
Programs: Aeroplan SE100K, Accor Platinum, Bonvoy Titanium Elite, BW Diamond, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 391
With more and more direct flights to everywhere I guess unless you commute the majority of people qualify by AQM.
Sep 1, 2019, 6:16 am
#14
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 39
I have qualified for Elite 50K every year on AQM except last year, when I had something like 36 segments between YOW and YYZ, almost all at 64 AQM each. So for once it was AQS. But for the current year i have already requalified on AQM, and should hit 75K for the first time.