NoLaGent

Notice I didn't say it was impossible, just that it requires luck (i.e. a travel pattern like yours) and a numb backside! With the demise of business travel for many for quite a long while, I think your pattern will be the exception, and certainly not the rule.

J.Edward

Just throwing ideas out there. My personal take is AS, as AS, has no need for a tier beyond 75k but AS, as AS seeking to harmonize with AA, does need such a tier.

I don't know what "harmonize with AA" entails and I'm not sure either AS or AA do either at this point but would note the following:

1. If '1KAS' offered better benefits and/or easier qualification than EXP, there would be an arbitrage opportunity and an ongoing imbalance; doubt either AA or AS want this.

2. AS sticking to their guns about distance earnings for status (good job AS ) opens the door to the qualification question...i.e. if EXP's main gatekeeper is revenue, and AS opts not to use a direct revenue metric for 1KAS, what then will they use? [This is where the idea of AS only metal came from as it acts as a de facto revenue gatekeeper.]

3. Benefits. As has been discussed up thread what can AS offer beyond 75k? Earlier upgrade clearing windows? Any fare GGUs? BR membership? Free snack in Y? Maybe that's what it'll boil down to: the top tier on AS and AA both afford comparable domestic metal netural upgrades but the AS flavor kicks over domestic lounge access via the BR while AA offers SWUs.

Flying for Fun

Simple answer, No! Top Tier in one program is better than mid Tier in multiple, especially if there is a revenue component. It all comes down to earning RDM.

Flying revenue on AS Partners has been CX PE special fares & AA PE & J on y-up. My first 2020 EQM earning Partner flight was on AA. I had an itinerary SCL-DFW-PHX-DFW-ICN in PE flying the first half in 2019. The domestic PXH-DFW in MCE didn’t earn anything but the DFW-ICN did. Originally, it posted to AA with a segment EQD of $462 and as a non Status AAdvantage member earned a whopping 2,311 RDM. When it finally posted to AS, as a 75K, I earned 6,841 EQM & 15,393 RDM from the one segment.

In January 2020, I also flew CX PE JFK-HKG-CPT return for $1625. With the 10% COS on E fares, since eliminated, I earned 33,933 EQM & 72,493 RDM; enough for the same route one-way in F/J.

I addition to the 138,008 EQM I earned in 2020, I also flew 35,935 miles on awards & still have 4,565 miles yet to be flown on award segments from the Partner gateways that were pushed into 2021. Additionally, I have flown AC, UA, SW, AA (non EQM earning), VW & VB. I earned 322,761 RDM in 2020.

It all comes down to the math to maximize RDM while minimizing the dollars spent. I have pretty tight parameters I work within: I won't fly on a fare that doesn't earn 1 mile EQM for each mile flown & I strive to keep the cost of EQM earnings at or below $0.05. I won't upfare to J unless the differntial in $s doesn't increase the cost of EQM. That is rarely the case. All of my partner redemptions are in F or J which come with all the perks anyway. Companion certificates also play a big role in reducing EQM costs when traveling with my Partner. We are going back to Costa Rica in February, PHX-SEA-LAX-LIR//SJO-LAX-SEA-PHX. I purchased K fares for SEA-LAX-LIR & SJO-LAX-SEA, upgraded to F with one GGU each for the two segments in each direction. The base fare was $869, the companion was $99. With taxes, the average flight cost, with 4 segments confirmed in F, covering 9467 miles, is ~$109. It will generate 14,201 EQM each. I will earn 21,301 RDM & my Partner will earn 18,934 EQM for a total of 40,325.

I have friends in HKG, SIN, SYD, DXB, CPT, SCL, LIR & GDL. These are routes I fly. Rather than visiting once every year or two, Mileage Plan has allowed me to visit once or twice a year in Premium Cabins.

Earning on AS is too lucrative to be concerned about chasing "some" status on Partners. As long as AS continues to be viable, I will continue to be Top Tier Elite. I typically earn 125K EQM a year anyway so a 100K tier will be met organically without changing anything I am already doing.

James

NoLaGent

^ this just made my head spin and then almost pop off. That is one heck of a spreadsheet.

Kudos to you 👏!

anteater

Flying for Fun how much of your EQM is on AS metal?

A customer such as yourself would greatly surpass most AS customers with a few of those TPAC partner flights and much more easily hit 100K

Flying for Fun

2020 was an odball year. I flew more than I typically do on Partner revenue flights but the 50% EQM bonus from March 7th, on AS flights, mitigated that disproportionate EQM in 2020.

In 2020, I started strong with 7 partner flights & completed 4 TPACs. My first AS flight of 2020 was on January 6th, by January 29th, I had earned 50,541 EQM on 7 Partner flights, 7,320 EQM on 8 AS flights and flew 6,498 miles on 3 award segments, 2 JL J GMP-HND-SIN & AS LAX-JFK on an add on segment to a prior 2019 AS award that was also upgraded to F. That was in January alone. The 50% EQM bonus didn't start until March 7th, 2020 (iirc) so those were actual miles flown on AS.

February was 2 AS segments, a cancelled CX PE return, 2 segments (I actually was a no-show because I couldn't get in touch with CX, they later changed my dates to April for no charge and then refunded when April didn't work) as I was heading to AKL for a cruise and would have been denied embarkation had I transited HKG. I was already in LAX but last minute I was able to book QF JFK-LAX-SYD-AKL in J & AS was more than happy to allow LAX-JFK in Saver A to start the QF award in JFK. There was no availability starting from LAX. The return, in March, was originally QF PE but again, last minute, I was able to book J on SYD-BNE-LAX. I flew 13 more AS segments in March, the last being on March 23th.

From January 12th through March 23rd I had accumulated 89,221 EQM; (which was my carry-over) 50,541 Partner & 38,680 AS on 32 segments, 7 Partner, 25 AS.

My next EQM earning flight wouldn't be until September 9th. I purchased my First F fare in years, flying 2 segments PVR-LAX-SFO. I flew three more Partner segments in October. PHX-DFW-LAX-PHX-LAS. Who can resist international J, widebody 789 lie-flat DFW-LAX sold as domestic F for $74?

I know, a lot of words to say!

Total EQM in 2020, 138,008
Partner: 54,446, AS 78,562, CC Spend 5,000

Revenue Flights In 2020: 55
Partner: 10, AS 45

James

Flying for Fun

I certainly don't want to make your head pop off, but with no AS EQM earnings from March 23rd to September 9th; 2020 was compressed to 196 days!!!!

James

Klrduks

Q200? That's EASY!! How about the Fairchild Metro!!

jrl767

"pencil with wings" ... love it!

jsguyrus

Dornier 328
I remember the Metro's. There was just a curtain between the passengers and the flight deck, about half the time the curtain was open, which led to amazing views out the front on landing. My favorite QX plane was the Dornier 328's. They didn't last long but they were really nice inside.

Eastbay1K

Never had the pleasure. I think I was only on a very few F28 flights, and then the Qs.

NoLaGent

Nor I. It reminds me of a baby prop version of the BAE-146.

Tango

NOOOOOO EQD's is something Alaska decided not to currently go forward with. American now gives you nothing on their basic economy fares. I have EP on AA and 75K on AS. I was on the fence until AS announced the new tier. I will most likely stick with AS for now. If AS implemented an EQD, I would do the same as I have done with AA-- loop holes so large in the AA system that you can drive a truck through them. It should not always be about how much you spend (UA lets you get to top tier status by just buying one very expensive ticket) but how many seat miles you endure---that is the great equalizer.

chrisl137

I pointed this out when AS introduced their BE fares: AS does actually do something like EQD, but they charge them on the back end a la carte if you want to use the benefits you earned from the EQM. If you have status, you give up many of the perks if you buy a cheap BE ticket, so you have to spend an extra $30 or so to get the benefits. This has some of the same effect as EQD, but it's more palatable because it lets you pick and choose when you care about getting the benefits and it also gives AS more flexibility in changing the effective EQD requirements based on immediate demand without having to publish a new elite requirements schedule.

Seat 2A

My first flight on Horizon was back in 1984, from Pasco to Seattle aboard a leased All-Star DC-9-10 jet. It slipped precipitously from there with my next flight coming aboard the skinny little Metro - okay for a ten minute flight between Pasco and Walla Walla but thoroughly uncomfortable for anything longer. Speaking of 10 minute flights, anyone remember that super speedy shuttle service back in the 80s between Seattle and Portland?



As to the new 100K tier, based upon the posts above, it sounds like a great deal for AA flyers. I've averaged well over 100K every year since 2000 but I have to say I'm looking forward to spending way more time on trains in the years to come.