ElmhurstNick

I'm torn about this one. On the one hand, I don't like dilution. On the other hand, our company is opening up a small Chicago office and I'd like it to be all AA as it'll make my life easier.

So if I even got the promo (I have a huge stack of unread non-bill mail from my last five weeks of travel), I'm not sure that I'll actually refer anybody from work or family that couldn't have made it through a Gold Challenge anyway.

dgordon

Let's face it, once someone has experienced elite status, they do all kinds of extra trips to maintain it. That is what AA is counting on. They aren't giving away lifetime Gold, only 1 year gold, and if people don't fly enough they will lost it. If they fly in order to keep it, then AA has accomplished it's mission. I think they have found the challenges to be successful in this way. Many of us with status aren't interested in upgrades anyway, so I think you all may be worrying for nothing. A few extra people boarding early? Well, maybe.

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DtG

DFWRaider

Yes, but why do extra trips to maintain Gold status when everyone else and their grandmother is getting Gold for nothing? Moreover, why do extra trips when your status is worth basically nothing because millions of other people have the same status?

AA has basically made Gold status on the same level as getting 2 for 1 Domino's pizza -- anyone can get it.

Why work for it when you can get it for nothing?

AAExecPlatFlier

"Get the door, it's Domino's"

[This message has been edited by AAExecPlatFlier (edited 08-04-2001).]

PAUL PALMER

Thanks for the warning! I intend to give a piece of mind to AA Sales in London. I will say, quite simply, if they can be gold just becuase they happen to be on buddy acquaintance with some who is, can I have Platinum please?

However, I will now upgrade with miles when statesside, it makes so much sense now that the whole world can do it for nothing. I've never bothered as the main benefit is useless this side of the Atlantic.

However, once this nonsense is past, what will happen next year when they fail to qualify?


P

benoit

Having explats give their friends gold is a brilliant marketing idea and business decision, I have no doubt. Aquaintances of explats are likely to be spendier folks than the general population, and will switch some of their flying to AA as a result of their status. When the threat of losing status looms, some will become status junkies like us, generating further business. In the sour economic times ahead, it is especially timely for a promo like this.

I'm already used to seeing half the plane board when group 1 is called anyway.

swag

You're right. But as we can see on the threads on this board, the status is also being given not just to colleagues and friends, but also to chat-board strangers. And AA has actually encouraged this with the bonus miles for the referrer.

FewMiles

I must agree, the topic title says it all.

FewMiles..

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FlyerTalkers' Resources on the Web: http://fewmiles.tripod.com/
Unofficial Guide to AAdvantage: http://fewmiles.tripod.com/AA/
Unofficial oneworld Info Desk: http://fewmiles.tripod.com/oneworld/

FewMiles

... and now with a couple threads with people grovelling for Gold status. It's far more effective to go and sign up for the Gold Challenge and take it into your own hands than to panhandle in this fashion. There's a very limited number of people who are generous to the point of offering these referrals to strangers, but seeing some of the response they've been getting ... yuck.

FewMiles..

maple

FewMiles buddy,

Ditto what you said. It's unbelievable how amusing and pretty much off-putting some of the requests have been. While I understand that all who would like to be comped are non-elites, I am disturbed that several requests came from people who had but one post to their name. Surely a gold challenge would have been the right way to go. And to think that some made it sound as if the EXPs were "begging" for referees so that the former would receive the 2500 bonus miles!

BarryO

What position does Don Carty have (i.e., why should we contact him)?



[This message has been edited by BarryO (edited 08-04-2001).]

Hagbard Viking

Don Carty is the CEO of AA.

BarryO

Thanks, I guess that qualifies as a stupid question.

I'm surprised the number for a fax connected with his office somehow is known.

This thing really annoys me as well. I've been Gold for several years; often coming within a hair's-breath of hitting PLT (45-48K miles). But last-minute trip cancellations or things of that nature always prevented me. No big deal, I fugured; it's ony fair to give out the status to those that actually put butt-in-seat for that many miles/segments. Now I hear they're giving GLD alway like candy.

[This message has been edited by BarryO (edited 08-04-2001).]

dallasflyer

I have over 84k with AA to date. Will make EXP before the end of Sept. I fly every month. I have been flying for years. I didn't no anything till I found flyertalk. Amazing things are found, discussed, and done by flyers on flyertalk.

We tell people that there are great, unbelievable deals out there, just start looking. Someone offers Gold status for free, why shouldn't people try and get it, we told them that things like this happen.

2 many miles said it best. It doesn't matter if there are lots of OBC EXP's or tons of golds, if the don't fly.

Is hilton gold deluted or AA gold or EXP, yes and no. Yes there are more of them, but they rarely use the status that they temporaryly have because they don't travel very much.

If the promotion had been sent to me, I would offer it to some people I know. Some really generous FTer's offered it on the board. Most of us can't use it because we don't need it. If you offered me UA 2p or CO silver I would pass politely because I could get comped to a higher level if that is what I wanted.

So who do you think is going to ask for these gold comps from some generous FTers. New or non flyer who don't have status. The only thing I understand less is why someone would fly an extra 80k to earn status to fly for 20k rather than have status that you are not going to use.

edited for content and spilling, I mean spelling.

Love and peace to all.

dallasflyer

[This message has been edited by dallasflyer (edited 08-04-2001).]

Darren

It does possibly matter, depending on how AA measures the bennies that it gives to its elite flyers. Bear with me here, and I will give you an example. Lets say that there are 50000 EXP members who qualify by parking their backsides in a seat for 70-100 thousand miles. Then you have 50000 who were comped, and who might fly here and there every once in a while. So 100000 total. If AA decides that it is going to spend $100m on these flyers, that means that each person would get $1000 of benefits. But if the occasionals only use $500 of them, the rest goes wasted. It also means that the true flyers still only get $1k each. If the company worked the same $100m by only the 50K people, that would be $2000 in benefits. So by adding the extra 50000 people, the frequent flyers lose out on half the benefits and they end up with VIPOW's instead of VIP2's.