T/BE20/G

Released in yesterday's jetwire:

Cygnus X-1

Let me guess. And the new inflated award levels haven't changed either.

GUWonder

This is going to be vicious toward non-EXPlats who wish to redeem awards. The expedite fees are still here, but seats are unlikely to be released until 21 days before a flight. Talk about a trap to squeeze some of your best customers.

Apparently, the change is already done on AA.com -- just look at AA's award charts on the website. It looks like "Travel Embargo Dates" may be making a comeback too although there are none for 2004 listed.

GUWonder

You appreciate "enhancement"-speak/spin:

"Although the name has changed, award restrictions, guidelines, and
availability limits remain the same."

Note that the Newsletter says "availability limits" and not "availability" remain the same. There is a substantial difference.

venk

Makes it look like a benefit that seats are made available at any time rather only in advance

but is in reality equivalent to

alien

The only thing surprising about this is that AA finally admits to it. Award availability tailored strictly around yield management is a win win for AA. They are able to get the most out of the seat and still report high award redemption resulting from opening the flood gates at the last minute.

Remember the many warnings about redemption upon qulification of 3xs-2xs-5k, AANYC, AABOS, and Fly Three Fly Free? Well, AA is doing exactly what it should be doing to resolve this anticipated flood of redemption requests.

It simply means that for those of us planning way in advance, this is no longer an option...unless ofcourse you double buckup. I notice NW and CO doing the exact same thing.

GUWonder

NW and Continental in particular are notorious for often having no award availabilty. They push hard their double mileage requirement for awards and additional fees. This will not be a good thing. The best thing to do was to leave the PlanAAheads the way they were and also open up additional inventory as a given flight's load became apparent.

fly co to see the yanks

well, i AAm just glAAd they mAAintAAined the "AA."

JonNYC

Herein lies the usefulness of the "reputation" feature...

landspeed

The name change is pretty ominous, to me-

remember how everyone went ape back in the mid-90's when the standard awards went from 20K to 25K? Well, now some airlines are trying to make the ~50 awards the "standard," (im mind and practice) doubling the miles required while thinking we won't notice.

I'm disappointed that AA has joined the bunch. It should be interesting to see whether they go the draconian CO route, opening up most availability at <21 days. Because of AA's high expedite fees (for non-EXPs) and inability to mix saver/AAnytime and coach/first awards, a system like this for AA could increase both miles and money out of pocket for awards.

However, loooking at availibility for thanksgiving, new year's, winter to Hawaii, etc., I don't see CO-like availability (that is to say, I see availability!)

Should be interesting to see if/how things change over time....

FWAAA

^ ^

dallasflyer

Great post and I agree one hundred percent. BOT, I don't think the name change will have any effect on redemption. It does better describe the product IMO.

ILUVCITIBANK

Immediate fallout for me and my family: I will now (actually started 2 weeks ago or so) divert over $50,000/mo of Citibank charges away from my Citibank/AA card to 1) starwood/AMEX, 2) USAA/eagle points, 3) First Bank/Southwest Airlines/ (I am ashamed to admit it)First bank/United Mileage Plus. And then when I convert the starwood pts to airlines, or buy the tix w/ eagle points (similar to MNBA's program)...I will now make every effert to avoid AA.

Goes without saying I have just referred my last friend/fellow high charging business associates to AAdvantage cards. Why "advise" them to walk blind into this sort of fiasco scenario, where they accrue a decent Aadvantage account...to then not be able to use them like Continenta'ls Nonepass ? No thanks.

AA just shot themselves in the foot IMO, and I can personally attest to three separate failed efforts to secure seats, all domestic 25K awards except for 2x base awards to mexico, and came up with zilch, since Feb. Yep, I've hit the brick wall already, more than once, trying to find seats. No, burning 50K points is not the appropriate response - taking my business to another airline is, and I will of course make Citibank aware of why my $50,000K/mo charging activity just went away for them.

Once word of this catstrophic overhaul of a program occurs hits the non Exec Plat traveler, and unfortunately the slap in the face won't happpen until, literally, one by one, each of these people try to book domestic 25K award seats) and can't, for weeks plus/minus preferred travel date, wow.

Sad to see this change happen. As I demonstrated in another thread, unles I misunderstand how these affinity programs work, AA literally sells, for real "today" money, points at 1.75cents/mi, maybe as much as 2 cents. Thus, for a 25K "sale" of miles, AA brings in real revenue of $375-$500. Folks, I can and have been on orbitz.com and see $275 r/t seat availability on the very flights I was looking for (5x seats DFW/MCO, in Nov, which I tried to book back in early Feb), and this tells me there are tons of cheap seats still available. We all know the seat price will rise as seats are sold off.

Thus, I can conclude no other than AA is happy to sell $375-$500 affinity points to their affinity partners, and is equally happy to see me, a loyal Aadvantage credit card holder/Kellogs cereal user, use these product and accrue miles...but now is not willing to let me REDEEEM $375-$500 to "take" a seat they are still willing to sell for $275 ?

hmm.smells fishy to me. Smells very "Onepassish" to me. Thinking down the road a few more qtrs...this may be the straw that breaks the camel's back to invite government oversight into this frequent flyer industry. Nonepass got away with it because their policy played into their strategy of weaning away from casual and pleasure travelers...and opting to cherry-pick the business travelers...so why worry if peopple were ticked when they couldn't secure domestic 25K awards. No big deal. But - AAdvantage is faaaaaaaarrrr too big and visible to be able to sneak this one in.

ILUVCITIBANK

alien, the only flaw in your logic, IMO, is we don't yet know the dependency AA has on their Aadvantage income to predict how AA will react when AAdvantage program starts tumbling like Nonepass (presumably has). Heck, I've even theorized that this is AA's way to scaling back AAdvantage, since I think this will be one major impact of this draconian modification.

Once news of this gets out, and I don't mean in some semi-obscure ff forum like flyertalk but in practical terms, where non-EXP PLAT Aadvantage travelers who have been saving their miles for months or years...to get that pool of 75-100K miles for a family of four...then tries to book their trip to Disneyworld 9 months out and can't...literally for over a week plus/minus their travel dates, wow.

I think I'll be buying some priceline stock. I think their business is going to ramp up nicely on this one. AA just broke the last major reason I had to stay loyal - had lots of miles to burn. Now, I'll burn those miles as best i can, at the 25K level but rarely more, and will simultaneously avoid further accumulation.

GUWonder

Well, I hope you are right, but a friend of mine who has been redeeming awards for multiple flights and trips from Chicago to St. Martin/Barts for years has said he has noticed that there is most certainly a substantial reduction in availability for many months ahead this year and next. He said that a 50% higher award level would be more fair, but a 100% premium was insane. His opinion not mine.

I think he and several others will be moving away from AA and back to United or just taking the best value flights with no consideration for the value derived of two-way loyalty. No matter how you cut it, AA will lose some substantial business.