ARCHIVE: Concierge Key AA Premium Service
Oct 6, 2012, 9:32 am
#706
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Chicago
Programs: DL DM - AA 1.6MM UA 1.2MM - Recovering UA UGS and AA CK - Hilton LTD, Marriott LTP, SPG LTP
Posts: 289
Open question to current CK folks.
This year i should pass 200k EQM & EQP.
Ive totaled just short of 4 million total miles and have been EXP for 11 years straight.
YET
Still never qualified for CK.
My average EQM per year is around 140k
In your experience as CK do you think This year could be "my year" on getting the magic card ???
Thanks CK elite members for your feedback
This year i should pass 200k EQM & EQP.
Ive totaled just short of 4 million total miles and have been EXP for 11 years straight.
YET
Still never qualified for CK.
My average EQM per year is around 140k
In your experience as CK do you think This year could be "my year" on getting the magic card ???
Thanks CK elite members for your feedback
As a point of reference, I received an invite when my average cost per mile went above $0.41 (which was also the magic number for United Global Services and the price AA charges for AAirpass miles). So if you have spent $82,000 for your 200K miles this year, things look good. If your spend is well south of that, this might not be the year.
To be honest, the best part of CK for me is the phone support. It is by far the best group of agents I have worked with in 13 years of business travel including UA 1K/GS and the EXP desk.
Good luck!
Oct 6, 2012, 1:45 pm
#707
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: FLL
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, Hyatt Diamond, HH Diamond, Marriott Silver, Avis First
Posts: 419
I posted this awhile back in this thread, but I did ask our travel department to ask our AA rep about CK. The AA rep said that invitations were based on volume of travel on premium fares. I head that second hand for what its worth, but it does explain why people that spend a lot don't always qualify, and why ones that spend as little as $10k (Airpass) do qualify. Given that Airpass no longer gives automatic CK (from what I've read on here) its possible they changed the requirements.
Oct 6, 2012, 1:58 pm
#708
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP,2MM, DL Gold,Starwood PLT
Posts: 3,876
Just remember that CK seems to be (since none of us REALLY know what it takes to get in) a revenue based program, not loyalty or miles based. I'm guess that if your EQM & EQP are about equal, you are not paying for premium cabins or expensive B & Y coach fares.
As a point of reference, I received an invite when my average cost per mile went above $0.41 (which was also the magic number for United Global Services and the price AA charges for AAirpass miles). So if you have spent $82,000 for your 200K miles this year, things look good. If your spend is well south of that, this might not be the year.
To be honest, the best part of CK for me is the phone support. It is by far the best group of agents I have worked with in 13 years of business travel including UA 1K/GS and the EXP desk.
Good luck!
As a point of reference, I received an invite when my average cost per mile went above $0.41 (which was also the magic number for United Global Services and the price AA charges for AAirpass miles). So if you have spent $82,000 for your 200K miles this year, things look good. If your spend is well south of that, this might not be the year.
To be honest, the best part of CK for me is the phone support. It is by far the best group of agents I have worked with in 13 years of business travel including UA 1K/GS and the EXP desk.
Good luck!
Oct 7, 2012, 9:25 am
#709
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: WEST PALM BEACH
Programs: AMEX PLAT,HH DIAMOND,HYATT GOLD, AA EXEC PLAT
Posts: 17
Since your also a King Pin on United Airlines do you feel United is better, same, or worse then AA services ? AA domestic upgrade to first class id great plus the 8 system wide upgrades for International is sweet. But ive been offered matching status on United if i jump AA ship. Whats your thoughts ???
thanks
thanks
Oct 9, 2012, 9:59 pm
#710
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: ORD
Programs: AA EXP,2MM, DL Gold,Starwood PLT
Posts: 3,876
Since your also a King Pin on United Airlines do you feel United is better, same, or worse then AA services ? AA domestic upgrade to first class id great plus the 8 system wide upgrades for International is sweet. But ive been offered matching status on United if i jump AA ship. Whats your thoughts ???
thanks
thanks
Oct 9, 2012, 11:03 pm
#711
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: ROC/NYC/MSP/LAX/HKG/SIN
Posts: 3,214
You are, in my opinion, the eptiome of who should be CK.
I have been EXP for 9 years and just made it this year. I usually get to 100 EQP, and usually about 150 EQM every year. But I believe this was driven on a corporate basis for me and NOT my own personal performance because the CK kit came from our corporate offices, although it had my personal address on it. It was not mailed, but personally handed to someone there. And then they held on to it for a couple months before I received it.
To be honest, since I have been CK, I have not noticed much difference, though. I usually always know, because of expertflyer or established alerts when a flight has cancelled and I usually am talking to AA before they call me. Same with delays.
The only perk I received, which is different than I have ever received was 2x in ORD, pre-boarding with 1 other CK before ANYONE else was boarded. I really like that because I am not gate lice and sometimes don't get an optimal place for my bag. And people like to drag their bags over the top of my feet so they can beat me on the plane. So the preboarding was awesome. But other than that, I have not experienced anything special than I already receicve as an EXP.
Keep in mind the internal rules in the CK program say no special waivers or favors for CK
I have been EXP for 9 years and just made it this year. I usually get to 100 EQP, and usually about 150 EQM every year. But I believe this was driven on a corporate basis for me and NOT my own personal performance because the CK kit came from our corporate offices, although it had my personal address on it. It was not mailed, but personally handed to someone there. And then they held on to it for a couple months before I received it.
To be honest, since I have been CK, I have not noticed much difference, though. I usually always know, because of expertflyer or established alerts when a flight has cancelled and I usually am talking to AA before they call me. Same with delays.
The only perk I received, which is different than I have ever received was 2x in ORD, pre-boarding with 1 other CK before ANYONE else was boarded. I really like that because I am not gate lice and sometimes don't get an optimal place for my bag. And people like to drag their bags over the top of my feet so they can beat me on the plane. So the preboarding was awesome. But other than that, I have not experienced anything special than I already receicve as an EXP.
Keep in mind the internal rules in the CK program say no special waivers or favors for CK
I should be sitting at around 125k EQP again with 210k EQM flown this year(based on a large chunk of travel took place in Jan 2012 with the assistance of DEQM), I would have got the Elite rewards and hopefully a CK membership. However, I would be doing very solid 100k EQM/150k EQP next year with all the premium travel already booked, so let's see if that will help.
I think AA will hand out CK to corporate accounts with lots of premium travel. Apparently, if you get the AA Airpass or BusinessAA account with them, they can easily find out you are a Premium traveler. However, if you book all the OneWorld partner lights in Premium class, I doubt if they can track your revenue that way. Consider folks who fly CX J/F JFK-HKG or BA LHR-LAX, or even JL BOS-NRT and achieve the 1.5 EQP/EQM ratio, does that mean they are going to be CK as well? I highly doubt that.
Last edited by PaulInTheSky; Oct 9, 2012 at 11:24 pm
Oct 14, 2012, 10:44 am
#712
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Midwest
Programs: UA GS, UA 1.6MM, AA LT PLT, AA 2.6MM, Intercontinental Royal Ambassador
Posts: 838
I am trying to figure out the minimum revenue hurdle required to make it to CK. I want to maintain EXP status going forward. I am in a unique position in that I fly a lot of paid C/J for Asia and Europe travel. I figure that in 2013 I will allocate enough of it to AA to maintain CK which brings along with it EXP which will be useful as AA is my backup domestic airline to UA.
Does $30K sound about right or is that too low? All guesses are welcome.
Does $30K sound about right or is that too low? All guesses are welcome.
Oct 14, 2012, 4:05 pm
#713
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Houston, TX
Programs: AA Exec Plt, SPG Platinum
Posts: 355
Concierge Key AA Premium Service (consolidated)
$30k I would guess is too low. I've been above $50k 4 years in a row and haven't been granted CK.
Oct 14, 2012, 6:49 pm
#714
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,937
I am trying to figure out the minimum revenue hurdle required to make it to CK. I want to maintain EXP status going forward. I am in a unique position in that I fly a lot of paid C/J for Asia and Europe travel. I figure that in 2013 I will allocate enough of it to AA to maintain CK which brings along with it EXP which will be useful as AA is my backup domestic airline to UA.
Does $30K sound about right or is that too low? All guesses are welcome.
Does $30K sound about right or is that too low? All guesses are welcome.
.
Oct 14, 2012, 7:12 pm
#715
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Chicago
Programs: DL DM - AA 1.6MM UA 1.2MM - Recovering UA UGS and AA CK - Hilton LTD, Marriott LTP, SPG LTP
Posts: 289
Since your also a King Pin on United Airlines do you feel United is better, same, or worse then AA services ? AA domestic upgrade to first class id great plus the 8 system wide upgrades for International is sweet. But ive been offered matching status on United if i jump AA ship. Whats your thoughts ???
thanks
thanks
My "King Pin" status on UA went away pre-merger as soon as I moved my business to AA and I have not looked back. From my fellow employee travelers that stayed with UA, all I seem to be hearing are tales of woe and heartache.
The only two things I miss about UA GS are the Global Welcome check-in at ORD and the ability to upgrade award tickets (something I never actually used, but it was great having the option). I left UA due to the awful on-board service and frequently surly FAs. My UA friends tell me it is now worse, not better. I actually had lunch recently with someone that works in HQ for UA and even he said "try us again in three or four years. We'll hopefully be better by then..."
While YMMV, I'd be VERY careful about jumping ship to UA right now.
Oct 14, 2012, 7:30 pm
#716
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Chicago
Programs: DL DM - AA 1.6MM UA 1.2MM - Recovering UA UGS and AA CK - Hilton LTD, Marriott LTP, SPG LTP
Posts: 289
I am trying to figure out the minimum revenue hurdle required to make it to CK. I want to maintain EXP status going forward. I am in a unique position in that I fly a lot of paid C/J for Asia and Europe travel. I figure that in 2013 I will allocate enough of it to AA to maintain CK which brings along with it EXP which will be useful as AA is my backup domestic airline to UA.
Does $30K sound about right or is that too low? All guesses are welcome.
Does $30K sound about right or is that too low? All guesses are welcome.
I think they are trying to avoid a repeat of what happened to EXP and 1K (which I believe both started out as invitation only) - once they officially published the requirements to get in, people started to figure out way to reach those goals as inexpensively as possible (cheap MRs, etc) and defeated the purpose entirely.
Oct 14, 2012, 8:04 pm
#717
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Midwest
Programs: UA GS, UA 1.6MM, AA LT PLT, AA 2.6MM, Intercontinental Royal Ambassador
Posts: 838
You might want to call AA Customer Relations or the "executive office" (the small team of CR that deal with EXP) and explain that you're considering switching paid J Asia/Europe to AA and want to know if they can offer any advice on making CK. Worst case, they won't say anything, but they might be very helpful. Anything they do say should be significantly more reliable than FT speculation .
.While I do not have hard and fast evidence and a small data set of what it took to get me into UA GS and CK, I'm pretty sure you are looking at it the wrong way. I don't think that there is a "magic spend number" that once you cross, you in the club. It seems to do more with how much you spend per mile and what percentage of your total miles are in paid premium cabins or full fare (Y,B) coach. When I first received the CK invite, I had not even spent $30K, but my average cost per mile was around $0.96 and about 87% of my flights were in premium cabins.
Now I'm trying to see how I can keep my string of seven straight EXP years going after 2012. I'll requalify on miles alone this time but I think next year I'm going to have to do it differently. Thanks for the responses.
Oct 15, 2012, 2:33 am
#718
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: SPG Plat
Posts: 459
If you spend 30k+ per year, then you can just buy an AAirpass for 30k and get CK I believe
Oct 15, 2012, 8:03 am
#719
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Chicago
Programs: DL DM - AA 1.6MM UA 1.2MM - Recovering UA UGS and AA CK - Hilton LTD, Marriott LTP, SPG LTP
Posts: 289
Oct 15, 2012, 10:53 am
#720
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Orlando, FL
Programs: AA 11MM/EXP/Aairpass, SPG Plat
Posts: 343
Ironically, despite losing CK status, my wife and I had a Oneworld rep walk us through immigration/customs/TSA at LAX just a couple of days ago. In three years of CK status, that never happened. We were getting off a Qantas flight, so that might have been their doing.