American Airlines Survey: Would you like an upgrade on OneWorld?
Aug 7, 2008, 10:00 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,531
American Airlines Survey: Would you like an upgrade on OneWorld?
Just received an email survey from AA. It had me rate OneWorld and Star Alliance (although not SkyTeam, curiously) on my satisfaction with benefits, treatment, and upgrade opportunities. Then it asked a series of iterative questions about my preferences for a OneWorld upgrade instrument. (similar to United systemwide upgrades that can be applied to Lufthansa).
Specific questions:
1) Do you think such an instrument would add benefit, or detract from your experience because other OneWorld elites would now compete for upgrades on American?
2) It asked a standard gamble question about my desire to AA-only upgrade instruments, oneWorld upgrade instruments, companion upgrades, AAnytime/blow the budget awards, others.
Personally, I would find a OneWorld upgrade instrument to be very valuable. I did state in comments that elites on their own metal should have first priority (eg AA EXP before BA Gold on AA metal).
Specific questions:
1) Do you think such an instrument would add benefit, or detract from your experience because other OneWorld elites would now compete for upgrades on American?
2) It asked a standard gamble question about my desire to AA-only upgrade instruments, oneWorld upgrade instruments, companion upgrades, AAnytime/blow the budget awards, others.
Personally, I would find a OneWorld upgrade instrument to be very valuable. I did state in comments that elites on their own metal should have first priority (eg AA EXP before BA Gold on AA metal).
Aug 7, 2008, 10:04 am
#2
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: AA GLD .25MM, CO, UA, US, DL, HH, SPG (all cardboard)
Posts: 1,951
Interestingly, BA is running a similar but not the same survey about Miles For Upgrades.
Aug 7, 2008, 10:06 am
#3
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: DFW
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium/Lifetime Platinum, AA EXP, UA Gold
Posts: 719
I would like a OneWorld upgrade instrument, too -- though I completely agree that each carrier's elites should have first priority... It would be very nice though.
I suspect the merger between BA and AA is near completion if they are both sending out surveys?
I suspect the merger between BA and AA is near completion if they are both sending out surveys?
Aug 7, 2008, 10:15 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mostly AUS or rural England
Programs: BAEC redundant Bronze, AAdvantage Lifetime PLT, CO, WN, B6
Posts: 6,526
Is suspect you mean Anti-Trust Immunity application rather than merger - the latter is hindered by the relative market caps. of the two carriers together with the 25% max. foreign ownershhip rule.
Aug 7, 2008, 10:18 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
Upgrading with miles or eVip - please, please, please.
Aug 7, 2008, 10:38 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2007
Programs: AA PLT, Hyatt PLT, Marriott Silver, National Exec
Posts: 95
I woulid like the ability to upgrade as long as the carrier's elites have first priority
Aug 7, 2008, 10:56 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mostly AUS or rural England
Programs: BAEC redundant Bronze, AAdvantage Lifetime PLT, CO, WN, B6
Posts: 6,526
Just received an email survey from AA. It had me rate OneWorld and Star Alliance (although not SkyTeam, curiously) on my satisfaction with benefits, treatment, and upgrade opportunities. Then it asked a series of iterative questions about my preferences for a OneWorld upgrade instrument. (similar to United systemwide upgrades that can be applied to Lufthansa).
Specific questions:
1) Do you think such an instrument would add benefit, or detract from your experience because other OneWorld elites would now compete for upgrades on American?
2) It asked a standard gamble question about my desire to AA-only upgrade instruments, oneWorld upgrade instruments, companion upgrades, AAnytime/blow the budget awards, others.
Personally, I would find a OneWorld upgrade instrument to be very valuable. I did state in comments that elites on their own metal should have first priority (eg AA EXP before BA Gold on AA metal).
Specific questions:
1) Do you think such an instrument would add benefit, or detract from your experience because other OneWorld elites would now compete for upgrades on American?
2) It asked a standard gamble question about my desire to AA-only upgrade instruments, oneWorld upgrade instruments, companion upgrades, AAnytime/blow the budget awards, others.
Personally, I would find a OneWorld upgrade instrument to be very valuable. I did state in comments that elites on their own metal should have first priority (eg AA EXP before BA Gold on AA metal).
Having thought about this again, there's virtually no risk of BA Golds competing with AA EXP's to use free systemwide upgrades modeled on eVIP's because BA hands out very, very few of these - the qualification level for GUF2's is 1.6x the Emerald qualification level and even then it's only for one round trip for two.
It could be that BA is thinking of handing out more, though that would seem to go against their business model of selling premium cabins, and trading people up whenever possible.
I suppose AA could pay BA to carry its elites in premium cabins though that seems hard to imagine.
Overall it sounds like mileage upgrades would be a lot easier to transfer between the partners than eVIP / GUF2 / systemwide upgrades.
Aug 7, 2008, 11:07 am
#8
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: DFW
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, HH Diamond, Marriott Titanium/Lifetime Platinum, AA EXP, UA Gold
Posts: 719
Aug 7, 2008, 11:22 am
#10
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 463
Got the same survey. That was one of the questions:
- prefer to have upgrade abilities of members with similar status on OW airlines (same would be true on AA)?
- prefer for a carrier to accommodate its own elite members first (same on AA)?
Aug 7, 2008, 11:53 am
#11
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: UA 1K, AA 2MM, Bonvoy LT Plt, Mets fan
Posts: 5,073
I'm not sure I agree with that...and if you treat EXP and PLT as "a tier" for comparison purposes, I'm sure I don't. If we want reciprocal benefits, we have to offer somethign up...
Aug 7, 2008, 12:08 pm
#12
In Memoriam
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Always on vacation
Programs: aa exp - spg gold - Hyatt Diamond - HH Gold
Posts: 6,007
Do you mean that an AA Gold (lowest tier) should have priority on AA over a BA Gold (highest tier)?
I'm not sure I agree with that...and if you treat EXP and PLT as "a tier" for comparison purposes, I'm sure I don't. If we want reciprocal benefits, we have to offer somethign up...
I'm not sure I agree with that...and if you treat EXP and PLT as "a tier" for comparison purposes, I'm sure I don't. If we want reciprocal benefits, we have to offer somethign up...
Aug 7, 2008, 12:15 pm
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
I would love the ability to use miles or evips to upgrade on other carriers.
Aug 7, 2008, 12:31 pm
#14
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: SAT
Programs: AA EXP BA Gold, TK Gold, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, AS 100K, QR PLT, SAS Gold, IHG Spire, AMR
Posts: 5,898
Aug 7, 2008, 12:47 pm
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,234
So while it absolutely makes sense to prioritize AA elites ahead of other OW elites on a waitlist (though whether that's all AA elites first or just within a comparable status level is another topic), it's less clear whether it makes sense to somehow further limit confirmed upgrades to non-AA OW members. Perhaps non-AA OW pax could only confirm an upgrade within 30 days of the flight, or something. There generally isn't a lot of available inventory at that point anyway, so that would force them to waitlist.