Apr 9, 2014, 11:05 am

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Angry about AAdvantage devaluation / vent / what can I do? (April 2014, consolidated)

Thread referred to: Devaluation, new tiers, oneworld Explorer award gone, etc. 8 April 2014

Without any prior notification, American Airlines announced on 8 April 2014 some significant AAdvantage program rescissions and devaluations, effective immediately:

oneworld Explorer awards can no longer be claimed; (pre-existing awards will be honored)
Stopovers at North American gateways for international partner award tickets were eliminated
AAnytime awards now reflect variable, demand-based pricing
US Dividend Miles North Asia premium awards have repriced

Quote:

Important Information

AAnytime Awards: Effective April 8, 2014, for tickets issued for travel starting June 1, 2014, we have updated award levels. We will continue to honor any award tickets issued on / before April 7, 2014. For award bookings after April 8 for travel between April 8 and June 1, 2014, these award mileage levels will apply.

oneworld Explorer Awards are no longer available for award booking. We will continue to honor any award tickets issued on / before April 7, 2014.

This thread is specifically to vent and offer ways for readers to protest or complain.

Possibilities for action / communication:

Quote:

Originally Posted by hillrider

Here's what you can do, as stated by the U.S. Supreme Court in its recent case (Source: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions...2-462_p8k0.pdf page 13)

Quote:

Congress has given the Department of Transportation (DOT) the general authority to prohibit and punish unfair and deceptive practices in air transportation and in the sale of air transportation, 49 U.S.C. §41712(a) , and Congress has specifically authorized the DOT to investigate complaints relating to frequent flyer programs. See FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, §408(6), 126 Stat. 87. Pursuant to these provisions, the DOT regularly entertains and acts on such complaints.

It is your duty to enter a complaint with the DOT at http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/CP_AirlineService.htm. You can even quote this passage from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sample communication to USDOT here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooshawn

Just wrote an unhappy letter to AA/USAir execs (all email addresses I could find), if you want to feel free to use/build off of the following:
douglas.parker<at>usairways.com,
sean.bentel<at>aa.com,
tom.horton<at>aa.com ?
Customer.Relations<at>aa.com,
ken.fischer<at>usairways.com,
robert.isom<at>usairways.com,
suzanne.rubin<at>aa.com

Corporate structure: http://www.aa.com/i18n/amrcorp/corporateInformation/facts/structure.jsp

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyTravels

USPS:
<Executive Name>
P.O. Box 619616
DFW Airport, TX 75261-9616

Angry about AAdvantage devaluation / vent / what can I do? (April 2014, consolidated)

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Apr 8, 2014, 4:12 pm

#46

povertyjetset

Join Date: Oct 2009

Posts: 385

Protect the public? Are you joking?

Apr 8, 2014, 4:35 pm

#47

flyerhog

Join Date: Feb 2014

Programs: AA Plat SPG Gold

Posts: 292

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinanju

Considering the volume they have to deal with, I'm not sure any other method would work.

This is one of the pitfalls of social media. There's only so much you can say within 200 characters or less. Do something more concrete like writing a letter or cancelling your AA cards.

Apr 8, 2014, 4:38 pm

#48

rrgg

Original Poster

Join Date: Dec 2004

Posts: 7,904

I think that was a typo. I fixed it for you:

"To the Wall St. banks that they were "entrusted" to protect.."

Apr 8, 2014, 4:44 pm

#49

MrAndy1369

Join Date: Apr 2007

Location: USA

Programs: AAdvantage, MileagePlus, SkyMiles

Posts: 4,160

Or... "We apologize for the short notice, this was last minute for us, too."

A bit more genuine, don't you think?

Apr 8, 2014, 4:53 pm

#50

povertyjetset

Join Date: Oct 2009

Posts: 385

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrgg

I think that was a typo. I fixed it for you:

"To the Wall St. banks that they were "entrusted" to protect.."

This is really the source of all the problems. Major digression but I watched a Bill Moyers special on the health insurance industry a few years ago and one of the topics was something called "medical loss ratio." It is how much the insurance companies spend on care (i.e., ins. payouts, essentially) vs. their income (i.e., premiums). Wall St. wants to see this ratio decrease year after year. How does that happen? The industry can decrease the numerator (top # in the fraction = costs), increase the denominator (bottom # in the fraction = income), OR DO BOTH. If this ratio does not decrease then Wall St. dumps the stocks. And how are the health care executives paying themselves? Could it be... stock options???

Cut benefits and insurance payouts while raising premiums. Isn't this is in fact what has been happening in the health insurance industry for the last couple decades as the companies turned away from the non-profit model?

Why bring this up? Well the same model can be applied to virtually any large, publicly traded corporation like for example, I don't know, THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY. Cut costs (i.e., frequent flier benefits, in flight meals, labor contracts, give less or no miles for cheap economy tix [already in Europe and, guess what, it's coming to the U.S. of A. at a legacy carrier near you]) and raise revenue (i.e., fuel surcharges, baggage fees, more fees for redeeming miles, etc.).

The airline executives, I assume, are also significantly paid in stock options so they want their "airline cost ratio" or whatever double-speak they use to decrease much in the same way that the health care execs do solely to appease Wall St.

The future is upon us and it is bleak.

Apr 8, 2014, 5:01 pm

#51

MIAFlyer

Join Date: May 2001

Location: (AA EXP)

Posts: 609

If I can't use my FF miles to go to destinations I want, in the classes I want, at rates that I want, then I no longer have a reason to pay ANY premium to an airline to amass those miles.

It is now schedule and timing for me.

Ironically, the more reasonable First Class domestic pricing has given me LESS reason to stay with AA. Knowing that for about the same price, I can get an almost guaranteed PDB on Delta and potential widebody service on UA, this may be the beginning of the end AA exclusivity for me. Who needs status if you can simply buy the class of service you want?

The result? I am now willing to cross shop those $2000 MIA-GRU fares and will now consider the $900 COPA fare with an hour layover in PTY. Once I get a status match, could conceivably have "free" upgrades the whole way as well.

Tell me about RPSM (apologies if I have the acronym wrong) if the more price insensitive business traveler is no longer interested in your program....

I'm not rash enough to say I will never set foot on an AA plane again, but a significant amount of loyalty and good will left today....

Best wishes in your travels,

Apr 8, 2014, 5:12 pm

#52

MarkedMan

Join Date: Oct 2009

Location: SFO, LON

Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Bonvoy Tit, Hilton Dia etc etc

Posts: 2,354

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrAndy1369

Or... "We apologize for the short notice, this was last minute for us, too."

A bit more genuine, don't you think?

I got a callback from AAdv CS this afternoon on an unrelated matter, but since I'd fired off an email to them, too, about this she brought it up and was very much along these lines in both tone and content. On a public forum? No chance. It just isn't the way it's done these days, for better or worse. Lots of studies suggesting you don't apologize for your business strategy, or be coy about it. If it gets really bad for them, noise-wise, maybe, but there's no way they come right out and say this.

Apr 8, 2014, 5:15 pm

#53

Doc Savage

Suspended

Join Date: Oct 2006

Location: Atherton, CA

Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers

Posts: 21,690

Don't know what else we should have expected with the bottom feeders from US Air taking over a once good airline.

Apr 8, 2014, 5:22 pm

#54

eponymous_coward

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Aug 2007

Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot

Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite

Posts: 20,395

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIAFlyer

Which is true for 90+% of the traveling public (along with pricing). Most people consider the FT crowd to be slightly loony: "you voluntarily spend MORE time on airplanes than you have to?"

Right now all the airlines are pushing the aspirational incentives out of reach as they churn out miles Zimbabwe-style on credit card bonuses, as well as removing F seats out of their cabins (BA, AA, LH, UA, and so on), trying to match benefits to revenue, and managing capacity in such a way that there is less award inventory. If "how much free stuff I get through the loyalty program" is your motivation for loyalty, I think it's quite correct to be more loyal to your pocketbook going forward, because the industry headwinds are against you.

Apr 8, 2014, 5:29 pm

#55

eponymous_coward

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Aug 2007

Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot

Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite

Posts: 20,395

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfozrhfco

Exactly. The legacies rely on blind loyalty. Each year they cut some more and then people are excited to get their little card which gives them a free bag or a decent seat. You can do that without any status at all on jetBlue/Virgin/Southwest--with free bags on B6/WN and Virgin having a good overall product. Plus more and more jetblue planes have free, fast wifi, and in a few months with Mint you can even get a good price for a private suite from LAX/SFO to JFK.

Support the businesses which bring you a product that serves your needs at a price you want to pay. FF programs are moving into becoming more of a rebate scheme, so it is best to prepare for further devaluations. There are only three legacies left and they are all doing the same thing regarding FF programs. One may end up the best of the worst--but not by much.

You realize WN has devalued their program twice in the past few years, right? VX changed their award chart with no notice as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by miamigrad

From my perspective, unfortunately, it would appear so. I was hopeful that the merger would allow AA to set itself apart from the other US carriers in all aspects of the airline. Instead, I personally think that this doesn't bode well for AAdvantage members.

True AA frequent flyers, and premium cabin customers, might be pleased with forthcoming changes (cabin upgrades, new planes, new services offered at the airport, etc.) But, for those that are simply chasing miles without giving substantial amount of revenue to the airline, well... I suspect that the loyalty/frequent flyer world as we knew it is over. IMHO, airlines will cater to premium customers and high revenue/profitable customers. For everyone else, AA will look and be like all other airlines.

This is just my uneducated, devalued $0.02

QFT.

I think premium customers may do quite well when it's all said and done on AA. It's the "I want caviar and Krug from flying $99 MRs" crowd that's going to hate the Brave New World.

Apr 8, 2014, 6:03 pm

#56

jhartvu

Join Date: Jul 2009

Location: LAX

Programs: AA 1MM; DL PM

Posts: 143

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dallas49er

Since AA, pre-PAArker or current, doesn't seem to give much credence to FT..., the AA of today DOES LOVE F******K & T******R.

Are Facebook and Twitter dirty words on FlyerTalk?

Apr 8, 2014, 6:20 pm

#57

Herb687

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Nov 2001

Location: Wanting First. Buying First.

Programs: Lifetime Executive Diamond Platinum VIP with Braniff, Eastern, Midway, National & Pan Am

Posts: 17,492

Quote:

Originally Posted by eponymous_coward

I think you're fooling yourself if you think (insert random corporate C-level suit here) would have done much differently than the current CEO.

I don't think the generic airline CEO would do things all that differently in the long-run. I do think that a good exec team would give some amount of notice prior to implementing major devaluations.

Mostly I just thought that it would be entertaining to see Doug the Drunk get a fourth DUI and likely fired by the Board.

Although who knows... A certain former high ranking AMR exec was able to avoid getting fired after stripping down to his skivvies and going swimming in a hotel fountain on company time!

Quote:

Take WN: they've devalued TWICE, going to RR 2.0 and then making the redemption rate worse. This is an airline with a pretty good customer service reputation- so, is their CEO driving drunk? How about UA's? How about DL's? How about LH's?

No idea. But Drinkin' Doug sure seems to enjoy it!

Apr 8, 2014, 6:37 pm

#58

ooshawn

Join Date: Feb 2006

Location: San Francisco, CA

Posts: 50

Just wrote an unhappy letter to AA/USAir execs (all email addresses I could find), if you want to feel free to use/build off of the following:
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected]

Apr 8, 2014, 6:45 pm

#59

Speedracer2

Join Date: Aug 2013

Location: Philadelphia

Programs: US CP, SPG Plat., HH Gold

Posts: 342

Quote:

Originally Posted by MIAFlyer

Well said! However, I think that loyalty will remain for those who do most of their travel on somebody's else dime and can get away with buying more expensive tickets.