What's interesting about this new BA chart is that if I am reading it correctly (and forgive me if I'm not as I just got off a LAX-SYD in Y, may not be firing on all cylinders) it actually increases the number of discount fare classes that earn fulll EQP.

Is that a tell? IDK, but I fully expect that my future qualification will be based on EQPs not EQMs.

I am using the metaphor there to poke fun of DL fliers who claim that DL is the best and didn't bother them they lost the ffp and that things are actually better now.

I have no problems with DL, I am just against the revenue based direction and the demise of ff programs. I happily left DL for AA, and I believe we should vote with our dollars to reward strong ffps and punish the penny-pinchers, which is to our benefit as consumers, aviation fans, and FTers. This is our best hope to slow down this consumer unfriendly trend. We need to support airlines that give us the most bang for our buck, and this is AA.

yep. I think its gonna be all EQP next year.
There is no need to go full revenue if they support the biz travelers. This also thins the heard a bit, which im completely fine with.

No it doesn't. S and N go from earning 50% of 100% EQPs to 100% of 50% EQPs. Same net for EQPs: 50% of miles flown. (But now only 50% of miles flown for base miles/EQMs/RDMs as well.)

The program started out years ago as just EQP. In fact, when I joined FT in 2000, it was in part because it was the first year it had allowed EQM and I had a bunch of questions about how that worked and what the benefits really were worth (in those day, non-capacity-controlled SWUs that booked into full J....)

If the benefits of EXP are free domestic upgrades, but you can only earn EXP if you're flying mostly paid F, that seems rather counterproductive. I may as well just fly less but on instant upgrade A fares, and be BA Gold with just 25 shorthaul AA segments in F/A/P and a one-day 4-segment run on BA. Domestic YUP as BA Gold gets me 250% RDM total.

I don't understand AA. Why are they releasing changes piecemeal? I'm sure they already have the webpages published with the upcoming changes. As another person said, put us out of our misery and post the darn changes already!

AA denied there were any changes to the BA earning chart around the end of September and would give advance notice of there were. That would of been advance notice.

That's not a bad point!
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25474216-post200.html

I ever received a phone call from AAdvantage stating that the Oct 1 chart was absolutely an error and this was not a change they were considering. If they do make a change they would give a significant amount of notice of the change.

Instead they just snuck it in there.

At least BA sends out emails letting you know about the change... welcome to the shady industry that is the US Airlines.

That's a very good point too.

The thing is, when AA denied those changes to the BA chart, I'm sure there were passengers that booked those same fares that they thought would give full miles. Now, they're informing them they won't when they denied it? Not cool.

Agree. Just because of those little "previews" my BA flights booked during the recent sale are all AA codeshares.

I can tell you that we booked BA over Iceland Air from London because of that chat, so I know a DOT complaint will not do anything, but going to quote the Congressional Bill that gives the DOT permission to investigate/deal with Frequent Flyer programmes and the outright lie I was told.

If they had at least said, we cannot confirm that this change will not take place in the future, but can tell you that it is not taking place now.

I was specifically told, it was an error and was not planned... No way that decided this change in just 30 days with the exact same chart coming live a month later.

I would wager you're in the minority there. Finding C inventory at booking for intercontinentals is about as elusive as the PDB or linen at AA these days.

not if you have flexible dates. And like i said, not an exclusively AA thing, you know the lack of immediate upgrade space. Then again i never really book from Y -> C i book from J -> A

if they want those with higher eqp to reward more seems fine as long as they reward 8 SWUs for 100K eqp.