View Poll Results: My plans for dealing with the 2016 AAdvantage changes:
I'm actually benefitting from this - good deal for me.
46
6.80%
I'm neutral - I gain some, lose some. I'll stay.
132
19.53%
I'm not happy, but stuck with AA / oneworld at this point.
176
26.04%
I'm unhappy & will use AA & other airlines opportunistically.
274
40.53%
I'm outta here! Bye, American.
48
7.10%
Voters: 676. You may not vote on this poll
AAdvantage Changes for 2016 - DISCUSSION, REACTION & POLL
Dec 7, 2015, 6:11 am
#856
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: YYF/YLW
Programs: AA, DL, AS, VA, WS Silver
Posts: 5,950
I bought a ticket with Qantas, but it was codeshared with Emirates who isn't a One World Partner. I only received 25% of the miles, and they wouldn't let me use the One World lounge, even though I bought a ticket from Qantas who is a partner. Apparently you gotta be flying on a One World airline plane.
I was upset about this, but then I had to extend my stay in ATH and decided to just bail on my return, and buy a one way back to AUS with Cathay Pacific. After purchasing I found my fare class, and as it turns out, I get 0% of the base miles added to my AAdvantage account. Upon further reading, had I bought my ticket with Etihad (not in One World) I would have gotten 100% of my base miles, but then no Lounge Access since they aren't One World. I don't even know if Etihad would recognize my AAdvantage status at all.
These are two separate issues, and right now I'm more concerned about the 2nd one.
Is there a way to maintain my status without having to buy insanely priced full fare economy tickets?
Will the new changes make it even worse for people in my situation?
I was upset about this, but then I had to extend my stay in ATH and decided to just bail on my return, and buy a one way back to AUS with Cathay Pacific. After purchasing I found my fare class, and as it turns out, I get 0% of the base miles added to my AAdvantage account. Upon further reading, had I bought my ticket with Etihad (not in One World) I would have gotten 100% of my base miles, but then no Lounge Access since they aren't One World. I don't even know if Etihad would recognize my AAdvantage status at all.
These are two separate issues, and right now I'm more concerned about the 2nd one.
Is there a way to maintain my status without having to buy insanely priced full fare economy tickets?
Will the new changes make it even worse for people in my situation?
Of course, this is based on the earning charts; there's no experience to report on yet. But this is pretty clear from the language on the earning charts.
Last edited by ashill; Dec 8, 2015 at 7:33 am Reason: add quote to make clear who I was replying to after thread merge
Dec 7, 2015, 8:51 am
#857
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: AAdvantage PP
Posts: 13,913
Focus groups are often done in connection with other market research. What AA may have looked at would EXPs look the loss of 2 SWUs any different than the loss of 4 SWUs and research may have shown the answer was no. But again this is all speculation and what ifs. Fact is, it is what it is.
Dec 7, 2015, 11:09 am
#858
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Everywhere you wanna be
Programs: AA EP | UA 1K
Posts: 1,657
Focus groups are often done in connection with other market research. What AA may have looked at would EXPs look the loss of 2 SWUs any different than the loss of 4 SWUs and research may have shown the answer was no. But again this is all speculation and what ifs. Fact is, it is what it is.
Dec 7, 2015, 11:22 am
#859
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,592
Here's an idea. Why not provide a quality service so more people would actually want to go out of their way to fly AA?
Dec 7, 2015, 2:12 pm
#861
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Everywhere you wanna be
Programs: AA EP | UA 1K
Posts: 1,657
Agree. Obviously AA is done with non US flyers using AAdvantage as a holding program for non-AA flights as evidenced by the new earning tables.
It doesn't bode well for the viability of alliances as does the ever-shrinking quantity of partner award flights. Oneworld is becoming a glorified baggage interline agreement.
It doesn't bode well for the viability of alliances as does the ever-shrinking quantity of partner award flights. Oneworld is becoming a glorified baggage interline agreement.
Dec 7, 2015, 3:05 pm
#862
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,549
Dec 7, 2015, 3:31 pm
#863
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA CONCIERGE KEY & 1MM, HILTON DIAMOND
Posts: 11,970
In all fairness, pretty much all the other SkyTeam partners that offer 3-class F products--China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Garuda, Korean, and Saudi also block F award space to DL.
Dec 7, 2015, 3:58 pm
#864
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: MEL
Posts: 2,441
NON AA fliers still bring in A LOT of revenue 😂 If AA only wants flyers that fly ONLY AA metal the world is a mighty small pond Years ago, AA announced it was going to codeshare on the BA flights out of LHR to SIN etc. - never happened. AA needs to codeshare on a lot more flights, particularly out of LHR to Asia and Australasia. If I'm in the UK (which I am fairly often) and I need to come home to Oz, I buy tickets from QF, BA, CX or AY - all AA has to do is codeshare on those flights and I'll buy the tickets from AA.
Dec 7, 2015, 4:05 pm
#865
Join Date: Apr 2010
Programs: AA Platinum, Hyatt Platinum
Posts: 731
Basically, all the airlines are saying that Y travelers have no loyalty that is worthy of being rewarded.
The solution is simple - react rationally:
1. Loyalty programs are pretty meaningless at the lower levels. If you are paying substantially more to fly AA on any given route, ask yourself why?
2. Figure out what are the benefits that matter to you. If it's lounge access, get whichever of the following cards serves you best:
- AMEX Platinum (AMEX + DL + weak sauce Priority Pass)
- Citi Prestige (Priority Pass + AA)
- United Club (UA + *A Business Lounges)
If it's checked bags, get the $95 AF (usually free in Year 1) card for the airlines you need to fly or switch to WN.
The only benefit you can't easily buy is rebooking/re-accommodation priority.
I suspect I'll renew my status in 2016 but won't go out of my way to do it. Work policy requires us to book lowest cost in Y +/- a very small dollar amount.
The two things that have me stuck right now are: MCE upon booking and rebooking/re-accommodation priority although the latter might be taken care of with AAdmirals Club access where that applies since the phone waits have become insane.
The solution is simple - react rationally:
1. Loyalty programs are pretty meaningless at the lower levels. If you are paying substantially more to fly AA on any given route, ask yourself why?
2. Figure out what are the benefits that matter to you. If it's lounge access, get whichever of the following cards serves you best:
- AMEX Platinum (AMEX + DL + weak sauce Priority Pass)
- Citi Prestige (Priority Pass + AA)
- United Club (UA + *A Business Lounges)
If it's checked bags, get the $95 AF (usually free in Year 1) card for the airlines you need to fly or switch to WN.
The only benefit you can't easily buy is rebooking/re-accommodation priority.
I suspect I'll renew my status in 2016 but won't go out of my way to do it. Work policy requires us to book lowest cost in Y +/- a very small dollar amount.
The two things that have me stuck right now are: MCE upon booking and rebooking/re-accommodation priority although the latter might be taken care of with AAdmirals Club access where that applies since the phone waits have become insane.
Dec 7, 2015, 4:09 pm
#866
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: MEL
Posts: 2,441
Really? So my AY-codeshare-on-QF flights (MEL-HKG, MEL-SIN) will continue to earn 100% EQMs? .... I don't think so. Currently, any economy ticket on AY would earn 100% EQMs - that becomes 50% except for Y and B.
Dec 7, 2015, 4:31 pm
#867
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Third planet from the Sun
Posts: 7,022
Don't be surprised if this "net plus" in 2016 is no longer available for doing 18 months from now. And by then you'll have already been hit by the reduction of your SWUs and by the less valuable miles earned from flight and partner activity. Welcome to the path of incremental cutting.
More lipstick on the pig
Dec 7, 2015, 4:37 pm
#868
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Third planet from the Sun
Posts: 7,022
Customers like you who grab cheap MR flights and side trips are exactly the ones that AA and the other airlines want to fire. It looks like you will both be happy with the new arrangement. What you did in the past has no bearing on the ability of AA to run their business in 2016 and beyond.
Its not personal, and it never was. Its just business.
Its not personal, and it never was. Its just business.
Dec 7, 2015, 4:41 pm
#869
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Third planet from the Sun
Posts: 7,022
Even with AA charging $30/$35 per over 500 miles for Golds and PLTs I can assure you that an empty F seat is rare. So why would AA give up this revenue source if its consistently filling the F cabin (albeit some of those are EXPs, award tixs, copays, paid F). I would agree the most difficult downgrade is the drop of 8 SWUs to 4 SWUs but nothing compared to if AA had gone to a spend requirement for elite status.
Dec 7, 2015, 4:43 pm
#870
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BWI
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, National Emerald Executive, TSA Disparager Gold
Posts: 15,180
You wouldn't have as many elites of any tier if people didn't go out of their ways to fly AA instead of kayaking.
