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
Feb 22, 2016, 6:04 pm
#1022
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP. HHonors Diamond
Posts: 185
There are really not any other viable options that are any better, if UA had a better program, I would consider them and start off about every flight with a DFW-IAH segment.
What might happen (at least with me) is I might reach a point where I am happy with Lifetime Gold and not worry about hitting PLAT each year. I generally fly 40K-ish miles that I have to fly and tack on a MR or 2 to up that to 50K. This year, I have an extra flight booked to HKG, so I will hit 50K easily and re-evaluate next year.
Feb 22, 2016, 7:11 pm
#1023
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: LAX/SNA/SAN, ISB
Programs: AS MVP100K, AA EP, DL Diamond, UA PLATINUM, Amtrak Select Plus
Posts: 53
beautiful
Email I just sent to AAdvantage:
"Wow, AAdvantage, from first to worst in 2016. So now you have a frequent flyer program that mirrors Delta and United but your operational efficiency is at the bottom, it routinely takes 45 minutes to an hour to receive bags (with no guarantee), your premium cabin food has been downgraded, your US Airways planes have no power, no AVOD, no MCE etc, etc.
"Tell me: why on God's green earth should I choose to fly with you? Understand that, based on increased mileage requirements for awards and massively decreased mileage earning, I will be looking very hard at switching carriers and will strongly encourage friends and business partners to book away from AA. After all, if AAdvantage is the same as all the others, then we might as well book with the much better airline - which, for the past several years, has been Delta."
Forgot to mention that, with a greater number of partners, availability is generally better when redeeming on UA and DL. Very dumb move by AAdvantage - no competitive edge remaining.
"Wow, AAdvantage, from first to worst in 2016. So now you have a frequent flyer program that mirrors Delta and United but your operational efficiency is at the bottom, it routinely takes 45 minutes to an hour to receive bags (with no guarantee), your premium cabin food has been downgraded, your US Airways planes have no power, no AVOD, no MCE etc, etc.
"Tell me: why on God's green earth should I choose to fly with you? Understand that, based on increased mileage requirements for awards and massively decreased mileage earning, I will be looking very hard at switching carriers and will strongly encourage friends and business partners to book away from AA. After all, if AAdvantage is the same as all the others, then we might as well book with the much better airline - which, for the past several years, has been Delta."
Forgot to mention that, with a greater number of partners, availability is generally better when redeeming on UA and DL. Very dumb move by AAdvantage - no competitive edge remaining.
Feb 22, 2016, 7:37 pm
#1024
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,043
I may be exaggerating a little when i say its gotten me into depression, but its true to an extent. Now that these rules have changed I dont know what Im going to do with my life. There was nothing more passionate I was into than earning and burning these miles, even though ive just been at it for a few months.
Regards
Feb 22, 2016, 7:40 pm
#1025
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 5,270
For instance, I've lived in cities where literally hundreds of thousands of people fall into a serious funk when one group of athletes kicks a ball around a field slightly better than another group of athletes.
Feb 22, 2016, 8:12 pm
#1026
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
Feb 22, 2016, 8:52 pm
#1027
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: YYC, SFO, OAK
Programs: AS MVP 75K, AA Platinum, IHG Platinum, Club Carlson Gold
Posts: 734
Not to get all nihilist up in here, but... well, in the scheme of things, let's just say I'm not one to call others' hobbies "trivial."
For instance, I've lived in cities where literally hundreds of thousands of people fall into a serious funk when one group of athletes kicks a ball around a field slightly better than another group of athletes.
For instance, I've lived in cities where literally hundreds of thousands of people fall into a serious funk when one group of athletes kicks a ball around a field slightly better than another group of athletes.
Feb 22, 2016, 9:06 pm
#1028
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA Lifetime Gold 1.8mm, IC Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold et al
Posts: 4,350
Well they certainly should but I suspect that most will just get used to the changes and carry on as they have been doing. I'm pleased to say I have many more important things to worry about in my life and, like several others, actually find all this surprisingly liberating.
Feb 23, 2016, 4:18 am
#1029
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS
Programs: BAEC Gold, AA PPro, Hyatt Globalist, Amex Plat
Posts: 7,043
Regards
Feb 23, 2016, 9:44 am
#1030
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
Maybe though you could just let your priorities be your's and let others have their own, without rating and assessing same.
Feb 23, 2016, 1:11 pm
#1032
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BWI
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, National Emerald Executive, TSA Disparager Gold
Posts: 15,180
Misleading multipliers on short hops
I'm starting to see how AA's screwing the short hops on EQMs with the multiplier happening on the base rather than the minimum mileage.
Up until the end of last year, you'd earn either 250, 500, 750, 1000, or 1500 EQPs based on fare. Pretty straight forward and fair.
Doesn't happen now though. My last trip had two shorter hops between ELP and PHX, coming in at 346 miles. I was on a P fare, so instead of 1000 EQPs I'd have had under the old system, I'm now getting 692. Round trip, I'm losing out on over 600 EQMs, or the reality is it's netting UNDER 1.5x under the old system.
So yeah, a trip that once gave me 10k EQMs now gives me 9300 EQMs.
It's a bigger insult if you're on a Y fare - you get 519 EQMs instead of 500 if you're on a discount coach. Ooo boy - 19 bonus EQMs for that premium!
It's worse on even shorter hops - like BWI-PHL which clocks in at a whopping 90 miles. ALL flights are 500 EQMs period. Granted, I'm not buying those segments by themselves, but there's no incentive to pay more for a short hop in F when a prop or an CR2 gives more bang for the buck.
If you live in a good chunk of the east coast, you're going to be less than 500 miles from most hubs. I have 3 hubs that are out of BWI that clock in at 350 miles or less (PHL, CLT and JFK). PHL is all but eliminated as a connection point unless I'm actually flying Y. The segment's just not worth it. CLT is worthless now (for me) going up and down the east coast, and JFK isn't much better.
If you end up flying a lot of segments under 500 miles, AA's really put the screws to you. There's no point in buying F or even Y fares.
I don't understand why AA decided to change the math. I mean, is it REALLY that much big of a deal to actually award multiples of the minimum?
They should just caveat that the multipliers really only apply on flights greater than 500 miles. Otherwise, their math is misleading.
I think AA didn't think this one through.
Up until the end of last year, you'd earn either 250, 500, 750, 1000, or 1500 EQPs based on fare. Pretty straight forward and fair.
Doesn't happen now though. My last trip had two shorter hops between ELP and PHX, coming in at 346 miles. I was on a P fare, so instead of 1000 EQPs I'd have had under the old system, I'm now getting 692. Round trip, I'm losing out on over 600 EQMs, or the reality is it's netting UNDER 1.5x under the old system.
So yeah, a trip that once gave me 10k EQMs now gives me 9300 EQMs.
It's a bigger insult if you're on a Y fare - you get 519 EQMs instead of 500 if you're on a discount coach. Ooo boy - 19 bonus EQMs for that premium!
It's worse on even shorter hops - like BWI-PHL which clocks in at a whopping 90 miles. ALL flights are 500 EQMs period. Granted, I'm not buying those segments by themselves, but there's no incentive to pay more for a short hop in F when a prop or an CR2 gives more bang for the buck.
If you live in a good chunk of the east coast, you're going to be less than 500 miles from most hubs. I have 3 hubs that are out of BWI that clock in at 350 miles or less (PHL, CLT and JFK). PHL is all but eliminated as a connection point unless I'm actually flying Y. The segment's just not worth it. CLT is worthless now (for me) going up and down the east coast, and JFK isn't much better.
If you end up flying a lot of segments under 500 miles, AA's really put the screws to you. There's no point in buying F or even Y fares.
I don't understand why AA decided to change the math. I mean, is it REALLY that much big of a deal to actually award multiples of the minimum?
They should just caveat that the multipliers really only apply on flights greater than 500 miles. Otherwise, their math is misleading.
I think AA didn't think this one through.
Feb 23, 2016, 1:14 pm
#1033
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
I'm starting to see how AA's screwing the short hops on EQMs with the multiplier happening on the base rather than the minimum mileage.
Up until the end of last year, you'd earn either 250, 500, 750, 1000, or 1500 EQPs based on fare. Pretty straight forward and fair.
Doesn't happen now though. My last trip had two shorter hops between ELP and PHX, coming in at 346 miles. I was on a P fare, so instead of 1000 EQPs I'd have had under the old system, I'm now getting 692. Round trip, I'm losing out on over 600 EQMs, or the reality is it's netting UNDER 1.5x under the old system.
So yeah, a trip that once gave me 10k EQMs now gives me 9300 EQMs.
It's a bigger insult if you're on a Y fare - you get 519 EQMs instead of 500 if you're on a discount coach. Ooo boy - 19 bonus EQMs for that premium!
It's worse on even shorter hops - like BWI-PHL which clocks in at a whopping 90 miles. ALL flights are 500 EQMs period. Granted, I'm not buying those segments by themselves, but there's no incentive to pay more for a short hop in F when a prop or an CR2 gives more bang for the buck.
If you live in a good chunk of the east coast, you're going to be less than 500 miles from most hubs. I have 3 hubs that are out of BWI that clock in at 350 miles or less (PHL, CLT and JFK). PHL is all but eliminated as a connection point unless I'm actually flying Y. The segment's just not worth it. CLT is worthless now (for me) going up and down the east coast, and JFK isn't much better.
If you end up flying a lot of segments under 500 miles, AA's really put the screws to you. There's no point in buying F or even Y fares.
I don't understand why AA decided to change the math. I mean, is it REALLY that much big of a deal to actually award multiples of the minimum?
They should just caveat that the multipliers really only apply on flights greater than 500 miles. Otherwise, their math is misleading.
I think AA didn't think this one through.
Up until the end of last year, you'd earn either 250, 500, 750, 1000, or 1500 EQPs based on fare. Pretty straight forward and fair.
Doesn't happen now though. My last trip had two shorter hops between ELP and PHX, coming in at 346 miles. I was on a P fare, so instead of 1000 EQPs I'd have had under the old system, I'm now getting 692. Round trip, I'm losing out on over 600 EQMs, or the reality is it's netting UNDER 1.5x under the old system.
So yeah, a trip that once gave me 10k EQMs now gives me 9300 EQMs.
It's a bigger insult if you're on a Y fare - you get 519 EQMs instead of 500 if you're on a discount coach. Ooo boy - 19 bonus EQMs for that premium!
It's worse on even shorter hops - like BWI-PHL which clocks in at a whopping 90 miles. ALL flights are 500 EQMs period. Granted, I'm not buying those segments by themselves, but there's no incentive to pay more for a short hop in F when a prop or an CR2 gives more bang for the buck.
If you live in a good chunk of the east coast, you're going to be less than 500 miles from most hubs. I have 3 hubs that are out of BWI that clock in at 350 miles or less (PHL, CLT and JFK). PHL is all but eliminated as a connection point unless I'm actually flying Y. The segment's just not worth it. CLT is worthless now (for me) going up and down the east coast, and JFK isn't much better.
If you end up flying a lot of segments under 500 miles, AA's really put the screws to you. There's no point in buying F or even Y fares.
I don't understand why AA decided to change the math. I mean, is it REALLY that much big of a deal to actually award multiples of the minimum?
They should just caveat that the multipliers really only apply on flights greater than 500 miles. Otherwise, their math is misleading.
I think AA didn't think this one through.
Feb 23, 2016, 1:21 pm
#1034
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: BWI
Programs: AA Gold, HH Diamond, National Emerald Executive, TSA Disparager Gold
Posts: 15,180