ORD-TGU

I too spent blindly at starbucks knowing that I would get a fixed rebate, now I am disappointed with their program that I spend less.

But to your point, I hope AA has the same bonus offers like AA.

RustyC

In checking in to print the boarding pass for the return flight, I see I got all of 161 RDMs for the outbound of a MIA-UIO (Quito) RT bought back in April, before the changes in mileage earning were announced. Would have been something like 2.5K OW and 5K RT under the old system with status bonuses added in, I think. Quite a negative change.

Yeah, the fare was exceptional ($179 RT) and it's about an 80 percent chance I would have bought it anyway, but I feel a bait-and-switched in that they're apparently applying new earning rules to tickets bought before anyone knew what those would be. I haven't modified the ticket or done anything to it in the time since.

The EQMs credited, so that'll total just over 19K for the year. Back in the olden days for many years I might be 6K short of a status level at this time of year and would do a real push to get over the top, but I see little reason this time. The program will be even worse for requalifying next year, and if I buy tickets at lower fares it'll just be more cases of insulting RDM levels like 322 for MIA-UIO. Most AA RDMs for me in the past 6 months have come from rental car specials.

I know some people will say I shouldn't expect much at that fare level, but besides being baited and switched on earnings, the new levels are so pathetic they're easily beaten by LCCs and ULCCs if they fly the route (LIM and Colombian destinations being in better shape there than UIO)

I know this is hardly the first vent along these lines, but it's hard to see how the new programs reward or incentivize loyalty very much. They're more about showering kickbacks on captive business travelers whose companies are trying all they can to NOT have to buy expensive tickets like they sometimes have to do.

The real bet is not having to compete as much now that it's down to 3 airlines and the three are very obviously colluding rather than competing when it comes to FF programs. *Downgrading benefits in lock step is a dead giveaway). Reminds me of the big 3 car makers or big 3 TV networks back in the 70s.

My positioning flights were on F9 at $48 RT...which shows the way of the future, really. Obviously price-driven, but F9 also gives about 1,200 RDMs on the RT, or 4 times what AA did. I'm not investing huge hopes in F9 as far as the old collect-and-win game goes, but it's likely the only status to be requalified via earning for this year.

tom911

I've started my move away from AA being my primary carrier and having it be just one of several I fly. I'm fortunate to have midtier lifetime status on both AA and UA, so will give preference to those carriers when the pricing is right in terms of better seats and early boarding, but will be looking at others when price is in their favor.

Have three United domestic itineraries in December, an airline I have not flown except for one nonstop $90 SFO-LAS trip, the last 5 years. I walked away from them due to changes to million miler status, but now that AA has basically matched the changes in terms of awarding miles based on ticket price versus miles flown, hard to stay away from UA with a hub at SFO and nonstops as a leisure traveler. I'll get 8 miles with my lifetime status at UA vs 11 until I lose EXP at AA and drop to 8, but 3 miles a dollar isn't going to sway me to book with AA at a higher price or on a longer routing (think SFO-DFW-HKG), and with rolling 12 month spend coming for domestic upgrades, expect I'll be low on that list.

I have also booked my first-ever Virgin America flight for December. Had the chance to call them tonight to sort out attaching my new frequent flyer number to my account and had excellent customer service that dealt with that issue. Expect I'll be giving Jet Blue a try, too, another airline I have not set foot on because of AA loyalty.

Have three AA international itineraries spread out over January-April (two to Europe for under $500, one to Asia at a higher price) and they were all booked on sale fares that favored the flights going to AA over UA/others. Two of those flights involve systemwide upgrade requests, leaving me one remaining systemwide of the four accrued, but once that final one is gone I'll have no more reason to favor AA over UA.

Gave up my 15 year Admiral's Club membership at renewal this year. I do have Priority Pass that provides some lounge access (have used it in Dublin with Ryanair and see they have lounges in IAH and MSP that could work next month on a UA itinerary), and my lifetime AA and UA status will give me access on international flights booked with them.

Been a nice 15 year run at the EXP level, but $12,000 is out of my price range as a retiree without business travel. Even $9,000 at the next tier is more than the $6,000-$8,000 I spend in a year on air travel. Looking forward to a whole new world of travel in 2017 and making it work best for me.

Global321

FWIW -

I think the airlines have given us what we need... the final reason to break up with an abusive spouse. Now we are free to date (fly) whomever we want. It is Tinder, airline style!

All the airlines are closely conforming their onboard services and offerings. All have pretty unattractive FF programs. That leaves us one way to choose... price! Great for us and bad for them. The airlines have reduced themselves to an agricultural commodity. Want to fly business class to Europe or Asia... which of the 30+ airlines is offering the lowest price? THAt is your airline.

Sure, we will still have personal preferences, but, when airline X is 20% cheaper than airline Y - and you are no longer concerned about status, save yourself 20% and use it for a few nights on the town.

I preferred the old AA system - and will still be EXP for another year or two due to some pre-booked travel on partners - but I can see the future of dialing up Tinder (aka Google flights) to find my next date (aka flight).

(p.s. I have never used Tinder, so I hope that analogy makes sense. I may be showing my age here! )

RustyC

Yep. About the only options I can think of that would be LESS rewarding than 322 RDMs for a MIA-UIO RT on AA would be an airline without any FF program or some partner airline with a booking class with 0% mileage credit (though you could always register for the partner's program and put miles there and maybe get a magazine subscription or something).

It's quite a sudden fall. For the longest time the best deal miles-wise was on the U.S. carrier's metal credited to their program, followed by alliance partners, followed by a non-primary U.S. carrier, followed by one of their partners, and with Spirit or some other ULCC being the next-to-nothing option. Now the ULCCs could be the most rewarding.

In my case the 1-2 Asia trips a year used to be the big earners, and I'd typically pay $200 more with DL or AA because of the miles factor. Now carriers like Hainan Airlines or the ME3 are in the game, and it's easy to see price alone being determining.

ElmhurstNick

I took my dad to Phoenix on a ridiculously cheap fare. He got 410 miles RT ORD-PHX-ORD. At least that got him over 12,500 over the last decade, so I can redeem them for a one-way someday.

Alex_I

- Last week my son took a business trip on AA from East Cost to SEA and back on $801 ticket purchased 1 day in advance. He got 5,656 AA miles vs. >10K based on the old system. He will be very close to PLT but he is uninterested in re-qualifying this year.

Meanwhile I got a cheerful e-mail from AA informing me that on the only <500 miles segment I flew on AA since August I have earned ca. 1,600 miles vs. 1,000 in the old system.

It looks like that based on the current airfares you only gain on short and expensive last moment flights and business class tickets. With a transcon in Y one would be almost always at lost.

zabes64

I had an AA flight lax-akl cancelled, the reroute they offered me was via SYD; since I didn't need the EQMs I decided I was absolutely not going to fly 5 hours more for the same miles.

When I told the executive staff I knew about why I did Trip in vain and they were processing a refund, I told him, under the new system I will absolutely never take a reroute that had me flying longer. If my butt is in a seat longer and I'm not earning anything extra it is going to be trip in vain everytime or I'm going to be put on another airline alliance where I can double dip.

He told me they never thought about that, he was very surprised.

That's what earning based on spend does, I'm not willing to sit in a plane any longer than necessary.

Dave Noble

Asking for a refund is fine - I assume that you were able to find a fare with another airline on a direct routing for the same or better price ?

If the new price would be greatly higher, would you still do it?

ORD-TGU

Any data points on rebooking, Irrops, etc.

I had a LAX-ORD, oversold, they were offering $600, unfortunately I could not take it, but I was just curious what happens if you get rebooked. In the past, I would get rebooked on full fare and get bonus miles.

jordyn

Sounded like zabes64 just didn't travel, as opposed to booking a new trip.

I hadn't thought about this angle, either, but for hub-and-spoke carriers, it does seem like the old, mileage-based schemes (maybe accidentally) did a good job of providing a stronger incentive to people that were connecting and a weaker one to hub captives, which was probably a desirable outcome.

StatusChallenged

booked economy over business since i'd earn more eqm (Christmas flights)...lol. Here's hoping i get bumped for vouchers

smilinganddialing

I may be luckier than others but feel fortunate to live in a city where 3 airlines have major hubs and am thankful to AA for making it easy to stop caring about status.

If you're not EXECPLAT or CK, what's the point anymore? UGs are going to get tougher and tougher with the EQD prioritization.

AA doesn't want (most of) us. Why mourn the loss? Enjoy the freedom.

akcae

Another DP:

Thanks to the devaluations to the AAdv program, I have just now, for the first time ever, booked on Frontier to take my son to Disney. In the past, I would have never even taken off the AA / oneworld filter off my Google Flights search.

F9 fare, even factoring in baggage and seat fees, was less than half of what AA wanted. Since loyalty now only counts for people who like to overpay for travel, I'm liberated to book regardless of "loyalty" programs.

Global321

Excellent.

If everyone follows your model, one thing will happen... AA/UA/DL will have to drop prices to compete. In some ways, we should thank the legacy carriers for liberating us from overpaying for "loyalty benefits" and making their product 100% a commodity, where lowest price wins.