davecraze

Also looks like many CK invites on the facebook group also, so a Festivus miracle! (until March 2023 at least)

snydert

I'm sure I will get some negative feedback from this comment, but this whole thing kind of pisses me off. For those of us that actually earn CK by flying our asses off to be diluted by this new admittance model is a slap in the face.

VegasGambler

600k? That's very very different from 5 million.

If 600k LP (or even just RDM) will get you CK, that's very achievable for a lot of people (myself included)

gleff

Transferring 600k into AA from another program isn't going to do it. There's something else going on here. Someone in the lookback period I know who earned 4 million redeemable miles did not get the invite. The lowest total I've confirmed is earning 6 million on non-flight activity.

FWIW AA in an 8K filing disclosed a 52% margin for AAdvantage. And most of the cost, of course, goes towards buying travel on AA. Someone who accumulated 6mm miles in a year would have generated $60k - $90k in revenue for AA at a far more lucrative margin than flying overall [while acknowledging that CKs have historically been much higher margin than average]. And CK has always been about profitability.

We don't know how many people this is, or what this does to the total ranks of the program. In 2015 I wrote that the program size has ranged from 10-15k. In 2019 we learned it was 11k at that time. How much did this move the needle? Probably not a ton, FWIW.

dave_261

I've been trying to think this through myself, and have come to the conclusion that I can't blame AA. They are running a business, wherein air travel is a piece. So if they want to recognize some of us for flying $50k-$100k annually, and recognize others for charging $5M on AA-branded credit cards, I don't necessarily blame them.

The big question to me becomes the value of manufactured LP's vs. flight LP's. Right now they seem to be created equally. However, the manufactured CK will almost certainly have more LP's than the flight-earned CK's, which means they will trump me on the priority list.

ryanbriar

I feel similar, though not currently a CK. Spent ~40k from 2020 - December 2021 on a mix of transcon / international premium fares and business-related domestic travel (Y / J). Likely on place to do similar, if not a bit more, for the 2022 program year with a heavier tilt towards international premium. I know these are not “lock” CK spend totals by any means, but I don’t think that are insignificant, especially during COVID.

It is what it is, but it is a bit frustrating to see that manufacturing LPs to earn CK, even if it is a “promotion”, can get the job done. Even for the infrequent flyers, those folks will grab the last seat during IROPS, jump the upgrade list etc. because of the non-flying spend LPs. We’ll see how this plays out over time, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it causes some heavier BIS spend CKs or EPs to move their business elsewhere.

Agree - if this is making the airline more money and has upside to further bring customers into the AA-ecosystem, then it makes sense regarding CC spend. The manufactured LP bucket is a bit different in my view.

scubadu

There are active participants in this forum who simply plop down a credit card and purchase CK outright (via AirPass). How is that any different?

Regards

snydert

Entirely different in my eyes. You're purchasing AirPass, presumably, to actually use it and fly. All of the AirPass CKs I have met use most of their pass, if not more, which effectively means they are buying and flying a ton, just as any other earned CK. I see this as fundamentally different from someone who takes a handful of trips per year and spends a bunch of money on a few AA sponsored CCs on non-flight related expenditures.

Sterlingman

Having just being upgraded to CK this week I can tell you how I think I qualified
I have flown a mix of international and domestic all full fare first class tickets this year. Approx 20 round trips and have another 12-14 planned this year international and domestic all first purchased. Also have purchased a handful of first for family and employees and have to date about 750K in cc spend so I think it was a mix for me between the two for sure but more based on actual flown fares then cc spend. Either way just excited to enjoy CK for the next 9 months and hopefully longer!!!!

dave_261

Someone w/ your profile would be a good CK candidate based on flying alone. If you're purchasing 10 international first/business at today's fares, you're probably in the $50k-$80k+ spend, which would merit a CK look in any year.

scott56

People who bought airpass don’t just buy it for CK status. When airlines were charging change fees, it had A lot of benefits. Last minute bookings where a flight cost 1400 ( non airpass ) and say 600 via airpass winds up working out. For my self, airpass has been great. We did do a corporate one. The only people we put on there are people who actually fly. For myself , I’ll still fly the amount CK invites would get. Again these are great for last minute travelers and frequent changes. Unfortunately that’s typical in my company

davecraze

If you have taken 20 RTs in first this year (some int'l) and have purchased more than a dozen more already (for yourself), depending on the profitability of those trips, you could possibly have qualified for CK regardless. Enjoy the status.

What will be interesting is what is the regular way (more than these 9 month grants) requalification criteria for CK going forward? Something else for us to obsess over...

snydert

My supposition - keep spending like historical periods and you should be good. $60K+ all in First or Business class should (stress should) do the trick.

scubadu

Hang on... in your first post you said,
When someone in these forums uses the term "diluted" they usually mean they are concerned that there is a finite portion of benefits to go around (e.g. upgrades, etc.). If someone who purchases CK outright flies as much as any other CK, as you assert, then why would they need to buy it, they'd have earned it, correct?

So, if you are concerned about "dilution" of CK benefits for those of you who are flying your assess off to earn it, who is more likely to compete with you for said benefits; someone who outright purchases status, with the intent to use it or someone who in your own words only "takes a handful of trips per year?" Your answer to that question says a great deal regarding what this is really about (i.e. dilution of benefits vs. ego)

The unfortunate/uncomfortable reality is that the customer who "spends a bunch of money on a few AA sponsored CCs on non-flight related expenditures" is probably more profitable to AA than the customer who "flies their asses off." This is a new reality that many of us at the lower tier levels have been facing and now it looks like CKs may also get a taste of this new reality (that said, I suspect this new "method to CK" will ultimately be quite limited and likely not repeated, the Simply Miles/Charity situation will likely not occur again)

I don't have a dog in this hunt and I'm not trying to be adversarial, but I do have a sensitivity to slippery logic and frankly someone that doesn't fly much is very unlikely to dilute anyone's benefits.

Regards

ryanbriar

I’d tend to agree until the one day / situation that it matters.