Speculation: Safe To Say There Will Be Fewer EXP In 2018 ?
Jan 30, 2018, 9:40 pm
#121
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 5,270
Making status more difficult to achieve means, with 100% certainty, that there are fewer members with status than there would have been under the previous requirements.
That doesn't necessarily mean that the absolute number will go down.
That doesn't necessarily mean that the absolute number will go down.
Jan 30, 2018, 10:00 pm
#122
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
Jan 30, 2018, 10:24 pm
#123
Suspended
Join Date: May 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Diamond, AAdvantage EXP, Hyatt Explorist, HHonors Diamond, Avis First
Posts: 7,344
Jan 31, 2018, 8:04 am
#124
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: DTW/MBS
Programs: UA 1K, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Formerly Starbucks Gold
Posts: 3,525
Count me as Ex Plat -> Plat. No way I could ever spend that much unless I got a travel-heavy job, which unfortunately most of the travel I've ever had to do for work has been in the "must book at least 2/3 weeks out +-/ $100" deal. I used to throw away money to do nothing but fly on the weekends with AA. I hit Ex Plat with a little over $6500 two years ago, which was about what I spent last year. And surprise, despite "only" flying 83,000 miles, my spend wasn't enough for PPro.
No worries though as I've defected back to UA. I have to believe that there will be a big drop in Ex Plats this year due to the spend. The no-spend requirement was actually the only reason I moved to AA in the first place.
No worries though as I've defected back to UA. I have to believe that there will be a big drop in Ex Plats this year due to the spend. The no-spend requirement was actually the only reason I moved to AA in the first place.
Jan 31, 2018, 8:16 am
#125
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: San Jose, CA
Programs: CX Diamond, AA CK (quit 2018), Starwood Platinum, National EXC Elite
Posts: 283
While I agree HKG is a different market, the international market plays almost no role here. HKG - CAN (about 100 miles) is counted as "International", which makes little sense. CX/KA still serves a lot of regional market, BKK, SIN, TPE, HND, ICN, PEK PVG etc, facing strong price competition even in premium cabin (that's why its yield is dropping hard). It's fairly hard for CX to justify the 3X $ differences to make DM/OWE compared to BA (almost all "international" from LHR/LGW, same to HKG) or AA, or the OWE percentage on MPC is way too low compared to AA EXP percentage in similar market (NYC/SFO/LAX).
Refer to endless complaints on CX side.
Refer to endless complaints on CX side.
Jan 31, 2018, 8:18 am
#126
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SFO
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 5,270
Jan 31, 2018, 9:08 am
#127
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,013
This type of thread comes about every year this time. Nothing will change...the planes are full, the airports are full. There are plenty of newly minted EXP's to backfill those who didn't re-qualify. The same can be said for the other elite levels as well.
Life continues on as normal.
Life continues on as normal.
Jan 31, 2018, 12:21 pm
#128
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Dallas
Programs: AA Executive Platinum
Posts: 591
This type of thread comes about every year this time. Nothing will change...the planes are full, the airports are full. There are plenty of newly minted EXP's to backfill those who didn't re-qualify. The same can be said for the other elite levels as well.
Life continues on as normal.
Life continues on as normal.
Jan 31, 2018, 3:55 pm
#129
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: AA EXP, AA Million Miles, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,586
I am not convinced that status is actually any more meaningfully difficult to attain under the current system.
If we are sharing personal anecdotes:
I am already over 3000 EQD and 31K EQM for this year. It's January 31st. 15 segments, all in discount Y, mostly international longhaul.
As someone who travels almost exclusively for work, I have not changed my booking behavior one bit as a result of the changed system. It's a nonfactor. $12K is just not that difficult.
If we are sharing personal anecdotes:
I am already over 3000 EQD and 31K EQM for this year. It's January 31st. 15 segments, all in discount Y, mostly international longhaul.
As someone who travels almost exclusively for work, I have not changed my booking behavior one bit as a result of the changed system. It's a nonfactor. $12K is just not that difficult.
Jan 31, 2018, 4:56 pm
#130
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 328
More difficult? No.
More complex? Yes.
More expensive? Yes.
There will be fewer elites.
More complex? Yes.
More expensive? Yes.
There will be fewer elites.
I am not convinced that status is actually any more meaningfully difficult to attain under the current system.
If we are sharing personal anecdotes:
I am already over 3000 EQD and 31K EQM for this year. It's January 31st. 15 segments, all in discount Y, mostly international longhaul.
As someone who travels almost exclusively for work, I have not changed my booking behavior one bit as a result of the changed system. It's a nonfactor. $12K is just not that difficult.
If we are sharing personal anecdotes:
I am already over 3000 EQD and 31K EQM for this year. It's January 31st. 15 segments, all in discount Y, mostly international longhaul.
As someone who travels almost exclusively for work, I have not changed my booking behavior one bit as a result of the changed system. It's a nonfactor. $12K is just not that difficult.
Jan 31, 2018, 5:05 pm
#131
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: GIG
Programs: AAdvantage ExP 1MM, Smiles/GOL Diamond, TudoAzul/AZUL Diamond, HHonors Gold, Accor Platinum
Posts: 190
I'm an ExP who will be Gold tomorrow (million miler). But in March I'll be Plat again and by the end of the year I hope to be back to the ExP ranks. But I am sure the number of ExP will drop.
Jan 31, 2018, 5:22 pm
#132
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: SNA/LAX, PHL
Programs: AA Gold, AS MVP, WN A-List, Hilton Gold, Hyatt Exp, Hertz PC
Posts: 449
I am not convinced that status is actually any more meaningfully difficult to attain under the current system.
If we are sharing personal anecdotes:
I am already over 3000 EQD and 31K EQM for this year. It's January 31st. 15 segments, all in discount Y, mostly international longhaul.
As someone who travels almost exclusively for work, I have not changed my booking behavior one bit as a result of the changed system. It's a nonfactor. $12K is just not that difficult.
If we are sharing personal anecdotes:
I am already over 3000 EQD and 31K EQM for this year. It's January 31st. 15 segments, all in discount Y, mostly international longhaul.
As someone who travels almost exclusively for work, I have not changed my booking behavior one bit as a result of the changed system. It's a nonfactor. $12K is just not that difficult.
For college/grad students traveling mostly for leisure and out of their own pockets, 12cpm is near impossible to attain, barring EQD runs on parter airlines.
But of course airlines in general give zero .... to us students, so whatever.
Jan 31, 2018, 5:46 pm
#133
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Programs: AA EXP, SPG Platinum
Posts: 232
Then there is the new CK gifting of EXP status. I would assume that the majority of CKs have gifted or are planning to gift the status, likely to their significant other. Although she doesn't travel much any longer, I gave it to my wife simply so I do not need upgrade instruments to upgrade her with me on personal domestic flights since we don't get the 500 mile stickers for free.
Last edited by sm82; Jan 31, 2018 at 6:34 pm
Jan 31, 2018, 7:35 pm
#134
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Plano, TX, USA
Programs: AA: PPro, 4MM; HH: Lifetime Diamond; MAR Life Titanium Hertz: Prez Circle
Posts: 547
I dropped from EXP to PPRO, not because of EQD, I was done in by the increase in the segments required from 100 to 120. I spent a year doing a lot of Eagle segments, so plenty of $, only 75k EQM and 105 segments. Wasn't worth the $2500 AA wanted for me to stay EXP.
Feb 1, 2018, 7:02 am
#135
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: DEN
Programs: AA EXP, AA Million Miles, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 2,586
There's a line of argument on FT that status itself is the goal of travel. That's it's something to be "chased." And that's true for the some people. But for a large amount of travelers, it's the other way around. Travel is something we need to do - status comes as a result of it. And the amount of travel/dollars spent/complexity is not dictated by the status goalposts.
The AAdvantage program/status drives me to fly AA over other carriers. It does not drive me to take trips that I don't have another reason to take.
For those who travel for work and/or on OPM, probably.
For college/grad students traveling mostly for leisure and out of their own pockets, 12cpm is near impossible to attain, barring EQD runs on parter airlines.
But of course airlines in general give zero .... to us students, so whatever.
For college/grad students traveling mostly for leisure and out of their own pockets, 12cpm is near impossible to attain, barring EQD runs on parter airlines.
But of course airlines in general give zero .... to us students, so whatever.
But FT is not representative of the overall elite population on AA. I'm not convinced that challenges members here see with the new rules, translate to meaningful impacts in the larger AA flying population. We don't have the data.