Tiptoeing to the Aadvantage exit yet?
#16
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Stilllwater OK (SWO)
Programs: AAdvantage ExecPlat, World of Hyatt Globalist, plain "member" of Marriott, IHG, enterprise, etc.
Posts: 1,844
The irony / tragedy / stupidity of AAdvantage is that it (like all loyalty schemes) is there to promote and reward marginal customer behavior changes on a mass scale. Instead it lavishes shovelfuls of miles on a select few and makes itself a non-factor with everybody else.
Meanwhile, the program piles miles, upgrades, and other perks on a fairly small class of high spend business travelers who may or may not have a lot of sway with regards to swinging any significant additional travel towards AA.
#17
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: jfk area
Programs: AA platinum; 2MM AA, Delta Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,291
Just FYI, if you make it via the challenge to DL PM status, still must meet the full requirements for DM. Point out cause it's a common misconception that if you make PM via challenge, 50k additional MQM is all that's needed to get to DM.
Also can now book F awards on partners (at least MU, CZ, and KE) except AF. AF doesn't even allow their own members to book AF F unless they're elite.
Also can now book F awards on partners (at least MU, CZ, and KE) except AF. AF doesn't even allow their own members to book AF F unless they're elite.
#18
Join Date: May 2011
Location: DFW
Programs: AA EXP, LT Gold
Posts: 3,145
Being very hub captive to DFW, and with AA making most of their best improvements to international products, I am pretty pleased flying with them to all the nonstops ex-DFW. So my increased spending hasn't left me feeling remorse.
#19
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 73
I'm probably a 6 or 7 to the door. My greatest contributors to my FF is international leisure travel. So, if I have to fly premium to make the thresholds, it is less of an incentive. The greatest value of EXP to me is SWU for TPAC flights. If I need to pay for premium, they are less valuable. It won't be long before it is just easier to invest my time finding J TPAC for $2-3.5k. It is ironic that AA's goal of getting you to pay for premium, will probably led to less loyalty. If I'm paying for J,the remaining benefits are much less valuable. I also become the high margin customer that every airline is trying to court. I might as well pay for J with some of the other Asian and Middle East carriers that have great service, than some of the surly AA FAs. CY19 is a busy travel year, so I should make it. But I'm already starting to do the math and starting to see some value in being a FA.
#20
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: UK/USA
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 830
This. Exactly this. Most of the casual public finds it impossible enough to make Gold, and even if you got there, you don't get much of anything that a credit card can't get you -- If you are a family of 4 that travels together a few times a year (lets say 1 trip to Hawaii or Europe plus a trips to see grandma across the country and a trip to Disney World), you may very well spend more $7-10K a year on flights for the family but you would barely get past the half way mark to cracking 'gold' status. The loyalty programs do absolutely nothing for that family, there is zero reason to put all three-four trips a year on a single airline because all they get is AA miles out of it (which without your ExPlat 120% bonus, btw, accumulate so slowly that you might as well forget they exist). The AAdvantage program completely holds no sway here at capturing these travelers, though, there is a sizeable segment of upperish middle class America that flies about this often and spending thousands of dollars, often with Southwest who treats them fairly, gives them free checked bags, and has rather straight-forward pricing. AA meanwhile blocks so much of the plane for elites that they have a hard time sitting together, makes them board near last, charges them baggage fees, and gives them no love during IRROPs.
Meanwhile, the program piles miles, upgrades, and other perks on a fairly small class of high spend business travelers who may or may not have a lot of sway with regards to swinging any significant additional travel towards AA.
Meanwhile, the program piles miles, upgrades, and other perks on a fairly small class of high spend business travelers who may or may not have a lot of sway with regards to swinging any significant additional travel towards AA.
I've pretty much made my mind up that I'm just going to go elsewhere - can't see why I would stay at AA.
-I still have not been able to use my 4 SWUs this year (and it is November already).
-Family of 4 the only plane that suits our family in Y at least (longhaul) is the A330.
-Miles have been devalued.
-Award availability seems to have reduced.
-Fares are often not competitive with other airlines on same routes/destinations.
-I'm not feeling any love from AA - at all.
I could go on - I'm very annoyed about it.....
#22
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: CoUniHound 1K 1MM, AA EXP 2MM, DL Plat, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,625
It's not the cut in AAdvantage perks that is driving me away, it's the combination of the cuts plus Project Oasis. AA did a good job of driving my behavior from playing the upgrade lottery to buying cheap business fares. Ok, that's good for AA but now AA has made domestic first a purchasable commodity to me, not something I earn via my loyalty. Project Oasis is making domestic FC undeniably less comfortable than AA's competitors. As soon as the Project Oasis FC becomes unavoidable, I'm gone. If I'm lucky, the rollout will take long enough for me to earn LT platinum so I'll have business lounge access after I retire. If not, oh well.
#23
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: PHX, SEA
Programs: Avis President's Club, Global Entry, Hilton/Marriott Gold. No more DL/AA status.
Posts: 4,421
Since I'm a lowly Gold, I don't get a ton of perks, and most can be re-obtained with a credit card or incremental spend. I do have to say that I think the award charts and the Oneworld lounges are better than what Skyteam has to offer. But like Catbert, what has driven me to Delta when reasonable is the looming Project Oasis and the fact that, until PO comes along, I can't rely on in-seat power (even in first class on many aircraft).
#24
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: SAN
Programs: AA CK, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 839
I’m still able to get long haul Business Class award redemptions and SWUs if I have flexibility on travel windows and enough advance notice. I realize that isn’t reality for most EXPs. If AAdvantage turns into DLs award availability and ridiculous redemption requirements then I’ll switch to Delta. In the meantime, it’s still working for me and even though Project Osasis is just awful, I’m willing to put up with it for those award flights, at least as I write.
#25
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: AA ExPlat, Delta GM, Hilton Honors Diamond, Marriott Titanium Elite, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 140
I'm likely to stay with AAdvantage as my primary for CY19 for a couple reasons:
- I'm Chicago-based (ORD is closer than MDW), and I generally can't stand UA.
- There's a decent amount of TATL and TPAC travel in my Q1 future, and OW has the better products (no chance of avoiding LHR as my TATL is likely to...London).
- My wife prefers traveling on AA (over UA and DL, anyway - she's been burned by ATL in the past) and enjoys the status perks (even though they're reduced) and enjoys the Admiral's Club domestically and the Flagship Lounge for INTL travel.
#26
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: The FT AA forum, until it no longer wants me.
Programs: CK or bust
Posts: 1,913
Contrary to the many things that constantly change in life, thank goodness that I can always count on new posts announcing that in the subsequent year, a poster won't be participating in the AAdvantage program. Take that AA!
Programs evolve for better or for worse (as of late, very often the latter) but flyers need to evolve with them so that expectations about a one-sided program remain aligned with the one-sided program. That doesn't mean just accepting it whatever it may be but rather that can mean cancelling mileage credit cards, jumping ship to the wonderful number of alternatives in North America*, or simply voting with $s as a free agent in an industry that doesn't really care about free agency. Dynamic award pricing, unquestionably ridiculous award availability, reduced SWUs/watered down bennies for elites, sub-par customer experience, and poor fleet planning** are all here to stay.
At the end of the day, there are only a few competitors in this market so we all know how that goes for consumers. If you don't, then boy do I have a special limited time offer Barclay's Aviator card offer for you. Cue music for new video to replace AA's failed "The Greatest Flyers...." initiative with the pitch, "If you lower your expectations, we'll be the right airline for you."
Now I'm off to ensure that I retain status for next year.
* Not.
** Hey American, thanks for putting the 737 MAX on MIA-Brasilia! That's sure to be a hit. Maybe that could have saved PHX-MEX (nope).
Programs evolve for better or for worse (as of late, very often the latter) but flyers need to evolve with them so that expectations about a one-sided program remain aligned with the one-sided program. That doesn't mean just accepting it whatever it may be but rather that can mean cancelling mileage credit cards, jumping ship to the wonderful number of alternatives in North America*, or simply voting with $s as a free agent in an industry that doesn't really care about free agency. Dynamic award pricing, unquestionably ridiculous award availability, reduced SWUs/watered down bennies for elites, sub-par customer experience, and poor fleet planning** are all here to stay.
At the end of the day, there are only a few competitors in this market so we all know how that goes for consumers. If you don't, then boy do I have a special limited time offer Barclay's Aviator card offer for you. Cue music for new video to replace AA's failed "The Greatest Flyers...." initiative with the pitch, "If you lower your expectations, we'll be the right airline for you."
Now I'm off to ensure that I retain status for next year.
* Not.
** Hey American, thanks for putting the 737 MAX on MIA-Brasilia! That's sure to be a hit. Maybe that could have saved PHX-MEX (nope).
#27
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW-In Plano & CDG-In the 11th
Programs: DL Diamond, AA revenue negative, Bonvoy Titanium +, Avis likes me
Posts: 3,209
No tiptoe
Now that we are program agnostic, MrsDallas49er and I have booked 90% of 2019 TPAC/TATL in F/J away. This is with 14 useless SWUs through 01/2020.
Looking forward to what the new management team does to lure us back after Parker (crashes).
Looking forward to what the new management team does to lure us back after Parker (crashes).
Last edited by Dallas49er; Nov 25, 2018 at 9:43 am
#28
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: OKC
Programs: IHG Spire, National Exec, AA Plat
Posts: 2,274
Thoughts on if the Parker Crash may be coming sooner than later? Didn't they just have a not-so-impressive earnings report?
#29
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: LAX
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold but PlatPro thanks to LPs
Posts: 4,438
Any airline can get you from A to B safely. There are thousands of details that vary from one airline to the other, such as price, schedule, on-time records, your location relative to a hub, corporate contracts, lounge amenities, liquor options, upgrade chances, cushiness of seats and warmth of nuts.
Everyone has their own set of crucial criteria and their own set of variables. It's up to each person to decide what works for them. There are many "I have moved and so should you" type message threads. Read, then decide if any new information pertains to you.
Personally, AA works for me.
Everyone has their own set of crucial criteria and their own set of variables. It's up to each person to decide what works for them. There are many "I have moved and so should you" type message threads. Read, then decide if any new information pertains to you.
Personally, AA works for me.
#30
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Silver, AA, WN, DL
Posts: 4,091
I suspect it is too difficult to simply say they've gone too far by a universal metric.
Loyalty works when the customer is given something worth being loyal to. As each customer has their own level/unique requirements of what is valuable to them (some value non-stops, or frequency, or upgrades, or award seats, or hub captive, etc.), there will be a dynamic range in what "loyalty" is for different groups of customers.
As noted in other posts, what some may consider a bridge too far, others may still feel there's sufficient value to be loyal.
Loyalty works when the customer is given something worth being loyal to. As each customer has their own level/unique requirements of what is valuable to them (some value non-stops, or frequency, or upgrades, or award seats, or hub captive, etc.), there will be a dynamic range in what "loyalty" is for different groups of customers.
As noted in other posts, what some may consider a bridge too far, others may still feel there's sufficient value to be loyal.