AA Lost A Customer For Life (AA didn’t renew my CK)
#46
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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
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Posts: 50,262
We have no way of knowing by how much OP missed out because we do not know the exact criteria. Perhaps he has been marginal for the past few years. No way of knowing.
What we do know is that AA knows a lot more than the basic metrics of spend and can therefore look to a customer's value. While people on FT tend to see things in black and white, e.g. "I have no value to xx because I was denied Kryptonium" it does not work that way.
CK also presents special challenges. It is not just about one extra person boarding a bit earlier, but about staffing phone lines, staffing airports, and making exceptions. No one extra CK makes a difference. But, how many people are there who fit OP's profile and then missed some target by some amount?
What we do know is that AA knows a lot more than the basic metrics of spend and can therefore look to a customer's value. While people on FT tend to see things in black and white, e.g. "I have no value to xx because I was denied Kryptonium" it does not work that way.
CK also presents special challenges. It is not just about one extra person boarding a bit earlier, but about staffing phone lines, staffing airports, and making exceptions. No one extra CK makes a difference. But, how many people are there who fit OP's profile and then missed some target by some amount?
#47
Join Date: Oct 2015
Programs: BA Gold for Life
Posts: 1,392
I am sure it has been discussed ad nauseam but the main problem as I see it is not knowing what is required for CK. I much prefer the BA programme although BA do have Premier members which are purely in the gift of BA but they are a tiny percentage.
#48
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Location: Miami, Florida
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Spire, Hilton Gold
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They're never going to announce requirements, because they comp it to a lot of celebs, execs, and politicians who probably don't come close to even EXP.
#49
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 8
<redacted> Once again, there is muuuuuuuch more to this than, "I had CK for 10 consecutive years (no you didn't), and now it has been taken away because I slowed in travel." Would it be taken away after a drastic decline in travel. Yes. As previously mentioned it is essentially a year to year "contract." Once OP didn't hold up his end, the contract is not renewed.
There are likely dozens of instances just like this annually for the CK renewal process. Which new CK member that did fly and spend at the high level that is required should be removed to make room for a "goodwill gesture" towards OP?
There are likely dozens of instances just like this annually for the CK renewal process. Which new CK member that did fly and spend at the high level that is required should be removed to make room for a "goodwill gesture" towards OP?
Last edited by JDiver; Jan 13, 2019 at 4:43 pm Reason: Redacted reply to previously deleted post content
#50
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: I 35 south bound, finally stopped
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#51
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#52
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Every carrier has some means of singling out people for special services. Especially important if they routinely travel in F, already have lounge access and don't particularly care about boarding with a steamer trunk.
#53
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Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,642
I believe that the requirements for a BA Premier card are a lot more restrictive than that for Concierge Key ; not something that likely to get just as an individual traveller
#54
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: I 35 south bound, finally stopped
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Posts: 1,665
based upon this article and other information I would agree. Then again, if you are a super complainer, and not user friendly to the people who are trying to help you, (based upon old posts from JDiver and others), then attitude may get some comments in your file, and play a role in how the CK committee looks at your renewal.
#55
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,317
The problem with undisclosed qualification requirements is that at some point AA has to tell somebody they're no longer welcome as CK. if they publish the requirements then people wouldn't be shocked when they finally get cut loose by AAA for CK.
I agree with what someone else already posted colon that probably there were some other year or years that the OP might have been lower than they wanted and this was the tipping Point for AA.
I agree with what someone else already posted colon that probably there were some other year or years that the OP might have been lower than they wanted and this was the tipping Point for AA.
#56
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
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Whatever we think, whatever empathy or sympathy we might have for another member and their circumstances, the cabal at AA that decides these things isn’t going to be influenced by any of it. They’ve their criteria, we don’t know what they are, they’ve made a choice. Now, their airline has to live with that.
#57
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 134
I don’t understand the hate here. OP has met the highest level status that AA offers year after year. AA decides to drop OP because of temporary health issues. They were clearly spending top dollar with a company and have a history of doing so; I think they are justified in feeling angry about being removed from the program with no chance of an invitatiom back.
#58
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Location: Miami, Florida
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, IHG Spire, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,009
I don’t understand the hate here. OP has met the highest level status that AA offers year after year. AA decides to drop OP because of temporary health issues. They were clearly spending top dollar with a company and have a history of doing so; I think they are justified in feeling angry about being removed from the program with no chance of an invitation back.
#59
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Yeah, that assertion ("no chance of an invitation back") makes no sense.
And, in fact, due to the fact that for CK invites that are $-based, it's the *type* of spending (very high amounts per segment/flight/mile with various multipliers and dividers, as it were, all put together to = member profitability figure) vs. overall spend, a member who was CK through this path is actually more likely to be invited back (assuming their spending patterns haven't changed considerably) compared to someone who's never been CK because their member profitability figure-- despite very high overall spend-- has never been "noticeable" in terms of earning CK.
In the OP's case, immaterial as he states:
Which seems perfectly sensible to me.
And, in fact, due to the fact that for CK invites that are $-based, it's the *type* of spending (very high amounts per segment/flight/mile with various multipliers and dividers, as it were, all put together to = member profitability figure) vs. overall spend, a member who was CK through this path is actually more likely to be invited back (assuming their spending patterns haven't changed considerably) compared to someone who's never been CK because their member profitability figure-- despite very high overall spend-- has never been "noticeable" in terms of earning CK.
In the OP's case, immaterial as he states:
Which seems perfectly sensible to me.