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Any chance AA doesn't succumb to variable award prices?

Any chance AA doesn't succumb to variable award prices?

Old Apr 5, 2019, 10:27 pm
  #31  
 
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Originally Posted by beachfan

AS has said they won’t go varaiable (not recently though)
I think AS understands as an underdog they have to protect true loyalty. The big 3 have trampled the rest and just keep steamrolling.
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Old Apr 5, 2019, 11:06 pm
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by c5ruzr
I think AS understands as an underdog they have to protect true loyalty. The big 3 have trampled the rest and just keep steamrolling.
I'd like to think that, and the second AA becomes fully variable for redemptions AS' program will be massively valuable for consumers (more than it is now, I mean), and they'll work hard to drive that like SWA does their baggage advantage.

That said, if we were all waiting for a devaluation at AS before, I feel like there's a massive clock just hanging over our heads now.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 7:30 am
  #33  
 
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Does anyone remember when AA use to be the leader in setting examples for other airlines instead of following them off a cliff?
No mean neither
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 7:58 am
  #34  
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Originally Posted by chix
For sure AA will match (devalue) to UA. I know this won’t happen, but AA should figure some other new elite benefit as all will soon not have to pay close in booking fee, lol!
I'm worried that as soon as AA copies DL's termination of the close-in booking fee they'll copy Delta's award change fee: $150 for any award change. No free date changes, no free routing changes.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 8:24 am
  #35  
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Originally Posted by 3Cforme
Just for Main Cabin they've already got four price levels + an unpublished level (select dates that require a higher number of miles (in addition to Level 1 and 2 awards) -- with lousy availability in the lowest level. I don't see how variable pricing could be materially worse.
Because at least if you found saver availability, it is at a decent award level. AA’s tiers, for the time being, only apply to AAnytime awards. As a DL refugee, where you will see the big squeeze is long haul, premium cabin awards where there is a considerable difference between cash and award fares. Business class saver awards can be had for roughly double the cost of a saver economy award. That sort of multiplier is nearly unheard of with cash fares.

Advance purchase restrictions will also come into play. It’s long been possible to get a seat in economy at saver levels when the plane was empty, but because of advance purchase restrictions the cash fare was quite high. You can be sure this is a primary target of such dynamic award pricing efforts too.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 9:45 am
  #36  
 
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Another reason why the best, most trustworthy use of miles right now is to burn them with a Copay to upgrade from Y to J. Buying a $1500 R/T ticket and burning 50K miles to fly in J as if on a $5500 ticket is quite a nice CPM value. Even with the $700 copay.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 10:27 am
  #37  
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Originally Posted by econometrics
Another reason why the best, most trustworthy use of miles right now is to burn them with a Copay to upgrade from Y to J. Buying a $1500 R/T ticket and burning 50K miles to fly in J as if on a $5500 ticket is quite a nice CPM value. Even with the $700 copay.
I prefer burning them on quality partner F redemptions like CX F or EY F. If/when AA follows UA and DL in this race to the bottom, I won't mind so much as long as only AAwards are impacted and the partner chart stays the same.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 2:53 pm
  #38  
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Originally Posted by javabytes


Because at least if you found saver availability, it is at a decent award level.
Not at all. Something like DTW-PHX 14 hour overnight PHX-FLG is utterly ridiculous. Waiving the 4-hr domestic connection rule makes more saver award inventory appear on the calendar but you can't assume it's a reasonable routing. The sensible routings may only be available as AAnytime awards.

Originally Posted by javabytes
AA’s tiers, for the time being, only apply to AAnytime awards.
United disclosed that 86% of miles redeemed last year were for awards on UA metal. The idea that everybody's redeeming for long-haul business and first on partners is just utter fiction. When AA messes up redemptions on its own metal it guts AAdvantage.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 4:27 pm
  #39  
 
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I'm sure the only reason AA hasn't done it yet is the lack of IT resources to bolt the logic onto their ancient systems. AA has been last to implement a number of customer-unfriendly enhancements for that reason.

I for one have found DL's award pricing to be pretty good for certain domestic routes. For example, you can't get below 25K AA miles for a longer domestic roundtrip unless you have an AA CC and your destination is on the list of deplorables qualifying for reduced mileage awards. But I have snagged AUS-DTW and AUS-BOS on DL for 15-20K miles roundtrip in Y and 30K in F. And I got nonstops for my troubles. Overall the awards may get more expensive but the variable pricing can create some valuable nuggets that would otherwise be unavailable.
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Old Apr 6, 2019, 5:45 pm
  #40  
 
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Yet another reason to abandon airline credit cards, use Chase and Citi cards, earn their points to buy tickets.
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Old Apr 7, 2019, 12:23 pm
  #41  
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Originally Posted by 3Cforme
Not at all. Something like DTW-PHX 14 hour overnight PHX-FLG is utterly ridiculous. Waiving the 4-hr domestic connection rule makes more saver award inventory appear on the calendar but you can't assume it's a reasonable routing. The sensible routings may only be available as AAnytime awards.

United disclosed that 86% of miles redeemed last year were for awards on UA metal. The idea that everybody's redeeming for long-haul business and first on partners is just utter fiction. When AA messes up redemptions on its own metal it guts AAdvantage.
You made a giant leap into two things I didn’t say...

I said nothing about routings. I said IF you found saver availability (whatever the routing), you were guaranteed the price in miles. That is no longer the case in a dynamic redemption program.

Nor did I say that everybody is redeeming for premium cabin, or other fares (like last-minute Y) where the award price offered considerable value relative to the cash price. This forum over-represents the population who do. People who do are going to get squeezed the hardest by a change to dynamic award pricing.
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Old Apr 7, 2019, 1:23 pm
  #42  
 
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Of course they will, and why not? Delta continues to be rated as best airline in many surveys. So, to the management of UA and AA they see it as simple logiv, customers are clearly fine with it, so why not?

If Sky Pesos really was an issue for Delta customers and they voted with their travel dollar, you can be dang sure not only would AA and UA stay away, but Delta would reverse track QUICKLY as well, until then, don't count on much.

I received a court settlement of Sky Miles in a law suit, now I'm challenging that settlement because the value of it has changed so drastically. 980,000 miles for a round-trip ticket from LAX to SYD in business class, are you freaking kidding me? At the time of the settlement this same routing was 80,000 miles, so obviously, Delta has some explaining to do.
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Last edited by transportbiz; Apr 8, 2019 at 1:09 pm
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Old Apr 8, 2019, 8:32 pm
  #43  
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Originally Posted by JonNYC
There will/would be notice of any major changes.
of course that's not to say from whom such notice might eminate
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Old Apr 8, 2019, 9:11 pm
  #44  
 
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Last edited by shimps1; Dec 7, 2019 at 10:46 pm
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Old Apr 9, 2019, 6:43 am
  #45  
 
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