nkedel

Directly, or by devaluing the 50k status level overall?

NiceLanding

The promise never made any mention of a 50k level, so where is your question coming from?

nkedel

I'd been under the impression that 1MM on United was Premier Executive for life... is that not correct? If it's not, what specifically did UA promise?

As for AA, 1MM as LT gold, 2MM as LT platinum was the rule before and after the formalization of the program; none of that promises that the GLD/PLT benefits will stay the same. Both have been devalued before, and they undoubtedly will be again.

tom911

It's a combination of retitling my lifetime tier, dropping the bonus miles and taking away regional upgrades. The lifetime tier is also devalued because a new 75K tier is inserted between it and 100K placing those that hold 1MM lifetime status lower in the pecking order (and for those not up on UA, these are actual flight miles-- no credit card miles were ever in play there). I voted with my dollars. I had intended to place all my flying after 100K with UA, similar to what I did the last two years prior to the program changes in September, 2011. This year I'm already over 150K and it's all on AA. I expect to easily pass 200K on AA this year when I start booking fall travel.

NiceLanding

Yes, "Premier Executive" for life, which is distinctly different than "the level that requires 50k miles per year to qualify for" for life. They went on to enumerate the PE benefits, such as 100% mileage bonus, 72-hour advance clearance for upgrades, and standby/upgrade priority just behind 1Ks, which are not benefits of their current 50k (Premier Gold) level.

Sorry if I'm a bit touchy about the subject, but I'm one of the UA MM people feeling cheated and in fact first hit the PE level myself when it required 75k miles. UA's promised benefits never mentioned "50k" and correspond more closely to Premier Platinum than to the Premier Gold level they're now giving us.

In any case, I'm happily moving to AA and leaving all of that behind me.

nkedel

Fair enough. Just keep in mind if you are working towards a LT level on AA that a similar devaluation is probably coming; we've already seen it starting on GLD.

uxb

How so (re: GLD)?

Cannonball Run

No Secret Threshold out there. The incentive is simple - miles for upgrades or free flights. AA's program is so much better the other domestic airlines - the choice has been easy. While I still fly Delta and United from time to time (and at one time United was my carrier of choice, later Delta carrier of choice based on where most of my work was worldwide) AA and One world ended up best for me all around. AA and One World have worked for me - since the day the programs started.
Pick the airline or alliance that best works for you, stick with it.

DFWDave

Don't want to put works in nkedel's mouth, but I would say GLD has been de-valued when AA started conferring Priority AAccess and checked bag fee waiver rights to Citi card holders.

One could also argue that when EXPs were granted free domestic upgrades instead of earning/purchasing stickers, it made an upgrade for GLD (and PLT for that matter) less likely. When I was EXP in 2000-2003, stickers were required of EXPs for upgrade unless flying on a Y/B fare. At the time, I wouldn't necessarily have requested an upgrade on every flight unless I was willing to "spend" the 500-mile upgrade. That said, it is a great perk that I look forward to receiving by the end of the year and not really complaining here, but it is a fact that the change reduced upgrade success for GLD/PLT.

uxb

Ok. Was JW, and can see the OPs point.

nkedel

Most notably, the MCE only for PLT and above (upcoming, but announced.)
Some of the boarding changes they've tried calling out EXP/PLT separate from Gold/PriorityAccess as another.
"Gold Light" via the various Citi/AA products.

There's also been speculation that AA would formalize a 4th level, which will (as with UA) probably entail a devaluation of some of the lower ones.

Yeah, that's an older devaluation of both GLT and PLT, although an indirect one.

See also all the general devaluations of the mileage program (longer "peak seasons," increased costs in miles, several increases on copays for upgrades.)

uxb

I was only GLD for a year at most, so wasn't really aware of all of the changes. I became elite 5 or so years ago, and have been mostly PLT. This year is my first as EXP, so wasn't aware of all the devals.

nall

So earlier when I asked about the 500 mile minimum, I was told only miles flown counts.

If I fly on a partner flight that gets less than <100% EQM, will I get the full number of miles on my million mile counter, or is it a "worst of both worlds" where I just get the EQM?

uxb

Just EQM. An example is flying S7 from LED to DME in discount coach. You will get 25% in discount coach, which translate to 104 miles. That amount is what counts towards EQM and MM, and not what you should've gotten if you had booked full-fare Y.

kingarthur

I was just thinking how nice it is to NOT be worried about accumulating miles this year. Yes it was about this time last year that The Chase began-- 300,000 miles in 3 months for me, which was child's play compared to some FTers.

One year later, it seems like the MM Progam is largely off AA's radar. I have not seen one promotion, and despite popular demand, there is no 500-mile minimum for elite MM earnings. The cost for MM qualifying miles must be prohibitive to Citi-sponsored promotions as well. It will be interesting to see, as the rate of new members drops off in the next year or two, whether AA takes a second look at the program entitlements. But I am not holding my breath!