Raffles

This is interesting, as it benefits genuine Euro members rather than Eurocheats. A Eurocheat needs to move his account back to the UK for a few months each year in order to put through the necessary £10k on the BA Amex for the 2-4-1. Now, if you do that, there is no chance (I assume) that when you move back to Germany or wherever you will be grandfathered the old TP level.

A Eurocheat will therefore have to decide whether they are willing to trade off a 2-4-1 for the lower threshold for the next 2 years.

One thing is not clear. If you are Euro-Gold in March 2012 and drop to Euro-Silver later in 2012, will you need 400 or 600 to retain Silver? It is clear that if you drop to Euro Silver you will need 1,500 to get back to Euro Gold.

gordon0808

I think that will be the new pattern for many Euro based BAEC members now.
And when LH introduces their new business class soon I think it will be just as good, if not better than CW.

irishguy28

It seems clear to me.

The requalification levels will be temporarily maintained at the old, lower levels for 2 years from 1 March 2012. But the qualification levels go up to the new, higher ones.

This means Golds can hang on to Gold for an additional 2 years with the old 800TP level.

But a Silver wanting to achieve Gold status will need to reach 1500TP, rather than 800TP, after March 1 2012.

Raffles

But if you drop to Silver next May, say, will you need 400 or 600 to retain it?

henkybaby

Ah well, not too bad. The 2 year grace period is very generous I think. I did not expect that. One year, maybe.

I am not too bothered. I am afraid my current relocation means that it will be very difficult to meet the GCH threshold even at the current levels for 2013 (2012 is already secured). I guess I will drop to Silver for 2014 and Bronze maybe for 2015.

However.... not a word about the soft landing...

irishguy28

Oooh...I see what you mean. Sorry that I overlooked your true meaning in my haste to get a reply in! But you are right, that is totally unclear!!!

ComputerCommuter

well they couldn't get any worse!

Andriyko

Same here. I may take my business elsewhere. Sad that BA increased the TPs to the UK level rather than to about 1,100-1,200 TPs to show teh appreciation that we have to connect.

flying_pig

That was meant to be a joke, right?
(given LH's speed at retrofitting aircrafts, I think we will see a LH fleet with fully-flat beds more or less in year 2191)

As for Gulf carriers, I admit I haven't flown them much, but I find it particularly stressful to change planes mid-way at their hubs (rather than taking a short feeder and then doing one long-haul, much longer segment).

ComputerCommuter

or about £8,000 at today's prices (PRG-LHR). That's a lot out of my own personal pocket

gordon0808

LH is launching a new business class with the introduction of the 747-8.
I don't know how long it will take them to retrofit the whole fleet, but I hope it will be quicker than it is taking BA to install NF.

Andriyko

Hold on a sec! Does this mean that if my membership year ends in February (and will requlify under current tresholds) I will be able to requalify at 800 TPs for both my FEB '12-FEB '13 AND FEB '13-FEB '14 membership years? And only starting from FEB '14 I will need to earn 1,500 TPs to maintain Gold?

That changes many things... (if I understand it correctly)

irishguy28

Yes, as long as you are a Gold Card Holder on March 1, 2012, you will be allowed to requalify for Gold a further two times at the lower rates.

Assuming you don't drop to Silver in the intervening period, the first time you will have to worry about the new, standardised Tier Points will be from March 1 2014 onwards.

Edited to say: given that your membership year ends in February, this would mean you would be allowed to requalify for Gold with 800TP in February 2013, and again in February 2014 - so you would retain Gold under the current rules right up until February 2015, when 1500TP would be required to hold Gold for the following year.

Yahillwe

I have been a loyal BA passenger... And did the hop to LHR with no problem...

Going west is BA exclusively.. So Paris-LHR and wherever in the US... No choice there...

East now gives me a delima... Have tried Gulf air and Emirate... I think that I do prefer Emirate... Many reasons : 1- Car service provided, at both ends.
2- when I overnight connect, have been provided with a place to stay, though I haven't used that service, I have used other people's recommendation.

This past flight east I used BA because I am ending in London, had I not, then I would have gone a Gulfy transport.

LHR-HUB

Hang on a minute!

All those moaning and jumping onto Locos, Mid-Easts, other EUs etc. Please answer me one thing...

Do you currently fly BA via LHR solely because they give you a shiny card?

Are you dragged, kicking and screaming, onto a plane just to gain status (with an airline you don't like?) when there are better routings out there?
Are the Locos going to give you a shiny card?
Are the mid-Easts going to treat you as some of their best pax?
Are the EUs going to give you status for just a couple of long haul flights?


Hmm.