dylanks

Now that I've had a full calendar year of reduced tier point earning on AA in domestic first class (from 210 to 140 for >2000 miles, 60 to 40 for <2000 miles), I thought it was worth a quick look at the impact of this decision, as it probably had as big of an impact on me as anyone given that I'm based in the US.

With my tier point collection year ending on April 8th, for 2016-2017, the impact was minimal: 5800 tier points earned instead of 5900

For 2017-2018, my travel patterns changed a bit for work. I had a few less trips across the pond, and several more domestic US trips. The result was pretty significant: 4245 tier points earned instead of 5495 under the old system!

As such, I'll lose my CCR card. This is not a huge deal for me as I only was able to use the CCR 5 times in the past 12 months, as I had many more flights depart from T3. If BA had plans to switch PHX back to T5, I probably would have pushed a few trips scheduled for April or May into February or March, but it didn't seem worth the hassle given the minimal benefit currently.

For 2018-2019, it's too early to tell what the impact will be, but it looks like travel for work will increase enough to push me back above 5000 tier points even under the new system.

What's the impact been on your tier point earning? Hopefully not as rough as it was for me!

madfish

For me last year (ending 8 Feb) it had no impact except for a short amount of life time TPs. For my wife, she lost 40TPs which would have been enough to push her to silver.

So far this collection year I am down 40 TPs. This will increase to 120TPs in total. So not a huge impact, but will cost around Ł250-300 to replace these points. It also stopped me from booking another flight into F as 80TPs for Ł320 was not the same value as getting 120TPs for the same cost.

Fraser

Similar percentage drop in tier points on my end too, the majority of my tier points are from AA domestic travel. No CCR card/GGL for me to worry about but I should still comfortable retain Gold.

guv1976

The flip side of this is that redeeming Avios for domestic F on AA two-cabin aircraft is now cheaper. For example, F on a NYC-DFW nonstop now costs 20,000 Avios, instead of 40,000 Avios. F on a NYC-MIA nonstop now costs 15,000 Avios, instead of 30,000 Avios.
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BAMuc

Only major impact here: opted for a jetBlue MintSuite on a redeye SFO-BOS intstead of AA. With old TP earning rates I probably would have ended up on some painful SFO-PHX-BOS - this way I could enjoy a direct, cheaper, and frankly much nicer option. Thank you, BAEC!

rather_be_on_a_griffin

I knew the change probably meant the end of my Concorde Room card so the effect was to drastically reduce my AA domestic flying. I’m New York based so AA is not ideal. After one trip back from Boise with a long layover in Phoenix for a paltry 180TP I realized enough was enough.

DominicB

I'm an ex-pat Brit who has been living in Chicago for the past 3 years. I head home to the UK probably 3 or 4 times a year on business, which often also includes trips on to TLV, and I manage to fly in J, and sometimes paid F. In addition I have fairly regular meetings that take me to the east coast, TX, and occasionally the West Coast. For domestic travel my company only pays for economy flights, but I pay the difference, as if booked in good time it's not that much extra. So how has this affected me....?

Most of my AA flying is only on the smaller sectors, so I have probably lost eight or ten lots of 20 tier points - hardly the end of the world. I'm just pondering trying to push to get GGL for the first time, and it will annoying if that difference makes me fail to get it. I'd be way more annoyed if I had the opportunity to do more of the higher/longer transcontinental routes, but being based in Chicago, it is very contrived and a bad use of time for me to get to one coast in order to fly to the other, so it's not really an issue for me.

Incidentally, I prefer AA to UA in first class (I have some mileage with UA, who I supported many years ago) on domestic sectors. Between ORD and either DC or NYC you get a proper meal on American, and only 'snacks' on UA. I don't know what DL is like as I never use them. But I'm as happy with AA as one is likely to be, I think.

Fraser

Great choice. IMO, the single suites are the best regularly scheduled seat in the US skies. I might only fly between NYC and LAX a couple of times per year but will actively choose Jetblue Mint ahead of AA J unless the pricing is out of kilter. B6 Mint is no longer a $599 each way slamdunk as plenty of people have cottoned on. The only downside is the lousy ground product.

rossmacd

No impact whatsoever. In fact, I've clocked up more AA domestic flights than ever before (albeit many of the JFK-LAX/SFO in J), nothing related to TPs but from the requirements of my employer.

billinghamn

I missed out on 350 TPs, but I think that was because I spent so much time in Europe in the past 12 months, rather than the US. I blame that on cheap TP runs to Tallinn!

Oaxaca

Interesting thread. Do not really count them, but not massively material, maybe a couple of hundred tops. Lifetime TPs aside, it won't make a lot of difference to me this year, will retain current status unless the goalposts are moved violently and suddenly.

Although I'm not US-based, like rather_be_on_a_griffin I have shifted a few US domestics to other airlines with more convenient schedules in cases where the return didn't justify the routing required to stick with AA. Let's see how green the grass is elsewhere...

skippythelizard

I’m surprised it hasn’t affected me more...I don’t recall exact totals, but I think maybe 300-400 points less, finishing last year around 5050.

I’ve actually been flying AA more since the change...in part because of the extra treatment for BA GGL at CLT in the last year. I’ve had 3 “car at gate” transfers, interestingly all when traveling on leisure...the last 2 traveling with friends or family who get more of a surprise out of it.

I used to hate CLT, but even when there’s not a car waiting, it’s not a bad place to connect. Another time a CK agent held a plane for me when my inbound flight was delayed. And when there are no problems, there’s a decent IPA in the Admirals Club (currently a great local one on draft).

On in the BA side, I suppose my using GUFs via travel agent has helped compensate, giving me more tier points from BA flights.

This year, it looks like the same trend.

Cap'n Benj

MarkedMan

So far it's been nothing too significant, I am now more Europe and Asia focused, not traveling to the US too much and try to avoid shorter US flights unless it is up and down the WC, and strive to get into proper F on JFK to WC flights as much as possible. But, the year I first got my CC card (admittedly a really heavy travel year) I hit 5k points in a shade under six months, now it's far closer to the bone. The 210 AA F really helped rack them up that year. It's not a clean comparison as my patterns are so different, but it's tricky these days to hit the numbers, while the first time it felt way too easy. I could have gotten 2700 points just from a few meetings on the East Coast flying out of SF, for a price far lower than I'd have to pay for Intercontinental travel, while today I'd lose 900 points on that pattern alone.

Then again, as you note, not being UK based and flying mostly out of T3 and not using JFK much, you're basically not gaining a lot from a CCR card anyway.

thejohn

Iv'e gone east rather than west so it's not impacted me at all, so Iv'e not lost any teir points and as my travel is on my own Ł and I have to say not really missed the US and got to enjoy Asia and other Oneworld carriers.
John