Anticipated BAEC "Enhancements"
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: BAEC Silver, UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum., Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,507
Anticipated BAEC "Enhancements"
So, what's the latest on the much anticipated upcoming changes to BAEC?. It's gone awfully quiet (according to Dr. Google).
I have a strong personal interest, as I already have my 1,500 TP's to renew Gold status, but haven't yet flown any of the required 4 BA flights (they are booked and paid for March and May next year, which may be too late?). Should I bring them forward, I wonder.
Any thoughts would be interesting...
I have a strong personal interest, as I already have my 1,500 TP's to renew Gold status, but haven't yet flown any of the required 4 BA flights (they are booked and paid for March and May next year, which may be too late?). Should I bring them forward, I wonder.
Any thoughts would be interesting...
#3
Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club, easyJet and Ryanair
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: UK/Las Vegas
Programs: BA Gold (GGL/CCR)
Posts: 15,913
We don’t know that there are changes being planned. If you took your 4 qualifying flights now you will be able to enjoy your Gold status privileges for the rest of this Membership Year and the whole of the next.
#4
Join Date: Dec 2004
Programs: BA GGL, A3*G, Mucci de l'expertise des Apps
Posts: 3,363
#7
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Helsinki, Finland
Programs: TK *G, BA Gold
Posts: 592
I thought the main change upcoming is that redemptions would be dynamically priced rather than a fixed number of points (with only peak/off peak rates). Basically an extension of part pay with avios, only a slider will go all the way to paying 100% of the ticket with points. Plus booking redemptions would be moved to a separate website, common to all airlines using avios.
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Customers with Avios should be dreading BA/IAG management's corporate pirate mentality - a mentality that wants to raid and pillage and more and thereby decimate the value customers in the main get out of Avios points.
#10
Join Date: Sep 2013
Programs: BAEC Gold, EK Skywards (enhanced Blue !), Oman Air Sindbad Gold
Posts: 6,395
Whether for good or bad, whether the end result is ‘favourable’ or not ..... there is little doubt that changes are being planned. That much is no secret.
Alex Cruz touched on impending changes during an event I attended almost exactly 12 months ago (the annual World Travel Market, Excel Arena, London. I can’t recall right now whether the comments came in the speech itself or in the subsequent audience Q&A, but he said he was about to hold internal discussions with the guy who runs Avios.
And since then, much more perspective has been added on this in a piece ran a while back by HfP, where relevant sections of an interview given by AC to the South China Morning post - and which included much discussion on BAEC - is carried.
https://www.headforpoints.com/2018/0...es-avios-baec/
Alex Cruz touched on impending changes during an event I attended almost exactly 12 months ago (the annual World Travel Market, Excel Arena, London. I can’t recall right now whether the comments came in the speech itself or in the subsequent audience Q&A, but he said he was about to hold internal discussions with the guy who runs Avios.
And since then, much more perspective has been added on this in a piece ran a while back by HfP, where relevant sections of an interview given by AC to the South China Morning post - and which included much discussion on BAEC - is carried.
https://www.headforpoints.com/2018/0...es-avios-baec/
#12
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: LHR
Programs: BAEC Gold, SkyTeam Elite Plus, Sixt Gold
Posts: 418
In Italian there is a say "worse knows no limit" thus I am pretty sure our dear Alex will surprise us.
I am betting on variable pricing for avios redemptions, which is why I am spending quite casually my Avios these days. I am quite confident they will devalue soon. To be fair, I often manage to book same day redemptions with just 8k Avios round trip in EU for flights that retail for 400 quids or more. Not sure any other airline is so generous, which is why I think BA can reasonably touch it without losing to the competition.
I am betting on variable pricing for avios redemptions, which is why I am spending quite casually my Avios these days. I am quite confident they will devalue soon. To be fair, I often manage to book same day redemptions with just 8k Avios round trip in EU for flights that retail for 400 quids or more. Not sure any other airline is so generous, which is why I think BA can reasonably touch it without losing to the competition.
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: UK/Australia
Programs: BAEC Silver, UA2MM, QF Platinum, VA Platinum., Volare Executive Club
Posts: 2,507
#14
Community Director
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Norwich, UK
Programs: A3*G, BA Gold, BD Gold (in memoriam), IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 8,473
BAEC is most assuredly not QRPC. BA depends on its FFP much more heavily than QR does to attract business, and indeed many will say it’s the jewel in the airline’s crown in terms of marketability. I would seriously doubt BA would do anything major that would put that in jeopardy - have no doubt that it is very high thought of internally and has a massive profile within Waterside.
#15
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Arizona
Programs: BA (GGL G4L), AA (Gold), HH (Diamond); Marriott (Gold)
Posts: 3,011
I was going to post just that. At this price point, it’s approaching 100% of various paid fares such as OTP-PHX. I’d be slightly less offended if BA awarded tier points for travel on award tickets given the high surcharges as it’s closer to a part cash part Avios with these surcharge increases.