The changes seemed logical, nothing drastic and expected. I kind of thought they would introduce a more fundamental change tbh.

- Reduction on Economy light.
- No change in Economy essential and Flex except slight increase in short haul cat 2.
- Increase in F/J/PEY, most significant increase in long haul F and Business flex.

I wonder if there is any effect on partner bookings or if these changes are going to apply to CX only. There was no mention of this.

Generally I think the changes are okay as far as CX goes. Minor tweaks but they do make sense.

To avoid being accused of spreading ‘unverified information’ - there’s nothing further in terms of updates for now

I personally look forward to the day where we can all ‘save time’ and don’t ever need to bother with asking questions like ‘can we do a turnaround in ICN?’ or ‘Should I buy ex Europe to Japan tickets’ anymore - instead all we need to do is just go on CX website, buy the ex-HKG ticket simple and straightforward and be appropriately rewarded :) we wouldn’t even have to complain that the ex-outport married segment reduced inventory is affecting the usability of Bookable upgrades as well. We wouldn’t lament the loss of the BKKSIN tag along flight anymore as well. And also perhaps the XMN flights wouldn’t need to be operated by A330s only to have the bulk of people up front taking the same plane back.

and perhaps we can finally enjoy some peace of mind in the lounges and not suffer from disproportionately long F boarding lines / an overcrowded podium check in like today… some time in the future

Or an increase in the number of points required to make tier surely?

Doesn't this do the opposite? It just creates more people at every tier?

The changes are appreciated, which is in line with the principle to reward members more who generally pay more in respect of the cabin and/or ticket type. While long-haul increment is subtle, it kind of further widen the gap of earnings between CX and other OW airlines.

Without knowing the bigger context - if and how they would further restructure the Cathay membership scheme, it still leaves much uncertainty for members to plan ahead.

Just read this from FAQ “Status Points and Asia Miles earned on flights marketed by oneworld and partner airlines remain unchanged.”

Do people here prefer small changes every now and then, or a large revamp at once (eg. Devaluing silver as shown by boarding group trials, and the rumoured DMP)?

Perhaps - management’s view is if you have to ‘plan ahead’, you are probably not their target member / customer :)

Prudent management probably understand that besides the big spenders who are not price or value conscious, they also need loyal customers at every level of the business to grow a sustainable one. I hope they are not this short-sighted. For those passengers who are not price or value -conscious, they could just switch whenever someone else offers shinier and flashier things. And at least in the short-term, CX might have limited room to maneuver when it comes to offering shinier, flashier things.

I would say the complete opposite. They are clearly trying to add value to/create an incentive for booking a higher cabin/fare. This change doesn't move the needle for price/value inelastic people - they are going to qualify with or without this change. If anything, this is a negative for them because it makes it easier for others to qualify and creates more DMs/GOs/SLs. I don't understand how this works without creating/formalising DMP and/or increasing the thresholds for qualifying, but their FAQ says no change. They have to "balance the equation" somehow.

Very prescient indeed, especially on your 2nd & 3rd points! :)

The thing is CX’s hybrid business model adds a lot complexity to it right. The transit business is what makes CX a global player. You can’t count on HKese /HK as a financial hub filling all the 5 daily to LHR. Meanwhile, these high ex HKG fares do nudge up CX’s operating margins.

Few things are certain in life and airline membership programs and how they'll evolve is certainly NOT one of them! Not sure what I can say if you find that unbearable. I could say switch to another airline/airline alliance but you'll likely have as much uncertainty there as well (or even more).