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Anyone else have a higher $$/EQM this year?

Anyone else have a higher $$/EQM this year?

 
Old Aug 1, 2010, 5:47 pm
  #1  
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Anyone else have a higher $$/EQM this year?

After spending nearly $1000 last week to fly round trip from CMH to IAD (on United) to get 1000 EQMs on CO, it really hit me that this year, I'm paying a huge amount of money to CO and its partners.

I just went to the CO website and checked my July 4 OnePass statement. As of that date, I have $8600 in Presidential Plus double miles for the year (which means I've spent at least $8600 on CO tickets) and only 29,995 EQMs (28 EQPs, most of them non-stop from IAH). That is almost 29 cents per EQM! In reality, the cost is higher when you consider the EQMs that were not purchased with the Presidential Plus card.

I don't feel that my buying patterns have changed this year. I'm just spending a lot more. I usually purchase tickets one or two weeks in advance---but it seems like all I ever see are B and M fares.

Anyone else notice a similar increase in $$ per EQM?
cjermain is offline  
Old Aug 1, 2010, 9:29 pm
  #2  
 
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Fares have generally been higher this year, with increases in travel. If you hit the magic $30K spend along with 75K+ EQM - you will later this year get the Presidental Platinum status.
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Old Aug 2, 2010, 1:23 am
  #3  
 
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Location: Current Micronesian, Ex Buckeye....
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Originally Posted by cova
Fares have generally been higher this year, with increases in travel. If you hit the magic $30K spend along with 75K+ EQM - you will later this year get the Presidental Platinum status.
Thai is already releasing their Presidential Plus... I hit 30 K a long time ago on CO with nothing so far...
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Old Aug 2, 2010, 4:48 am
  #4  
 
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Originally Posted by cjermain
After spending nearly $1000 last week to fly round trip from CMH to IAD (on United) to get 1000 EQMs on CO, it really hit me that this year, I'm paying a huge amount of money to CO and its partners.
......
I usually purchase tickets one or two weeks in advance---but it seems like all I ever see are B and M fares.

Anyone else notice a similar increase in $$ per EQM?
I just spent $1000 for CLE-BOS (leave yesterday and return tonight) 4 weeks in advance for $1000 B fare and still got to sit in the back of a 737-500 since they sold out the front of the plane. IF you can do it, why not? The funny thing is that I didn't need to buy it 4 weeks ago since the fare was the same yesterday. However, there is no nonstop seats available for sale today back to CLE. So CO is not having to give away the seats.

That being said, I am still doing more business flying this year than last year. It just is costing more to do it.
radonc1 is offline  
Old Aug 2, 2010, 9:10 am
  #5  
 
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Between predications by financial "experts" of coming deflation and news stories about companies requiring all employees to begin flying at the lowest available non-premium fare, the next fews months should be interesting, fare-wise.
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Old Aug 2, 2010, 11:18 am
  #6  
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Originally Posted by JetAway
Between predications by financial "experts" of coming deflation and news stories about companies requiring all employees to begin flying at the lowest available non-premium fare, the next fews months should be interesting, fare-wise.
Flip side of companies trying to lower travel expense is airline mergers cutting capacity and airline management teams acting more rational (i.e., determined to make profits) than at any other time in the history of the industry.
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Old Aug 2, 2010, 3:55 pm
  #7  
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Originally Posted by radonc1
I just spent $1000 for CLE-BOS (leave yesterday and return tonight) 4 weeks in advance for $1000 B fare and still got to sit in the back of a 737-500 since they sold out the front of the plane. ...
lucky you were able to get on a 73anything since I think they have switched all but one trip to ERJs
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 12:37 am
  #8  
 
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On my current trip, I am paying 43 cents per mile for around 14k miles. Of course, I'm paying through the nose because I must make a last-minute international trip.

Unfortunately, most of my mileage-earning activity is last-minute business class international travel.
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 12:57 am
  #9  
 
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I'm flying the same amount, but paying way more. I think my biggest problem is that I'm based at DTW and I just can't find cheap tickets anymore. I fly through EWR or IAH, when I used to fly through Cleveland at much lower prices. I had only one European flight this year, the rest are domestic and Caribbean, which is costing more but yielding less EQMs. I fly every 4 weeks and then some, but it just isn't adding up miles-wise. It IS adding up in fares purchased, however.

In fact, due to the higher prices I'm probably going to drop to Gold this year for the 1st time in years. If the flights were cheaper I would make Plat again easily, but that isn't going to happen. I'll hit Gold at the end of the month, but 25,000 more miles doesn't seem likely by Dec. 31st. Possible, but not likely. Fall is usually my slow period.

I should've status matched with the new Delta while I had the chance since they're now taking over DTW. (I hated NW so that was never an option.) I didn't mind paying more for CO AND not getting direct flights b/c it was never THAT much, but now the difference in fares is too obvious.

I was loyal and will remain so as long as I can afford it, but the amount of money spent versus EQMs earned is quite overwhelming this year. I doubt I'm the only one.
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 6:03 am
  #10  
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Originally Posted by thaliajen
I should've status matched with the new Delta while I had the chance since they're now taking over DTW.
You still can. The opportunity still exists AFAIK.

Originally Posted by thaliajen
I was loyal and will remain so as long as I can afford it, but the amount of money spent versus EQMs earned is quite overwhelming this year. I doubt I'm the only one.
Remember that loyalty is supposed to serve you, not the company. There is no point in loyalty if you're not seeing a return on the investment.

I'm paying a bit more per mile this year than previous but not quite as bad as the tales above. Then again, almost all my travel is discretionary so if I don't like the fare I generally don't go. Oh, and I'm not flying on CO metal nearly as much as I have previously. My next trip is EWR-SFO-ORD-BRU-ACC-(ROB)-BRU-PHL-SJU//BQN-MCO-JFK. I paid $168 for EWR-SFO, $460 for SFO-ACC-SJU and used a freebie for BQN-JFK. I'm pretty happy with the numbers I'm getting there, though trancons being up above $150 is rather annoying to me.
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Old Aug 3, 2010, 6:39 am
  #11  
 
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Doesn't nearly everyone have a higher Cents/EQM this year? Fares are up significantly from last year's lows. The airfares last year weren't sustainable... (don't get me wrong though, I love cheap fares but I also love airlines that aren't in BK or liquidating).
Renard is offline  

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