You can always reserve the CO flights you need on the web site, choose "Pay with cash" and call the CO web support desk to add the other flights.

Hi Everyone, I’ve edited my original post to make some clarifications about the front cabin earning changes. Specifically, I had erroneously left out B class, the EQM amounts (which will be 150% EQMs for F, C, J, D, Z, Y and B for all members worldwide), and the fact this applied to travel on Continental. Sorry for the omission. Continental.com will be updated accordingly. Here are some answers to your other questions.

Hi sbm12, we do plan to participate in the Star Alliance Upgrade Award program, however, the launch date is yet to be finalized. That's why we didn't include it in the announcement.

Thanks sbm12, nice catches. Will address.

Hi cova, good question. If you have a reward booked before Oct, 27, 2009, you will be able to make changes without an additional collection provided you stick with the carriers listed on your original ticket. If you change carriers, then you'll be subject to the new reward amount.

That’s correct, cova, BusinessFirst is categorized as Business Class.

Yes, within 24 hours of your original departure and your original fare class needs to be available. If it's not, you'll be able to stand by for no fee.

Hi xyzzy, no need to read too deep into this. There are no anticipated changes to our codeshare agreements with these carriers. With this change, our Elite Qualification earnings will essentially be limited to Continental, Copa, our Virgin Atlantic codeshares and our Star Alliance members.

Hi Hartmann, as of now, Emirates will remain as partner for reward redemption.

Hi SuperG1955, there are no changes to our current Elite level thresholds.

Hi mfhstid, Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy product will not be a part of our travel reward redemption offering, nor will any of our future partners’ comparable product. For Virgin Atlantic, we offer reward options in their Economy Class and Upper Class, the latter of which is considered Business Class. In some markets, we will charge a higher mileage amount due to some contractual restrictions, and when applicable, it's denoted as such on the new reward charts.

Hi jrzyshawn, you'll be able to do this after Oct. 27 when the change goes into effect. You will however, be required to redeposit and re-redeem your reward.

Hi Funnyguy, I knew you'd be happy with this change. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until Oct. 27 to redeem at the new levels.

Hi benolaa, we'll continue to purpose O class on Continental flights as an internal-only bucket used for Platinum-only inventory on BusinessFirst itineraries. Our pricing will be set up to recognize this as Business Class, and will have no impact to our reward pricing for three-cabin first class rewards on Star Alliance members.

Thanks sbm12, looks like I left an important word out in my original post. If you are an Elite member, you will receive a new membership card by late Oct., which will reflect your Star Alliance elite level.

Hi Alpha Golf, nothing to announce at this time. Our first order of business has been to get our programs ready for entry into Star Alliance.

Hi bajrbajr, to clarify, our reward fees apply based on the Elite status of the account from which the miles were redeemed. So, if a reward was redeemed from a Platinum member's account (regardless of whether it's the member traveling) the Platinum-level fees (or lack thereof) will apply. Really... it's a good thing.

Hi flyldavid, the full Elite Qualification credit changes apply to the date of travel, not the date of purchase.

I'm very pleased with the elimination of 50% elite qualifying mileage penalty on discounted fares and the restoration of the 500-mile minimum. ^

I'm hoping that OnePass members flying on UA will earn a minimum of 100% elite qualifying miles on all fares and regardless of where the ticket was purchased and vice versa for MileagePlus members flying on CO. CO Insider, are you at liberty to shed further light on this?

Thanks! That answers my question.

Stepping in from the UA side.

About the question of earning miles on discount fares when flying various *members. I would think that the deal for CO would be more or less the same as for UA pax, and some of the partners are much stingier that others. For a general idea, see the chart in the UA FAQ:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...y-partner.html

Since the miles granted are the decision of the individual *airline, I would think the list will be very similar for CO pax. Even frequent fliers sometimes get tripped up, and the lack of miles on cheap LH fares has been a well-documented source of frustration and confusion to many MP members.

On the issue of your *Gold card. LH in particular is adament about the need to have that card for admission into their Senator lounges. Maybe they'll find a way to temporarily let CO people in with their old CO card, but many people report having been turned away even when presenting other evidence of their status - BP, printout, etc. LH runs by the rules. Period. Don't expect to get let in without a card that has the *Gold logo on it.

My take on it was that EQMs will remain at the current levels - at least for US members. B+ fares will earn EQMs at 150% (don't know about non-US based members.)

I got it wrong. It's 125% RDM and 150% EQM:Note the word I bolded...

How very German of them. ;)

No need to worry about this unless you're mid-trip and haven't picked up your mail when the change happens. We're getting new cards with *A logos.

And additional drink chits, right?? :p

Yeep -- looks like the only thing oversea elites will enjoy is the 500 booking bonus.

Unless CO outsources their production to UA, in which case you'll see them about next April. :D

Great changes, CO! The program has become far more competitive overnight.
^

Am I the only one? Why would they seperate out Japan with a whole different redemption rate? I was so hoping to redeem for HKG-NRT on ANA next year, and now it is 40K for Y (vs. 20K to ICN). It's not quite worth it anymore... :(

wow.
The changes make OnePass competitive again, especially with the removal of the SDC fee for plats, 3-cabin F and relative to UA, no *net blocking

This is an odd one. They're essentially copying UA's award chart, and UA does this too, but UA has a UA metal award NRT-South Asia for a discounted rate.

CO obviously can't offer that, since they don't have the NRT hub, so they have instead put in discounted CO Micronesia rates for some awards in Asia/Oceania.

As a UA flyer, I have to say THIS LOOKS AWESOME. I am also extremely impressed at COInsider's (positive and useful) participation in FT. I just applied for a status match, and if it goes through, CO can certainly count on my giving them enough business to maintain platinum for years to come (will still maintain 1K at UA though.) I have never flown CO before but now I am going to be a regular CO flyer. I'm sure I'm not the only one - so CO get ready for lots of new customers! Welcome to * Alliance!!!

Free meals in coach, no Starnet blocking, and staff who have good morale are worth giving up economy plus in my book!

on the whole excellent changes and a big improvement to the program. my favorites:

more 50% eqm!
no more fees whatsoever as a plat!

fantastic.

Thank you Scott for such incredible communication! ^^^

I'm in a very different group that most of you, I'm an elite (silver) passenger qualifying purely on leisure travels, and #4, which is so great for corporate travel, changes a lot of things for me:

It looks like there's gonna be a big increase in "I'm elite and I didn't know it" leisure pax, families booking vacations through expedia and orbitz, and therefore more and more silver elites. This in addition to the double EQM promo which helped things go in the same direction (albeit not for the same kind of pax).

So now we get maybe twice as many silvers (or more?), while in the same time Gold is becoming more and more rewarding (being *A gold). The gap between silver and gold is increasing, and the number of reasons to qualify for Gold as well. I'm finally making Gold next month (yes, only on leisure, and mainly with cheap fares bought on co.com), so I'm... mmm... golden ;)

But of course, I'm not naif enough not to know that elite levels are here to reward and encourage corporate travel, i.e. big spenders, and not leisure, i.e. cheapo's. So this makes a lot of sense for continental - and it makes for a happy CO board here on FT, which is just as well :)

I'm guessing that's why they're printing new cards. Otherwise, it seems rather pointless, but perhaps it can be financially justified as part of a "look, we're now in the Star Alliance" campaign.

FWIW, I have occasionally been required to show my "Skyteam Elite Plus" card for lounge admission overseas.

BTW, my impression is that the overseas Star Alliance lounges will be a bit better than the SkyTeam lounges. Like Lufthansa always seems to put out a better spread in their lounge than does Air France.

Well, in many cases the reward was 50K before intra-Asia, so it isn't all bad news.

Why would you maintain both? Without knowing what additional benefits will exist between the two it seems rather premature to make that move now. I understand wanting to shift some flying if that makes sense for you, but if you can keep all your miles in one place and get the benefits that would make the most sense, no?
I have been every time.

I just moved back from YouRope for Mileathon...

Wow, never thought I would see a post like this....:D

I agree, though AF lounges in Terminal E at CDG are VERY nice, the ones in the same airport at Terminal D and B were total trash.

When I read that I tried to imagine how many people on Smith St. had just fallen out of their chairs. :p

Scott, thanks. This is on the whole good, except for mileage increases for redemptions to/from EU and Asia. At least they're small increases and not mass devaluation.

I'll have to recompute my comparison charts on the DL board regarding redemption costs. CO still wins but by a slightly smaller margin than before.

SDC for Plats and the fee waiver is great. A real benefit, not an :-:enhancement:-: (a term that should be reserved for DL).

But the big deal, as always, is direct, clear and open communication with the OPE, giving us both the confidence and the incentive to accumulate as many OP miles as possible in 2010. I only had 50k EQM booked for 2010 so far, but I'll step it up soon.

This is the absolute inverse of the Deltified mess over at NW and the disappointing maneuvering to reduce transparency regarding benefits - and the actual program benefits - as practiced by DL. I know, we shouldn't be surprised by these activities from airlines that don't even deign to publish their award charts and impose hated "International Origination Surcharges" on awards.

Anyway, you can be sure that any and all of my business goes to CO for these reasons. OP is more competitive than before, yes.

Still, it's a shame about the final end of the NW/CO partnership - from a customer viewpoint, hands down, the best in the industry and an example of what some claimed was/is impossible.

I wonder if future goodies include SWUs for Plats who exceed thresholds beyond 75K - perhaps tied in some way to standard award availability for use.

I only hope we don't get another double whammy. I think most of us remember the hoopla and celebration when Elite Access was rolled out - a couple days after dancing on our Blue Carpets, we were hit with the 50% EQM change.

Kind of like butter up, then slap down :)

However, I think these changes offer insight into two courses of action - prepare for *A harmonization, but also re-energize the competitive side of OnePass to go after DL and AA.

And I never thought CO would reverse so many past, negative decisions overnight. Remember it was just about a year ago when CO had posted they stand behind the 50% EQM rule.

It looke like they've finally grown up and realized that the protectionist regime isn't the right thing to do in the context of a major global alliance and a joint-venture they're about to join.

I can't help but think that these changes, joining *A, and Larry's departure are not coincidental.

The lack of Starnet blocking is extremely attractive! Makes me question my UA 1K status and is a big explanation for me moving business over to AA this year (plus, I liked the fact that AA EXPs get First Class lounge access on international flights). The one thing that keeps me linked to UA and AA is their great systemwide upgrades -- for someone like me who travels internationally quite a bit, those are a prerequisite for any program. If CO adds those ... where do I sign up? :)

I think the former is the key. It would be difficult for CO to have its customers sitting next to UA customers on the same plane, talking, when CO had a significantly weaker program.

Now, aside from SWUs (and as you say, maybe we'll see that), and certificate ugrades vs. EUA, the programs are very much similar, barring some nuances here or there.

What I'm hoping is that CO is not just doing this to match UA, rather these changes really reflect a mindshift in CO regarding the loyalty program -- in that they want the loyalty program to drive buisness, rather than being a necessary cost just because the competitors do it.

Every item can be justified in some way. You can argue that not charging Platinums a $25 SDC fee is a loss of revenue. You can also argue that waiving the $25 SDC fee for Platinums helps ensure that his future business comes to CO since he knows he can take advantage of that perk and frees up a seat later for sale or IRROPS handling for a misconnected customer. Which is the bigger win? $25 in the pocket (or not filling that empty seat if the customer decided to not spend the $25 and instead drink CO's beer in the club for an extra hour or two)? Or the happy customer who changed for free, plus the second customer who misconnected but was quickly reaccommodated because he didn't have to overnight since space was now available on a flight he could use?

As you can see from the positive reaction here, people are already more apt to give CO business because of a more generous program. Plus with 100% EQM regardless of booking channel, it lays the groundwork for 100% EQM for UA flyers flying CO as well -- we will likely see more UA flyers try out CO, or use CO when it's convenient. CO's southern and Texas networks will come in handy for UA.

While I'm sure there is some cost associated with positive changes, hopefully this will pay off for them and prove it was the right thing to do.

Even after CO Insider's answer, I am still unclear. Does the Amtrak change apply to the Acela trains as well? I am frequently on the NYP-WAS Acela and a lot of my Continental EQM earnings comes from taking this train often. Does this mean that this benefit is going away or only the Amtrak codeshares to EWR?

"Better Elite bonuses on short-haul flights. Effective Oct. 27, Elite bonuses will be based on the 500 minimum mileage earned instead of the actual miles flown. This falls into the “every little bit counts” category"

Oh, thank you thank you thank you! I start and end every flight with 72 miles CLL-IAH!

This will make a big difference!

can u cross the border to go to SZX and then it uses only 25K?

Hi vdostoi1, Elite mileage bonuses, Elite Qualification Miles, and Elite Qualification Points will no longer be offered on Amtrak - this encompasses all services including Continental codeshares and Acela.

THANK YOU!

Just today I completed my status match from NW/DL to CO, so count yourself up one customer at least :) I plan to completely switch over all travel because this is a great program. My only hesitation to move in the past had been the 50% EQMs (yes, I'm one of the corporate travel hostages) and now you've solved that. As well, being *A gold is such a bonus, for me based out of YYZ.

The one other thing I'd love to see (which has already been mentioned) is reciprocal upgrades on other *A carriers (for me AC would be HUGE!)

Again, thank you. COInsider, you seem like a stand-up guy and reminicent of NWScoop of years gone by - great to see ^

Thanks, Scott.

Welcome to Continental!

You'll have a great experience here - just use OLCI and avoid eye contact and conversations with the YYZ agents and you will be fine :)

Hopefully CO will move to T1/2 and we'll get a nicer, larger terminal and the Maple Leaf Lounge.

Not only that, on the award chart.

N Asia - N Asia = 25k
S Asia - S Asia = 25k
S Asia - N Asia = 20k

So it is cheaper to do SIN-ICN than SIN-HKG or SIN-BKK. At least UA Intra S.Asia is 20k and SIN/BKK-NRT on UA is 20K also. Otherwise, CO is just like UA single out Japan for higher redemption rates. NRT-CNS on CO is pretty good deal for 35K. Also RTW only Y/C/F 160/220/280 looks very good. How many stops does CO allow on RTW trip?

I didn't think of it. That works if the carrier of choice (ANA) flies to SZX. I don't want to redeem on CA or make another transfer besides the trip to SZX.

Looks like I have to plan differently then.

Even if they do accidentally qualify for Silver: You'll be Gold, so what do you care? :D