Restriction on First rewards
 

https://www.emirates.com/ae/english/...es-calculator/

A few less influencers?

A touch less instagramming?

Churners churned elsewhere?

Fantastic move by Emirates.

Look after the status holders, and they look after the airline.

Agree. Far too diluted of a product

I assume the US credit card market and the ease of earning transferable miles there is a factor, alongside maintaining exclusivity. Would be nice to get some additional Platinum availability or something as the next step.

Understandable why they've done it. I guess most people who fly enough on cash fares to earn the points to redeem will have status of some sort, so it's really only going to upset those who are paying for the flights with points accrued on credit cards.

For the UK market at least the warning signs came when Amex had to devalue the conversion to Skywards a couple of years back.

Understandable, however I would say maybe a few weeks notice may have been considered fairer, rather than 48 hours notice if that.

I think the short notice period is arguably a bit mean, but this comes just after a big global double Tier Miles offer, which I imagine is deliberate - if you aren’t going to earn Skywards status now you probably never will.

As someone who hangs out in churner circles (and as an aside has no particular interest in flying EK on points at least not since the cheap AS awards went away), it seems most churners are doing the airport upgrade path after booking J on points usually on one of the fifth freedom flights to minimize YQ). And it is not clear this change addresses that. Also if they really want to book direct they can just get one of the Barclays EK cards that give you Silver or Gold in the first year (churners going to churn and all that).

A lot of bloggers/influencers have suddenly less topic to write about, dried up source of inspiration....

While I have not been bothered by vloggers and "influencers" on my EK flights (maybe I'm lucky considering I'm in NY), I don't feel strongly about this change one way or another. Maybe because I pay with $ and have status...but so be it. AF restricts LP much more than this and LX has had restrictions on F for many years.

The idea that restricting EK F awards is going to limit "influencers", social media clout posting, or people who don't behave appropriately... this is Emirates and Dubai we're talking about.

I just booked F on GameChanger before this change kicks in.

That being said, anyone in U.S. can just grab the Barclays Emirates card and get silver status for a measly $99 AF

I booked J on points and was planning to upgrade when more seats were released, which I was projecting would happen May 13. Oof. Curious to see if I'll be restricted from upgrading.

It has nothing to do with keeping influencers out.

Restricting F achieves:
- Eliminating brokered F seats once and for all (revenue protection).
- Forces Americans to get the co-brand credit card if they don't already hold status (revenue stream for EK).
- Turns F redemptions into a benefit of status rather than a competition against the masses.
- Ratchet up the exclusivity on redemptions because EK has a large high-value-pax base in UAE and has no problems shelling out cash for F.

Remember that Gold/Platinum status already requires at least one paid segment in J/F to qualify.
Achieving EK status costs more than the equivalent status on any other airline, and protecting that revenue from top customers is what drives the profits.

The interesting question will be whether QF (and AC) will be required to impose similar restrictions. If not, I presume it'd be easy enough to transfer from one of the points currencies across to QF instead of EK itself...

Spot on.

If this is to make any sense, I think it goes without saying that partner programs will lose access to EK F awards.

By brokered seats do you mean those shady websites that sell J/F tickets for 40-50% discount?

i was always wondering how their business model works - do they just use points to buy on behalf of their customers?

I wonder if J -> F upgrades using miles will also be restricted to status holding members.

Combination of selling deep discount J/F on some airlines (where no mileage etc. is earned) and yes, booking points redemptions and charging cash for it. Many of the customers do not know the difference in the fare type or care.

Or from India as well for around $117 a year ( Rs 10000 a year)

Sadly, Qantas bronze members (no status) will have the same first-class access as Emirates Platinum members.
https://flighthacks.com.au/qff-acces...s-first-class/

Only Platinum.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9494a35e43.jpg

Correct.
The most common way is to use points from someone else to book your cheap J/F ticket.
Transferring points in from Amex/Citi or similar.... into an aged account, or one where name matching won't flag anything.
EK are good at cancelling tickets, so fewer get through these days, but it still happens.

Stay away from these tickets.

Makes sense.. Some of the co branded cards give silver and then gold based on spend.. There is some minimum spend on EK needed but its only like $600 a year ..

Pretty stupid isn't it. Nothing to stop us from just transferring CC points over to QF to redeem EK F.

If you have an F award booked, do you think they will allow changes?

Yes, they do. Just tried to change an existing ticket and new flights show up. So no worries.

I get an error when I click on the modify trip option.

Air Canada AP can still book F, but subject to dynamic pricing rate. I checked BKK-HKG in F and it cost about 125k Aeroplan points.

This doesn’t affect upgrade? It’s just annoying cos now I cannot check if there is upgrade availability from J to F…

Doesn't it say if it's available when booking J? It did for me last night.

Availability of EK F through QF is very limited, even more so after these changes as the number of seats available on QF seems to have reduced

Looks like seats.aero has lost all visibility to F inventory. I have a bunch of EK miles that are expiring this year and was hoping to use but we're now flying blind (and have no status)

It still shows it through Qantas.

Anyone know if it’s possible to book an award for someone else who doesn’t have status? I have silver via the CC, but since EK often releases 1 seat at a time I’ve often had to book Mrs SEA737 in a different reservation. Wondering if that will still work (I don’t have enough miles currently to test it out)

Yes, no problem to book rewards for others. Log in to your account and when you get to passenger details enter your wife's info. I don't see this latest restriction stopping that.

It appears that with regards to the loopholes, QF have now been instructed to "close the door, a little" so the US whales have slightly more trouble fitting through ... minor amount of status now required to book via QF, as well as the usual increase in points.

what QF status is required to access EK first now, Emir?

Just "silver". I believe. Haven't flown QF this century, so don't know details on whether flights on "QF metal" are required to attain.