Airlines have changed the rules
 

So you tried to cash in those frequent flyer points you've worked so hard to accumulate, only to find out that the airlines have again changed the rules by requiring double points for called "flexible" or "premium" award redemption. It was bad enough before having so many seats restricted for free award redemption, but now the airlines have effectively raised the price of redemption by charging twice as many miles for free seats. By doing this, they have also severely limited "saver" award inventories; awards that used to be at the original redemption rates. Well I hope I'm not the only one that sees this trend. As a former airline manager, I can tell you that there is a concerted effort to continue down this path. Oh well, I guess we have to continue to support the new LCC's like Jetblue and the like......

FFinsider, welcome to Flyertalk. What is a "former airline manager"? Did you manage the frequent flyer program? How long have you been "former"? The points you made in your opening post are ones you can see repeated all over the various boards here. Everyone is concerned about devaluation of their hard earned points and miles. Your perspective could be interesting if you are an "insider".

The airlines are trying to strike a balance between minimizing the costs of their FF programs on the one hand and maintaining an anticompetitive environment on the other. If airlines cut their FF benefits too much, consumers will start comparison shopping each time they book a flight instead of automatically going to the airline in whose FF program they are locked. Such competition is the last thing the major airlines want.

I can't speak for others, but as for me, I already have!!! As a leisure flyer who has to pay out of pocket to climb the elite ladder, I've found it simply too much money today for too few benefits.

A few years ago when mid or top tier elite just about guaranteed free or low cost upgrades, I went out of my way to earn as much status as I could afford. But I'm not gonna pay my hard-earned dollars on more expensive premium fares and circuitous routes just to get "priority boarding" and luggage tags!

Today it seems that all the airlines are interested in are the full fare passengers, or those willing to pay a very hefty upgrade premium. Most airlines don't want to upgrade you unless you're flying an expensive fare, especially on international flights. And for those airlines that always charged for domestic upgrades, the prices have soared!

Well, today I've accepted that I now hafta sit in the Cattle Car. So now I look for the cheapest price, and maybe a few extra inches of pitch on UA or AA. And if UA and AA do away with the extra pitch, then I'll become a total "price whore," just like my Disney flyer friends!

I have noticed that at certain times, saver awards are very difficult to reserve, especially for a family of 4. Certain locations (not prime vacation destinations either) are almost impossible to get saver awards, even 4 to 6 months out. However, other markets are easy to get saver awards. I know that the award bucket is reduced and shared by all airlines in a code share so the number of awards on any given flight is greatly reduced. This is certainly true when considering the numbers of frequent flyers members (both flyers and credit card users) today than 5 years ago.

We'll all get better service at lower prices when we follow SemiElite's lead.

<diatribe>

Damn straight.

This is why I have so many different frequent flyer accounts - I don't do corporate travel adn since I'm paying out of my own pocket when I hop on an plane, the price is the first thing I look at. If it isn't taking me too far out of my way or costing me more than $15 to go on a carrier that I'd rather rack up miles with, then I'll go for that, but otherwise price rules all nowadays.

The fact is that with the huge alliances out there, I can put all of my miles on one to three programs anyway no matter what company's plane I'm riding on.

To get me to really, really think about going to a specific carrier right off the bat, they have to have a really kickass program going on (like the one United is running for us lucky DC residents). Otherwise, its just not worth the extra $ at all. Sooner or later, I'll end up using all of those miles on the different partners and for me, those free flights matter a lot mroe than status.

For example, its really hard for me to think that being "Continental Elite" means anything at all when "Elite" pre-boarding consists of 50% of all passengers (DCA), one of whom may have been upgraded and one of whom may have scored a free seat with their mileage. Yeah - great perks there.

I for one fly on CO for about 3000 miles every single month and always forego their 1000 onepass miles for purchasing with a onepass number online because I'd rather rack them up on NW. Where I can actually use them. Continental OnePass Elite seems like it couldn't possibly mean any less.

I'm sure much the same could be said for a lot of other programs. In short (too late for that :p ), dizzam strizzaight, SemiElite. I'm with you all the way on those points.

</diatribe>

peace,
~Ben~

all of this is exactly why I (A) am IN these fourms constantly trying to find ways to grab and scam as many miles as I can, and (B) have done my best to zero out many accounts and only have 3 majors in play with partner uses ready to work with:

AA, UAL, NWA.

oh sure, I have miles on others but these 3 are useful on other carries and since I have less, I acquire more on each, and thus, have the miles avail when it comes time to redeem. I do not like these weird new rule buster or premeir mileage fares that require, say, 40k when it should have been only 25k, but if I REALLY had to do it, I could, because I have racked up many by simply pulling the same crap on the airlines that they pull on us. I "RIP THEM OFF" (legally) whenever I can!

we all should. That's why AA/ebay thread, gift card threads, and others like it are so good. It's not really ripping them off but it is. Ya know?... we have to play the game!