Well, our new Frequent Flyer and Frequent Stay programs kits are starting to arrive in the mail. I have received my Air Canada Aeroplan SuperElite [STARGold, top tier] package and my Six Continents Priority Club Gold [Platinum still to come from my Six Continents Club status]. I'm awaiting stickers from AA for my [earned] Platinum status. Starwood and HHonors kits are yet to come.

But more to the point of this thread: program by program, we are discovering minor, or major, changes from last year. For example, UA has decided to give a bonus this year to elites who actually earned their new status by flying the normal number of miles last year. AA has not done anything for those elites. And AC retroactively reduced requalifications levels, and has introduced a new set of first flight bonuses this year. UA has just removed FF miles from its weekend web specials, as NW had done last year.

AC changed the eligible fares for upgrading, as well as the confirmation threshold for these upgrades. This has caused calls for a boycott of the airline by Canadian FTers.

So any surprises in your new program kits? Anything that either upsets you, or pleases you?

I haven't received any of my "kits" yet and am wondering about this UA bonus. What is it?

Kathy

Some 1Ks are getting 5000 Q miles this year if they flew the required Q miles/segments to make 1K in 2001.

My main upset is that LH significantly increased the necessary miles for upgrades between Europe and Asia from Jan 01. Anyway this has been discussed in the LH forum.

Empress: "Some" 1Ks are getting Q miles? Is this not being given to all 1Ks that qualified the "old fashioned way" in 2001?
I recently contacted MP saying that I sure hoped that 100 segment/100,000 mile UA flyers in 2001 would be appropriately recognized.

Starting on March 1, NWA said it no longer will fence off 14 days a year, mainly around major holidays, from members of its WorldPerks loyalty program who want to fly domestically free of charge. They will drop blackout dates in other regions as well, including all weekends from June through August, on its flights to Europe.!

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On the other hand:

Continental OnePass announced, beginning June 1, the program is discontinuing its 20,000-mile off-peak (Sept. 1 . May 31) domestic award.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/006129.html


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Perhaps it is also time for

www.saveworldperks.com

now as well?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum35/HTML/002596.html

Here's a free link to the current story:

Northwest drops blackout dates

Yes, I guess so! It's gone so that they can be competitive!

http://www.msnbc.com/news/691969.asp?0dm=C1BOL



[This message has been edited by doc (edited 01-22-2002).]

From a bunch of threads in US-land:[*]The SWUs sent out in the 2002 Welcome Kits will only be available to be upgraded at the 7/3/1 day windows (for CP/Gold/Silver)[*]New fare class for full fare Y upgrades[*]All transatlantic fares above V are now upgradeable w/ miles.

Oh boy. Any changes to DL or AA (where I've got my most miles)?

NW is also eliminating off peak awards, while retaining the Sat night stay. So if you have no Sat night stay most of the airlines require 25K miles, while NW will require 50K miles for US coach tickets.

Elimination of Blackout Dates, in and of itself, is only good PR semantics. It will interesting to so how many available reward seats NW actually implements during the previously blacked out dates.

AA has eliminated the discounted 2-fer awards (2 first class or buisness class awards) : These awards are available till 4/30/02 (unofficially perhaps till 6/30/02) for use within 1 year.

Summary of WP changes:

50% Flight Mile bonus for First and World Business class tickets. Flight Miles are NW's term for elite qualifying miles.

250 bonus miles per segment on Cyber savers. Bonus miles is NW's term for miles that do not count towards elite status.

Changes to the cost award tickets - the minimum is now 25,000 for a domestic coach, up from 20,000. Capacity controls still tight for tickets, but black out dates now waved for non-elites as well. Best news of the change - middle east is now part of the "Europe" area.

Over all - what people have predicted for some time, a gradual move towards not giving miles for very cheap fairs, giving some miles for discount fares, and full value for high priced fares.

Is there any actual good news here? For the travelling sales man traveller - yes, they will have an edge over most other elites, and be even with their continental brethern on earning. For everyone else - no, there is no good news here.

When did UA make that move and when can I find info---I just looked at ual.com and found:
E-Fares are often subject to more limitations and restrictions than regular fares. If you have questions, check E-Fare facts for International , Domestic and E-Fares Specials before you buy. E-Fares are not eligible for online booking bonus miles. Only standard Mileage Plus flight miles will be earned upon completion of an E-Fares flight.

UA changes for weekend webspecials:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum50/HTML/010177.html

It's still just a rumour at this point.