Major QRPC Changes - effective 27 May 2018
#481
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: MEL
Programs: DL, QF, QR Gold, MR Lifetime Gold
Posts: 6,989
Several programs have had fairly sudden changes. AF/KL Flying Blue had an April 1st "event" that started quite a storm. It happens. I don't recall many improvements (more flexibility, reduced cost), and certainly not without something bad being rolled out at the same time... it just goes to show that these FF currencies are quite volatile and it is unreasonable to expect the value to remain constant. This realisation is what prompted me to ditch the FF obsession in favour of a practical approach (fly primarily on price/convenience + burn points/miles quickly rather than build up a balance.)
#482
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 776
Several programs have had fairly sudden changes. AF/KL Flying Blue had an April 1st "event" that started quite a storm. It happens. I don't recall many improvements (more flexibility, reduced cost), and certainly not without something bad being rolled out at the same time... it just goes to show that these FF currencies are quite volatile and it is unreasonable to expect the value to remain constant. This realisation is what prompted me to ditch the FF obsession in favour of a practical approach (fly primarily on price/convenience + burn points/miles quickly rather than build up a balance.)
#483
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Doha, Qatar
Programs: Qatar Airways Privilege Club Platinum; Accor Le Club Platinum
Posts: 1,074
I was reading View from The Wing today and Gary posted an interesting read on customer loyalty. Too bad the Privilege Club management don’t read, otherwise they might get some value from the article https://viewfromthewing.boardingarea...-devaluations/
#484
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: DXB
Programs: Marriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, BA Silver, A3 Gold, Sixt Diamond
Posts: 2,802
A friend of mine works as a loyalty program consultant for a major consultancy company.
He just received this job offer:
In case anyone wants to apply:
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/s...jobs_job_image
He just received this job offer:
In case anyone wants to apply:
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/s...jobs_job_image
#485
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 10
This program sucks beyond belief since the 'enhancements'. And the Qmiles team are bloody idiots. Had to change a reward ticket. Impossible to do it online of course. Had to email. No response. I called and 'sorry we cannot do this anymore but you can do it online'. Then got email response after about a week explaining that date change would cost $25. So I responded OK. Nothing happened. Emailed again. After about 5 days got a response that change of date would cost $25 but if within 3 days before departure it would cost $100 and after departure miles would be forfeited.
You can guess what happened next. Few more emails explaining me the same WITHOUT rescheduling the flight or solving the problem. Departure date arrived, the flight was not rescheduled and miles have disappeared. From the names under the email it seems they employ a bunch of Indians there. And they clearly have no capability to look at the total case. It is each for his own as if it is the very first time they see your email. I am having one more flight with them, and sell the miles although I suspect they are pretty useless after the 'enhancements'. Never seen such an unmanaged bunch of people handling the 'loyalty program of a 5 star airline'. If that bunch worked for me I had them fired long time ago. Bloody idiots.
If anyone has a suggestion for a good OW program do let me know. I don't care about status as I fly BC/FC anyway. I just need a program with a good earn/burn ratio and low surcharges. I am flying mostly longhaul on no particular airline.
You can guess what happened next. Few more emails explaining me the same WITHOUT rescheduling the flight or solving the problem. Departure date arrived, the flight was not rescheduled and miles have disappeared. From the names under the email it seems they employ a bunch of Indians there. And they clearly have no capability to look at the total case. It is each for his own as if it is the very first time they see your email. I am having one more flight with them, and sell the miles although I suspect they are pretty useless after the 'enhancements'. Never seen such an unmanaged bunch of people handling the 'loyalty program of a 5 star airline'. If that bunch worked for me I had them fired long time ago. Bloody idiots.
If anyone has a suggestion for a good OW program do let me know. I don't care about status as I fly BC/FC anyway. I just need a program with a good earn/burn ratio and low surcharges. I am flying mostly longhaul on no particular airline.
#486
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: FLYINGBLUE Gold QRPC Gold OMAN SINDBAD Gold
Posts: 408
Qatar Airways take note: even the 4x miles black Friday promo was not good enough to get me buying a needed rtn ticket europe<>asia with qr, due to the ridiculously poor value of Qpesos following this year's devaluation.
Already booked on Eva air and Oman Air.
Cheers.
Already booked on Eva air and Oman Air.
Cheers.
#487
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 776
Qatar Airways take note: even the 4x miles black Friday promo was not good enough to get me buying a needed rtn ticket europe<>asia with qr, due to the ridiculously poor value of Qpesos following this year's devaluation.
Already booked on Eva air and Oman Air.
Cheers.
Already booked on Eva air and Oman Air.
Cheers.
#488
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Singapore & Globe trotting
Programs: QR Gold, ITA Club Executive, Hilton Gold, GHA Titanium, Taj Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 422
Qatar Airways take note: even the 4x miles black Friday promo was not good enough to get me buying a needed rtn ticket europe<>asia with qr, due to the ridiculously poor value of Qpesos following this year's devaluation.
Already booked on Eva air and Oman Air.
Cheers.
Already booked on Eva air and Oman Air.
Cheers.
#489
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 795
Repeatedly moaning about the same thing does become a bit tiresome.
However, in the name of science the other day I thought I'd request a replacement membership card (again). They are still in the process of printing the new design, apparently, and will be sending them out once ready.
It would've been much easier to say they've stopped sending physical cards, so I believe them. An actual piece of metal coming...probably.
Hope springs eternal. Not long until the festive season. Etc.
Incidentally, there are 2 of us in a 42 seat J cabin today. Bit gutted the other person turned up at the last minute actually. Cabin to yourself is a much better story
However, in the name of science the other day I thought I'd request a replacement membership card (again). They are still in the process of printing the new design, apparently, and will be sending them out once ready.
It would've been much easier to say they've stopped sending physical cards, so I believe them. An actual piece of metal coming...probably.
Hope springs eternal. Not long until the festive season. Etc.
Incidentally, there are 2 of us in a 42 seat J cabin today. Bit gutted the other person turned up at the last minute actually. Cabin to yourself is a much better story
#490
Join Date: Aug 2017
Programs: FLYINGBLUE Gold QRPC Gold OMAN SINDBAD Gold
Posts: 408
Qatar Airways ticket prices are simply higher than the competition, and after this year's devaluation of QRPC and customer service worsening, i decided i won't pay any premium anymore for flying Qatar Airways.
#491
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Singapore & Globe trotting
Programs: QR Gold, ITA Club Executive, Hilton Gold, GHA Titanium, Taj Gold, Accor Gold, Marriott Gold Elite
Posts: 422
Well regarding hard product EVA 777 reverse herringbone and Oman Apex suites beat Qatar Airways non Qsuite 777 or A330 J seats IMO.
Qatar Airways ticket prices are simply higher than the competition, and after this year's devaluation of QRPC and customer service worsening, i decided i won't pay any premium anymore for flying Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways ticket prices are simply higher than the competition, and after this year's devaluation of QRPC and customer service worsening, i decided i won't pay any premium anymore for flying Qatar Airways.
#492
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 10
Does anyone have a good suggestion for a OW program instead of QRPC? I'm Asia based, only fly occasionally OW but if so only BC. I guess my main priority would be a program with a good earn/burn rate thats is advanced enough to have me book/amend award tickets online. Any program where I need to call, or visit, is a no-go. Status is nice but not a priority for me.
Thanks.
Thanks.
#493
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,658
So, as we know, there was much discussion about the "major changes" really being little more than an across-the-board devaluation. I wasn't sure, as I didn't see any really specific numbers that would make it clear. I did see that award availability has increased since a couple of years ago, and the increased availability seems to have held, at least so far.
I have an upcoming RTW MR in F coming up in about a month; and I thought that it might be interesting and instructive to compare the earnings and benefits of the two programs that I use for OneWorld, AA and QR, to see what the real story was with the "devaluation."
A few introductory notes which will help you understand my analysis:
1. I spend most of my time in Thailand, but go to BOS five or six times per year. So I'm looking at 5-6 roundtrips annually, BKK-BOS.
2. My two preferred routings are CX (BKK-HKG-BOS) and QR (BKK-DOH-BOS).
3. I consider QR J more or less equal (at least in terms of desirability for me) to CX F. The bed in CX F is unbeatable, IMO; but QR wins on pretty much everything else. So I'm perfectly happy with either.
4. The HKG and DOH airport experiences, at least for me, while very different, are roughly equivalent in terms of desirability. I like and enjoy them both. Same with the lounges.
5. Current redemption rates are 110K AA miles for CX F and 169K QR miles for QR J, both one way BKK/BOS.
6. I assumed my current elite status levels, AA PLT PRO and QR PLT for elite status levels. My AA earnings will be a little higher since I would reach EXP at some point towards the end of my itinerary (if I credit to AA), but I did not take that into account in the calculation.
How I did the calculations: For AA, I used Milecalc.com to calculate the BIS miles, then applied the multipliers listed on AA.com for elite status bonus and class of service bonus. I used the formulas on the website to calculate bonuses on a segment-by-segment and carrier-by-carrier basis, again using the info provided on AA.com in the AAdvantage section of the website. For QR, I used the QCalculator.
Itinerary: SEZ-LHR-LAX-JFK-HKG-NRT-CMB-NRT-SIN-SYD-DOH-CDG-DOH-LHR-JNB. I did not include in either of the calculations the earnings from a side trip LAX-SEA-LAX I have to make for one day while I'm in Los Angeles.
Fare Basis: A for those routes with F service, D otherwise.
Standard of Measure: I don't care about how many miles are earned because you still have to factor in the redemption rate to understand what one has really earned on a flight. What I look at is how many one-way tickets the flight/itinerary gets me on a redemption. (I don't think that I've explained this clearly, but it will become more clear below.)
Credit to QR: The itinerary earned 114,351 QMiles, equivalent to ⅔ of a one way ticket BOS/BKK in QR J.
Credit to AA: The itinerary earned 135,809 spendable AAdvantage miles, equivalent to 1 one way tickets BOS/BKK in CX F.
So there's the answer. The devaluation was both real and quantifiable. I'll be crediting to AA.
I have an upcoming RTW MR in F coming up in about a month; and I thought that it might be interesting and instructive to compare the earnings and benefits of the two programs that I use for OneWorld, AA and QR, to see what the real story was with the "devaluation."
A few introductory notes which will help you understand my analysis:
1. I spend most of my time in Thailand, but go to BOS five or six times per year. So I'm looking at 5-6 roundtrips annually, BKK-BOS.
2. My two preferred routings are CX (BKK-HKG-BOS) and QR (BKK-DOH-BOS).
3. I consider QR J more or less equal (at least in terms of desirability for me) to CX F. The bed in CX F is unbeatable, IMO; but QR wins on pretty much everything else. So I'm perfectly happy with either.
4. The HKG and DOH airport experiences, at least for me, while very different, are roughly equivalent in terms of desirability. I like and enjoy them both. Same with the lounges.
5. Current redemption rates are 110K AA miles for CX F and 169K QR miles for QR J, both one way BKK/BOS.
6. I assumed my current elite status levels, AA PLT PRO and QR PLT for elite status levels. My AA earnings will be a little higher since I would reach EXP at some point towards the end of my itinerary (if I credit to AA), but I did not take that into account in the calculation.
How I did the calculations: For AA, I used Milecalc.com to calculate the BIS miles, then applied the multipliers listed on AA.com for elite status bonus and class of service bonus. I used the formulas on the website to calculate bonuses on a segment-by-segment and carrier-by-carrier basis, again using the info provided on AA.com in the AAdvantage section of the website. For QR, I used the QCalculator.
Itinerary: SEZ-LHR-LAX-JFK-HKG-NRT-CMB-NRT-SIN-SYD-DOH-CDG-DOH-LHR-JNB. I did not include in either of the calculations the earnings from a side trip LAX-SEA-LAX I have to make for one day while I'm in Los Angeles.
Fare Basis: A for those routes with F service, D otherwise.
Standard of Measure: I don't care about how many miles are earned because you still have to factor in the redemption rate to understand what one has really earned on a flight. What I look at is how many one-way tickets the flight/itinerary gets me on a redemption. (I don't think that I've explained this clearly, but it will become more clear below.)
Credit to QR: The itinerary earned 114,351 QMiles, equivalent to ⅔ of a one way ticket BOS/BKK in QR J.
Credit to AA: The itinerary earned 135,809 spendable AAdvantage miles, equivalent to 1 one way tickets BOS/BKK in CX F.
So there's the answer. The devaluation was both real and quantifiable. I'll be crediting to AA.
#494
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: DXB
Programs: Marriott Titanium Elite, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, BA Silver, A3 Gold, Sixt Diamond
Posts: 2,802
Does anyone have a good suggestion for a OW program instead of QRPC? I'm Asia based, only fly occasionally OW but if so only BC. I guess my main priority would be a program with a good earn/burn rate thats is advanced enough to have me book/amend award tickets online. Any program where I need to call, or visit, is a no-go. Status is nice but not a priority for me.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Earnings are usually good and as they have distance-based awards, you can get some great deals in Asia, and you dont need a lot of miles for a redemption.
For example, I have redeemed 9000 Avios (worth ~100 USD) for KIX-PVG in JL coach oneway, which otherwise would have cost ~1000 USD.
You need to fly BA/IB to earn elite status, but if you dont care about that, I think it can be a great choice.
Btw, greetings from QR172 ARN-DOH!
Its my first time flying QSuites, and I am completely blown away. I think I might even prefer this over LH F.
#495
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 426
I dont know enough about AA, CX or JL to comment, but I think BA could be a great choice.
Earnings are usually good and as they have distance-based awards, you can get some great deals in Asia, and you dont need a lot of miles for a redemption.
For example, I have redeemed 9000 Avios (worth ~100 USD) for KIX-PVG in JL coach oneway, which otherwise would have cost ~1000 USD.
You need to fly BA/IB to earn elite status, but if you dont care about that, I think it can be a great choice.
Btw, greetings from QR172 ARN-DOH!
Its my first time flying QSuites, and I am completely blown away. I think I might even prefer this over LH F.