New Benefits for Gold members
Oct 3, 2010 | 8:07 am
#47
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD, LHR, FCO
Programs: BA Gold, etc. etc.
Posts: 1,401
OK, let me make a prediction then. As of Friday 1 Oct, the S&P 500 closed at 1146 and the FTSE 100 at 5592. I am pretty confident that by Friday 22 Oct the S&P 500 will have plunged through 990 and the FTSE 100 will be somewhere below 4800. We can talk again about pessimistic clairvoyance then. 
Oct 3, 2010 | 9:29 am
#48
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold; LH Senator
Posts: 30,567
OK, let me make a prediction then. As of Friday 1 Oct, the S&P 500 closed at 1146 and the FTSE 100 at 5592. I am pretty confident that by Friday 22 Oct the S&P 500 will have plunged through 990 and the FTSE 100 will be somewhere below 4800. We can talk again about pessimistic clairvoyance then.
Oct 3, 2010 | 9:35 am
#49
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold(OWE), QF LTG, MR Plat, IHG Spire, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,156
Not entirely true. AF FB also gives 300% for F, to which you can also add another 100% if you are Plat (and the elite bonus applies to all ST carriers).
And, of course, within *A you can get up to 635% with BD's Diamond Club.
That said, I am not sure that F earnings are terribly significant for most flyers. C/J earnings are more typical of most premium class flyers.
Depending on status and airline flown, you can earn:
With BA: between 150% and 250% .
With BD: between 200% and 435%.
With AF: between 125% and 275% on long-haul and between 175% and 350% within Europe.
And, of course, within *A you can get up to 635% with BD's Diamond Club.
That said, I am not sure that F earnings are terribly significant for most flyers. C/J earnings are more typical of most premium class flyers.
Depending on status and airline flown, you can earn:
With BA: between 150% and 250% .
With BD: between 200% and 435%.
With AF: between 125% and 275% on long-haul and between 175% and 350% within Europe.
Oct 3, 2010 | 9:55 am
#50
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: London
Programs: Mucci. Nothing else matters.
Posts: 38,752
Oct 3, 2010 | 1:52 pm
#52
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD, LHR, FCO
Programs: BA Gold, etc. etc.
Posts: 1,401
Oct 3, 2010 | 2:36 pm
#53
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold(OWE), QF LTG, MR Plat, IHG Spire, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,156
Looking forward to visiting this thread in just under 3 weeks.
Oct 3, 2010 | 6:21 pm
#54
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD, LHR, FCO
Programs: BA Gold, etc. etc.
Posts: 1,401
Oct 3, 2010 | 6:36 pm
#55
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Gold(OWE), QF LTG, MR Plat, IHG Spire, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,156
Oct 3, 2010 | 7:11 pm
#56
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD, LHR, FCO
Programs: BA Gold, etc. etc.
Posts: 1,401
That's largely a non-event as regards the markets. While UK equities may react for about 30 minutes to the CSR or whatever else comes out of the new clowns who have recently replaced the old ones, it will have absolutely no major effect on the equity markets, and especially the US equity market (S&P 500). There are about 50 other factors far more important than the CSR that will drive equities in the next few weeks and months.
Oct 3, 2010 | 8:20 pm
#57
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: The Hague, NL
Programs: GMLFL, Life 2.0 - Mucci Premiere Classe & des Chevaliers Toulousiens
Posts: 22,914
My mood is also a good indicator for the global markets. I have been in an exceptionally good mood lately, so I am forecasting a 2% rise in both indices by Oct 22nd. This is largely based on the quality of my breakfast.
I would say that London Dude and I would have about the same chance of being proven right based on pure chance alone. It is all a big lottery anyways and anybody who claims he/she can find some logic behind it can possibly also explain Quantum Mechanics to me.
Mind you, I did pay for my entire sabbatical (and then some) by buying shares in early in 2009 and selling them by the end of that same year.
Watch this space on 22/10/10!
I would say that London Dude and I would have about the same chance of being proven right based on pure chance alone. It is all a big lottery anyways and anybody who claims he/she can find some logic behind it can possibly also explain Quantum Mechanics to me.
Mind you, I did pay for my entire sabbatical (and then some) by buying shares in early in 2009 and selling them by the end of that same year.
Watch this space on 22/10/10!
Oct 4, 2010 | 4:14 am
#58
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD, LHR, FCO
Programs: BA Gold, etc. etc.
Posts: 1,401
My mood is also a good indicator for the global markets. I have been in an exceptionally good mood lately, so I am forecasting a 2% rise in both indices by Oct 22nd. This is largely based on the quality of my breakfast.
I would say that London Dude and I would have about the same chance of being proven right based on pure chance alone. It is all a big lottery anyways and anybody who claims he/she can find some logic behind it can possibly also explain Quantum Mechanics to me.
Mind you, I did pay for my entire sabbatical (and then some) by buying shares in early in 2009 and selling them by the end of that same year.
Watch this space on 22/10/10!
I would say that London Dude and I would have about the same chance of being proven right based on pure chance alone. It is all a big lottery anyways and anybody who claims he/she can find some logic behind it can possibly also explain Quantum Mechanics to me.
Mind you, I did pay for my entire sabbatical (and then some) by buying shares in early in 2009 and selling them by the end of that same year.
Watch this space on 22/10/10!
Oct 4, 2010 | 4:22 am
#59
Join Date: Jul 2005
Programs: MUCCI Classe des Flatteurs Preferes, LH SEN, BA silver, IHG Gold, Accor Gold
Posts: 998
My very cheap ET flight from the 1st October has posted to my account with the enhanced miles and TPs. I do quite a few discount ET flights, so the new earning levels will help me out (assuming redemption / qualification levels remain unchanged).
On the very minor slight irritation level, with the increased TP levels it now turns out that I have already bought Mr flyingbee a CE sector to get him enough TPs for silver re-qualification that could now have been ET. But overall, it is better for us, so I'm not going to complain, and I'm sure Mr flyingbee will enjoy his now unnecessary CE sector while I'm slumming it in ET on the same flight.
I do quite a few discount ET flights, so the new earning levels will help me out (assuming redemption / qualification levels remain unchanged).On the very minor slight irritation level, with the increased TP levels it now turns out that I have already bought Mr flyingbee a CE sector to get him enough TPs for silver re-qualification that could now have been ET. But overall, it is better for us, so I'm not going to complain, and I'm sure Mr flyingbee will enjoy his now unnecessary CE sector while I'm slumming it in ET on the same flight.
Oct 4, 2010 | 5:57 am
#60
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Brooklyn
Posts: 214
Maybe miles should be traded on an exchange like currency to determine their real value!
I agree, net net these changes are actually quite negative especially if you're Gold, and Silver to a lesser extent.
Don't be fooled by the marketing spiel in BA's announcement, this is essentially a transfer of wealth (in mileage terms) from high-value fliers to the majority of BAEC members who fly mostly in discounted economy.
Additionally, the changes regarding transatlantic redemptions, while adding more flights to certain routes, will result in a disproportionately larger number of AAdvantage members being added to the pool of award seekers. By a way of example (assuming very simplistically that AAdvantage's membership is 3 times the size of BAEC's):
pre AA/BA:
number of JFK-LHR daily flights: 8
number of fliers eligible for awards: 1 million (BAEC)
post AA/BA:
number of JFK-LHR daily flights: 14
number of fliers eligible for awards: 4 million (BAEC + AAdv.)
If you look at the average size of an AAdvantage account's balance, which given the relative ease of accruing AAdvantage miles I bet is far higher than your average BAEC account's balance, you can see why BA had to increase the mileage earning opportunities for BAEC members. If they hadn't done so, the weighting of AAdvantage members in the eligible redemption pool would have been much higher.
Overall, these changes result in a devaluation of existing BAEC miles for all current BAEC members. Frankly, in order to be fair what BA should do is change its "currency" to New BA Miles, and convert current balances in existing BAEC member accounts into New BA Miles at a rate of between 1:3 and 1:4, to take into account the large inflationary effect caused by both easier mileage earning opportunities and the addition of AAdvantage redemption seekers.
Don't be fooled by the marketing spiel in BA's announcement, this is essentially a transfer of wealth (in mileage terms) from high-value fliers to the majority of BAEC members who fly mostly in discounted economy.
Additionally, the changes regarding transatlantic redemptions, while adding more flights to certain routes, will result in a disproportionately larger number of AAdvantage members being added to the pool of award seekers. By a way of example (assuming very simplistically that AAdvantage's membership is 3 times the size of BAEC's):
pre AA/BA:
number of JFK-LHR daily flights: 8
number of fliers eligible for awards: 1 million (BAEC)
post AA/BA:
number of JFK-LHR daily flights: 14
number of fliers eligible for awards: 4 million (BAEC + AAdv.)
If you look at the average size of an AAdvantage account's balance, which given the relative ease of accruing AAdvantage miles I bet is far higher than your average BAEC account's balance, you can see why BA had to increase the mileage earning opportunities for BAEC members. If they hadn't done so, the weighting of AAdvantage members in the eligible redemption pool would have been much higher.
Overall, these changes result in a devaluation of existing BAEC miles for all current BAEC members. Frankly, in order to be fair what BA should do is change its "currency" to New BA Miles, and convert current balances in existing BAEC member accounts into New BA Miles at a rate of between 1:3 and 1:4, to take into account the large inflationary effect caused by both easier mileage earning opportunities and the addition of AAdvantage redemption seekers.