FlyWorld

VX is not competing on route network. Their strategy is to cherry pick the best routes. They don't fly to many places out of SFO, but they picked the right places, and those are the cities I tend to fly to most often.

Alpha Golf

Sadly, I think it's time for me. Just got an unsolicited offer of AA plat, with a really easy challenge to keep it into 2017, plus a bunch of upgrade coupons to get me started.

And having my last trip just post into the devalued MP, plus the service issues, I think I can't justify staying.

Only question for me is if I should reach for plat for 2016 before leaving. I have gold locked in, and the PQMs for 1K, but probably would need the credit card waiver for PQDs. But the AA credit card is offering a 75k sign up bonus...

I'm quite sad, I'm a loyal sort of person and it's been a long time. And I love the *A partners.

Sydneyair

Get the AA card, but just beware of jumping ship so soon. Right now there's an unconfirmed award chart posted on various AA non-US websites showing significant devaluation of BA/IB earnings that may act as a preview of what AA earning might become :

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...-2015-a-4.html

That award is even worse than what UA provides. At least UA is willing to significant up the premium cabin RDM earning to compensate for the lowered discount Y ones. This new (unconfirmed) chart is nearly bad news on all fronts.

goodeats21

Curious. Was this a corporate thing from your employer or something from AA directly? Wondering how to come across something like this...

privacylawyer

Had it with feeling like a 2nd class 1K citizen to GS members. Had it with cs agents who dont speak recognizable english. Had it with being shoe-horned into overbooked coast to coast flights. Had it with rude flight staff, over-charging for services and zero chance of using GSUs. Had it with the $12,000 mqd.
Platinum with dl. Maybe run for diamond. The friendliness of their cs staff outweighs a geographically undesirable hub, when ewr is home airport.
Buh-bye UA. This ex-Con[tinental] flyer got tired of waiting for changes, courtesy and respect.
Fly 221000 a yr. run a global children's charity and consult on digital best practices. Million miler. 1.4million. Get and can give gold without flying. Canadian husband leaves with me.

Alpha Golf

No, it was AA directly. I almost didn't open it.

I actually wondered if they'd found a MP mailing list somehow and were poaching.

goodeats21

Interesting. Thanks.

jiburi

Vacated, and found AS really appreciate my business. F9, an airline I was curious about, turned out to be a huge disappointment. No thanks F9. Still fly WN but only on a short hops. Jetblue was good. DL is okay, terrible on award space, but good on timeliness.

Overall, I was able to find a suitable replacement for UA.

Jiburi

LarkSFO

I would agree - out of SFO, you can almost make VX work.

I am Gold on VX (my only other airline status besides 1K), and I like T2, their service, and the elite treatment / benefits.

But, ex-IAH/HOU?

I would imagine that the route network would be more or less the same as DFW. (4 destinations)

I would find that impossible to make that work as a frequent flyer.

EmailKid

Impossible being the KEY word @:-)

The only other route to/from Texas is AUS, IAH/HOU has no VX serivce

Must be that UA hub .....

LEONIDES

Even if they only offered flights from IAH to DFW, ORD, and SFO, I could make that work.

EmailKid

Maybe in the future.

VX picked DAL because no one serves it (OK, DL 5X to ATL) besides WN, and most business travelers like DAL better due to its proximity to downtown. Fort Worth, not so much, Plano also probably better ex DFW. But EVERYONE flies there @:-)

jjmoore

F9 is only good if you find those $39 steals on o.w. tickets and are only traveling for a weekend (i.e. tiny carry on only).... DEN-LAS is a great example. Otherwise, F9 is a disgrace as they nickel and dime for every little thing... even a cup of sparkling water. Shame.

daffy99

Similarly, I'm sad to be heading out too (status matched to AS, but I'd certainly go for the AA offer if that was available). I've been 1K for the past 13 years, but the virtual disappearance of the ability to use upgrade instruments (not helped by the advent of the new non-transparent HVF upgrades -- or should that be FAF 'Friends and Family' upgrades) combined with the MP devaluation means that it is time to go...

zabes64

It was a mistake, I received a call from AA corporate after sending an email asking about it. They told me it was something they considered back earlier this year when BA made the changes, decided against it because of the JV and someone pushed them through in certain languages.

Said no changes are being made.

Now will it happen next year, who knows, but for now I'm not worried.