Elite status is valuable to me, as a frequent traveler, for a number of reasons but over the last two years, changes to American Airline Advantage program are causing me to ask if it’s time to let go of my status.
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Systemwide Upgrades/eVIPs
American used to award a very generous (8) eVIPs or systemwide upgrades and I don’t feel the need to lament the drop to (4) eVIPs. The real loss has been the lack of ability to secure the use of these upgrade instruments in advance.
It’s one thing to reduce the number of available upgrades, it’s another to thing to then also make the remaining few instruments nearly impossible to use. What used to be a confirmed upgrade well in advance has morphed into a gate-level upgrade at the time of boarding if at all. I’m not even referring to relatively full flights. On at least one specific example last year I used Expert Flyer and seat maps then called the Executive Platinum line and was able to confirm that as little as two weeks out from a trip there were 27 seats in business class available.
Despite a wide open business class section, my status, and filing the eVIP at the time of booking (this used to be more important than it is today) – American still wouldn’t approve the upgrade until boarding. On other occasions, they didn’t clear at all and this last year I actually let one expire – a mortal sin – because a series of those upgrade requests did not clear.
The unusable nature of the eVIPs over the last 18 months for me has transitioned this from the very reason I flew 100,000+ miles/year with American, to a hollow promise that has made me resent the program.
Award Seat Availability
Gary Leff, Summer Hull at Mommy Points, Lucky, and Nomadic Matt have extensively covered the inability to redeem flights with obvious seat availability recently. I doubt I can do a better job covering this issue than the two of them, but I bring this up to state that if I have to fly another carrier using American miles because American would rather fly those seats empty, then maybe I should earn miles with those other carriers too.
It’s been impossible to find space on American metal which has also made our stash of Business Extra Points (which can only be used on AA metal without exorbitant gouging on European joint ventures) utterly useless.
Value of Miles
The relative value of miles has greatly diminished with the award chart “enhancements” as a result of the merger. All miles have become worth less than they were before, but I also highlight that as earnings are lower as well (due to a switch to 11 points per base fare dollar spent over 200% of miles flown). If the award chart redemptions increased in cost by 30% on average, but earnings also decreased by 30%, the net effect is closer to a 50% overall devaluation.
Internationally, increased competition and price compression has also decreased the relative value of point redemptions. If I can catch a $1500 business class flight to Asia over the holidays (I did this with American last year) and a similar redemption would cost 125,000 miles and $200 in taxes, the value of my points have now decreased to just about $.01/mile.
What’s Left?
My domestic upgrade percentage this year has been ok. I haven’t cleared anywhere near the percentage I did in the past, but I imagine that the elite herd will thin following this year where many won’t hit Elite Qualifying Dollar requirements. For remaining elites, they may again ride in the front more often than they do now.
My status allows lounge access on international itineraries regardless of class, and access to first class lounges is something I do value, but could also achieve just business class lounges with Sapphire one world status in any carrier within the alliance. As I purchase more business class fares going forward (as long as rates remain low), I would have this perk as a benefit of those tickets, so getting it with status is no longer helpful.
I already have 80% of my EQDs and EQMs booked for this year. The question that remains is will I continue with American at all? The answer is unknown. If American can shore up their award availability issues and eVIP clearances, I’d remain loyal. But loyalty works both ways, if they can’t be loyal to me and honor their end of the bargain, why should I be loyal to them?
Have you experienced issues with availability or the value of your status?
If you think having 1 SWU expire w/o use was bad, I had 3 expire in 2017 that not only I couldn’t use but I couldn’t give away to anyone who could use them! Even worse, I’m sure Discount Dougie & his minions are going to use all of those expired SWU’s as justification for cutting them even further. I, too, have a stash of BXP1’s that I haven’t been able to use. I didn’t think I would re-qualify as EXP last year, but ultimately did & am about to re-qualify this year (the earliest I have ever done so), but agree w/you about EXP not being worth it.
Last week I asked an AAgent in the Admirals Club in LAX to put me on an earlier flight that was showing 13 empty seats 35 mins before boarding-he said ‘they’ wouldn’t let him (no idea who ‘they’ are)…when I asked him why, as an EXP I should continue giving AA my business when I couldn’t even get a seat on a flight going out in an hour w/13 empty seats on it, he told me I ‘should talk to the EXP desk’. (As an aside, I did call & before I could even finish asking, the EXP agent had me on the flight & even got upgraded).
I think there are some people w/in the organization who get that the ‘new’ American is alienating a lot of previously loyal customers & that there will come a day when they need our business again. The problem is that Discount Dougie & the rest of the senior leadership are only focused on right now, today, & how much money they can squeeze out of their pax with as little effort as possible. That is not a recipe for long term success.
Short sighted results are leading them to the alter of death and desperation, they just don’t know it yet.
I tried to use some eVIPs on a recent flight PVG-DFW. ExpertFlyer showed 14 seats available the morning of the flight but not nothing in the C bucket.
While it’s possible that 14 people bought business over the course of the next 7 hours, I think it more likely that AA was selling upgrades to non-elites at check in. On AA it mentions “Purchase a day of departure upgrade (if eligible)” but there is no mention of what “eligible” is. I’ve never seen an offer so I’m guessing ExPlat isn’t eligible? Full Y only?
In any case, I agree 100%. I’m burning through my AA mileage now, focusing on paid business class for international and going with JetBlue, Southwest and Alaska for domestic.
@Robert – These aren’t hard problems for them to fix, but if they can’t get it sorted out, they will be left without elites to prop up the airline. They are fat and happy right now, but a simple turn in the economy or oil prices and they will be begging us back and it will fall on deaf ears. I get invites to “come back” to Delta and their business program all the time. I don’t return the call.
So, you’ll become a “free agent”?
@Billiken – For the avoidance of doubt, this is not Matthew writing and yes, I will absolutely open my loyalty up and reward handsomely. This year I will probably clear the $12k that all of the airlines are looking for in exchange for their very best benefits; the problem comes in when Delta can’t play nice with any other airlines, United gives their four SWUs but only on W fares (sometimes you can find paid business class fares within a few percentage points higher) and American awards eVIPs but won’t let you use them. If one of those carriers realizes that people like me will spend money with them or will take it away depending on how petty they choose to be, perhaps I can land some place and stay loyal for good.
You have to have the red aviator card and spend the 25k to get 3k EQDS otherwise it may not worth spending 12k and flying 100k miles to maintain .
@Marty – Correct, though I just don’t know if I want to put that much spend through the card, especially with just half the year to go and almost no spend on the card to date.
It’s the same with all programs. At least you get miles you can use and award charts instead of useless skypesos.
So you ready to admit that switching to AA when they were temporarily the only program without spend requirements was a mistake? Have yet to see any bloggers dial that back even though they all rip AA now. UA for all its warts still provides the best program and best values when it comes to redemption.
@Boraxo – As a clarification, I am Kyle Stewart and not Matthew Klint and have not ever been loyal to United as an elite traveler. I have been with American since 2002, elite since 2009 and every year since, Executive Platinum the last four or five years. I think that United offers nothing better than American at this point in time, but I am open to faults in my logic. Don’t worry, no elites I know are talking about returning to Delta.
@Boraxo–I never left United Airlines.
Pretty sure you need Oneworld Emerald status to access First Class lounges.
@Andrew: You certainly do. I had lumped in both lounge access and mentioned that I do appreciate First Class lounge access as well but should have made it clearer and separate. I think I have done that now but for the avoidance of doubt. Statement 1) Business class lounges can be accessed as long as I have Sapphire in one world anyway, though I would also get access by flying inexpensive business class paid tickets. Statement 2) I do value First Class lounges and would hate to see them go, but I don’t value them enough to keep me there for the rare occasions I get to use them.
Ah ok I follow what you are saying now. Thanks Kyle.