Updated: 10/10/19 | October 10th, 2019
Jeg gjorde det. I went back and forth on the decision for a long time. like someone who just couldn’t let go, I continued with the relationship even though I knew, deep down, it was over.
But there’s always a tipping point when you need to face reality — and that point was when I realized I’m just not going to fly all that much this year.
So I did it: I finally split up with American Airlines.
After years of being devoted to them and the Oneworld alliance, paying extra for flights to make sure I kept my status and championing them on the web, it’s time to face the truth: they’ve ruined their once-stellar loyalty program and given me (and generally everyone else) no incentive to fly them over any other (crappy domestic) airline.
A few years ago, both Delta and United devalued their award charts — awarding fewer miles per flight (unless you gotten high-priced tickets), requiring a lot more miles when redeeming them for a flight, minimizing benefits, and requiring customers to spend a certain amount of money to maintain their elite status. Their message was clear: “We only value you if you spend lots of money with us.”
Yet (in part because of their merger with us Airways) American held out — often boosting benefits. American AAdvantage was a shining jewel in the airline industry, lauded by journalists, insiders, and consumers alike.
I went out of my way to fly American because I felt my loyalty was valued. I was upgraded often, their employees were friendly, customer service issues were often fixed swiftly, it was easy to find award seats, and they were often generous in their benefits.
But in the last year, they’ve let their program go to hell.
What’s wrong with American AAdvantage?
They now require elite-qualifying dollars (EQDs), but unlike United and Delta, they offer no waiver if you spend a lot on American’s branded credit scores cards.
They have upped the cost of award tickets – a lot.
They severely minimized saver rewards availability. It’s generally impossible to find saver rewards these days.
Confirmed upgrades for any individual but the top elites is generally impossible. I can’t remember the last time I got an upgrade.
They have slashed miles incomes on their partner’s flights.
They now prioritize upgrades based on status and spending (take that, million-mile status folks!).
How they calculate EQDs is opaque and not straightforward. One dollar spent is not one EQD earned, even if you purchase full fare service and first class tickets.
The list goes on. There have been so lots of blog articles written about the demise of AA’s loyalty program that I’ll just link to them here, here, here, here, here, and here. and here and here too.
American AAdvantage was the only thing American really had going for it. It was the sole reason I flew them. Sure, their new 777 and A321T planes are nice, but even when they refurbish their old planes they still have lots of varieties you never know what kind of plane you’re stepping on. It could be a great and new interior or it could be something last refurbished in 1987. (And you never want to get on an old us Airways plane — no power, no TVs, and a disgusting interior) Plus, the food in their lounges is horrible (as well as the lounges themselves), their partners are not as great as United’s, and their in-flight service/seats/food aren’t as good as Delta’s. I redeemed miles for a business-class flight from Paris with AA and this is the food I got:
Hva i helvete er det? I indicate seriously. McDonald’s would have been a better option. (It tasted as disgusting as it looks!)
I fly a lot — over 100,000 miles on over 50 flights last year. (Maybe more. I lose track.) I’m a frequent traveler — but I’m a cheap frequent traveler. I always get the cheap economy-class tickets and use my status and miles to upgrade.
That makes me a low-revenue flier. I probably spend $6,000–10,000 a year on flights. That’s a lot by everyday standards, but when it’s your job to travel, you’re off to conferences all the time, and have team members to book flights for too, I think I’m actually coming in pretty low. and I also spread that around multiple airlines.
American now requires me to spend $6,000 a year on American alone just to get mid-level platinum status (the kind that gets you international lounge access). I don’t remember the last time I spent that much money on one airline.
And thus the current dilemma: If you are a low-spending but still frequent traveler, does it make sense to stay devoted to an airline in this day and age?
The answer is a resounding NO.
As someone who likes the concept and perks of loyalty, it saddens me to say this, but unless you are spending a lot of money on one airline, loyalty — at least to airlines — is an antiquated concept.
The major airlines in the united states do not value your loyalty anymore. They are only satisfying thEIR High-Expending Clients med dype lommer – ikke deres hyppige klienter. Reise 100.000 miles i året, men på bare noen få billige billetter? Flott – det vil tjene deg et klapp på ryggen. Tilbring $ 20,000 på noen få billetter? Den røde løperen rulles ut for deg!
Hvorfor? Fordi (a) de flyr fyldigere fly, så trenger ikke å håndtere kunder så mye, (b) folk er å skjule ut for fordeler, og (c) de er assholes og ikke gi en f ** k …. fordi De vet at du ikke har noen mange alternativer, og (d) når x% av fortjenesten kommer fra høyere spenders, hvorfor må de bryr seg om lave spenders?
Jeg pleide å si at hvis du kan fly 50.000 miles eller mer, er det verdt å fokusere på ett flyselskap og allianse fordi fordelene er verdt den ekstra prisen (spesielt de internasjonale salongene). Men nå, med de økte utgifterskravene, minimerte fordeler og samlet “F U” Attitude Airlines, det er ikke fornuftig å være viet til et flyselskap hvis du ikke er en høy utgifter.
Når vi kommer nær midtveispunktet på året, innser jeg at for første gang i lang tid slutter jeg i år uten elitestatus. Mange av mine flyreiser for resten av året er Long-Haul internasjonale flyreiser – den typen jeg alltid bruker poeng på, så jeg kan fly for gratis i serviceklassen. Mange av mine betalte, status-tjene flyreiser vil være billige innenriksflyvninger. Med de nye utgifternes krav, kommer jeg rett og slett ikke å kunne oppfylle statuskravene – for ethvert flyselskap.
Dette har forandret seg hvordan jeg flyr.
Nå handler det om pris.
Jeg kommer ikke til å plage å bruke en ekstra $ 20, $ 50, eller $ 100 for et fly for å opprettholde min elite status. Hvorfor må jeg? Flyselskaper gir meg ikke en grunn til.
Bare gi meg den minst kostbare flyet.
Jeg flyr Alaska / Virgin, JetBlue og Southwest mye mer. Disse flyselskapene har ikke bagasjeavgifter, de har vennligere ansatte, og bedre i flyprodukter (hei, gratis port til Gate Wi-Fi på Jetblue!).
Jeg tror fortsatt på kunsten å hacking, og som sådan vil fortsette å samle kreditt score kortpoeng og flyselskap miles, slik at når det er på tide å fly i utlandet, kan jeg innløse de miles for flotte business-class seter. Jeg mener, når du flyr premium, blir du behandlet godt betalt billett eller ikke!
I tillegg holder jeg alt flyselskapskredittkredittkortene med tanke på at de kommer med fordelene med grunnleggende elitestatus, som prioritert innsjekking og ombordstigning og gratis veske. Når du blir belastet for poser og kreves for å gå alle sultespill for overhead-plass, er disse fordelene verdt det årlige kredittpoengene kortavgift.
Flyselskaper sier alltid at forbrukerne flyr på pris, har ingen insentiv til å tilby bedre service eller fasiliteter. Og det er sant i en grad. Mange fritidsreisende flyr bare på pris. De vil bare gå fra A til B på den billigste prisen og har for det meste akseptert at tjenesten vil være forferdelig.
Men når du kutter lojalitetsprogrammer, gjør du hyppige reisende som meg, også bare bryr seg om pris og du skyter deg selv i foten.
Fordi nå har jeg ingen insentiv til å gå ut av min måte å fly deg. Og den første tjenestenes første politikk er at det alltid er rimeligere å opprettholde en kunde enn å skaffe seg en ny.
Så, bare sette, i denne dag og alder, er det ingen grunn til å bli viet til et flyselskap. Samle hyppige flierpunkter og miles for premium seter på de langtransporterne flyene (gratis flyreiser er de beste flyreisene) og flyger kortfarlige flyreiser basert på pris. Velg hva som er billig!
Vil du lære alt om poeng og miles?
Stopp å betale full pris for flybillett! Last ned vår gratis guide til Reise Hacking og Lær:
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Hvordan tjene penger på gratis flyvninger og hoteller
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Bestill turen: Logistiske ideer og triks
Book Your Flight
Finn et billig flybillett ved å bruke Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches web sites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
Du kan bestille vandrerhjemmet ditt med Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the least expensive rates for guesthouses and hotels.
Don’t forget travel Insurance
Travel insurance will secure you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s detailed protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it lots of times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
Safetywing (best for alle)
Forsikre min tur (for de over 70)
Medjet (for ekstra evakueringsdekning)
Klar til å bestille reisen din?
Sjekk ut ressurssiden min for de beste selskapene som skal brukes når du reiser. Jeg lister alle de jeg bruker når jeg reiser. De er de beste i klassen, og du kan ikke gå galt med dem på turen.