[Anonymous]

[Cleancabinair]

Received this note from Emirates this evening about a new fare structure that will impact the Skywards reward levels. Have asked their booking centre to clarify the impact of the changes however it seems they do not have all information yet!!

It definitely means EK are seeking to change their Skywards awards and loyalty system again !

“Some exciting changes are on their way this February. We will unveil a brand new range of fare types, based on valuable feedback from our members. You’ll have more choice and flexibility with the type of ticket you buy and more ways to maximise the Miles you earn when you fly with us.

If you’re planning ahead for a business trip, choose our Flex or Flex Plus fares so you can make any last-minute changes. Or make the most of our Special and Saver fares for a weekend getaway.

Some of the new fare types will offer even more Miles, helping you to reach your next reward and tier status more quickly. Use our Miles Calculator to check how many Miles you can earn on your flight.

Our enhanced online booking experience will clearly show the benefits and value of each fare type. So whether you want the best price or the greatest flexibility, you can choose a fare that fits your individual needs.”

[Cleancabinair]

At least I was able to post the story before ‘ Business Traveller’ were able to !! No admission by Emirates that the Skywards Tier Mileage scheme has changed ….. watch this space!!

[rferguson]

Main changes seem no more upgrading with miles from the lower Y and J fares as well as the discounted fares earning less miles.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/emirates-changes-fare-types-and-rewards

[AllOverTheGaff]

Just priced GLA – DXB for a trip later in the year in J and note almost £200.00 less than the last time I checked – and that was only at the weekend.

*Edited to add: Priced same in F to find it closer to £500.00 cheaper than I was originally looking at.

Interesting.

Rgds.
AOTG.

[Cleancabinair]

I am glad to hear that fares are falling (dependent on sector and season of course!) with the lower oil prices …. however if you had been tracking the fuel surcharge (carrier imposed charges) on a ticket LHR-DXB-LHR you will note that the charge is £196. This figure is unchanged from this time last year in spite of the crashing oil price….
Methinks that the Emirates fuel hedging went badly wrong or Sir Tim is using this to maintain his margin on tickets !!

[talparis]

Upgrades have jumped up 20% more miles per same segment, & emirates says in its e-mail, that it is coincide with customer’s requests.
Bulshit…………..

[Cleancabinair]

Disingenuous to think that customers would request upgrade awards should be more expensive …. Does Emirates think all its passengers are complete numpties??
This is more spin from Emirates as they are under pressure to reduce their already extortionate airfares (read Carrier imposed charges=fuel surcharge!!)
Obviously they are not going to make the profit that they did last year and they are seeking to protect margin by squeezing their frequent flyers on their rewards…. sounds like the British Airways tactic!!

[ccCookie]

It would seem that the old Flex is now ‘Flex Plus’ in terms of upgrading a flight.

From Economy Flex Plus, the Miles Calculator shows that an upgrade to Business class requires 39 000 Skywards miles (up from the 32 000 that it required when I upgraded in late 2013 (from a ‘Flex’ fare) … about a 22% increase.)

Now, this upgrade from ‘Flex’ requires 50 700 Skywards miles, and from ‘Saver’ a prohibitive 67 500 miles.

I booked a March, 2015, Economy ‘Saver’ flight to Singapore in January, 2015. Booking the *identical* trip now (a couple of weeks later) would get me 1050 *fewer* tier miles.

In general, it seems that you’ll be paying much more for your Skywards miles now … and an upgrade from a Saver fare would be ludicrous (it requiring 95 000 (ninety-five thousand) to upgrade from Economy Saver to Business class from Toronto to Dubai, for example.)

[internationalhobo]

The new system seems to be designed to look positive but result in massively increased prices. The Economy Flex fare is roughly the same price as the previous fair with a serious reduction in miles and tier miles. The tier miles on Flex plus are the same as the previous flex fare but with a significant increase in price. I have endeavoured to stay with emirates for years now, but am seriously rethinking this. A return flight from Toronto to Amman now only grants you 9,800 tier miles instead of the previous 14,000, and comes with a more than $700 increase in price

[Author]

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