[Anonymous]

[LuganoPirate]

From next January you will need more miles to obtain a free ticket, though some things are being reduced, for example you will need just half the miles if flying one way rather than 75% as before.

http://www.miles-and-more.com/online/portal/mam/de/program/news/detail?nodeid=3175173&l=en&cid=18002

[watersz]

walk home ?

[JohnnyEnglish]

I know this happens with other programs too, but an effective 20% devaluation of the miles already acquired just cannot be right on any level.

Granted the increased in miles needed relates to business and first class tickets only, but after earning my miles the hard way, I have no wish to redeem them in economy…

[VintageKrug]

This is not great news.

However, periodic mileage devaluations are historically typical every 5-10 years, and you shouldn’t go hoarding your miles with a view to using them “eventually”.

Get out there and fly somewhere you’ve never before considered going to before these devaluation hit; you might just enjoy it!

I would imagine we will see several more major airlines devalue their mileage schemes in the not too distant future.

[Potakas]

Do you believe that this could happen also on BAEC after those earning increases on the restricted economy miles?

[VintageKrug]

It would not be difficult to draw that conclusion.

[Swissdiver]

M&M is already the worse program. And now it worsens. And how stupid it is to harm the premium passengers… Long live One World!

[VintageKrug]

I am not certain it’s right to vilify Miles & Less.

It must work for some people, otherwise the reasons for retaining it would not stack up.

Personally, I shied away from Star Alliance loyalty until I earned, almost by accident, a top tier elite card flying shorthaul and found myself with several hundred thousand miles to burn. As star carriers historically offered slopey beds in longhaul business class (though I am pleased to say this is slowly now changing), First really was the only tolerable option; and on most of the carriers I sampled it was actually rather good. However, they have gradually ramped up the number of miles required for such jaunts, physically reduced the numbers of seats in the cabin, or in some cases such as Singapore’s Suites or Lufthansa’s First class these are blocked altogether except for their own frequent flyers. So it’s not that easy to redeem those miles.

Oneworld is great if you travel transatlantically, to Australia and within Europe which fits my usual travel patterns. Star is better for the far east (and Australia if you don’t want to travel internally once there). Oneworl still offers more flat beds in Business Class (for now), though the First offerings are not perhaps of the quality offered by some Star carriers, they are more consistent and more easily booked.

As a top tier member of all three major alliances, I still put oneworld as my preferred choice be it BA/Qantas internationally and American domestically in the US and Caribbean, though of course I would always opt for Swiss where possible if I can fly on their new planes which are quite simply superb.

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