AIR CANADA
LOYALTY PROGRAMME Altitude
INTRODUCTION DATE OF CHANGES January 1, 2017
INFO Along with the existing Altitude Qualifying Miles (the amount of miles earned from individual fare classes) and Altitude Qualifying Segments (number of individual flight sectors flown), Air Canada will be introducing Altitude Qualifying Dollars in 2017, which represent the monetary value associated with each eligible ticket.
To earn status, members must satisfy the spending requirement for each eligible tier of the frequent flyer programme. The entry-level Prestige 25K will require members to spend at least CA$3,000 (US$2,250) in a calendar year. This will be combined with the existing requirement of 25,000 miles or 25 sectors flown.
For a full report of the changes, see here.
CATHAY PACIFIC
LOYALTY PROGRAMME Marco Polo Club
INTRODUCTION DATE OF CHANGES April 15, 2016
INFO The revised Marco Polo club scheme will implement a points-based system, worked out through a combination of cabin, fare class and distance travelled. In particular, more flexible fare classes (and thus more expensive) will earn more points than restricted and discounted fare classes.
As part of the transition to the points programme, the Marco Polo Club will convert each member's mileage or sectors into club points, based on which is the most favourable for individual members.
For example, a Gold member who has accumulated 48,000 Club miles as of April 15 would have accumulated 80 per cent of the 60,000 miles required for Gold renewal. Under the new system, the same ratio will apply in the sense that his/her mileage will be converted to 480 points – that is, 80 per cent of the 600 points required for renewal.
For a full report of the changes, see here.
AMERICAN AIRLINES
LOYALTY PROGRAMME AAdvantage
INTRODUCTION DATE OF CHANGES Second half of 2016
INFO AAdvantage members will earn award miles based on the price of the ticket purchased (inclusive of base fare plus carrier-imposed fares, but excluding government-imposed taxes and fees), as well as their individual elite tier level.
Entry-level members will receive a standard rate of five miles for every US dollar spent, while Gold members will gain seven miles. Platinum members will earn eight and Executive Platinum members will receive 11 miles.
The new system is skewed to favour higher tier AAdvantage members that pay top dollar for flights on the carrier’s premium cabins. Passengers that opt for cheaper, discounted tickets are almost guaranteed to be earning fewer miles than before.
For a full report of changes, see here.
ETIHAD AIRWAYS
LOYALTY PROGRAMME Etihad Guest
INTRODUCTION OF CHANGES September 14, 2015
INFO Much of Etihad’s changes come from the adjustment of earning and redemption rates, with a significant increase in the number of miles needed to upgrade to business and first class.
There are now 20 per cent more business class award seats on high demand routes, as compared to the system before. Fuel surcharge on award seats have also been abolished, in favour of a carrier charge on all Guest Seat bookings.
Discounted economy and business seats now earn members less miles, while the accrual rate for flexible tickets have either been slightly boosted and remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, the redemption rate for economy award flights have fallen, but it is now more expensive to redeem points for business and first class fares. A one-way business class ticket from Abu Dhabi to London used to cost 43,975 miles – it now costs 65,964 miles.
For a full report of changes, see here.
BRITISH AIRWAYS
LOYALTY PROGRAMME Executive Club
INTRODUCTION OF CHANGES April 28, 2015
INFO The rate at which members earn Avios now depends more on the amount paid for the ticket — including the class booked, and the different type of fare bought.
For redemption, an extra 500,000 reward seats are available now, when compared with the previous set-up. However, BA has introduced changes to the price of reward flights depending on the time of year, the cabin and zone.
In Club World and First, the Avios price has increase, with the amount depending on the time of the year. In Euro Traveller and World Traveller, BA has said that for two-thirds of the year, members now require fewer Avios than currently needed to fly on reward seats.
For a full report of changes, see here.
Clement Huang
