What's the point of Frequent Flyer Programmes?
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What's the point of Frequent Flyer Programmes?
Have I been missing something?
I have a BA Gold and a Star Alliance Gold and a number of other FF cards but I have never really seen any discernable benefit.
You get the same treatment as anyone else - happy with that.
You get access to a lounge if you want it - I don't (full of people who think this sort of thing makes them more important - no thanks).
When I've got x zillion miles for going to work on a plane - what do they tell you you're entitled to? ANOTHER flight!! - that's about the last thing I want.
Really can't see the point unless it really is just a big scam for airlines to charge more for an illusory 'benefit' and at the same time cleverly get a top notch marketing database to bombard people with junk mail and spam.
I have a BA Gold and a Star Alliance Gold and a number of other FF cards but I have never really seen any discernable benefit.
You get the same treatment as anyone else - happy with that.
You get access to a lounge if you want it - I don't (full of people who think this sort of thing makes them more important - no thanks).
When I've got x zillion miles for going to work on a plane - what do they tell you you're entitled to? ANOTHER flight!! - that's about the last thing I want.
Really can't see the point unless it really is just a big scam for airlines to charge more for an illusory 'benefit' and at the same time cleverly get a top notch marketing database to bombard people with junk mail and spam.
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You can't have flown cattle class with BA then. Mrs Jarvy was Gold for sometime and the difference it made was massive!
No queue to check in, exellent lounge at Heathrow and up stairs on 747 to San Francisco. My best ever trans atlantic flight.
Now due to change of job she back to blue now that is a waste of time!
Jarvy
No queue to check in, exellent lounge at Heathrow and up stairs on 747 to San Francisco. My best ever trans atlantic flight.
Now due to change of job she back to blue now that is a waste of time!
Jarvy
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They are incredibly useful for having rules waived when you have made a mistake, not that I ask, just that it appears to happen. I use all the extra miles to make sure my mother's creaking joints get a decent seat and service when she goes on trips.
Too mean to buy a long personal title
You ought to get better treatment than others, for example access to better seats on the aircraft (on BA flights some seats are blocked for BA Golds). You ought also to be quite high up the list for any operational upgrades on BA flights, too.
If you don't like the lounges, then it's fair to say that you aren't getting one of the key benefits. But - irrespective of the quality of your fellow pax - are there really any better places at the airport to wait for a couple of hours, with a glass of champagne in hand? For me, probably the best thing about the lounges is being able have a shower after a very full day at work, to get comfortable before a 13-hour+ overnight sector in economy.
And the miles: Agreed, not much use if you don't want to fly on holiday. But if you are flying on holiday anyway, upgrade awards are a good way to spend the miles.
If you don't like the lounges, then it's fair to say that you aren't getting one of the key benefits. But - irrespective of the quality of your fellow pax - are there really any better places at the airport to wait for a couple of hours, with a glass of champagne in hand? For me, probably the best thing about the lounges is being able have a shower after a very full day at work, to get comfortable before a 13-hour+ overnight sector in economy.
And the miles: Agreed, not much use if you don't want to fly on holiday. But if you are flying on holiday anyway, upgrade awards are a good way to spend the miles.
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Frequent flyer programmes are a scam by airlines directed to increasing brand loyalty - that is, making it more costly for a passenger to fly several airlines according to whatever offers better prices, service or destinations/times to suit the travel plans. Effectively, every time you fly, a part of the fare goes to support the frequent flyer program, which is of no use to you unless and until you have taken more flights to earn full "free" flights or upgrades or status.
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I got hit by an almost two hour delay last Friday. Suddenly the marginal benefit of lounge access seemed very useful.
As the policy at work is economy class flights for under 6 hours and business class for over, the easier check-in is also a nice benefit. Although, since the advent of self-service check-in, that has been getting smaller.
The miles/points are of limited benefit. Given that I fly for work almost every week, the last thing I want to do with mu leisure time is get on a plane.
As the policy at work is economy class flights for under 6 hours and business class for over, the easier check-in is also a nice benefit. Although, since the advent of self-service check-in, that has been getting smaller.
The miles/points are of limited benefit. Given that I fly for work almost every week, the last thing I want to do with mu leisure time is get on a plane.
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Many years ago when I was flying 100,000+ miles per year (first on American, then Delta) I learned what you got from the frequent flyer miles. As you note, the dirty little secret is that once you've got all those miles, the only place you want to go is your couch.
What the programs did give me were better status with the airline and that translated into better service. Lots of upgrades to first class (very much appreciated -- I could actually get work done in first class). Once when I wanted to take the missus with me to a conference, using frequent flyer miles for her ticket, the AA reservation clerk told me "There's no available seats for frequent flyer redemption on that flight. You're a platinum member -- hold on a minute while I free one up." There weren't any seats available near the front, so "hold on while I release a pair of seats." Thank you very much...
When I left my daytimer on a plane, they delivered it to my home the next day.
The chocolate chip cookies that AA sent me for Xmas one year weren't a big deal, but they were very nice...
When travel plans go wrong or schedules get messed, having preferred status on the airline means you might get the seat instead of someone else.
That said, I'm very thankful that I seldom travel these days. 5 days a week on the road, 50 weeks a year, is just no fun at all.
What the programs did give me were better status with the airline and that translated into better service. Lots of upgrades to first class (very much appreciated -- I could actually get work done in first class). Once when I wanted to take the missus with me to a conference, using frequent flyer miles for her ticket, the AA reservation clerk told me "There's no available seats for frequent flyer redemption on that flight. You're a platinum member -- hold on a minute while I free one up." There weren't any seats available near the front, so "hold on while I release a pair of seats." Thank you very much...
When I left my daytimer on a plane, they delivered it to my home the next day.
The chocolate chip cookies that AA sent me for Xmas one year weren't a big deal, but they were very nice...
When travel plans go wrong or schedules get messed, having preferred status on the airline means you might get the seat instead of someone else.
That said, I'm very thankful that I seldom travel these days. 5 days a week on the road, 50 weeks a year, is just no fun at all.
Paxing All Over The World
I readily accept that some people who travel a lot for work, do not want more free flights but many of us do! Many of us have family and school friends a long way away.
Some carriers allow you to use the FFMs to buy gifts from their catalogue but better value is gained from giving them as presents to your relatives. I have known children being able to fly across the globe to see grandparents for the last time, as the older person could not sustain the flight themselves.
As with Slim, I have used my miles to upgrade family on long haul as a present and next year will be helping my mother to do the same when going to South Africa to see family. It may be her last trip there and she needs the flat bed and I shall use more points to upgrade myself to Upper,
so that I can accompany her. From my point of view, that is worth the collecting.
If you do not want the miles and the (sometimes dubious) benefits of FFM schemes then try to avoid using airlines that operate them. Alternatively all carriers enable you to donate unwanted miles to charity programmes to buy seats for terminally ill children to go to Disneyland and so on.
Some carriers allow you to use the FFMs to buy gifts from their catalogue but better value is gained from giving them as presents to your relatives. I have known children being able to fly across the globe to see grandparents for the last time, as the older person could not sustain the flight themselves.
As with Slim, I have used my miles to upgrade family on long haul as a present and next year will be helping my mother to do the same when going to South Africa to see family. It may be her last trip there and she needs the flat bed and I shall use more points to upgrade myself to Upper,
so that I can accompany her. From my point of view, that is worth the collecting.If you do not want the miles and the (sometimes dubious) benefits of FFM schemes then try to avoid using airlines that operate them. Alternatively all carriers enable you to donate unwanted miles to charity programmes to buy seats for terminally ill children to go to Disneyland and so on.
Aisle seat, please.
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As a regular flyer in cattle class, I love the benefits of a gold or silver card. No, I don't feel more important, but boy do I feel less hassled. Try checking in as an economy passenger in some sub-Saharan airports and then see the difference when you can get into the business line. You can save hours standing in long, hot sweaty queues that way. Lounge access is nice, too - especially when you have a long wait for a connection home after an overnight flight into FRA or AMS.
Most of the time I have to take the cheapest flight available and I tend to have about 20K miles on three or four cards at the end of the year, not enough to get a silver card - but it's nice when I get there. In all the years I've flown I've only been upgraded to business class twice. Once was LHR to Paris, so it wasn't much of a benefit anyway, the other was from Addis to FRA - and that was nice.
I'll take the free flights too. Mrs G has to make a number of trips to Madagascar over the next few years and I'll join her on a couple of them curtesy of my Air France miles.
Most of the time I have to take the cheapest flight available and I tend to have about 20K miles on three or four cards at the end of the year, not enough to get a silver card - but it's nice when I get there. In all the years I've flown I've only been upgraded to business class twice. Once was LHR to Paris, so it wasn't much of a benefit anyway, the other was from Addis to FRA - and that was nice.
I'll take the free flights too. Mrs G has to make a number of trips to Madagascar over the next few years and I'll join her on a couple of them curtesy of my Air France miles.
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Y'know reading these replies I'm genuinely feeling unlucky. In the 13 or so years I 've a FF and the last 5 doing mega miles - I have never once been upgraded.
Time to change the aftershave?
Time to change the aftershave?
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You can gain benefit from frequent flyer miles if you are gold status, before I retired I could always upgrade my wife if she wanted to travel with me and was never affected by blockout dates. I upgraded family sometime. When i retired my wife and I had a nice first class trip to OZ with stopovers in the USA, both ways. All paid for with miles.
So yes if you have the miles use them or lose them..
So yes if you have the miles use them or lose them..
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VHF Flyer: no need to change the aftershave. The upgrade programs have gotten noticeably less generous in recent years. I was upgraded under their various programs, not "you look nice we'll upgrade you."
When I was flying American you got a certain number of upgrade stickers based on the mileage of the flights you took. The program was quite generous at the time and after a while I was getting enough stickers that I was usually in first class.
For a while Delta had a program where if you bought a full-fare ticket you got 1.3X the number of miles in frequent flyer miles. And then you could redeem a relatively low amount of miles for an upgrade. And when you flew in first class (even if you were upgraded), you got 2X miles. It was so poorly thought out that once you flew a couple times you could almost always upgrade and your frequent flyer balance was unchanged. Net result was that I was almost always able to upgrade. Great part is that I was consulting in Atlanta for, you guessed it, Delta. Great racket while it lasted.
When I was flying American you got a certain number of upgrade stickers based on the mileage of the flights you took. The program was quite generous at the time and after a while I was getting enough stickers that I was usually in first class.
For a while Delta had a program where if you bought a full-fare ticket you got 1.3X the number of miles in frequent flyer miles. And then you could redeem a relatively low amount of miles for an upgrade. And when you flew in first class (even if you were upgraded), you got 2X miles. It was so poorly thought out that once you flew a couple times you could almost always upgrade and your frequent flyer balance was unchanged. Net result was that I was almost always able to upgrade. Great part is that I was consulting in Atlanta for, you guessed it, Delta. Great racket while it lasted.
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Been BA Gold for donkeys years and I have to agree - upgraded on the ticket I bought on very, very few occasions. I like the quick(er) check-ins and I like the lounges - there are some pretty grim airports lurking in my flying world... Hardly ever use the miles to upgrade - family hoovers them up too quickly... I've changed routes/airlines recently and rarely travel BA now - virtually no Tier Points this year and was consigned to losing gold... but lo and behold - got a nice email from BA saying that due the the terrible inconvenience suffered by their customers (not me...), they would extend my gold membership for a further year.. How nice..
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The biggest benefit for me is the access to lounges and the ease of resolving problems or changing flights.
I use 6-8 flights per week, all relatively short sectors up to 4 hours, so the lounges are frequently the only places I can relax, take a shower, and catch up on paperwork. My stay at the destination normally doesn't justify a hotel so a comfortable lounge is a haven for me.
I have found that as a member of several FF programs I get a better level of service from airline staff. That may not be just, but it's the way it goes here. I can usually change flights very easily when I need to, and the staff make every effort to meet my needs. These two factors more than justify FF programs for me.
Upgrades are nice when they happen, but I'm not going to make a song and dance about that, my flights aren't long enough for that to be a factor. Some programs allow me to transfer free tickets to my wife, some give discounts on hotels, some give me cuddly toys!! Fun, but not that important for me.
It depends on what you need, I suppose.
Tchau
I use 6-8 flights per week, all relatively short sectors up to 4 hours, so the lounges are frequently the only places I can relax, take a shower, and catch up on paperwork. My stay at the destination normally doesn't justify a hotel so a comfortable lounge is a haven for me.
I have found that as a member of several FF programs I get a better level of service from airline staff. That may not be just, but it's the way it goes here. I can usually change flights very easily when I need to, and the staff make every effort to meet my needs. These two factors more than justify FF programs for me.
Upgrades are nice when they happen, but I'm not going to make a song and dance about that, my flights aren't long enough for that to be a factor. Some programs allow me to transfer free tickets to my wife, some give discounts on hotels, some give me cuddly toys!! Fun, but not that important for me.
It depends on what you need, I suppose.
Tchau
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Try travelling out of Lagos airport a few times, and trust me, you'll find that a VS gold card is one of the most useful things to have in your pocket.
Instead of a 1-2 hour chaotic check in, just go to the upper class desk (even if flying economy), and you're through in 10 minutes. Then it's straight to the lounge, instead of sweating your nuts off, waiting in temperatures that would be good in a sauna.
Instead of a 1-2 hour chaotic check in, just go to the upper class desk (even if flying economy), and you're through in 10 minutes. Then it's straight to the lounge, instead of sweating your nuts off, waiting in temperatures that would be good in a sauna.
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hmmm
interesting responses but I think for those that do the 'flying to the sweaty old colonies' there's probably a real advantage in terms of check in and lounges.
But for those that do the majority of the high frequency flying (let's say sub 3 hours sectors) with on line check in and half decent airports....again I ask the question..what's the point?
Oh by the way - and again in my experience - my Gold Card status has NEVER helped me in a situation where I need to change a flight with a non flexible ticket. Am I just unlucky?
interesting responses but I think for those that do the 'flying to the sweaty old colonies' there's probably a real advantage in terms of check in and lounges.
But for those that do the majority of the high frequency flying (let's say sub 3 hours sectors) with on line check in and half decent airports....again I ask the question..what's the point?
Oh by the way - and again in my experience - my Gold Card status has NEVER helped me in a situation where I need to change a flight with a non flexible ticket. Am I just unlucky?
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VHF Flyer:
Here in Boston (depending upon your outlook, it could be a sweaty old colony or not
), if you are flying steerage and don't have status, then checking in could mean 30-45 minute wait at peak times.
If you have Gold status and/or a club card, just stroll directly to the club and at worst you have a 2 minute wait to check in.
I don't know what airlines you've been flying, but my status sure helped me.
Here in Boston (depending upon your outlook, it could be a sweaty old colony or not
), if you are flying steerage and don't have status, then checking in could mean 30-45 minute wait at peak times.If you have Gold status and/or a club card, just stroll directly to the club and at worst you have a 2 minute wait to check in.
I don't know what airlines you've been flying, but my status sure helped me.
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Back when Aer Lingus had business class on short-haul, they did promote me twice, once on DUB-CDG and once on ORK-AMS. Those flights were scarcely long enough to appreciate the extra service.
I have never been promoted on another one world carrier, despite being Sapphire for a number of years and probably going up to Emerald soon.
I have never been promoted on another one world carrier, despite being Sapphire for a number of years and probably going up to Emerald soon.
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............she back to blue now that is a waste of time!
Priority over other pax when it comes to "bumping"!
Just supposing we have weight restrictions enforced on a particular flight, and we are not able to use all of the available seats (as we did a few years ago at Gatwick when a charter aircraft slid off the runway and we had to use the short emergency runway as an alternative for a few hours!) How do we then decide which pax are going to travel and which will be left behind??? At BA the rough pecking-order would be as follows (there are some other categories too but for simplicity these have been omitted):
1. Vulnerable passengers (disabled, elderly, unaccompanied children).
2. Service personnel or Merchant seamen with imminent movement orders etc (ie where missing the flight would either delay the sailing orders of a ship or render it impossible for personnel to catch up with their onward transport)
3. Frequent Cardholders in the following order 1. Premier 2.Gold or One World Emerald 3.Silver or One World Sapphire 4. One World Ruby 5. Blue
Lastly, other passengers are onloaded in the order in which they completed check-in.
So, even the humble Blue card gives a higher priority than nothing! (This same rough sort of priorities table is used when it comes to the order in which we disperse passengers from a cancelled or severely delayed flight too!)