Is there a need for a new Oneworld tier above Emerald?

[JessicaTam]

OneWorld airlines generally have three status tiers - four if you count the entry level:

(Entry level), Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. Each airline has their own name for each tier. For example Emerald with BA is known as Gold, QF as Platinum and CX as Diamond.

Benefits of each tier are similar across each member airline. This includes priority checkin, increased baggage allowance, and lounge access.

Each status tier takes a certain amount of flying or other activities to reach. Obviously this increases as you move through the status levels. To add to the confusion, each airline has different requirements to reach each tier. So it pays to choose wisely which airline program will be the one you credit to. This is regardless of who you may fly with.

Some airlines have chosen to add another level within the Emerald tier to acknowledge those who fly an extraordinary amount. BA call theirs Gold Guest List, QF - Platinum One and CX - Diamond Plus. This tier gives extra benefits such as better seat selection, priority telephone support, and free upgrades. These benefits are only available with the airline you hold that status with.

British Airways have recently announced that Gold Guest List will be a stand alone level. Is it time for OneWorld to adopt a tier above Emerald across the alliance? I suggest it should be voluntary for the airline to adopt, and should have an alliance agreed level of flying to reach. This would prevent an airline creating a higher tier with little or no effort to reach to attract members.

The benefits: Well a BA GGL could choose the front row of QF economy, or a CX Diamond Plus member could access the BA Concorde Room for example.

The following are the OW airlines I am aware of with an uber Emerald tier:

AA Executive Platinum
BA Gold Guest List
CX Diamond Plus
JL Diamond Metal
QF Platinum One
AS MVP Gold 100K
AY Platinum Lumo
IB Plus Infinita

Have I missed any? (edit: added some that I missed!)

And what would we call it? Perhaps OneWorld White or Diamond?

 

[moa999]

Can't imagine it.. oneworld is the only alliance as it is with the 4th tier.

I think the airlines 5th tiers are simply about treating your very best customers even better.

 

[jase05]

Personally I’m not sure of the need for another level and I actually do like the perks that some airlines give for their highest tiers and it does keep a bit of mystery and intrigue around those tiers. In your example above for instance I’m not sure that BA should be letting others into their Concorde Room,

 

[Himeno]

I don't see what benefits oneworld could offer alliance wide that they could give to an above Emerald tier without striping existing benefits from Emerald.

The point of the alliance tiers is that every member is able to provide the benefits of that tier. Those 5 listed airlines with a existing tier above their base Emerald level offer different benefits to each other. People will expect the same benefits for that tier across the alliance.

If such a new tier were to be made, that BA GGL would be expecting access to the Chairman's Lounge when flying QF because they have access to the Concorde Room when on BA.

 

[serfty]

The benefits: Well a BA GGL could choose the front row of QF economy, or a CX Diamond Plus member could access the BA Concorde Room for example.

If this happened I foresee eventually some airlines revoking First Lounge access for basic emerald and perhaps BA kicking GGL out of the Concorde rooms.

 

[SYD]

If this happened I foresee eventually some airlines revoking First Lounge access for basic emerald and perhaps BA kicking GGL out of the Concorde rooms.

Yep, as we saw with QF P1, most of the benefits we existing WP benefits that we removed and subsequently only available to P1.

So, yep OWEs would lose out to OWD (OW Diamond!).

Meanwhile. *A still struggle with Silver and Gold. There are a LOT of Golds out there. Some of the individual airlines give their own higher tier members extra perks but when playing away from home, they’re just lumped into Gold soup with everyone else.

 

[dajop]

No. Oneworld already has a competitive advantage over both Star and Skytean with the alliance wide Emerald tier., which doesn’t have a counterpart in the other two alliances. So I’m not sure how having an even higher tier would make sense for the business.

But ultimately it is about transatlantic travel. If it would help BA/AA/IB/AY create more profit across the atlantic and compete more effectively against LH/LX/UA and DL/AF/KL it would make sense for the alliance and they would make it happen.

 

[Himeno]

But ultimately it is about transatlantic travel. If it would help BA/AA/IB/AY create more profit across the atlantic and compete more effectively against LH/LX/UA and DL/AF/KL it would make sense for the alliance and they would make it happen.

Not sure about that. They would need at least all the founding members to agree, if not all the members.
If a new alliance perk will benefit AA and BA, but not CX and QF (at least), it won't happen.

 

[dajop]

Not sure about that. They would need at least all the founding members to agree, if not all the members.
If a new alliance perk will benefit AA and BA, but not CX and QF (at least), it won't happen.

I'm not saying that the perk will be the sole benefit of AA and BA, but ultimately what drives these alliances is TATL competition*. So if it helps the oneworld carriers in that market, they'll convince the others and will make it happen. (This may be a very cynical view, but more I am exposed to anything international related the more you see where the power in the world really lies).

* and perhaps to a lesser extent JL/AA vs NH/US vs KE/DL.

 

[tdimdad]

AY Platinum Lumo is another extra tier inside OWE.

I'd suggest keeping the status quo. It's fair that each airline can offer additional perks to a small subset of their most profitable / frequent customers. If any changes are done, then perhaps it could be tightening the eligibility for the Emerald level so that it is *the* elite level.

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

Agree with the sentiment here...if you fly one particular airline frequently let them look after you in their own way. There's no consistent way to recognize a tier above emerald.
Just be thankful for emerald as star and scaryteam are pretty average topping out a relatively mid tier. I cant imagine what oneworld privleges they could possible afford that this level.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I’m happy with each airline recognizing its own elite tier.
QF has a difficult enough time doing this consistently as it is without adding BA/ CX etc to that list

 

[Forg]

It seems like solely a marketing thing, similar to how 5 stars is the internationally-accepted top level for hotels & so certain hotels in certain countries market themselves as 7 stars just to trap the uninitiated.

I guess … however they want to market it? I don’t think it really matters whether they just have a “special exclusive subset“ of the top tier or an extra tier.

 

[encryptededdy]

No, but Star Alliance could use an Emerald tier.

 

[RooFlyer]

even if there was a emerald + tier across OneWorld, QR still wouldn’t let you into the Al Safwa first lounge unless you were flying QR first!!

 

[Mwenenzi]

Yep, as we saw with QF P1, most of the benefits we existing WP benefits that we removed and subsequently only available to P1.

Please list the Platinum benefits that were removed and then made available in P1. With a big emphasis on "most".

Look at Frequent Flyer Perks: oneworld Emerald & oneworld Sapphire

AA has as OW Emerald

• AAdvantage Executive Platinum®
• AAdvantage Platinum Pro®

AA Plat Pro used to OW Sapphire, but was upgraded.

Another tier would be like "platinum" credit cards in USA. Very common and almost base level.
But more people would think they are important / VIP's.

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

"Oneworld White" would be a PR fail as it would be interpreted as a coded form of racism

 

[SYD]

Please list the Platinum benefits that were removed and then made available in P1. With a big emphasis on "most".

Look at Frequent Flyer Perks: oneworld Emerald & oneworld Sapphire

AA has as OW Emerald

• AAdvantage Executive Platinum®
• AAdvantage Platinum Pro®

AA Plat Pro used to OW Sapphire, but was upgraded.

Another tier would be like "platinum" credit cards in USA. Very common and almost base level.
But more people would think they are important / VIP's.

That comment was specific to QFF in the context of creating P1, *most* (certainly a lot) of P1 benefits were shifted from existing WP benefits to P1 to differentiate the sub-tier.
These spring to mind:
- anytime access to QF lounges
- extra legroom/front seat selection for free
- top pecking order for QF CRs

By extension the argument was that creating a OW “Diamond” tier (let’s call it), could dumb down OWE in favour of OWD.

 

[andye]

I can't see it happening.

In order for OW Diamond to be meaningful, it would have to be impressive (i.e expensive) and there's not a great deal of benefit in rewarding the people who spend huge amounts on other airlines.
Are many flyers really going to be more likely to push for QFWP1 so they can access the Concorde room?

 

[drron]

In one word. NO.