Silver loses its shine

[IrishPete]

Etihad have announced that Silver status members won't have lounge access except in Abu Dhabi and two other airports. Sadly this will probably be the end of my loyal relationship with Etihad, as less and less sets them apart from other airlines. Now they'll have to compete for my custom, I won't be looking at them first and with preferential treatment. I don't fly often, generally once a year, but that's probably the same for most people. Just another airline now, rather than one which genuinely rewards loyalty...

 

[squeeze72]

I got the email too. I'm only one flight, a few thousand miles off gold status.
The lounge access has kept me loyal for the last few years even when Emirates and Qatar have been a lot cheaper.
Due to do a UK trip in March and this has given me the push now to give qatar a try. Their business class when on sale is only a little over double $ Etihad economy flex. I'd been too worried about losing status before so wouldn't risk it.
Shame i won't get to use my 77k miles on a business upgrade now. I've enjoyed this over the years.
Sorry Etihad. Business class excellent but the economy class and no Melbourne/ Manchester lounge access doesn't cut it.

 

[IrishPete]

Squeeze, if you can find another way of earning status miles, it might be worth you persevering to try to get to Gold status. FlyBuys and AmEx are both methods that I use. Amex even let you buy points ($25 per 1000) which you can convert 1:1 for Etihad miles, but you'd need to check whether these count for status. At the very least, it would bump up your current points to enough to upgrade some of your next itinerary. If you're not currently with AmEx you may even receive a substantial joining bonus.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

While most FF programs don't give lounge access to the lowest elite status level, Etihad status isn't one of the easier programs to earn status with and as such, Silver is almost on par with 'Gold/2nd tier' level with other programs in the region.

But, as with many loyalty program benefits being cut away without an alternate option, it shows this was NOT a data-driven decision.
It's a shame, Etihad is such a beautiful airline to fly.

 

[juddles]

.... Just another airline now, rather than one which genuinely rewards loyalty...

Forgive me, but am I correct in understanding the post - you fly once a year and expect that lounge access would be included? That is really pushing the "loyalty" notion to the limit, and somewhere no other airline that I know of would entertain.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Forgive me, but am I correct in understanding the post - you fly once a year and expect that lounge access would be included? That is really pushing the "loyalty" notion to the limit, and somewhere no other airline that I know of would entertain.

I'm inclined to agree with you juddles even although I can understand that anyone would be annoyed at having a benefit they enjoyed removed from them.

 

[IrishPete]

Forgive me, but am I correct in understanding the post - you fly once a year and expect that lounge access would be included? That is really pushing the "loyalty" notion to the limit, and somewhere no other airline that I know of would entertain.

Err, no, it's how Etihad have retained my loyalty up until this point. Bear in mind the lounge access is as frequent/rare as the flights - I can't just turn up to the lounge for a free feed any time I feel like it. The marginal cost of giving me lounge access when I fly once a year is probably the same as for someone flying 10 times a year. Probably less for me, as Silver have had to use the Al Reem lounge in Abu Dhabi for some years now, and the ten-timer is probably at Gold and getting into the Business lounge in Abu Dhabi.

It may push the concept of "frequent flyer" to the limit, but then so does amassing points via Amex, FlyBuys, or any other method that doesn't involve actually flying. I'll probably review which credit cards I carry in my wallet now too...

With Emirates now flying to Dublin, there'll be a lot of Irish diaspora people voting with their feet, I think.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Err, no, it's how Etihad have retained my loyalty up until this point. Bear in mind the lounge access is as frequent/rare as the flights - I can't just turn up to the lounge for a free feed any time I feel like it. The marginal cost of giving me lounge access when I fly once a year is probably the same as for someone flying 10 times a year. Probably less for me, as Silver have had to use the Al Reem lounge in Abu Dhabi for some years now, and the ten-timer is probably at Gold and getting into the Business lounge in Abu Dhabi.

It may push the concept of "frequent flyer" to the limit, but then so does amassing points via Amex, FlyBuys, or any other method that doesn't involve actually flying. I'll probably review which credit cards I carry in my wallet now too...

With Emirates now flying to Dublin, there'll be a lot of Irish diaspora people voting with their feet, I think.

I realise this may sound counter intuitive but Etihad would have run probably 5 simple queries to understand the financial impact on their business (mum & dad corner stores run more than this). You are right about credit card points (which in turn drive more host the airline spend as in your case , generally by a factor of 10).

However, I don't believe Etihad loyalty is sophisticated enough to model potential revenue that now won't exist from non-members, impact on partner points being generated by the program or how to identify and capitalise on opportunities from your data.

With this in mind, it's like communicating with a child where you need to leave a trail and ensure it's easy for them to follow. Use your points for upgrades and buy flexible tickets, don't enter your number on any other flight other than EY flights, transfer points from credit cards into the guest program only when you are using for an upgrade. These are the types of data points which would send a message to their data analysts/data science team on the effects of such a change. It's part of basic propensity modelling but for effective decision making to come from this you need the right data.

For you, me and every other loyalty member, it's about speaking their language (data signalling) so loyalty managers feel they're making a strong choice based on data rather than reading forums which may hold virtually no weight in their minds.

 

[koco]

It would appear that the excess baggage perk for Gold/Platinum members has also been reduced from 32kg to 23kg. Having recently had to rely on the full extra 32kg, I can't say that I am too happy with this.

 

[squeeze72]

Irishpete
I knew i got miles with flybuys but didn't realise they added onto my status and could take me to gold. I've been looking at the Amex for a while now but know that it isn't accepted at most places i would spend (unlike visa Mastercard). I'll look into it a little further. Thanks

 

[IrishPete]

Irishpete
I knew i got miles with flybuys but didn't realise they added onto my status and could take me to gold. I've been looking at the Amex for a while now but know that it isn't accepted at most places i would spend (unlike visa Mastercard). I'll look into it a little further. Thanks

You might be surprised about AmEx - accepted more places than you might think, with no surcharge - weird that some places don't read the chip, and some do. Coles and Woolworths, KMart, Target, Bunnings etc. NSW car rego. Various insurance companies (and these are big ticket items!). I get my cars serviced at KMart and buy tyres etc. (I haven't really changed my shopping practices - I was doing this anyway). Some of these get multiple points per $1 spend. A big contributor for me is BP fuel - I buy there anyway, and petrol and groceries.

AmEx also has a "Local Champions" feature through its App, which can boost your points earn.

FlyBuys can contribute two ways - you link your Flybuys account to Etihad Guest and you get Etihad points each time you get FlyBuys points (credited at the end of each month). And then eventually you can convert a bulk amount of FlyBuys points to Etihad.

So there are three kinds of points I am talking about- AmEx; Flybuys straight to Etihad; and FlyBuys converted to Etihad. I have NO idea which are status points, but they will definitely help you bump up your current balance to get upgrades. I bought my points upgrade just a few days before the flight, so don't assume it's ever too late!

p.s. you can also get FlyBuys by booking your Etihad flights through FlyBuys, and there are various other time-limited offers... I forgot to try that with my current booking, because I was responding to a Facebook ad which said "20% off Etihad flights" and was absolutely genuine.

p.p.s. tier miles seem quite specific, but general miles much less so - and note you must link your Etihad and FlyBuys to earn the trickle of points, but if you have FlyBuys built up, a transfer of points built up in the past should be feasible any time:
http://www.etihadguest.com/en/earn-miles/retail/flybuys/

 

[juddles]

Err, no, it's how Etihad have retained my loyalty up until this point. Bear in mind the lounge access is as frequent/rare as the flights - I can't just turn up to the lounge for a free feed any time I feel like it. The marginal cost of giving me lounge access when I fly once a year is probably the same as for someone flying 10 times a year. Probably less for me, as Silver have had to use the Al Reem lounge in Abu Dhabi for some years now, and the ten-timer is probably at Gold and getting into the Business lounge in Abu Dhabi.

It may push the concept of "frequent flyer" to the limit, but then so does amassing points via Amex, FlyBuys, or any other method that doesn't involve actually flying. I'll probably review which credit cards I carry in my wallet now too...

With Emirates now flying to Dublin, there'll be a lot of Irish diaspora people voting with their feet, I think.

I totally agree regarding points via non-flying sources, but disagree with the marginal cost argument - if you follow that then every person doing a long haul flight should have lounge access.

 

[IrishPete]

I totally agree regarding points via non-flying sources, but disagree with the marginal cost argument - if you follow that then every person doing a long haul flight should have lounge access.

No, every LOYAL person doing a longhaul flight.

Is there a degree of jealousy in the negative comments on this thread? "What do you mean you've been getting that benefit for years, and I haven't in my airline loyalty programme?"

 

[ozjuice]

if you only fly once a year and use Etihad even though they are more expensive, then perhaps saving on the flight and just buying a lounge pass would be a better option.

 

[IrishPete]

if you only fly once a year and use Etihad even though they are more expensive, then perhaps saving on the flight and just buying a lounge pass would be a better option.

There aren't too many choices for me, unless I want to spend a lot more time in a lot more airports! It's Etihad or Emirates, basically... Not sure the lounge pass idea will work, as we'd be talking about needing a lounge pass for several airports per return trip. Etihad will still give me access to the ordinary Al Reem (though the shower - yes, there seems to be just one - was better this year than last, and no queue), but Dublin, Melbourne and Brisbane would also be needed on this trip... Canberra too perhaps...

 

[ozjuice]

have you tried Priority pass?

 

[IrishPete]

have you tried Priority pass?

Haven't needed to! May have to look into it now! FlyerTalk has a guide to lounge access on their site that I will look into before I next need it. As Etihad still gives me access until the end of this year, it's a problem for 2017...