American Airlines AAdvantage eyes Qantas tie-up

[Gold Member]

American Airlines AAdvantage eyes Qantas tie-up

Sounds promising if it comes to fruition. But what's got me salivating the most is "...American Airlines would explore the prospect of creating an opportunity for AAdvantage members to earn points on an Australian credit card in the future, although nothing was imminent".

 

[andye]

Thats potentially a lot of AA points in the QF system for upgrades.Agree about an AA credit card

 

[bismarck]

That would be excellent.....though like you, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Mattg]

I'm sure many of us would welcome an opportunity to more easily earn AA points with an Australian credit card. Though, only if award redemption rates are not enhanced.

I guess the concern I have here is that if AAdvantage and QFF form closer ties, QF may coerce AA into increasing the redemption rates on flights within/from Australia.

 

[opusman]

I guess the concern I have here is that if AAdvantage and QFF form closer ties, QF may coerce AA into increasing the redemption rates on flights within/from Australia.

Not to mention the taxes + charges.

 

[kevrosmith]

which could lead to mutual upgrades on both airlines

I've seen the upgrade stand-by lists on AA flights in USA, and it's not pretty... I'd rather just keep buying their (relatively cheaper) First Class tickets on Domestic AA flights than try to navigate the upgrade lottery, in which, even as QF WP, I wouldn't rate a high chance of success.

And on our side of the pond, I don't want a plethora of AA pax with possibly self-entitled attitudes competing for the limited upgrade opportunities on QF flights, especially on the predominantly-leisure based routes I fly (aka xx_-CNS).

 

[The Flying Brick]

I just found a very interesting article in today's on AFR that teases us with the idea of upgrading on AA using QF points and vice versa. American Airlines AAdvantage eyes Qantas tie-up | afr.com


Even more interesting was the possibility of an AA points earning credit card in Australia.

The text from the article is below for those that don't have online access

"The world's largest frequent flyer program, American Airlines' AAdvantage, wants to form closer links with Qantas Airways' frequent flyer scheme, which could lead to mutual upgrades on both airlines - a benefit not allowed under the Qantas-Emirates alliance, to the annoyance of many Qantas frequent fliers.Such an agreement would be welcomed by the hundreds of thousands of Australians who travel in the US, and increase the number of American tourists flying on Qantas domestic flights.
"It is certainly a topic of conversation," AAdvantage president Suzanne Rubin said in an interview. "It remains to be seen."
Ms Rubin visited Sydney last week to meet with top-tier local members and Qantas Loyalty chief executive Lesley Grant and her team.


AAdvantage has more than 100 million global members, including 100,000 in Australia even though it hasn't flown here since 1992. The Qantas frequent flyer program has more than 11 million members, the vast majority of whom live in Australia. American Airlines will start new Sydney-Los Angeles flights next month, in partnership with Qantas.
"Any time we enter a market, we look to see our program gain more traction," Ms Rubin said. "We have a very active and engaged customer base in Australia. We are looking at reenergising that. But when you enter a market with a partner you are also looking at how do we best work together."
Ms Rubin said the Qantas and American Airlines frequent flyer programs were likely to appeal to different customers, perhaps depending on how often they travel to US.
"Depending on your specific travel needs, depending on what you value most as a frequent flyer member whether it is access to redemption seats or the status, it is important to understand both programs and how each one may best serve your needs," she said.

She said there might be opportunities for shared benefits, such as allowing Qantas frequent flyer members to upgrade on American Airlines flights using points and vice versa. She said American Airlines would explore the prospect of creating an opportunity for AAdvantage members to earn points on an Australian credit card in the future, although nothing was imminent.
American Airlines is considering a strategic shift in its frequent flyer program, which is now a relative outlier for favouring points earned based on the distance flown rather than the revenue from the ticket.
US rivals United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have shifted to revenue-based programs. Qantas also did last year, and Virgin Australia has long based its program on revenue.
Ms Rubin said AAdvantage members should expect the program will take into account other shifts in the industry as it advances its program in the future, but she added it wanted to remain a regular winner of customer choice awards. "There are many ways for us to do that," she said, declining to divulge any details."