Aerlingus AerClub/Avios

Diego Tristan

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

Totally agree, the minimum return portion of a LHR is 62.99 and was always guaranteed 15 credits.

That would be almost entirely made up of airport taxes though, which are crazy high flying out of LHR. Credits are based on the fare only.

antodeco

Aerclub really is a joke. I've done 8 trips Dub - LHR and only 1 registered. I emailed them a list of all my missing flights, and now theyve deleted the one flight above and I've gone down in points. I've also flown with partner airlines and no sign of them anywhere. I'd actually rather pay the little extra and fly with BA because at least their frequent flyer details appear straight away!

mx5ire

Just curious what folks think on this .....

I just received an AerClub email talking about buying Avios. 

So i had a look, and it seems like a really expensive way to basically buy a flight. So you can buy 1000 avios for 36 Eur, so thats 360 Eur for 10,000 Avios. Now its 10,000 avios 1 way to the likes of Dubrovnik, or similar distance, so 360 Eur + taxes makes for a very expensive flight. And if you cannot use avios to transatlantic upgrades, i ask myself why would you buy avios ? I can understand if you are 1000 short of a reward flight etc, but the mail says you can buy up to 200,000 avios - why would you do that ?

AndyBoBandy

mx5ire wrote: »

Just curious what folks think on this .....

I just received an AerClub email talking about buying Avios. 

So i had a look, and it seems like a really expensive way to basically buy a flight. So you can buy 1000 avios for 36 Eur, so thats 360 Eur for 10,000 Avios. Now its 10,000 avios 1 way to the likes of Dubrovnik, or similar distance, so 360 Eur + taxes makes for a very expensive flight. And if you cannot use avios to transatlantic upgrades, i ask myself why would you buy avios ? I can understand if you are 1000 short of a reward flight etc, but the mail says you can buy up to 200,000 avios - why would you do that ?

Looks like they're phishing for mugs to part with their cash!!

alancostello

mx5ire wrote: »

Just curious what folks think on this .....

I just received an AerClub email talking about buying Avios. 

So i had a look, and it seems like a really expensive way to basically buy a flight. So you can buy 1000 avios for 36 Eur, so thats 360 Eur for 10,000 Avios. Now its 10,000 avios 1 way to the likes of Dubrovnik, or similar distance, so 360 Eur + taxes makes for a very expensive flight. And if you cannot use avios to transatlantic upgrades, i ask myself why would you buy avios ? I can understand if you are 1000 short of a reward flight etc, but the mail says you can buy up to 200,000 avios - why would you do that ?

200,000 is just the maximum you theoretically can buy, but there are regularly 100% extra deals on Avios which make this not-as-bad a value. I would imagine nobody(or next to nobody) ever buys the full 200,000, it is predominantly the people who are a few thousand short of a redemption, but there are some people, perhaps some very frequent flyers/redeemers to whom it makes a lot of sense to buy a lot of Avios, or who buy smaller amounts multiple times a year that add up. Don't forget as well that Avios is for BA and Iberia as well, and with those you can get some very good redemption deals through OneWorld partners, far better than what we see.

George Sunsnow

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

Looks like they're phishing for mugs to part with their cash!!

Aye you can get to Los Angeles in business class from Dublin via Lhr on virgin Atlantic for €1400 at times

You’d need 115000 avios to book to the east coast U.S
Buying those in this deal would cost €3500 or two and a half times the €1400

Fools and their money are easily parted

jesus_thats_gre

antodeco wrote: »

Aerclub really is a joke. I've done 8 trips Dub - LHR and only 1 registered. I emailed them a list of all my missing flights, and now theyve deleted the one flight above and I've gone down in points. I've also flown with partner airlines and no sign of them anywhere. I'd actually rather pay the little extra and fly with BA because at least their frequent flyer details appear straight away!

If you are flying regularly and the points actually mean something to you, just switch to BA. I did and I haven't had a single issue on the loyalty front.

useless

this programme really is useless. Enquired today about redeeming my one upgrade voucher earned when I turned Platinum. Email back says I have to buy the economy flight first, THEN enquire about upgrade availability. No guarantees.
Also, I cant give the upgrade to someone else. Apparently they're non-transferable. What a crock.

AndyBoBandy

useless wrote: »

Also, I cant give the upgrade to someone else. Apparently they're non-transferable. What a crock.

I gave my Platinum upgrade to my sister late last year, I happened to be flying to the U.K. the same day she was flying to Boston, and we (she) asked at check in, and after a quick call to the head desk, she was in business class (I posted about it here the day it happened).

Edit: only reason I gave it to her was because I was on the verge of Concierge!! Otherwise she was slumming it in economy!

MayoSalmon

You will usually get your upgrade unless Business class is full.

AndyBoBandy

MayoSalmon wrote: »

You will usually get your upgrade unless Business class is full.

‘Usually’ being the key word there.

I’d want to know 100% that I’d be in business class.

I’m planning a trip Stateside soon with the OH, and I think the better option might be to book business and get herself the companion ticket, as opposed to booking us both economy and using the 4 upgrades! It might be a few hundred squid more expensive, but I’ll know 100% we are going in business. I’ll also get 250 Tier Credits to help get me to Platinum for 2019

Jamie2k9

Diego Tristan wrote: »

That would be almost entirely made up of airport taxes though, which are crazy high flying out of LHR. Credits are based on the fare only.

Understand that to a degree however 15 credits for 135 quid is a joke when I could fly to London with another carrier for a fraction of the costs and if I wanted to earn quick credits I could earn 45 credits by doing 3 return to MAN/BHX which is 22.99 each way if booked during sale (same as this return LHR). Those 22.99 fares are made up of 100% tax/charge and admin fee.

goingnowhere

You would have got absolutely zilch under Gold Circle for those fares

Jamie2k9

goingnowhere wrote: »

You would have got absolutely zilch under Gold Circle for those fares

Wasn't allowed to sign up to GC but I suspect they will drop down the saver tier credits again in future and it will eventually be impossible to move tiers as they will just water down all fare types.

alancostello

It’s a *revenue* based programme, what about that do people not understand. The only customers they want moving up the tiers(or having any status to begin with) are those that bring in revenue to the airline. A person regularly taking a 22.99 fare or similar fares that are just made up of the taxes and fees is of no interest to them. If you’re not happy with the amount of tier credits you’re getting, pay for Plus.

Jamie2k9

alancostello wrote: »

It’s a *revenue* based programme, what about that do people not understand. The only customers they want moving up the tiers(or having any status to begin with) are those that bring in revenue to the airline. A person regularly taking a 22.99 fare or similar fares that are just made up of the taxes and fees is of no interest to them. If you’re not happy with the amount of tier credits you’re getting, pay for Plus.

Then launch the programme properly and stop making loads of changes after launch. All the changes would of been foreseen prior to launch had they given any real consideration.

I regularly pay plus fares but not something I will always pay when its a short trip and doesn't require lots of baggage. They will eventually cut back the Plus from 25 to 20 or even 15.

goingnowhere

If you book at reasonably short notice, i.e. 2 weeks or less you will be paying a lot more than booking 3 months out.

Gone are the days of the status runs where someone finds a strange hole in the IATA matrix and just flies for the sake of earning status at a heavily discounted rate, most of the US carriers have switched to revenue basis

Classic one was American business class domestic was called first so BA issued first class credit, this has since stopped.

EI wants the traveller who has to fly and has no flexibility, they really love those who fly in January and February which are traditionally dead months. But thats the give back, you pay you get looked after

AndyBoBandy

alancostello wrote: »

It’s a *revenue* based programme, what about that do people not understand. The only customers they want moving up the tiers(or having any status to begin with) are those that bring in revenue to the airline. A person regularly taking a 22.99 fare or similar fares that are just made up of the taxes and fees is of no interest to them. If you’re not happy with the amount of tier credits you’re getting, pay for Plus.

I’d have to agree. The hardcore business traveller doesn’t care about saver fares etc... they need to travel on a certain date at a certain time, and might only have 2/3 days notice that they are actually travelling! (About 50% of my flights last year were booked less than 24 hours before departure, the other 50% were probably booked with less than 3/4 days to departure).

It’s of absolutely no benefit to Aer Lingus to have a casual flyer who maybe takes 1 trip per month if the price is right to be a member of AerClub.

alancostello

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

alancostello wrote: »

It’s a *revenue* based programme, what about that do people not understand. The only customers they want moving up the tiers(or having any status to begin with) are those that bring in revenue to the airline. A person regularly taking a 22.99 fare or similar fares that are just made up of the taxes and fees is of no interest to them. If you’re not happy with the amount of tier credits you’re getting, pay for Plus.

Then launch the programme properly and stop making loads of changes after launch. All the changes would of been foreseen prior to launch had they given any real consideration.

I regularly pay plus fares but not something I will always pay when its a short trip and doesn't require lots of baggage. They will eventually cut back the Plus from 25 to 20 or even 15.

What changes would those be? Lower fares have always been half credits from day one.

Jamie2k9

alancostello wrote: »

What changes would those be? Lower fares have always been half credits from day one.

Well the changes to saver fare classes is only recent change, moved them to cheaper fare classes and thus reduced tier credits. Tax/Charges have not suddenly changed.

alancostello

Jamie2k9 wrote: »

alancostello wrote: »

What changes would those be? Lower fares have always been half credits from day one.

Well the changes to saver fare classes is only recent change, moved them to cheaper fare classes and thus reduced tier credits. Tax/Charges have not suddenly changed.

It absolutely isn’t. Saver A/Z/W/T(and O/R transatlantic) have always been half credits. I earned 7.5 credits for a cheap flight to Paris the week after AerClub launched.

Jamie2k9

alancostello wrote: »

It absolutely isn’t. Saver A/Z/W/T(and O/R transatlantic) have always been half credits. I earned 7.5 credits for a cheap flight to Paris the week after AerClub launched.

Yes fully understand the credit aspect however the recent change is for example fare (€) brands have been adjusted upwards so for example what was considered a higher class fare and thus earn 15 credits is now considered promotional class and now earn 7.5 credits.

mx5ire

Well it might be revenue based in theory, but its still not revenue based in reality in many cases. My last personal trip to NYC got me 15 tier credits each way, for a 450 euro odd airfare. I recently got 25 tier credits each way in europe for less than a third of that. To me that makes a mockery of the revenue based value model from the customer perspective.

Jamie2k9

mx5ire wrote: »

Well it might be revenue based in theory, but its still not revenue based in reality in many cases. My last personal trip to NYC got me 15 tier credits each way, for a 450 euro odd airfare. I recently got 25 tier credits each way in europe for less than a third of that. To me that makes a mockery of the revenue based value model from the customer perspective.

This, the point I was trying to get across but not very well!

alancostello

mx5ire wrote: »

Well it might be revenue based in theory, but its still not revenue based in reality in many cases. My last personal trip to NYC got me 15 tier credits each way, for a 450 euro odd airfare. I recently got 25 tier credits each way in europe for less than a third of that. To me that makes a mockery of the revenue based value model from the customer perspective.

You're paying three times the price but you're also flying significantly longer(if not three or more times longer) and to a region with more associated fees and taxes, Tier credits are revenue based, but based on their revenue from you. I'd strongly wager they made more money off your European plus flight than your transatlantic Saver fare.

mx5ire

I see what you are saying, but from my perspective its not a good look in terms of Tier Credit earning. My taxes in europe were 88 odd, and the US trip was 107. So not a lot different. I also spent much more money on bits and pieces on the plane going TA, i buy nothing on short euro trips. Anyway, after 7 TA business class trips with them last year they have more than made their money from me.

alancostello

mx5ire wrote: »

I see what you are saying, but from my perspective its not a good look in terms of Tier Credit earning. My taxes in europe were 88 odd, and the US trip was 107. So not a lot different. I also spent much more money on bits and pieces on the plane going TA, i buy nothing on short euro trips. Anyway, after 7 TA business class trips with them last year they have more than made their money from me.

Oh I'm not for a second suggesting that it's any way good for the customer, I'm just explaining that realistically, they don't care. The people (like all of us) who wish it was better/easier to gain credits aren't the ones they really care about. I mean if you're making 7 TA J return trips they probably care about you, but I would say you're in the minority for caring back, most who are doing it that frequently or in that class hit Concierge within weeks of signing up and are content with that.

MayoSalmon

Jamie2k9 wrote:

I regularly pay plus fares but not something I will always pay when its a short trip and doesn't require lots of baggage. They will eventually cut back the Plus from 25 to 20 or even 15.

Give us the lotto numbers while your at it!

The saver fare was launched to compete with Norwegian, surprised they give you anything for it to be honest.

PaulKK

Does anyone know if you earn tier credits and avios for the aer lingus sector if booking via United?

For example, book through United site from DUB to a US regional airport but United uses aerlingus to get you to SFA and then onwards with United?

ironclaw

PaulKK wrote: »

Does anyone know if you earn tier credits and avios for the aer lingus sector if booking via United?

For example, book through United site from DUB to a US regional airport but United uses aerlingus to get you to SFA and then onwards with United?

That would be a United code share and a United plane. The United program is pretty good and has some decent perks. Its part of SA which is far more valuable that being part of EI.