Happy Christmas from Emirates – here’s a secret 20% Skywards devaluation

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• Matt says:

  23 Dec23 December 11:16

  I’ve got around 15,000 skyward miles that have been sitting around for a while – what is the best value option for redeeming them, given it doesn’t seem enough for any flights or sport tickets these days?

  • Rob says:

    23 Dec23 December 11:21

    12,000 is £40 to spend at Heathrow via Heathrow Rewards (£80 to spend on parking) or around £50 off an easyJet flight.

  • BJ says:

    23 Dec23 December 12:14

    If you’re ever out BKK-HKG way a one-cabin upgrade on that route starts at 13k IIRC and presuming it hasn’t changed.

• BJ says:

  23 Dec23 December 11:18

  So this is Christmas and what have you done?

  … BA, Iberia and Emirates stuffed the customers, not the turkey…

  Another year over

  …what will the new one bring?

• BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

  23 Dec23 December 11:26

  TBH a stuffed you writing a blog would still be better than some of the US sites.

• MCO says:

  23 Dec23 December 11:57

  TBH I don’t rate Emirates Business. I feel QR and EY offer a superior product especially if you can get the Q Suites. Plus if you fly from NCL you get the 2+3+2 business which is 20 years behind the current ones on the “lesser” airlines.

  • Pogonation says:

    23 Dec23 December 16:15

    Agree with you. Always thought emirates is the most overrated airline and is distinctly average. It’s marketing team seems to be pretty good though because the general public seem to think it’s the best airline out there.

    • Yuff says:

      23 Dec23 December 16:31

      Have to agree, wasn’t that impressed with Emirates business on a 777 at October half term.

  • Benilyn says:

    24 Dec24 December 13:27

    agree but miles better than BA imho, particularly soft product

• The real Swiss Tony says:

  23 Dec23 December 12:26

  I’m tracking DXB fares at the moment – only thing I’m seeing sub £1k is LOT (euro business on both legs – hmmm). Finnair was in the mix but it’s a long way round, especially just before the TP year ends and timings weren’t great.

  Only bargain I’m seeing in that direction is the LH/LX fare that connects onto EY into AUH. £1600, but the extra stop AND the 1hr drive up from AUH is a detractor.

  I do however fear that we’ve had a re-rating of long haul J fares and now just need to suck it up.

  • Blair Waldorf Salad says:

    23 Dec23 December 13:47

    I’ve seen £1200 recently from MAN and BHX on LH/LX for 2023 travel. Dublin also remains possible for £1000-flat fares.

    • tony says:

      23 Dec23 December 16:21

      The LX/LH flights are really patchy though at that price. I have to go for meetings next month and it’s not proving easy.

• Blair Waldorf Salad says:

  23 Dec23 December 13:45

  The man behind the monkey is very good looking and thus would be objectified by women (and some men) if he fronted up the blog as himself. Hence, the monkey front-man. It’s a burden I wish I had to bear too.

• DaveJ says:

  23 Dec23 December 13:48

  Cash prices are up 20%+ aren’t they?

  Not really a surprise that points are being devalued in an inflationary environment

  • Rob says:

    23 Dec23 December 14:29

    There are 2 types of points inflation:

    *hotel style, where you earn based on $ spent – in this case you SHOULD increase redemptions in line with room rate inflation

    *airline style, where you earn based on miles flow – in this case, there is no real excuse for it, on the basis that miles fill seats which would otherwise be empty and you paid more for the flights that earned you the miles originally (it’s basically coffee stamps – buy 10, get 1 free, and the economics don’t change if the cost of coffee doubles)

    • WaynedP says:

      23 Dec23 December 16:31

      The difference between coffee shop vs airline economics is that Coffee Co isn’t forced to provide 300 units at a time, split into three (maybe four) levels of fanciness in fixed proportions, and then chuck away any unsold coffees down the drain at the end of the day.

      If that were the case, then when supply exceeds demand, Coffee Co might lure extra custom through the door by promising, say, double stamps for each coffee bought, enticing more customers for whom the lure of reaching their free eleventh coffee is attractive enough to swing all their custom in Coffee Co’s direction, maybe even increase their consumption.

      When demand for coffee becomes greater than supply, why would Coffee Co continue giving double stamps, essentially giving away twice as many of their 300 coffees which they are assured to sell out anyway.

      Rather change to a policy of one stamp per two coffees bought, which is essentially what we are witnessing.

      • Chrisasaurus says:

        23 Dec23 December 17:04

        Well almost but more accurately it’s like saying it’s now 1.2 completes sets of 10 stamps to get your free coffee – meaning those who had enough cards for 6 coffees are now down the value of a coffee.

        It isn’t merely the new collectors but the ones foolishly holding onto cards

        • WaynedP says:

          23 Dec23 December 17:14

          Your assessment is a more accurate reflection of reality, of course, and I did consider delivering a closing remark along the lines of “change back to one stamp per coffee, but need twelve to get your thirteenth free” but decided to go with grand hyperbole in this season renowned for excess.

          Merry Christmas to everyone, and best wishes for a New Year that brings us all joy and prosperity 🎄

    • optomdad says:

      23 Dec23 December 22:02

      But how many people earn points on miles flown, vs how many people earn points from other credit cards.

• Super Secret Stuff says:

  23 Dec23 December 15:05

  Great piece of writing, saying it how it is, that’s why we like H4P!

  (Also love how youve used there christmas marketing picturez 🤣 )
  Merry Christmas one and all

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