Here is the e-mail I sent to Tempe....I've never heard anything back before, and I don't expect to this time, but at least I did what I knew to do, "send a message."
From: VanTheMan63
Sent: Friday, February 15, 2008 2:41 PM
To: 'executive.office@usairways.com'; 'brad.beakley@usairways.com'; 'travis.christ@usairways.com'; 'douglas.parker@usairways.com'; 'Eberwein, Elise'; 'robert.isom@usairways.com'; 'scott.kirby@usairways.com'; 'suzanne.boda@usairways.com'; 'kerry.hester@usairways.com'; 'tom.trenga@usairways.com'; 'andrew.nocella@usairways.com'
Subject: A Sad State Of Affairs...Continues
Dear US Airways:
I’ve written many times….in fact, I use to care. I’m not sure I care as much any more as the moves this company has made, both past moves and recent moves, have pretty much killed any and all “good feelings†I associated with US Airways. On top of that, I don’t think any of you really care about my opinions….of all the times I’ve tried to share, communicate and express concerns, as a Chairman, I’ve only ever received ONE return note from anyone. (I’ve received form letters and even one extremely rude letter from the “customer service†people, but I suppose I am/was trying to communicate on a slightly deeper level.)
I made my peace with the company in December, at least in my mind: “Fly US ONLY when it is the only ride available and/or only when it is dirt cheap.†Doesn’t seem like a sustainable position, but it is what it is and certainly not the “Airline Of Choice.â€
Products come and products go…and this one, sadly is headed, who knows where. It seemed as though there was indeed some momentum being gained….more on time arrivals, bags arriving with customers, “enhancements†in the F cabin, new Buy On Board in the back…and then, with one swift move, a move that from a business perspective makes precious little sense, the company goes and wipes nearly, if not ALL of it out, and then some.
Supposedly, “glassware isn’t on the radar screen of customers.†As my wife stated it, perfectly, “we never voiced our opposition to plastic because US Airways told us time and time again glassware is coming.†Just one of a number of promises made and broken by this company and it’s product. Then, as we in the Northeast know and understand, we pay EXTRAORDINARY prices to fly point to point here. A simple route that US competes with WN on, PVD-PHL, STILL yields close to $0.50 per mile. The company sells DMs for $0.03, correct? I’m assuming you’re valuing them at less then that from an accounting standpoint…
The point is you have created a HUGE firestorm for an issue/issues that are….not even a half of one percent. The absolute vile, rabid ill will created toward US Airways and Tempe will, I predict, be FAR more costly then the “savings†just picked up.
My perception of how US Airways is managed? The company leverages off the very two groups of people that give it a reason for existence, the employees and the passengers. Instead of the company finding ways to build value into the product it sells, the company looks always to cut costs, cheapen the product and the perception of the product and in doing so, almost gives itself a black eye! I’ve never, really, quite seen anything like it.
Finally, I’ve attached receipts for 4 tickets I recently purchased and flew with my wife. You will note, the CO ticket from PVD-ABQ, I paid $654.88 per ticket in actual air fare, $0.284 per mile. CO wasn’t available for the ride home and in fact, for the time I needed, US was the only ride, so I bought tickets…$165.58 per….$0.059 per mile. Now, the question is, “why on earth would I be willing to pay nearly 4 times what it costs on US to fly CO?†The answer is because I get much, much better value for my travel dollar with CO. It certainly wasn’t like that 4 or 5 years ago.
While I could EASILY have paid some cheap, discounted fare to fly CO….and I could EASILY have paid F fare to fly US, I did not. Why? Simple. The “value proposition†with US no longer exists…and for some strange reason, the current mood in Tempe seems anxious to make the value even worse.
In all likelihood, I will forever be perplexed by this.
Not to lecture aviation professionals such as yourself….but from a consumer standpoint….for less then a half a percent, you just created who knows HOW MUCH ill will. From my vantage point, that’s not very good business. Never mind the fact that even more value was stripped from a product that already provided….significantly less value then the competition.
Best Regards
VanTheMan63
President
PL & P, Inc.
Phone: ###-###-####
Fax: ###-###-####
E-Mail: Van@vantheman63.com
it's getting too easy though--and less of a challenge as they can't seem to do even simple things correctly.
