Fliers Cashing In Miles

[longing4piedmont]

I've got three fly three's, three bump vouchers and 191,662 miles. I've burned some where around 1,200,000 in the last 18 months. USAirways has taken me and my family to several parts of the world and the US that we would have never gone to, so if they all go tomorrow I've got my money's worth. FWIW, I believe the airline is going to survive the current turmoil and I'm no longer in the burn mode. I earn them faster than I can use them anyway

As a result of the above I really don't care if some one buys the program or not. I earn some where between 30,000 and 40,000 miles a month in total on all airlines so 200,000 is just not that big a deal. If some one does however buy them, they will only get my business by earning it. If any one of several airlines "buys" my miles the only business they will get from me will be the fees on the free tickets as I burn them.

As far as the comment that I and other like elites will go back to standing in line with the un washed masses, don't count on it. The comps to other programs will come just as fast as we request them.

 

[KCFlyer]

As far as the comment that I and other like elites will go back to standing in line with the un washed masses, don't count on it. The comps to other programs will come just as fast as we request them.

[post="176009"][/post]​

I guess we'll have to see. All I can say is, that any airline that would "comp" them the miles and status deserve what they get. So far their own "elites" aren't able to get the profit machine in gear, maybe the customers of an airline on it's second trip to bankruptcy might be able to help.

I can see it now...US fails and a former DM,CP passenger is making the reservation for his flight from JFK-LAX. His company got a $350 fare. It costs the airline more than that to fly it, but that doesn't matter...the agent says "Oh, I see you were a super titanium platinum deluxe on US...allow me to provide with your unlimited upgrade to first class...and thank you for letting your butt warm our seats on such a long flight". The airline loses money on the ticket alone, then they give away the potential revenue for the F class seat, since this is a "valued" customer who travels all the time...no sense in blocking upgrade periods until the day of the flight (which would provide inventory to SELL instead of upgrade into)...he's titanium, he gets unresticted upgrade privleges. As I said...they deserve what they get.

 

[RowUnderDCA]

Hey, Rosanne Rosannadanna: Take a breath. You are completely unaware that the word "elite" simply means somone with status in an airline frequent flyer program, aren't you?

[post="175910"][/post]​

I think you might be meaning to refer to Emily Latella. She's the one that decried 'violins on television.' Until she corrected her misunderstanding with a simple 'never mind'

 

[longing4piedmont]

I guess we'll have to see. All I can say is, that any airline that would "comp" them the miles and status deserve what they get. So far their own "elites" aren't able to get the profit machine in gear, maybe the customers of an airline on it's second trip to bankruptcy might be able to help.

I can see it now...US fails and a former DM,CP passenger is making the reservation for his flight from JFK-LAX. His company got a $350 fare. It costs the airline more than that to fly it, but that doesn't matter...the agent says "Oh, I see you were a super titanium platinum deluxe on US...allow me to provide with your unlimited upgrade to first class...and thank you for letting your butt warm our seats on such a long flight". The airline loses money on the ticket alone, then they give away the potential revenue for the F class seat, since this is a "valued" customer who travels all the time...no sense in blocking upgrade periods until the day of the flight (which would provide inventory to SELL instead of upgrade into)...he's titanium, he gets unresticted upgrade privleges. As I said...they deserve what they get.

[post="176013"][/post]​

By your very reply you have shown you have no idea how these programs work. Your continued posting on this subject will only show how little you know about how these programs work and what information one has to provide to be comped to another program. My advice to you is to quit while your ahead.

 

[KCFlyer]

By your very reply you have shown you have no idea how these programs work. Your continued posting on this subject will only show how little you know about how these programs work and what information one has to provide to be comped to another program. My advice to you is to quit while your ahead.

[post="176021"][/post]​

Why...because airlines put F class seats in with the intention not of selling them, but for upgrades for FFers? Dumb business plan when the apparently aren't making any money.

All the loyal passengers that US has hasn't allowed them to show a profit.

All the loyal passengers of AA hasn't allowed them to show a profit.

All the loyal passengers of DL hasn't allowed them to show a profit.

All the loyal passengers of UAL hasn't allowed them to show a profit.

Seems like somethings broken. I've heard the arguments that FF programs "are profit centers" (because the costs are spread out among the other departments)...that the FF plans "don't cost the airline anything". FF plans are going to change, and a horde of cockroaches won't change that. Let's wait and see...you seem to think that the other airlines will fall all over themselves to comp you up on the miles and status. I don't.

About the only thing that loyalty programs do in their current iteration is bump up the "market share" numbers for the airline to report. They love to report "US has 89%market share in PHL-CLT market". That makes the stock go up. But when they report "load factors are up but revenues are down", that tells me that all the "preferred" passengers aren't ponying up the big bucks to fly like they used to. And that's the key phrase..."used to". Load factors up - revenues down - losses increased. Something's gotta give...and IMHO, it's going to be a major tweak of the FF programs.

And no, I don't know what they have to provide to be "comped" in another program. But....I'd imagine that they might want to see how much you spent to get where you are. Now...that's not that much different from what US wanted to do when they tried to change the DM program. When US tried to tie elite level miles to the actual fare that was paid...the cockroach club was formed. That tells me that y'all weren't flying on profitable tickets...otherwise, you should have welcomed something that would make your elite club even more elite, since your fare should have got you full credits towards those levels, and folks travelling on reduced fare tickets earned a reduced number of elite miles. The formation of the cockroach club makes me believe that your fare was a bit less than what the airline felt was "optimal".

 

[longing4piedmont]

Arrogance and ignorance. I consider them to be very dangerous combinations.

There has been absolutely nothing in your post on the subject of being comped to another airline that suggest even a basic understanding of the process or how elite programs in general work. Yet you post as having all the answers.

Most of us come here to learn. You have exhibited very limited interest in learning from the post on this board. There for to debate you is engaging in what I would consider feeding a troll. I may in fact be wrong in that assumption and I will let others judge from our respective, collective post in making any further determination on whether you are or not.

A definition of what I can consider a troll can be found here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll

 

[KCFlyer]

Arrogance and ignorance. I consider them to be very dangerous combinations.

There has been absolutely nothing in your post on the subject of being comped to another airline that suggest even a basic understanding of the process or how elite programs in general work. Yet you post as having all the answers.

Most of us come here to learn. You have exhibited very limited interest in learning from the post on this board. There for to debate you is engaging in what I would consider feeding a troll. I may in fact be wrong in that assumption and I will let others judge from our respective, collective post in making any further determination on whether you are or not.

A definition of what I can consider a troll can be found here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_troll

[post="176032"][/post]​

Great. Let's see what happens when U folds. I'll be curious to see if any airline takes on the liability. I don't think they will. If they do, I'll be the first to say I was wrong.

FWIW, I'm still trying to figure out why it's an airlines job to provide perks for it's customers....I always thought that it was the travellers employer who should foot the bill for perks.

Maybe you could teach me...tell me why the airlines are showing losses, are facing second bankruptcies, and how the DM program benefits them. Eagerly awaiting your lesson.

 

[TomBascom]

KCFlyer just can't stand the fact that there's one thing that US Airways does better than WN -- Dividend Miles.

Oh well.

 

[KCFlyer]

KCFlyer just can't stand the fact that there's one thing that US Airways does better than WN -- Dividend Miles.

Oh well.

[post="176038"][/post]​

Gosh...when presented with an opinon on FF programs, the cockroaches crawl out with the personal attacks. With all due respect Tom...listening to you guys make me think of that Pizza hut commercial a few years back with Deion Sanders and Jerry Jones...you know, where the catch word was "Both". You want low fares or do you want a liberal DM program...your answer - "Both".

I read many threads from the cockroaches...even posts from you yourself...that say that US needs to price like Southwest...they need to simply fares like Southwest...and all that. And I don't dispute that, they do. But....when it comes to "sharing the pain" with employees (who all the cockroaches claim to love) by restricting the DM miles program, the battle cry goes up...."I want my Maypo"...in this case "I want my freebies".

And then everyone tries to tell US employees who want to vote no on anymore concessions that they'll be out of a job if they don't take a pay cut. And some folks have seen their pay cut pretty deeply already. And that's what gets me about all this. If management said that the employees needed to work for free, you guys would be all over the employees to go along...just as long as it doesn't impact my Dividend Miles. Your little club, if you haven't noticed, is VERY self centered. It's pretty hard to accept, but it's all "what's in it for me.

As far as SWA...my 10 year old got two RR tickets in the past 12 months. Not bad for a kid travelling when she's out of school. Helluva deal.

 

[TomBascom]

Gosh...when presented with an opinon on FF programs, the cockroaches crawl out with the personal attacks.

It's not an attack, it's an observation. It's pretty obvious that you're jealous. It's a shame that you put so much energy into tearing down something that is good and positive but I suppose that if you feel better for it then this forum is a safe place to indulge those impulses. Have fun!

 

[KCFlyer]

It's not an attack, it's an observation. It's pretty obvious that you're jealous. It's a shame that you put so much energy into tearing down something that is good and positive but I suppose that if you feel better for it then this forum is a safe place to indulge those impulses. Have fun!

[post="176061"][/post]​

What is good and positive? FF programs? They are good and positive for the passenger, but not for the airline. Cockroach clubs? They are good and positive for the cockroaches... the manifesto "We want low fares, we want free trips, we want unlimited upgrades, we love the US employees, but don't mess with our DM program".

The cockroaches seem to feel it's all a warm fuzzy positive, but the bottom line is this...the airline tried to gain a little more control over the DM program. The cockroach club was formed. It WASN'T formed to tell managment they wanted a person and not a kiosk to check them in. It WASN'T formed to tell management that we'd rather talk to a person in reservations than listen to the hold music for 30 minutes because the res centers are understaffed. It WASN'T formed to "go to bat" for the front line employees you all profess to care so much about. The kiosks and long hold times and poor treatment of the employee have been around considerably longer than the cockroach club...It WAS formed because someone jacked with the DM programs. Bottom line...it was all about "me",

 

[TomBascom]

The airline makes a profit on DM. I thought your position was that they need to be doing more of that on each ticket?

As I said. You're obviously jealous. None of your rant is factual nor does it help shed light on the situation in any way.

You have two standard rants -- one regarding DM the other regarding "unprofitable" fares. You never let facts get in the way when you're off on either. In both cases SWA actually acts quite differently than you urge US to act.

SWA is a great airline with a lot of good ideas. I think there's a lot to be learned there and US Airways would do well to take many ideas from SWA. Correctly identifying what really drives SWA 's success vs the mythology that they have allowed competitors to delude themselves with is the difference between success and becoming roadkill. US Airways also needs to keep doing what they do well. Differentiation from SWA and other airlines is crucial -- becoming a commodity, or worse yet an inferior commodity, is not a recipe for success.

 

[NeedForSpeedNFS]

As a matter of fact NFS, I had a job where I was flying a roundtrip a week. Every week. IT WAS PART OF MY JOB. Deleted most of the post in reference to edit as requested by the moderators-mod.

[post="175933"][/post]​

KC I re-read, I stand corrected, sir!!! MY sincere apolagies!! My trusty pic now applies to myself!!!!!

 

[KCFlyer]

The airline makes a profit on DM. I thought your position was that they need to be doing more of that on each ticket?

I thought that a financial report with ($x.xx) in the "profit" column meant it was negative. My bad.

As I said. You're obviously jealous. None of your rant is factual nor does it help shed light on the situation in any way.

What part isn't factual? Can you get me the numbers from US showing that the DM program is profitable, specifically the breakdown of costs related to DM. Didn't think so.

You have two standard rants -- one regarding DM the other regarding "unprofitable" fares. You never let facts get in the way when you're off on either. In both cases SWA actually acts quite differently than you urge US to act.

Well, my friend, you also have two standard rants, and oddly enough, it is DM and the fare structure. You are correct...SWA does indeed act quite differently than US acts. On SWA, one is treated as if they were "elite", whether it's their first flight that year or their 101st flight that year.

SWA is a great airline with a lot of good ideas. I think there's a lot to be learned there and US Airways would do well to take many ideas from SWA. Correctly identifying what really drives SWA 's success vs the mythology that they have allowed competitors to delude themselves with is the difference between success and becoming roadkill.

What is the difference between success and roadkill? The only mythology I see is that management at US seems to think that success can only come from cost cuts out of labor. If you haven't noticed, Southwest employees are among the highest paid in the industry. US has asked and received concessions from their labor force twice. They are asking a third time.

US Airways also needs to keep doing what they do well. Differentiation from SWA and other airlines is crucial -- becoming a commodity, or worse yet an inferior commodity, is not a recipe for success.

So...why complain when they try to pattern their DM program after CO or Delta? Why complain when they try to tie the credit towards elite status to the price paid for the ticket? Why complain when they restrict award levels. Should they implement "Go Fares" in the F class cabin, will you complain if they implement limits on upgrades, since they will be offering "affordable" advance purchase fares in F class, and our looking at increasing the revenue from those seats?

 

[KCFlyer]

KC I re-read, I stand corrected, sir!!! MY sincere apolagies!! My trusty pic now applies to myself!!!!!

[post="176158"][/post]​

No harm, no foul. Apology accepted.