RUMOR: US Considering Charging Elites for Choice Seats?

[Art at ISP]

I received a call today from one of our members, who had just heard this unconfirmed rumor from a usually reliable source:

US is planning on charging some or all PREFERRED members for some or all choice seats......

To me this would be the ultimate insult to Preferred members-a definite indication that the company values an extra few dollars more than your loyalty. Kind of makes you think now doesn't it?

Can anyone add to this? What do you all think? Would this be the straw that breaks the camel's back for those Preferreds still flying US?

Again this is UNCONFIRMED but it came from a good source.

My best to you all....

 

[hp_fa]

Why worry about future revenue streams when you can fatten the coffers today, get bonuses and eventually merge the whole mess away?

 

[tadjr]

US did add a "T" seat to the seat map this past week (actually today was the first time I remember seeing them on a seatmap). This is a Choice seat that does require a purchase, even by a Preferred member. However, we still offer regular Preferred "V" seats that were there before, aisles and windows in the front and the exit rows. I will have to check more closely, but I only remember seeing about 10 or so on the seat map, but I dont know how many were already purchased or assigned as regular seats before the seat map cutover. There were still quite a few regular Preferred seats though.
Cant speculate about future plans, but as of now there are still seats available only for Preferred members that do not require purchase and any unpurchased "T" seats are assigned for free at the gate at 30 mins before dept.

 

[Hope777]

I received a call today from one of our members, who had just heard this unconfirmed rumor from a usually reliable source:

US is planning on charging some or all PREFERRED members for some or all choice seats......

To me this would be the ultimate insult to Preferred members-a definite indication that the company values an extra few dollars more than your loyalty. Kind of makes you think now doesn't it?

Can anyone add to this? What do you all think? Would this be the straw that breaks the camel's back for those Preferreds still flying US?

Again this is UNCONFIRMED but it came from a good source.

My best to you all....

Art, not to sound so cold, but You Dont Fly US. YOU are NOT putting Food on my table.
CO came out today with the fact they are no longer giving FREE food in coach starting this Summer.
This is a Business, we are here to make money, is your company in the business of making money?

We have to pay the Bills. The Airports now charge much more in landing fees, rent and fuel is thru the roof.

Should we do nothing and just fly into the sunset?

enough US Bashing

 

[LD3]

At least they're trying to get new revenue from their economy section.

This was on the CO board regarding leg room....could you imagine if this was on the US board, the bashing would be endless....

 

[Art at ISP]

This is not bashing-it is merely an observation of how one airline values its customers versus another.
In this case CO is merely the last to charge for meals, while US is historically the first to add ancillary fees, which in this particular case is a slap in the face to anyone who has shown loyalty to them. If DL, AA CO or anyone else did the same thing my comments would be the same.

The CORE issue here is the pricing of tickets--they are TOO LOW. In any other industry selling the product below cost would be illegal--called DUMPING, but not in the airline industry.

Rational fares would have mitigated the need for nickel and diming.

Go ahead and bash the poster......

 

[Lloyds5]

This is not bashing-it is merely an observation of how one airline values its customers versus another.
In this case CO is merely the last to charge for meals, while US is historically the first to add ancillary fees, which in this particular case is a slap in the face to anyone who has shown loyalty to them. If DL, AA CO or anyone else did the same thing my comments would be the same.

The CORE issue here is the pricing of tickets--they are TOO LOW. In any other industry selling the product below cost would be illegal--called DUMPING, but not in the airline industry.

Rational fares would have mitigated the need for nickel and diming.

Go ahead and bash the poster......

Rational fares? with the likes of SW and Jetblue with significantly lower costs than all of the majors you cant price tickets at the same levels as the LCCs and stay in business. People want the cheapest fare obviously continental found out that meals were not enough of a differeniator to price their product higher. But seriously Art for a guy who says he has nt flown with US in 3 years give it up and move on- you wont be subject to the fees if this happens.

 

[redheadtempe33]

This is not bashing-it is merely an observation of how one airline values its customers versus another.
In this case CO is merely the last to charge for meals, while US is historically the first to add ancillary fees, which in this particular case is a slap in the face to anyone who has shown loyalty to them. If DL, AA CO or anyone else did the same thing my comments would be the same.

The CORE issue here is the pricing of tickets--they are TOO LOW. In any other industry selling the product below cost would be illegal--called DUMPING, but not in the airline industry.

Rational fares would have mitigated the need for nickel and diming.

Go ahead and bash the poster......

To be fair, AA is usually the leader in instituting fees. Other than the unfortunate experiment with the water and soda, US usually follows the lead of the other majors. You are 100% correct about the price of tickets though. I just don't know how it can be fixed.

 

[US1YFARE]

To be fair, AA is usually the leader in instituting fees. Other than the unfortunate experiment with the water and soda, US usually follows the lead of the other majors. You are 100% correct about the price of tickets though. I just don't know how it can be fixed.

Funny, I view DL as the king of fees. I just view US as offering a lousy FC and Envoy product with a management team that disregards the VFF. By the way, I was on a US E190 recently in first and it was filfthy and looked very beat-up.

 

[jerseyfinn]

Thanks for the info tadjr < does this make you a "confirmed"source? 🙄 >. So you're saying that exit rows & some of those forward cabin aisle seats continue to be availible at no charge to elite DMs and that some portion of those preferred seats are now up for sale as T inventory. What kind of cost are we talking for those T seats versus the no charge preferred seating?

Agree that it's a new game for the airlines and they gotta scoop up revenue where they can. I would hope as an elite that US doesn't have to water down elite perks any more than overall DM perks have been diluted the past few years. But it is what it is and life goes on. That said, in terms of the 'big picture' it would be somewhat short-sighted to freeze out the exit rows & a handful of aisle seats since the way the "real game" is working for US elites ( especially the higher tiers ) is that if the auto UG doesn't happen for this group, the exit row etc. is at least a morsel which make their (regular) flying with US a bit easier. Not so sure that Tempe would benefit by tweaking this too much. But nothing is etched in stone for any airline any more.

I'm of the opinion that one can jump the fence but unless you've got the bucks or a big expense account, aviation today is such that you're gonna step in a cow pie no matter who you fly with. If folks don't like US either jump the fence or hold your nose. We're having decent experiences ourselves & I'm usually pulling UGs ( or exit rows ) as a CP and my wife enjoys at least the exit row & an occassional UG as a gold -- la vida es buena. The flights are on time and the bags on the belt. In TUS ( via PHL-PHX ) at the moment & had a good trip ( listening to infrequent flyers bithch about US because we wait 15 minutes for the baggage ).

It's all relative -- but so too is incest. :unsure:

Barry

 

[SS255]

This was on the CO board regarding leg room....could you imagine if this was on the US board, the bashing would be endless....

CO's "Extra Legroom" purchase works like this:

Gold and Platinum elites can book the "extra legroom" (exit row and some bulkhead) seats any time in advance, at no charge. (This is how it is now.)

Silver elites can book the "extra legroom" seats at the 24-hour mark, at no charge. This is how it is now. CO does not allow Silvers to reserve these seats in advance, and at 24 hours they open up all extra legroom seats to anybody, regardless of CO or *A elite status.

This is where the difference comes in: Anybody who is not a CO elite can no longer grab an "extra legroom" seat at T-24. Non-CO elites who want these seats can pay for them at the T-24 mark, or any time before departure. (As of now, this includes *A elites.)

The way the program is set up, nothing changes for CO elites, and CO Silvers have a better chance of getting these seats because they will only be competing with non-elites who are willing to pony up for them.

Back to Art's original post: This is a very intriguing rumor. As a *A Gold who lost status on US, I would appreciate the opportunity to purchase a seat with extra legroom (i.e. not a "choice seat," which adds no value whatsoever, unless I can get an aisle seats where otherwise no "free" aisle seats would be available). But if I still had status with US, I would be really ticked off if they started charging me for a seat which beforehand had been free. Elites are a completely different animal than the non-frequent and/or non-loyal traveler. If you make a change which is targeted at elites, you are playing a very dangerous game of chicken.

Then again, as far as we know this is only a rumor, so I will reserve judgment until or unless a change in policy is officially announced.......or unofficially implemented. 😉

 

[madhatter]

The choice seat program began allowing non-elite the option to purchase a preferred seat within 24 hrs of departure. This fee was $5-30 depending on market and length of flight. With the old policy it was possible that an elite member would buy a ticket with little to no advance purchase and have no preferred seat available. The new program designates preferred and choice seats seperately and no longer can a nonelite flyer be assigned a preferred seat. The choice seats remain available to purchase for the same fee to any passenger beginning 24 hrs prior to departure during web-checkin or at the ticket counter.

 

[Art at ISP]

Apparently it's true--as discussed here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-airways-...hoice-seat.html

And for the record, I'd have the same reaction to ANY airline who removed or devalued another benefit from their elite program without a word to the affected group....

Sorry folks, this is unacceptable, regardless of the airline.....

 

[beachboy]

Well, I'll tell you this after a 4 day- I am over on every flight rows 9-12 getting on first just making a disaster out of the boarding. They each have two huge bags. Take up all the overheads. Then leave 50+ ppl on the jetway SCREAMING at me at the boarding door. It's out of control. Between the credit card boarding priority and the preferreds and what not, it just is horrible. Back to front. We can't offer all this priority BS when it creates a flight delay.

 

[tadjr]

I checked a seat map for October and only saw 12 seats that are "T" choice seats. There were still V seats in the usual places as well as the exit rows for Elites. IMO its back to the old US cant do anything right mantra. I know they've done a lot of perk degradation, but until they actually take away all the Preferred "V" seats and exit rows its a lot of people complaining about things that havent happened yet. The only instance I can currently see a Preferred having to buy a "T" seat would be a last minute purchase with back middles and "T" seats left as options. In that case, they can still get the middles for free and if the "T" seats werent "T" seats anymore, they would probably have already been assigned out if you are at the point in checkin where there are nothing but middles left anyway. And as always, they are assignable at the gate for free before departure time if unsold or if they are the ONLY seats left on the seat map during check-in. The seats range from $5-$30 depending on length of flight.

I'm not a "confirmed source", just someone who reads their memos. 😉