The Final Draft - A letter to Mr Seigel from a US1

[Art at ISP]

It would have cost US no more or less to accommodate me on the 8PM shuttle. I was due to arrive at 7:56 and arrived at 7:39. I walked to the gate and the agent politely said no--if I do I am in trouble. He agreed the policy is stupid and does nothing more than cost US customers.

So instead of getting home in time to see my daughter before she goes to sleep I had a drink in the club and wrote the note--the kid was asleep when I got home and I just don't get this change.

I guess they really don't value our business.

Rhino,

I never have nor will I ever fly Southwest. I don't do cattle class. Sorry.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

Art,
check your private mesgs....

(also checking my new "seniority nbr" []

 

[Rhino]

POST DELETED BY MODERATOR

 

[US2]

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On 9/4/2002 10:49:47 PM

Art & Tom, I'm not an FF for anyone, but having listened to the trials and tribulations you guys put your loved ones through in order to achieve/maintain a certain FF level! I don't understand why you do it.

Fly the cheapest fares. Charge them to a miles credit card and use your savings to buy the tickets on who you choose, when you choose.

Art, that story about you and your family coming back from SEA! You're out of your mind to put your family through that. You could have two-hopped to ISP on SWA at a reasonable hour.

What's your motivation in this?

You get what you pay for. And you guys didn't pay for any sympathy from the airline employees on this board.
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Rhino, I've been a happy US2 for a number of years and am also saddened and angered by these new changes. Your advice to fly the cheapest airline at all times makes some surface sense, but a closer examination of the reality of travel these days is that it is impractical for the frequent business or leisure traveler. The fact of the matter is that frequent travelers want and need the perks they get. Faster check-in, early boarding so you get overhead space, preferred seating in Y or an upgrade to F may seem like little things to some; for us frequent flyers they amount to less wear and tear on the mind and body over the course of a travel year. Standing in a 45 minute line for checkin and getting a middle seat may not be too hard on the two or three time a year traveler but when you fly every week or so, it gets real old real quick. This is why WN is an unpleasant option for many. And, while some Preferred flyers are a pain in the posterior, most of us are with you often enough to roll with the punches when it comes to operational irregularities and the like. We know the drill and generally are not too demanding. Whether someone flies all the time on full Y or on a discount, your frequent flyers are the backbone of your revenue -- and when they're happy, your best sales force. Preferred perks are not very expensive, but they keep us happy.

As for what I pay for, it is not my fault that an advance purchase to the West Coast goes for $200 -- that is way under my willingness to pay -- but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay 10x that if I know my travel plans in advance. The pricing scheme needs to be simplified -- fares at the bottom need to go up and the fares at the top need to come down. I like flexibility in travel -- and I'm willing to pay a reasonable premium for it. What's being charged today is not a reasonable premium. And, because the restricted fares all carry the same change fees and penalties, we have a strong incentive to find the lowest possible fare. If the choice is between a $200 ticket to LAX or a $1200 one that carries the same penalties, guess which one I'm taking?

I hope this clarifies some of the reasons why so many frequent flyers are upset with these changes. An awful lot of us want to see US succeed and are puzzled as to why the company would want to drive our business away when there are other carriers out there with bigger networks and who would value our business...

 

[Rhino]

US2, I hear you. WN is certainly not for everyone.

I was referring to some folks' willingness to put together an absurd itinerary in order to accrue miles.

Art could have non-stopped JB SEA-JFK (I think) at an affordable price. If I'd put together that trip for my family, I'd be in the dog house.

So the rules have changed. Decide. Cheap ticket or lounge privileges and a very prestigous bag tag?

 

[geo1004]

N305AS:

"The only thing that is changing here is that US has decided not to grant Elite status to people who only want the lowest fare."


I certainly respect US's right to make and change rules regarding their FF program or their policies regarding non-refundable fares. However, as a long time customer (and as I stated in my e-mail to Mike Isom) the new policy regarding the earning of Preferred status does not address the very frequent flier who flies BOTH full fares AND discounted tickets.

I fly US Airways somewhere between 55,000 and 85,000 miles a year. And I spend $$$thousands each year doing so on BOTH full fare and discounted tickets. I have flown US Airways on everything from discounted coach fares to FULL FARE INTERNATIONAL FIRST CLASS FARE (priced any of those lately?).

The ONLY point I wanted to make clear to Ben Baldanza and Mike Isom was that I think they have made a mistake when they assume that passengers fly ONLY one kind of fare ALL THE TIME. They do not.

The truly discount traveler who flies two or three times a year will not care about this and will book a good fare on any airline when they need to go on vacation or visit grandma. The very frequent flier (say 150,000 miles a year or more) who has a huge travel budget (this segment of the flying population is shrinking btw) will not care. They will earn elite status on several airlines and be on their way in row 1. However, I think there is a large population of frequent fliers who log from 25,000 to 150,000 miles a year in the air who pay a mix of fares - sometimes full and sometimes discount. This is the revenue generating population that US has just completely alienated with the new policy on earning status only on high fares.

IMHO, US Airways SHOULD do something about the traveler who buys a discount fare and then uses the flexibility of his or her elite status coupled with a few change fees to get the same result as a full-fare business ticket. Again, IMO, making changes to the stand-by rules is a good way to address this issue. I have no problem with it and it makes sense.

However, removing the Preferred qualification from the discounted fares (a policy that ONLY US Airwyas currently has in the USA) dictates to me that I will be better off putting ALL of my business on another carrier. If my travel patterns mean that I'll only earn Silver Preferred under the new US rules but the same travel on the same fares (again, a combination of full & discounted) on AA will earn me Platinum, why would I stay with US Airways????

Those of us 'middle-class frequent fliers' who spend $$$thousand a year on US Airways tickets and club memberships etc., just do not see the logic in having the door slammed in our face.

 

[*Athena*]

Please enlighten me. The only changes I've seen are non refundable tkt don't accumulate segments. I haven't seen any changes in miles accumulated. Therefore if your concerned about your status or lack of upgrading why don't you use your miles to upgrade and do it the day you book your tkt?

 

[TomBascom]

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On 9/5/2002 9:17:47 AM

I'm trying to understand why any passenger continues to post their thoughts on this board...

As our pal RealityCheck points out -- we're morons []

The same reason that any angry customer continues to talk to or about a company that has wronged them -- we haven't given up yet.

 

[RealityCheck]

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On 9/5/2002 9:42:11 AM

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On 9/5/2002 9:17:47 AM

I'm trying to understand why any passenger continues to post their thoughts on this board...

As our pal RealityCheck points out -- we're morons []

The same reason that any angry customer continues to talk to or about a company that has wronged them -- we haven't given up yet.
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Please don't put words in my mouth, but for one single example of flying. Such action is very representative of the rest of one's persona, business and otherwise, and it's not very flattering.

 

[RobinT]

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On 9/4/2002 1005 PM

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David N. Seigel
President and CEO
USAirways, Inc.
12345 Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22227

Re: USAirways' Fare Changes Anger Many

USA Today August 29, 2002

Dear Mr. Seigel:
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Yo, "Esquire"...if you're going to send a letter to an airline CEO you might want to spell his name correctly!

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Are you refering to his first name or last name? The last name is spelled correct. Who really cares about the first name? Dave could be short for David. I think the message is the most important thing. By the way, I have the original letter in my possession and it did not have a 1 in front of the address. I don't know who posted the letter on this message board, but they must have added a 1 to it. I've sent mail to an address not knowing the building/house number before. It was delivered to the correct place. I'm sure the postman knows what building that US Airways is located in.

Robin

 

[TomBascom]

What the company is discovering is that a great many of the business travelers that supposedly disappeared have actually become "leisure" travelers. This really shouldn't surprise anyone.

I doubt that those who are so sure that I'm just whining would feel that way if they bought a ticket every week and had to justify to their company and their customers why it costs as much as it does. Especially when there is a well known example of a company which profitably provides the same basic commodity for a fraction of the cost.

Spout off all you want about how the "premium" perks are worth more -- I've already agreed that they're worth more. What we're arguing about is how much more. Which is really quite pointless too -- the market has already told you what they're worth. That's why so many business travelers are buying V & K fares. The few that continue to buy full Y simply haven't figured it out yet. They will soon enough, the trend is clear.

You can fantasize all you want that the "frills" are really worth 10x what we're willing to pay. And you can dream up ever more maddening ways to try and extort that money from passengers. That way lies chapter 7. It'll be a shame and I'll miss you.

I'm only bothering to talk about it and try to persuade management that this is a big mistake because I've had a long and fruitful relationship with the company. For what it's worth National Car recently annoyed me for the last time over a very similar issue -- I made a trivial mistake with a reservation and they wouldn't provide a car (flexibility is the common thread). I haven't bothered to write them letters or post anything to any of their online forums because I never had the sort of relationship that I have with US Airways -- even though I spent almost as much money with them as with you. I just walked over to the Hertz counter and haven't looked back since.

Anyhow, you can rush to chapter 7 by chasing off your customers or you can try to take some positive steps to incrementally improve revenue and profits -- I know that in my case the tickets that I'm buying are about $100 under the threshold that I have for such things. But since there is no differentiation between the tickets that I buy and any alternatives that I might consider I have no incentive to spend more.

In the meantime I am voting with my wallet. The trip that I'm on right now was purchased prior to 8/27. If these changes stand I won't be buying any more tickets on US. I have at least 3 choices of airlines to every destination of interest to me -- none of the 3 imposes these onerous rules.

 

[deelmakur]

I'm trying to understand why any passenger continues to post their thoughts on this board. While I'm sure there are many company employees who are sympathetic ,it is evident that many others buy into the company fed proposition that the customer is the problem. It's not about whiners, or about cheap seats and perks that are too good. It's about calling longtime customers "disloyal", predicated on their having bought tickets at published tariff rates, and used amenities which were consistent not only with program rules, but also with standard industry practice. Curiously, while debasing the patrons, the company conveniently fails to mention its own foibles, starting with running the company into the ground. Don't quit your day job.

 

[geo1004]

Don't you mean it's I before E ???

 

[RealityCheck]

Are you refering to his first name or last name? The last name is spelled correct. Who really cares about the first name? Dave could be short for David. Robin
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Good God almighty, its "I before E"..Siegel, not Seigel.

 

[TomBascom]

[blockquote]
Such action is very representative of the rest of one's persona, business and otherwise, and it's not very flattering.
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[/blockquote]

My point exactly.