Time for my semi-annual post here on USAV. It always takes an inane thread like this one to get me fired up enough to waste ten minutes of my precious life to respond.
Doc -- all I can think of is that you're simply BAITING here on this thread. There can be no way that a logical person could make the sorts of arguments you're making. Are you really that clueless about the perks afforded elite customers in and out of the travel industry?
I'm one who's been travelling too much for nearly 25 years. Starwood gives me their very best hotel room, regardless of what price I paid. More than half the time, I'm in suites and each year I score outrageous suite upgrades with multiple bedrooms -- all for being exceptionally loyal to Starwood for more than a decade. I once got the Presidential Suite at the Westin LAX on a $49 rate. The suite was 1500 ft sq and had two and one half bathrooms.
With few exceptions, domestic airlines offer precisely the same benefits you argue against. In fact, US/HP has, for some time now, offered a lesser product and program to their elite members relative to competition. That's the primary reason that hoardes of previously very loyal customers have simply walked away from the abysmal carrier that US/HP morphed into.
Yes, 85% of the US/HP employees are great, but Tempe has made it clear how they want to run this carrier and it's in the wrong direction if they're looking to entice business travellers.
Doc -- US/HP needs to do EVERYTHING it can to enhance its current offerings, not make reductions in their programs. If they take away much more, the only folks flying the airline will be ma and pa kettles flying to MCO with the grandkids.
<rant off>
I'll post again in six months. See ya then!
