Ok, I confess. I just bought a BA7US fare.

Am I still a cockroach? Or can I expect a personal call from Ben notifying me that I've been upgraded to the seat which was earmarked for the cockroach formerly known as deelmakur?

It's not like I had any choice... I didn't want to do it. Really I didn't.

Ben, (just in case you're getting ready to call about that upgrade...) I really resent having my eyeballs gouged out just because I'm going to PHL instead of MCO. I don't hold it against the person sitting next to me that paid 1/5th the price to go 5x the distance -- I put that squarely in your lap. You are the one who is cheating me. Not this person next to me.

OK OK Being new to the board what constitutes a "Cockroach"? Can someone tell me

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by TomBascom:
Ok, I confess. I just bought a BA7US fare.

Am I still a cockroach....

It's not like I had any choice... I didn't want to do it. Really I didn't.
</font>

Yes you are still a cockroach, a true loyal customer would have wanted to buy that outrag.... I mean correctly priced fare. Since you bought it unwillingly you are most definitely a roach.....

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PineyBob:
OK OK Being new to the board what constitutes a "Cockroach"? Can someone tell me</font>

The cockroach formerly known as deelmakur coined the term. It refers to those who buy discount tickets.

US Airways revealed this to us in the wee small hours of Black Tuesday (August 27th, 2002) via a surreptitious change to the rules of the DM program and equally sneaky changes to the fare rules. Arrzee posted the first warning on 8/26/02 at 8:03pm (MT):

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum51/HTML/003146.html

Ben Baldanza (VP of Pest Control) then gleefully twisted his heel upon us in a series of press releases and interviews wherein he made amply clear the company's position regarding the value of such customers (whom the company would prefer not to serve).

(edited to update time when sneak attack was first detected and give proper credit to Arrzee for sounding the alarm...)

[This message has been edited by TomBascom (edited 09-13-2002).]

well given your definition it appears that I too am indeed a Cockroach! Is there a secret handshake? Or dues to pay? Do I get to wear a funny hat and get stinky drunk at our meetings? Do we have meetings? Or are we a losely knit band of gypsies wandering about?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PineyBob:
well given your definition it appears that I too am indeed a Cockroach! Is there a secret handshake? Or dues to pay? Do I get to wear a funny hat and get stinky drunk at our meetings? Do we have meetings? Or are we a losely knit band of gypsies wandering about?</font>

No, no, we're just about 97% of US's customer base...

On Monday I fly BOS-MSN for a meeting; I fly back on Tuesday. $200 and change.

"Why did the cockroach fly to Madison for $200? Because it was there."

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PineyBob:
well given your definition it appears that I too am indeed a Cockroach! Is there a secret handshake? Or dues to pay? Do I get to wear a funny hat and get stinky drunk at our meetings? Do we have meetings? Or are we a losely knit band of gypsies wandering about?</font>

Point of clarification there PineyBob, we don't shake hands. We shake legs since we all have 6 of them. Periodically, we flap our wings as we scurry along, upgrades included to the next gate.

[This message has been edited by ITRADE (edited 09-13-2002).]

Looks like someone over here on the US board needs to create a dictionary of terms and nicknames used at US. You might want to make it similar to the Unoffical Continental Dictionary which can be found at www.nonepass.com (http://www.nonepass.com)

[This message has been edited by duxfan (edited 09-13-2002).]

I submit that ALL US1's are cockroaches(myself included) as we achieved our status through mostly cheap NR fares.
I am proud of my cockroach status.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by foodguy:
I submit that ALL US1's are cockroaches(myself included) as we achieved our status through mostly cheap NR fares.
I am proud of my cockroach status.</font>

I flew last year to Europe 4 times paying anywhere from under $400 to $600. Did a run to Rome for under $400 last December (we can call it the seeing the Pope run as I did see the Pope last December). When US dropped the CP requirements to 80K, I went for it. Also did a few transcons last year for under $200 each. Racked up loads of mile that will be put to good use in November--I splurged a bit and used 190K miles for two business class tickets on QF to Australia.

This year, I have been flying on my free bump certs I'd received last year. I may go to Europe this next January to burn up my old systemwides.

Nice to see you back Chemist. Where have you been - over on UA? I've missed seeing you around.

For the uninitiated, a cockroach is someone like me. CP status, with over 3 million lifetime miles on USAirways, who buy a large number of discount tickets, and as a result, earn status, and as a further result are given first class seats when they can't sell them to non vermin. More importantly, we singlehandedly are responsible for any and all problems at the airline. It's us, not the dumb decisions made by management, which have sunk the place, and they are out to rectify that. But first, they want to be sure we know that they know what we really are. Apparently, however, the word isn't totally getting out, because some of those pesky competitors, who haven't been clever enough to bankrupt themselves, actually want some business from these roaches, and are even matching status in order to attract their patronage. What fools they must be. They haven't got a chance up against that brainpower at USAir.

MY MY Cockroach, Did kitty get up on the wrong side of his litter box today! I am a newly minted cockroach (only 350,000 LT miles) With CP status mostly from low fare seats. The funny thing for me is this. I am in the process of switching jobs to an employer who pretty much insists on fully refundable tickets. If I make the move I will go from CP Cockroach to the type of customer they openly drool over. Given US Air's breech of goodwill and trust, the open question is should I stick with them? Jury is out for me right now.
Also I guess the rest of us should call you Pope Roach!

Cockroach, as a low rent GP, I proudly stand up and join all 6 arms (and legs?) with you CP cockroaches (if you will have us). Or is there a lower form of vermin reserved for those of us who made GP on those cheap $200 transcon flights during the last challange?

First of all Piney, the Pope doesn't need upgrades. He has a Gold File that's probably better than anyone's but Fritz Hollings (see posts on other threads about secret perks for politicians). To our GP and SP brethern, welcome to the land of worthless critters. When it comes to identifying lowlifes, USAir makes no distinction by tier. As they might be prone to say over at Fort Fumble, "it's the full fares, stupid".

The makur of deals now known as cockroach is correct in that all business flyers on cheap fares are roaches. Eventually, we FTers will have awards based upon our low life status. The SPs and other occasional V business fare users will be the small house roach; the GPs will be the American wood roach which is about 1-2 inches long; and the CPs and especially the big kahuna, cockroach, will be the uberroach, the Madagascar hissing roach they have at the Smithsonion, about 4-5 inches long. I aspire to the cockroach's status. Something we all can shoot for. I'm close to a million on US lifetime and have a file at US that says no limes for biggs http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif.