Oh yeah, it's a great website..... and by the way...

David Bear: New dividends at US Airways
Sunday, May 28, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

US Airways has unveiled new looks for its Web site and Dividend Miles program, both of which reflect the influence of its merger with America West, even though both carriers will continue to function independently until next year.

A quick scan of the redesigned site, www.usairways.com, shows many improvements. Graphics are simpler, and the layout of information options is easier to navigate. The keys for check-in, flight status and trip files are more prominently placed and intuitive to use.

Searching for low fares has also become less complicated. In place of the old, often frustrating menus of fare prices and calendar options, users can make a departure/return date selection and get a helpful graph of price options for a given date, as well as one day earlier and later. Select a given fare combination and you're presented with a comprehensive list of flight options for a chosen date, with departure times and seat availability clearly designated.

A selection of advance purchase fares do seem to be lower-priced, and the difference in the range of cost between advance purchase and last-minute fares seems smaller.

In another interesting change, special fares for travelers 65 and older have been revived. For example, a search for a round trip to Phoenix in July produced fares of $420 for regular adult fares and $278 for seniors.

On the other hand, there's no mention of the popular eSaver weekend special fares, which have been eliminated from the US Airways lexicon.

But the Web site does have some glitches.

Individual pages seem slower to load and expire quickly once you've moved on, making it difficult to back track to recheck information or make changes to your request. Other features don't seem to work quite right. The reservation booking form had trouble recognizing destinations when I quickly typed them in, and the airport finder function wasn't working.

Also prominently displayed is announcement of the New Dividend Miles Program. Members must re-register the first time they log in to the site, but those who belong to both US Airways Dividend Miles and America West Flight Fund programs can now combine their mileage rather than transferring between accounts. There's a new platinum level and a variety of perks for preferred members, including automatic First Class upgrades.

One change less prominently displayed is a stipulation that as of Dec. 1, mileage will expire when a Dividend Mileage account is inactive for 18 months. To avoid that loss, members must either take a flight on US Airways, fly on one of its 17 Star Alliance or four Go Caribbean partners or six other code-share carriers (including Virgin Atlantic and Qantas) or make a purchase on a US Airways credit card. Mileage also can be extended for an additional 18 months, if a $100 fee is paid. If an account is inactive for 36 months, it will be automatically closed and all mileage forfeited.

Fees of $100 also are assessed on other transactions, such as when mileage on unused frequent-flier tickets is redeposited into an account.

Other nice features include a straightforward chart showing mileage needed for trips to destinations around the world and another that clearly shows blackout dates that apply to free trips for regular members, although not for those with Silver, Gold, Platinum or Chairman's preferred status.

On the whole, these improvements represent many steps in the right direction, and the many passenger-friendly features bode well for the future under this new management team.


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(Post-Gazette travel editor David Bear can be reached at 412-263-1629 or dbear@post-gazette.com. )

Source (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06148/693196-243.stm)

Oh yeah, it's a great website..... and by the way...



Source (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06148/693196-243.stm)

You will need to get re-regestered with your user id for your Divident Miles number

You will need to get re-regestered with your user id for your Divident Miles number

I was being facetious, this has been the buggiest most disappointing website launch I've ever seen. As I've said in another thread, I'm very surprised at the tone of this article as it's from Pittsburg, an area US has largely abandoned, with loss of service and jobs. I did successfully re-register to see my no longer up to date miles.

All that aside, this drop in mile expiration time (by 50%!) is yet another death by inches measure, whittling away at FF bennies, showing us all where we stand.

I've never had to redeposit miles for an unused dividend ticket - how much did that cost in the past that it has now increased to $100? Or did that fee exist at all?

I've never had to redeposit miles for an unused dividend ticket - how much did that cost in the past that it has now increased to $100? Or did that fee exist at all?

As of a year or two ago, when I did redeposit an unused award ticket, I believe that the fee was $50, but Gold and Silver Preferreds paid a discounted rate of $35, and the fee was waived for CPs. Now, according to the program guide, at least, it's $100, with no apparent discounts or exceptions.

I'm also annoyed by the new $50 fee for award tickets booked within 14 days of travel (also mentioned in the program guide online). I know some other programs have a similar charge (DL, for example), but it just seems totally unjustifiable (it's not as if they have to rush a paper ticket to you like they did in the old days).

I'm also annoyed by the new $50 fee for award tickets booked within 14 days of travel (also mentioned in the program guide online). I know some other programs have a similar charge (DL, for example), but it just seems totally unjustifiable (it's not as if they have to rush a paper ticket to you like they did in the old days).

You are absolutely right. There is no cost of goods sold on a short term free ticket reservation. So, although CO and DL do it, it is very much abusive and unethical. The grocery store does not charge more for Pampers just because they are needed by your infant NOW.

Our company's policy with US, particularly during the last 6 months when the nickles and dimes have increased, everything costs more, most or all of the new silly charges have no additional cost of goods sold, US is fraudulently calling itself "Low Fare" and "Full Service", standard mileage free seats and upgrades have become non-available, and literally nothing has improved in the eyes of at least 90% of US customers, is to under no circumstance give them additional funds for things that cost US nothing (change fees, early standby's, near term ticketing, higher fares for allegedly upgradable tickets whereby the upgrade is not immediate, etc.).

Of course that is easy for all of us to do because all of us are flying US at least 90% less than we did last year. I live in Phoenix, Boston and Nantucket where US is the primary carrier at all locations. It is liberating to escape US and fly the local minority carriers. It really is.

As of a year or two ago, when I did redeposit an unused award ticket, I believe that the fee was $50, but Gold and Silver Preferreds paid a discounted rate of $35, and the fee was waived for CPs. Now, according to the program guide, at least, it's $100, with no apparent discounts or exceptions.In September 2005 it was (IIRC) $100 with the old USAirways to redeposit an award ticket. I'm a dirt-level FF member.

In September 2005 it was (IIRC) $100 with the old USAirways to redeposit an award ticket. I'm a dirt-level FF member.
Wow, this is a change that slipped by me. So, as a CP lets assume I want to cash in some miles to FCO. Given the "limited" number of FF seats available, I have to book it 300 days out.
Life changes for me...I can no longer make those dates. I now have to PAY to re-deposit those miles? Meanwhile during the course of the year I'm giving these guys Mucho Dinero in revenue? This is my thanks?

Wow, this is a change that slipped by me. So, as a CP lets assume I want to cash in some miles to FCO. Given the "limited" number of FF seats available, I have to book it 300 days out.
Life changes for me...I can no longer make those dates. I now have to PAY to re-deposit those miles? Meanwhile during the course of the year I'm giving these guys Mucho Dinero in revenue? This is my thanks?

As of May 16th, Sarah at the CP desk told me that CP's could redeposit at no charge still.

Everybody needs to remember this about the new US and its "world's best frequent flyer program": Every single financial transaction with US after original ticket purchase is intended by US to extract money from customers when customers THINK they have no other option, in a manner whereby their revenue, gross profit and net profit are all the same.

The reason CP upgrades for TA travel are only upgraded 7 days in advance is so that you pay a higher amount of money to them to get an upgradeable fare, a month or 2 in advance of departure. During the last 4 months I know 4 people who have been fooled by US in that regard and never got upgraded TA. None of them fly US anymore. Did US win on that deal? US thinks so because they keep pulling the same fraud. Capacity controls now negate the entire value of CP TA upgrades.

Why do you suppose that no standard mileage seats are available, EVER, within 2 weeks at US? Purely because free ticket reservations' likelihood of being cancelled is directly related to how far in advance the reservation is made. The redeposit fee is provided in exchange for your ability to use those miles, which are your miles and not the airline's, in the future. They charge you for something that is yours, and has $0 processing cost.

Dumb, unethical on US's part? You betcha. Helping their brand and revenue? They think so. But, they think "low fare" is an accurate descriptor of themselves too.

They have no experience whatsoever with class actions, and it shows in every silly move they make.

Award travel redeposit fees are waived for all Platinum and Chairman's Preferred members. This is all on the Web site, folks - but of course, it's buried. :sigh:

Mileage Redeposit

$100 redeposit fee will apply per ticket¹

¹Fee does not apply to Chairman's or Platinum members

It looks like the paper is incorrect, a flight is not necessary, only earning or redemption. So DM dining or a car rental will do. From the website (and I use the term loosely as I have seen better implementations on GeoCities authored by our local Cub Scout troop):

Effective December 1, 2006, active membership status is based on having earned or redeemed miles within a consecutive 18 month period. With our new Mileage Reactivation Policy, Dividend Miles members have an opportunity to reinstate their Dividend Miles accounts to active status for an additional 18 months for a $100 fee. If members do not extend by payment of a $100 fee, the Dividend Miles account will be closed and all miles forfeited.

PS It's a Pittsburgh paper not Pittsburg. Pittsburgh is in Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburg is in California near Oakland.

PS It's a Pittsburgh paper not Pittsburg. Pittsburgh is in Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburg is in California near Oakland.

My bad, sorry.