US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Fare Structure Games

I went to make a reservation yesterday and the fare was $75 - $100 more than ususal and it booked me into FC when there was plenty of coach inventory. I travel the same route all the time so this was a shock. Upon further review, I found the following:

Our corporate discount (35%+) no longer includes refundable H fares. I usually travel on a HR fare. This is not a big deal since the MR fare is ususally only $30 more. However, they have changed the fare structure on my route. There is no longer a M fare or a B fare. The refundable fares are:

HR- $392
H8- $482
A4COACH- $522
Y4A- $522

With this new structure and the corporate discount change, the cheapest refundable, or non Sat night stay, ticket is the A4COACH and it is a FC ticket. Very interesting.

I checked a few other destinations and also saw this. I used ALB as the departure point. Is anyone seeing this structure on other routes?

Wait until corporate travel sees that people are buying FC tickets!!!!!

I'd be happy about having to book the FC seat and not worry about the upgrade, but now the price is beyond my tolerance. I'm off to Hertz. For my travels, it will cut over 1 1/2 hours off the trip.

My corporate discount is unchanged -- valid on any US fare. I tested GSP-LGA and LAX-LGA.

Our corporate discount is now only good on Y and B. Means I seldom get any benefit from it anymore.

what market did you price? (ALB to where?) I'd like to see what you are talking about...

Thanks!

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by mileshound:
I went to make a reservation yesterday and the fare was $75 - $100 more than ususal and it booked me into FC when there was plenty of coach inventory. I travel the same route all the time so this was a shock. Upon further review, I found the following:

Our corporate discount (35%+) no longer includes refundable H fares. I usually travel on a HR fare. This is not a big deal since the MR fare is ususally only $30 more. However, they have changed the fare structure on my route. There is no longer a M fare or a B fare. The refundable fares are:

HR- $392
H8- $482
A4COACH- $522
Y4A- $522

With this new structure and the corporate discount change, the cheapest refundable, or non Sat night stay, ticket is the A4COACH and it is a FC ticket. Very interesting.

I checked a few other destinations and also saw this. I used ALB as the departure point. Is anyone seeing this structure on other routes?

Wait until corporate travel sees that people are buying FC tickets!!!!!

I'd be happy about having to book the FC seat and not worry about the upgrade, but now the price is beyond my tolerance. I'm off to Hertz. For my travels, it will cut over 1 1/2 hours off the trip.

</font>

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by uschpr:
what market did you price? (ALB to where?) I'd like to see what you are talking about...

Thanks!

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ALB-PVD

Also check ALB-BOS

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by gardener:
Our corporate discount is now only good on Y and B. Means I seldom get any benefit from it anymore.</font>


This is telltale. I wonder how much $$$ US is losing from clients whom they thave tried to "raise the bar" to force the puchase of Y and B fares and lost because, with discount, they (the clients) just can NOT accept the increase and choose other (discount?) carriers????

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by geo1005:

This is telltale. I wonder how much $$$ US is losing from clients whom they thave tried to "raise the bar" to force the puchase of Y and B fares and lost because, with discount, they (the clients) just can NOT accept the increase and choose other (discount?) carriers????

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Want to know what's even more telltale? check out the website and notice that currently there are 5 open open positions in sales. You can't make your quota and earn excess bonus or comission then you leave! Giving UA another problem! Having entry level people to train and the ramp up until they get productive. Not a good thing.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by geo1005:

This is telltale. I wonder how much $$$ US is losing from clients whom they thave tried to "raise the bar" to force the puchase of Y and B fares and lost because, with discount, they (the clients) just can NOT accept the increase and choose other (discount?) carriers????

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My group alone (out of a divisional HQ of a Fortune 500--maybe 10 or 12 guys who travel regularly)--$50k last year. Maybe a million enterprise-wide (the latter is an extrapolated swag on my part).

And a good chunk of that revenue went to other majors who chose not to follow (at least with regard to our corporate pricing) US down the road to Baldanahell.



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Saving the world, one clue at a time.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by geo1005:

This is telltale. I wonder how much $$$ US is losing from clients whom they thave tried to "raise the bar" to force the puchase of Y and B fares and lost because, with discount, they (the clients) just can NOT accept the increase and choose other (discount?) carriers????

</font>

That's what happened to me. They raised the bar and choaked me. I got the double whammy - change in discount and change in fare structure. Either one of the changes I could live with, but no both. I can't justify the 35%+ increase when I can drive it in under 3 hours. Between airfare and cab it's over my threshold and my boss is cheaper than me.

I also know buying the A4COACH fare will have some beancounter knocking on my door asking why I bought FC tickets. Even if I booked it 330 days out, it still is the cheapest non Sat night fare.

They also lost a milage run or 2 of mine to requalify for CP.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by geo1005:

This is telltale. I wonder how much $$$ US is losing from clients whom they thave tried to "raise the bar" to force the puchase of Y and B fares and lost because, with discount, they (the clients) just can NOT accept the increase and choose other (discount?) carriers????
</font>

They lost my entire company, thousands of consultants traveling across the country/globe every week. They played hard ball on the negotiations and lost, so US is now the only major airline not on our preferred list - flying them requires meeting specific criteria. That's why I have about 50 non-US segments since Nov., vs. about 5/yr in the past 5 years.

The M and B fares were cancelled 2 months ago on ALB-PVD.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by whlinder:
The M and B fares were cancelled 2 months ago on ALB-PVD.</font>

on usairways.com, it says that the flights from ALB-PVD are operated by Colgan-Air. I wonder if Colgan-Air sets their own fare structure and just operates under the US Airways name...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by uschpr:
on usairways.com, it says that the flights from ALB-PVD are operated by Colgan-Air. I wonder if Colgan-Air sets their own fare structure and just operates under the US Airways name...</font>

Most of the USAir express flights are flown under a charter concept AFAIK, so USAir just pays the other carrier (Mesa, Piedmont, Midway, Colgan, Chautauqua, etc.) some amount for all of the seats on the plane and then resells them at whatever rate they want.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by uschpr:
on usairways.com, it says that the flights from ALB-PVD are operated by Colgan-Air. I wonder if Colgan-Air sets their own fare structure and just operates under the US Airways name...</font>

You are looking at the ALB-LGA-PVD connection which is express. The other option is ALB-PHL-PVD which is mainline.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by uschpr:
on usairways.com, it says that the flights from ALB-PVD are operated by Colgan-Air. I wonder if Colgan-Air sets their own fare structure and just operates under the US Airways name...</font>

If they do, they tell US what they want the fares set at and then US loads them in the system for them but still under the US name.

But I doubt they have control over their fares, I bet US sets their fares as part of their agreement.

I posted a few months ago about how happy I was that US added 2 daily DCA-BHM nonstops. I think I have flown about 5 segments on them since they started in Feb., and I fly the route weekly.

US prices these with K fares about $150 higher than my company's discounted M fare with Delta (which is actually the same price as the negotiated H fare used to be ... sure, I'll take the extra DL MQMs). I can't stand ATL, and I get home later, but I can't pull off the higher price these days.

Of course, no corporate discount with US, and I work for a large consulting company where almost everyone travels.

Well they suckered me in. I paid the highest fare they offer. You're welcome BBB. The buy 3 "give one away" promo (it's not upgradable so I'll give it to my nephew) and the double tier miles (I need to make CP again) outweighed the crap I'll get for the price of the ticket.

However, it has not been a lucky day. The A fare was not available on the outbound so I booked Y and will not reveive the 50% bonus. Then no Milanos, then my flight is delayed 1 1/2 hours. So I decided to check out the new club in A. I forgot my telephone cord (they let me use one). I accidently tried to walk into the Envoy lounge and was shot down. If I had known it was the Envoy lounge I would have tried to sneak in!!

Actully none of these bother me. I'm glad to be back in the air again. The club in A is nice but it is a hike. They need a beverage outpost along the way.....