Good Morning From Sunny Dana Point and the lovely Ritz-Carlton!
Very soon August 27th will be upon us and I am thinking that all of the loyal cockroaches and cockroach supporters should come up with a way to commemorate what for FF'ers like us was a "Pearl Harbor" type wake up call! The question is "What to do"? Since I am still quite annoyed (down from madder than a boiled owl)most of my ideas fall outside appropriate decorum and some on the wrong side of the law.
I did decide to take that week off from air travel and have not scheduled any activities that require my travel. In fact I even canceled my Award ticket, and decided to drive instead. a small gesture no doubt but a gesture none the less.
TomBascom
Aug 14, 03, 12:02 pm
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PineyBob:
Good Morning From Sunny Dana Point and the lovely Ritz-Carlton!
Very soon August 27th will be upon us and I am thinking that all of the loyal cockroaches and cockroach supporters should come up with a way to commemorate what for FF'ers like us was a "Pearl Harbor" type wake up call! The question is "What to do"? </font>
I'm planning to spend the night of the 26th & the wee small hours of the 27th constantly checking and rechecking the web site for any subtle changes to the fine print http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif
rtpflyer
Aug 14, 03, 1:14 pm
Aug. 26 I'll be taking the TRAIN (VIA Rail from Montreal to Toronto) and considering how much I enjoy NOT flying for a change. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
thelostshark
Aug 14, 03, 1:35 pm
OK, I'll bite, what's the significance of the date? Bankruptcy declaration? tls
TomBascom
Aug 14, 03, 1:53 pm
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by thelostshark:
OK, I'll bite, what's the significance of the date? Bankruptcy declaration? tls</font>
August 27th 2002 was the day that B. Ben Baldanza became infamous with his dark of the night, embedded in the fine print attempt to stab Dividend Miles members and US Airways customers in the back. He eventually backed down on the DM changes but most of his more general affronts to reason and good sense have stood to one degree or another (use it or lose it, no more free stand-by, no waivers, no favors, pay for your drinks, no glassware and so forth...)
lt1GM
Aug 14, 03, 2:27 pm
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by thelostshark:
OK, I'll bite, what's the significance of the date? Bankruptcy declaration? tls</font>
The biggest toad they wanted us to swallow was elite qualifying miles on high price fares only (read: refundables, Y, B). All others would accrue mileage, but not count towards preferred status. They backed down weeks later due to a semi-public outcry and none of the other majors following.
Interestingly, if you look at what DL did to its SkyMiles program, it may very well foreshadow what's in store for the rest of us.
TomBascom
Aug 14, 03, 2:38 pm
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by lt1GM:
Interestingly, if you look at what DL did to its SkyMiles program, it may very well foreshadow what's in store for the rest of us.</font>
That might be what made Ben think he could get away with it but there doesn't seem to be a stampede to imitate DL so perhaps not.
HomeToPit
Aug 14, 03, 2:55 pm
Here's the link to what started my departure from USair:
My blood starts boiling all over again when I read that...
trvlr64
Aug 14, 03, 5:13 pm
I just love the following statement made by our boy Ben.......
"US Airways is recognizing a new competitive reality and tailoring our product accordingly," Baldanza said. "These incremental changes will be the first of many that will positively impact our bottom line. By improving US Airways' revenues and our long-term viability, we will provide customers with continued competition and choice in the marketplace."
Bottom line.........you should be fired, removed, escorted from the property. What a joke he is. He still can't get this airline back in the game. Unless it's one of his fantasy games?
thelostshark
Aug 18, 03, 11:09 am
Thanks to all for the info. What were the major changes that DL made that have been so unpopular? I've got a flight this December that will accrue 17k miles (round trip) on DL, and I'm trying to decide whether to put them on DL (which would jump my total from 10k to 27k, thereby giving me enough for a free domestic flight), or CO (where I have 42k miles; more importantly, it'd give me elite status on CO). thx tls
StSebastian
Aug 19, 03, 2:16 am
DL put major devaluations on their program and started treating their FFs poorly. Made status a lot harder to get, and relatively worthless after you got it. I'm sure there's plenty of discussion over on the Delta forum.
I'd put it on CO, because apparently their FFs get better status on DL than DL's do. I heard that specifically from a former DL top status who was losing out with all the NW/CO status members taking over the few available DL upgrades.
PineyBob
Aug 19, 03, 9:35 am
Well as you already have noticed from my other 2 threads they still don't get it!
I was so annoyed yesterday that I was pretty close to cancelling some flights and moving business elsewhere. Well I have re-thought my position. I think I'll do WORSE then leave! I"LL STAY and continue to raise issues that I feel are important to me and others as well no doubt. I am going to re-double my efforts to promote the cockroachs in everyway possible.
So if any of you know a reporter who might be interested in hearing about our unique group let us know. Same goes for talk radio which is where I'm focusing my efforts. TV too. Negative publicity is the only way to get these people to listen and change the way they treat us. Any help you can give us is greatly appreciated.
ClueByFour
Aug 19, 03, 10:22 am
Bob, while I feel your pain, you would really do them worse by leaving at this point. They need the cash. Badly.
Me? US has seen (1) ticket north of $800 from me this year. 2 in the $4-800 range. Everything else has been $200 transcons or $350 pond jumps. Every transatlantic flight has been in Envoy. Every transcon is in front.
AA and NW/CO have in turn gotten some silly transatlantic walk-up traffic. I have made consumer affairs (and some backchannel contacts at US) aware of exactly what type of fare I'm giving to the competition and why.
I won't make CP again this year, and when that happens, I'll be on OA all the time and buying based on price alone.
------------------
Saving the world, one clue at a time.
gulfcoastdave
Aug 19, 03, 3:23 pm
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by StSebastian:
DL put major devaluations on their program and started treating their FFs poorly. Made status a lot harder to get, and relatively worthless after you got it. I'm sure there's plenty of discussion over on the Delta forum.
I'd put it on CO, because apparently their FFs get better status on DL than DL's do. I heard that specifically from a former DL top status who was losing out with all the NW/CO status members taking over the few available DL upgrades.</font>
DL changes prompted me to come over to US this year. Among the many DL "enhancements" - starting 1/1/04 PM level (top status tier) will only receive 20 - 500 mile segment upgrades deposited into account - currently unlimited. There are many more DL "status devaluations" already in place or coming.
BTW, CO/NW elites DO NOT get upgrades on DL. There is no reciprocal upgrade policy between the three yet - similar to US/UA non-upgrade ability unless you redeem miles or pay.
pitflyer
Aug 19, 03, 3:29 pm
Both my elite statuses (on US and AA) are about to expire this year without me spending some $$$ on mileage runs. So on August 26th I will be doing my first mileage run on AA and giving up on US status, for good, for the first time in six years.
See ya later, Ben.
StSebastian
Aug 19, 03, 8:34 pm
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by gulfcoastdave:
BTW, CO/NW elites DO NOT get upgrades on DL. There is no reciprocal upgrade policy between the three yet - similar to US/UA non-upgrade ability unless you redeem miles or pay.</font>
Okay...maybe I misunderstood exactly what he was saying, but it was along the line that the additional elites from the other programs were crowding him out of something, which I was thinking were upgrade seats. Maybe all of them were paying for the certs and DL was desperate to get someone to pay for the certs instead of having their own fliers use the free ones. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif
NeoOfTheCRS
Aug 19, 03, 9:12 pm
Bob,
We'd be the worse without you. What was it. .don't compromise . . .organize?
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PineyBob:
Well as you already have noticed from my other 2 threads they still don't get it!
I was so annoyed yesterday that I was pretty close to cancelling some flights and moving business elsewhere. Well I have re-thought my position. I think I'll do WORSE then leave! I"LL STAY and continue to raise issues that I feel are important to me and others as well no doubt. I am going to re-double my efforts to promote the cockroachs in everyway possible.
So if any of you know a reporter who might be interested in hearing about our unique group let us know. Same goes for talk radio which is where I'm focusing my efforts. TV too. Negative publicity is the only way to get these people to listen and change the way they treat us. Any help you can give us is greatly appreciated.</font>