US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - New Ticket Jackets

We all know that US is pleading poverty, even with all of the service and personnel cuts in 2003. However, I was stunned to find today that there are new ticket jackets. They have changed the orientation of the livers on the front from horizontal back to vertical and added a push for the website across the bottom.

I have great issue with spending money on this when people are continuing to lose their jobs, we continue to experience cuts in service and service levels and the planes are dirtier than ever! I am shooting a letter off to consumer affairs in the morning.

I'm actually glad to hear this. U has spent the last year cutting and reducing service so as to become more profitable. To compare into an industry that I do have knowledge about, it would be like the local gas station reducing their dispensers from 8 to 4 to try and reduce costs.

To quote my favorite IBM commercial, "Perhaps there are no more costs to cut, perhaps you should be.......more productive." Ahhh yes, the magic cost cutting sword!

What I'm trying to say is this isn't a big deal. The only additional cost would be the design of the new jacket. U still needs to buy jackets, and I'm glad to see that they are pusing forward with some simple, yet effective advertising.

BTW, they changed jackets last year when the back cover switched from Orbitz to Nextel.

This is a non-issue. As mentioned, they have to buy more jackets anyway, why not use them for promotions? IMO, US should be looking at everything they do and see if there are things they can do better at no additional expense. Good move.

I got a new ticket jacket recently as well. It said "United" on it (and it wasn't a codeshared flight).

[This message has been edited by fried (edited Jan 12, 2004).]

They had the new ticket jackets here @ ROC on 12/31.

I like the new vertical styling. My best guess as well was that US needed reprint and they decided to go with a change. Subtle, but nice.

-JC

Is the advertiser on the new ticket jackets still Orbitz?

I just got my first yesterday. It was an award flight, so I was in the back of the bus. Are the new first ticket jackets still a heavier stock?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Beckles:
Is the advertiser on the new ticket jackets still Orbitz?</font>

Alot of my past jacket advertisements have been for hotels.com (flying from ROC & PHL), but the new ones that I saw were from Orbitz.

-JC

I was just on a US flight in first, and the ticket jacket was the same dark navy colored design, but I noticed that the coach jackets were the new ones that were mentioned http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thumbsup.gif. Also, I think the advertiser was for cell phones . . .

I noticed the WTC Twin Towers on the back of a ticket jacket last week.... Are those really that old and/or they insensitive enough to keep using those?

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by phllax:
I have great issue with spending money on this when people are continuing to lose their jobs, we continue to experience cuts in service and service levels and the planes are dirtier than ever! I am shooting a letter off to consumer affairs in the morning. </font>
If you don't want a ticket jacket, say so. If you really want to save money, carry less weight (to save jet fuel), don't call their 800 number (they have to pay), refuse a drink and napkin, etc.

Don't write to consumer affairs. You are wasting their time and labor as well as letterhead, stamp, etc.

Having started my career in the Printing industry, I can tell you with certainty that printing of new & different ticket jackets effects US's bottom line about the same as our personal net worth would be impacted by the purchase of an extra soft drink from the vending machine each week.

Thanks, Bob.......I had been saving all week for the soft drink..........now I'm feeling guilty for spending all that money when I could be making U a profitable airline........ http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/tongue.gif

My personal theory is that ticket jackets cost US nothing. They tell Orbitz or Hotels.com to print them up some ticket jackets and provide the copy to go on the front cover and inside and let them print whatever they want on the back (ads for themselves).

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ringmaruf:
I just got my first yesterday. It was an award flight, so I was in the back of the bus. Are the new first ticket jackets still a heavier stock?</font>

Yes, the new First Class jackets are heavier than the coach ones. Also, instead of Orbitz, the ad on the back is for usairways.com.



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