US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Little Gripes from a CP

Hello Everyone,

I would like your opinion on these litte gripes (or things I would like to see changed or added), and I would like to know yours. SO here is my list starting with a easy one.

1) How can every airline have a award winning in flight magazine ? Who gives out these awards anyway ?

Now more serious

2) Why only special deals for those who book on the web ? I use the web site to find my flights but my travel department must book them. As a loyal customer I am being short changed.

3) How about a permanent CP designation say 5 years in a row (without challenges) making CP qualifies you for CP for life. Pick a number I do not care, I have been CP since the start and have qualified for next year.

4) Challenges are good for business, but can reduce the value of the end product. Some of the ways you can get tp CP are to simple and reduce the overall value of the product.

While I think US treats the CP's better then most airlines treat their top tier there is always room for improvement. Add you ideas or thoughts.

Thanks

Hello Everyone,

1) How can every airline have a award winning in flight magazine ? Who gives out these awards anyway ?

Because its the best (and only) magazine that the airline puts out - therefore it wins :)

2) Why only special deals for those who book on the web ? I use the web site to find my flights but my travel department must book them. As a loyal customer I am being short changed.

Less expenses, period. There was a post on how much it costs per ticket/reservation based on the booking method - IIRC it was $27 for a phone agent to book the reservation versus < $1 for booking on usairways.com. That will go down even further as they've moved usairways.com ticketing inside US.

3) How about a permanent CP designation say 5 years in a row (without challenges) making CP qualifies you for CP for life. Pick a number I do not care, I have been CP since the start and have qualified for next year.

OK, jumping ahead to #4 here but in #4 you essentially state that Challenges are diluting the CP status but here you're asking for a permanent CP status for someone that's been for 5 years straight. I'd say that would be diluting things heavily. Sheesh, you could make CP for life for a couple grand given someone going 5 years straight and the promos.

4) Challenges are good for business, but can reduce the value of the end product. Some of the ways you can get tp CP are to simple and reduce the overall value of the product.

Challenges are good for business boosts, ramping up FFers that are converting FF programs, and people that are close to making status. I made SP last year because I was offered a challenge but IIRC my transatlantic trip that I made gave me SP status nonetheless, just a little earlier. This year I'll make SP on segments without any type of challenge. Go BUF-BWI! ^

While I think US treats the CP's better then most airlines treat their top tier there is always room for improvement. Add you ideas or thoughts.

Thanks

See comments inline.

Jcooke makes some really good points therefore I will qualify some of my points.

Our travel department uses the Sabre system and does not call reservations therefore it is not more expensive. But the point made is valid and well taken, guess I just want some of the gravy.

I have made CP easily evey year on miles alone, I do not get there via challenges or promotions. I was just thinking that this should be rewarded in some way. While 5 years in a row may be too low I am open to suggestions. What I am looking for is something that gives those of us who do it the old fashion way some additional benefit.

And JC is right a permanent CP designation would dilute the value of being a CP, it may get those who got their through the promotions to keep going after the promotion period is up.

I am just saying that as one of US very frequent flyers they never target me for any promotions and I would like some sent my way.

Excellent comments JCookie keep them coming and all other ideas welcome. :cool:

I have NEVER made CHP on miles and have qualified six years and counting. But I bet my 120 segments generate more revenue than a good portion of 150K mile CHP's flying on L fares coast to coast.

If Airlines really wanted to reward their best revenue generating customers, (and the frequent Bus. Class Trans Atlantic CHP's are Way better than me, and I'm way better than a lot of CHP's) they would dump miles as a qualification for rewards and status entirely. Take a look at Independence Airs FF programn (FLYI.com). Other than the one year expiration, it sounds about perfect to me. You could easliy add a similar elite sytem for an airline like US for upgrades, etc. Since I typically pay $250 for MHT-SEA and $1000 for PWM-DTW, and U is giving me much MORE credit for the cheaper, longer flight, the current system is badly broken. Delta's poor attempt to fix SkyMiles has gone badly, so it's time to throw out the current system and start over. CLear thinking newcomers like FLYI, AirTran, JBlU and LUV will quickly put the big six out of their misery if they do not adapt soon.

Our travel department uses the Sabre system and does not call reservations therefore it is not more expensive. But the point made is valid and well taken, guess I just want some of the gravy.

I'm in that same boat, but ask yourself--what are you really missing? Granted, I'm not from PHL when I say that.

I personally would like to get the booking bonuses and the gofare extra 1x miles and whathave you, OTOH, my discount with US is such that it ends up putting tangible money in my company's (and hence my) pocket, and I can use said discount when booking leisure travel (I was able to nab some of those sick F fares for under $300 in some cases).

IIRC, CO folks are in this same boat, and the goal of the excercise is ultimately to eliminate the travel agent completely.

I have made CP easily evey year on miles alone, I do not get there via challenges or promotions. I was just thinking that this should be rewarded in some way. While 5 years in a row may be too low I am open to suggestions. What I am looking for is something that gives those of us who do it the old fashion way some additional benefit.

And JC is right a permanent CP designation would dilute the value of being a CP, it may get those who got their through the promotions to keep going after the promotion period is up.

Agreed but I think that UA's strategy of giving 1P/2P status (I forget which)to their million mile flyers isn't necessarily a bad idea either. There is no dispute with those cats - they have their butt in a UA seat for the entire 1 million miles and no matter what, that's still a nice revenue generation anyway you slice it. I think that gives a good balance of permanent recognition without diluting the system.

I am just saying that as one of US very frequent flyers they never target me for any promotions and I would like some sent my way.

3) How about a permanent CP designation say 5 years in a row (without challenges) making CP qualifies you for CP for life. Pick a number I do not care, I have been CP since the start and have qualified for next year.

4) Challenges are good for business, but can reduce the value of the end product. Some of the ways you can get tp CP are to simple and reduce the overall value of the product.


Good points. But your post raises two seemingly contradictory points. Maybe you can help me reconcile the contradiction.

I agree that adding more CPs simply because they completed a challenge dilutes the pool. I also agree with the other posters who say that the overall impact to the airline is positive. The contradiction I see between points 3 and 4 is this... what is the value of a permanent CP designation if it is indeed easy to get to that level on simple challenges?

If you happen to fail to meet the requirements for a CP any given year, by your own reasoning, you can attain it easily enough by completing a simple challenge. So, you win, because if you don't qualify with miles/segments because you can use the same advantage that the challenge offers. And this renders a lifetime CP status quite meaningless.

I've traveled 127 segments, 165K miles this year and it's not even June 30 yet. I do not feel any less "privileged" because a CP sitting next to me got his status by flying 14K miles on a CP challenge.

Just my $0.02 :D

Hello Everyone,

I would like your opinion on these litte gripes (or things I would like to see changed or added), and I would like to know yours. SO here is my list starting with a easy one.

1) How can every airline have a award winning in flight magazine ? Who gives out these awards anyway ?




The World Airline Entertainment Association confers the following inflight magazine awards:

Best Inflight Magazine
Best Inflight Entertainment Guide Within The Magazine
Best Inflight Entertainment Guide Outside The Magazine

The WAEA Avion Awards are the Oscars of the IFE world, if you can make such a comparison. US has not won any of these awards in at least the last 3 years. There may be other organizations which confer awards for inflight magazines, but if they exist, I am not aware of them.

Originally Posted by swanscn
Our travel department uses the Sabre system and does not call reservations therefore it is not more expensive. But the point made is valid and well taken, guess I just want some of the gravy.

Sabre charges US segment fees...... about $4/segment. A RT with a connection is 4 segments....... so Sabre would charge US $16 for the ticket.

1) How can every airline have a award winning in flight magazine ? Who gives out these awards anyway




From the Attache website (http://www.attachemag.com/media_kit.htm):
"US Airways Attaché serves a unique market, the movers and the shakers of the nation's most influential "power corridor." The 1.6 million who read Attaché each month are among the most demographically desirable print audience available. And Attaché brings your message to them in an editorial environment that has won 36 major design and editorial awards since July 1997, including Best Inflight Magazine for 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001."

So I guess that this is what they mean, although, it doesn't seem as if it has won any awards recently. :D

You know those challanges are done in the 2nd quarter. Giving the new CP's only 6 months of status before they become lameducks in January.