US Airways Dividend Miles - Official response from FFOCUS to the Management of US Airways

Monday, February 11, 2008

Dear US Airways Management,

FFOCUS is in receipt of a transcript of the Q4 State of the Airline Report, Frequently Asked Questions document. We are concerned about the facts as misrepresented in the following statement:

"FFOCUS (Frequent Flyers Organized and Committed to US Airways Success), their web site seems to be more of a Smear Campaign than actually a commitment to the success of the NEW US Airways. Just reviewing many of the FFOCUS posters on US Aviation from home. Is this group for real, have we met with them to address their concerns, or are they just unhappy with the past and wanting it all back, more First class, Glassware etc.etc..

FFOCUS is a group that we have met with regularly. They've given us some good suggestions and we do pay attention to what they say. Sometimes, their posts are very negative, but they do represent some of our customers."

We sought an ongoing relationship and were led to believe this might come to fruition, but after only two meetings we were pointedly informed that you had no interest in further discussions with FFOCUS as a group; rather, you would deal with members' concerns on an individual basis. At your request, we submitted names of high revenue FFOCUS members who expressed a willingness to have their concerns addressed by your management team, and not one member was individually contacted. Mutual trust and credibility are the cornerstones to any successful relationship. Comments like the one above made either publicly or internally do little to further the goal of a mutually beneficial relationship between US Airways and our group of employees and customers.

FFOCUS remains committed to the principle that employees should be a company's first priority, followed closely by customers. When these constituents are well-served, the shareholders will prosper. Misleading statements about your relationship with FFOCUS, which you terminated, are disingenuous to say the least. However, we stand ready to actually have the regular meetings you said were occurring and to further the mutual goal of US Airways becoming the "Airline of Choice."

The Policy Committee on Behalf of the 1000 members of FFOCUS

Congratulations on your 3,000th post, me4yankees!!!

I believe you guys are reading too much into a transcript, which if you listen to the audio file, doesn't seem to match very closely. Although, to be honest, I couldn't find the mention of FFOCUS anywhere else.

From what Art234 posted in this forum, I was given the strong impression he was in frequent contact with individuals in US management after he returned from his March meeting.

A day or so ago, you mentioned that you had a communication with Parker about a problem, so it does seem that some of your higher profile members have at least talked with US management from time to time.

It seems to me you are missing the real point here. I wouldn't worry about whether someone at US remembers talking with you singly or as a group, but would have addressed the statement: [FFOCUS] seems to be more of a Smear Campaign than actually a commitment to the success of the NEW US Airways.

I also wonder if some of your statements might be a bit misleading in that most the "high revenue" members of FFOCUS are no longer customers of the new US Airways.

I think you guys have a real chance to work with US, but the tone of your letter doesn't seem to suggest that. IMHO.

Gary,

They have made it abundantly clear that they choose not to work with us. They actually said as much, in plain language. They did ask us for a list of "high rollers" who left or were leaving, and I gave them at least 6 times the number they were asking for. They did not bother to contact ANY of those customers.

It is a fact that a significant number of people with high average spends have left. How do we know? Those people have told us themselves. It is also most likely true that their count of elites has stayed close or grown-but that is because they are now giving status away, or charging for it. The average spend of an elite member of DM will begin to decline if it has not already. People will only tolerate paying a higher price for less for so long.

Regarding the interpretation of a smear campaign on our home page and postings, everything we put up or posted was absolutely true. Was it embarassing to US? I believe it was. Did it get them to make some changes? I don't know, but I'd like to think it did--and if it did it was effective.

Regarding the contact, I was in regular contact (not meeting but contact) for a while after my last meeting, but other than holiday greetings nothing since the late summer. They do not meet with us regularly-they met with us a total of twice (by us I mean me).

The point of our response is that they were less than honest in the response they provided to the employee who asked the question. To be honest I am surprised the question was even asked, but that's a completely separate discussion.

I remain hopeful that someone in Tempe will have an epiphany and realize things cannot continue the way they are going. They MUST make labor peace, and begin to act on what they hear from both employees and customers.

The most successful airlines out there today believe that the first priority should be the employees, the second the customers, and if they get those two right, the shareholders will be happy. It does not work the other way around, but this is a lesson some of our friends in the Sand Castle still need to learn.

If we are relegated to just being a watchdog group, so be it, but that will not quite our bark or bite as the case may be. While I hope that a dialog can be reestablished, I really don't think they're interested, and that is their right. And it is our right to continue in a Naderesque role as well....

Congratulations on your 3,000th post, me4yankees!!!


+1 & way to go :D:D

+1 & way to go :D:D

^^:)

February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day! Are you feeling the love? I wanted this to be in a sticky! The mods can remove it from the original thread if need be.

A Call To Action!!!! Your Help Is Needed!!!!

By now you should have received an e-mail from US Airways regarding changes to the Dividend Miles Program. The FFOCUS Policy Board finds these changes to be draconian and an insult to every loyal traveler.

With the above in mind it is now time to act. We have tried to open channels of communication only to be rebuffed and in one case chastised by a Senior Executive. We must send a message to the management of US Airways that the 500-mile minimum being reduced to actual miles flown is completely and totally unacceptable.

The Policy Board will be actively courting our media contacts regarding these changes. What we need from each and every one of you is your time. The time it takes to write a letter, send an e-mail or call the US Airways and let them know in no uncertain terms just exactly how you feel regarding this change. Below are ways to contact US Airways and make sure your voice is heard.

executive.office@usairways.com - Phone number is 480-693-2341
brad.beakley@usairways.com - Vice President, Reservations and Inventory Services
travis.christ@usairways.com - Vice President, Sales and Marketing
douglas.parker@usairways.com - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
elise.eberwein@usairways.com - Senior Vice President, People, Communication and Culture
scott.kirby@usairways.com - President
robert.isom@usairways.com - Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
suzanne.boda@usairways.com - Senior Vice President, East Coast, International and Cargo Operations
kerry.hester@usairways.com - Vice President Customer Service Planning
tom.trenga@usairways.com - Vice President, Revenue Management
andrew.nocella@usairways.com - Vice President, Revenue Management

What we request is if you e-mail more than one of the above, and we encourage you to do so, that you send them individually not as one e-mail to everyone. Snail mail is even more effective. The regular Customer Relations address is:

US Airways
Attention: Customer Relations
4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Fax: 480-693-2300

Address for Corporate Executives

US Airways Corporate Headquarters
111 W. Rio Salado Parkway
Tempe, AZ 85281
480-693-0800

This is a battle we can win if we all do our part. Be on FlyerTalk and speak out early and often. Call, write, fax and e-mail your honest feelings. Let the powers that be know your displeasure. Now is the time for action. I urge you all to join us and to tell your friends and business colleagues and urge them to speak out as well. The Policy Board is counting on your help as we cannot do it alone, we need you with us on this one.

Warmest regards,
The FFOCUS Policy Board

^^^

IMO this is a slap in the face.

I honestly don't know why we expect better from Tempe. They have shown time and again they just don't care. Can you get a human being to talk to you in "customer service?" I had three flights cancelled on me in the past 24 hours and received one call. I'm a Platinum member. On a recent flight that sat 50 feet from the gate for 20 minutes after sitting 30 minutes on the tarmace waiting for a gate to open...IN PITTSBURGH!!, the flight attendant said "there are only three people on here that we need to worry about." Two were on the same equipment heading out and one gentleman had a connection that he missed. Excuse me...what about the other 70 people who just wanted to go home? This finally drove it home to me that they just don't care about the customers. We are invisible to them. Why do we bother?

Welcome to FT, travelsales.

Ever hear of the old saying, "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"?

Frankly, I think that applies to your efforts. Corporate America -- even a laid back corporation like US Airways (compare to, say, AA) -- isn't going to have much interest in "meeting regularly" with a customer "advocacy" group. They're just not going to "negotiate" with you over your "demands." It's just not going to happen.

Think about it. The question that was raised in the internal chat was from a concerned employee (not management) questioning your motives. If frontline employees question your motives (and loyalty), how do you think management is likely to feel?

Which isn't to say your efforts can't bear fruit. Making a big ruckus CAN work. Contacting the media, in some instances, might be effective. But don't expect management to be very interested in talking directly with an organization that issues releases -- like today's -- stating that the changes in the frequent flyer program are "draconian and an insult to every loyal traveler." It ain't gonna happen. Management gets enough of that stuff from labor. They're not looking for more. If you want real dialogue, tone down the rhetoric and appear interested in their side of the story.

Just my two cents.

Ever hear of the old saying, "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"?

Frankly, I think that applies to your efforts. Corporate America -- even a laid back corporation like US Airways (compare to, say, AA) -- isn't going to have much interest in "meeting regularly" with a customer "advocacy" group. They're just not going to "negotiate" with you over your "demands." It's just not going to happen.

Think about it. The question that was raised in the internal chat was from a concerned employee (not management) questioning your motives. If frontline employees question your motives (and loyalty), how do you think management is likely to feel?

Which isn't to say your efforts can't bear fruit. Making a big ruckus CAN work. Contacting the media, in some instances, might be effective. But don't expect management to be very interested in talking directly with an organization that issues releases -- like today's -- stating that the changes in the frequent flyer program are "draconian and an insult to every loyal traveler." It ain't gonna happen. Management gets enough of that stuff from labor. They're not looking for more. If you want real dialogue, tone down the rhetoric and appear interested in their side of the story.

Just my two cents.

I agree. US Airways has decided they don't value my short-haul business enough to continue an industry-standard frequent flyer program.

And I have decided that I don't value US Airways' frequent flyer program enough to award them my preference for short-haul flying. All that flying will now go to Delta.

A simple transaction. No "betrayal" or harsh words needed. US doesn't value me, I no longer value US. Good luck to them -- they're going to need it after this decision. Empty planes throughout the northeast are almost assured at this point, especially considering that the competition costs about the same and hasn't made this decision.

If US calls me to ask why I've stopped flying, I'll tell them. But the reality is that they probably don't care. I don't view it as my job to make them care -- they've decided I'm "too expensive" to be a customer of theirs, and I've reciprocated by going to someone else who values my business more. Lots of others will do the same thing. If enough do it, US Airways will either have to shut down its northeast operations, or go out of business.

Such is life.

No hard feelings on either side, right?

February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day! Are you feeling the love? I wanted this to be in a sticky! The mods can remove it from the original thread if need be.

A Call To Action!!!! Your Help Is Needed!!!!

By now you should have received an e-mail from US Airways regarding changes to the Dividend Miles Program. The FFOCUS Policy Board finds these changes to be draconian and an insult to every loyal traveler.

With the above in mind it is now time to act. We have tried to open channels of communication only to be rebuffed and in one case chastised by a Senior Executive. We must send a message to the management of US Airways that the 500-mile minimum being reduced to actual miles flown is completely and totally unacceptable.

The Policy Board will be actively courting our media contacts regarding these changes. What we need from each and every one of you is your time. The time it takes to write a letter, send an e-mail or call the US Airways and let them know in no uncertain terms just exactly how you feel regarding this change. Below are ways to contact US Airways and make sure your voice is heard.

executive.office@usairways.com - Phone number is 480-693-2341
brad.beakley@usairways.com - Vice President, Reservations and Inventory Services
travis.christ@usairways.com - Vice President, Sales and Marketing
douglas.parker@usairways.com - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
elise.eberwein@usairways.com - Senior Vice President, People, Communication and Culture
scott.kirby@usairways.com - President
robert.isom@usairways.com - Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
suzanne.boda@usairways.com - Senior Vice President, East Coast, International and Cargo Operations
kerry.hester@usairways.com - Vice President Customer Service Planning
tom.trenga@usairways.com - Vice President, Revenue Management
andrew.nocella@usairways.com - Vice President, Revenue Management

What we request is if you e-mail more than one of the above, and we encourage you to do so, that you send them individually not as one e-mail to everyone. Snail mail is even more effective. The regular Customer Relations address is:

US Airways
Attention: Customer Relations
4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Fax: 480-693-2300

Address for Corporate Executives

US Airways Corporate Headquarters
111 W. Rio Salado Parkway
Tempe, AZ 85281
480-693-0800

This is a battle we can win if we all do our part. Be on FlyerTalk and speak out early and often. Call, write, fax and e-mail your honest feelings. Let the powers that be know your displeasure. Now is the time for action. I urge you all to join us and to tell your friends and business colleagues and urge them to speak out as well. The Policy Board is counting on your help as we cannot do it alone, we need you with us on this one.

Warmest regards,
The FFOCUS Policy Board

I have no desire to write to these jerks. I have just taken my business elsewhere. I hope they get that message.

US should be disbanded, giving the northeastern ops to UA, making UA a stronger airline in the US serving most of the markets that it doesnt right now.

Or at the very least....kicked out of *A

I dumped US when they started pulling out of PIT. (Check out my Location)

US should be disbanded, giving the northeastern ops to UA, making UA a stronger airline in the US serving most of the markets that it doesnt right now.

Or at the very least....kicked out of *A

I dumped US when they started pulling out of PIT. (Check out my Location)

If you don't fly US why do you care if they are in *A or not? If you dumped US and moved to UA why does it matter to you so much that you need to keep on coming back to this forum and bash it? After all, what do you have to say on your recent experience with US that has some merit?

I don't mind people who still fly US to complain but those of you that left? Go enjoy your greener pastures instead. Unless they aren't so greener?

Oh, in most instances, they are greener. Lushly, verdantly, greener.