CoMooter

I would be surprised if DL sells more MSU's in a year than the number of 500 milers UA or AA sell in an average week.

LexPassenger

Actually, CoMooter, one of the discreet charms of LEX is that Ks are rarely much more expensive than Ls or Us to our destinations. PVD, MCO, BWI and BDL are always good to us that way. We also usually have good Ks to PHX and MSY.

And SDF is usually good as an origin airport, too. We regularly commute to the left coast on $287 Ks to SNA.

CVG is usually cheapest to PDX and Europe, I know not why. And we have been known to drive to DAY (about two hours and half) to save $600 on two Ks.

Sorry that it doesn't work for the rest of you.... and if it stops working here, we will reevaluate. But so far, on the days when we fly from LEX, of the 56 front cabin seats available, GG and I have two of them.

And we've never bought an MSU.

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RobertS975

The cheapest DL fares out of PVD and MHT are competitive with WN, often as low as $200 RT anywhere that WN flies. But the upgradeable fares are often twice the U fare, sometimes a bit less.

When I was GM, I would never book an upgradeable fare unless I could apply a SWU to that flight. Then, at 72 hours, I would attempt to change it over to a MSU. I hardly ever played the Russian roullette game that GMs have to play today.

CoMooter

Lex:

I agree completely with your routing choices in regards to K+ and the amazing pricing correllation to WN markets. I have many CVG colleagues that regularly drive to SDF to take DL BACK to CVG, and then on to wherever they are going to avoid gouging and/or get reasonable K+ fares.

It is a not so little known secret here in the DC area that BWI (hmmmm...) is a haven for reaaaaalllly low K fares. In short, DL marketing probably knows they don't want to give regulars too much of a reason to start comparing WN coach and DL coach products.

Unfortunately this state of affairs does not usually extend to IAD and DCA - which are the airports I use (the trip around the beltway sucks - snipers or not).

Don't get me wrong...if K+ is just a little more than L fares ($30-$40) it isn't that big of a deal. Unfortunately, my travels don't have me in and out of WN markets/airports that much anymore - which is also the reason I don't fly WN that frequently anymore. In my own experience, K+ is usually twice as much as the insULT fare on the routes I take.

Even worse - paying 2x more than necessary for a 1 1/2 hour ride on mainline connecting to an 1 1/2 hour ride on an 'all first class' rj just doesn't make that much sense.

billyg

I should have started this in its own topic previously, sorry if I offended anyone.

I cannot see any reason to attempt to make PM again next year with the "enhanced" program. I have CR access with my Plat Amex, if you don't have that, there is $350. Perhaps I am missing something. I have a buddy here in ATL who thinks there is no way they keep PMs from upgrading next year. I would call that ostrich syndrome. Please don't reply with that theory.

How much extra would you spend to make PM and why?

Billy G

Delta3MM

Nice UserName (actualy IS my name...)

The only other thing you get is 4 500 mile certificates per 10K MILES (not MQM's) - so you could get from 8 to 32 depending on the fare class you bought. Assume 16 (K class fares), then that's worth about $160x4- $480.

Six PMU's are worth only what you would spend if you didn't have them. If you were planning on taking three international trips, and you were going to upgrade with miles, and miles have a value to you, then you can do the math. For me, that would be: 40K miles per upgrade, x3 x 1.5 to 2.5 cents per mile. That's about $1,800 to $3000.

So my "unofficial" estimate of the value is: UP TO ~ $2,300 to $3500 plus a CRC membership, which would be worth about $275 to me.


Billy (G.) (Really)

billyg

My fellow Billy,

You already get the 500 Mile Upgrades as a GM.

So you have the value of the PMUs if you buy international M fares. They certainly have a value, much less for some than for others.

Billy G

Flying_Duck

A thread with a related subject can be found here

hfly

What I love is the fact that in SWU days it was ATL fliers that complained like hell that they could never use them. Now I've heard a lot of ATL fliers (not just you Billy) complain that PMU's aren't valuable because of the "expensive" fares. The fares they can be used on are the same.

As for the value, add to the above that the PMU multiplier can now be 8x or 10x due to the new changes.

billyg

That doesn't look the same to me. Perhaps I should clarify. If you were sitting at about 90K MQMs in December, how much in additional air fare would you spend to be a PM rather than a GM? I am not asking what you would pay to be a GM.

Billy G

billyg

I didn't complain. I stated that the PMUs have more value for some fliers (those who already purchase M class international fares) than those who don't. I don't have any problem with PMUs.

My question is why go out of your way to be a PM? The point is that without unlimited upgrades, why care about MQMs at all?

Billy G

hfly

Some of us fly primarily long haul intl. Enough said.

ApontePR

How'd you get CR access with AMEX Platinum Card?

Cholula

You just flash it upon entrance to the CRC along with a DL boarding pass for a same day flight. Pls note this is NOT the DL Platinum AMEX card but the "real" AMEX DL Platinum card that costs $350 or so annually.

oodude69

I can't stand coach and I won't fly coach. Period. Nor will my employer pay for F - and I sure can't afford to pay for it.

I'll do anything that I can to increase the probablilty of an upgrade. Time of booking is better than 100 hours. 100 hours is better than 72 hours. Anything is better than at the gate.

I don't like spending all of my ff miles to buy upgrades, but that is still better than flying coach.

I never really cared about ff miles - I rarely use them. I only cared about making PM for the benefits. Now that I have to spend miles to buy upgrades, the PM bonus is more valuable to me.