scooterz2

Many of us have lost loyalty to DL lately due to all the changes that aren't so "good going around" for their FFs, and we're flying other airlines more often. Let's assume that DL wants to keep the revenue of their most frequent fliers -- and I'd wager that prior to all the cutbacks, DL had the most loyal FFs of any US airline. Clearly not so anymore.

So...what is the 1 thing DL could do to retain some of the preference you used to give it when choosing flights?

Mine would be: (1) Give SOME perks to medallions on Song, since it's now the only option for many important routes. Most of us seem to want priority boarding more than anything, and that wouldn't cost a cent. (2) Offer some healthy food choices in Y for when we don't get upgraded, even if we have to pay for it. Junk food doesn't cut it (esp. on long routes, such as ATL-SJC, even if an especially kind FA lets you have more than one), and short transfer times don't always allow time to buy something in the terminal. I'd gladly pay for a fruit & cheese snack or a yogurt or a bag of carrots.

I know that was 2, but I couldn't decide which to choose.

Flying_Duck

Retreat from the course to become the "High-Cost-No-Frill's" or "second-class-for-first-first-class-prices" airline.

I truly believe the course DL has been on in 2005 in regards to Medaillions is to test the waters and see how far you can push them by catering to the occaisional traveler at their expense before they leave for other airlines. A suicidal game, IMHO.

To start I suggest:

1)
Make it worth-while for very FF's to stay beyond the highest threshhold, such as: trasferrable upgrade certs., Skysaver for skychoice awards excemptions, significantly more booze certs for those of us liking that kind of stuff corressponding to the increase in CRJ and all-coach routings, and some of the perks given for this in 2004 (more PMU's (even though I personally find them increasingly irrelevant as the price for discounted BC and upgradable international coach almost being identical), the ability to give medaillion status to friends and family etc.). Put some medaillion perks into SONG flights. Very little of this will cost Delta much if anything.

2)
Put some cosmetic glory into being in FC: cloth and glasses i.e., put meals back on 2+ hour flights during meal times (or at least have some available for purchase), put pillows back - at least in FC, upgrade the meals just a tad, small stuff like that. I recognize this will cost, but many of us are willing to pay for this.

3)
Upgrade ground service for medaillions. Now, you usually will have to wait longer in a medaillion line than in the coach line if unable to do what needs to be done on the kiosk because there only is (at most) one FC agent and if bogged down by a complicated problem may be occupied for 30 minutes or more (or have a system when that happens, then you get to cut in front of the coach line). Reintroduce the priority labels and make them work, small stuff like that that again will not cost much.

4)
Put a FC in CRJ's. Even if only 3 or 6 seats, the mere possibility of not having to break your back or sitting halfway into the isle, as I do if an equally big guy is sitting beside me, is an option I would appreciate

5)
"Europeanize" SONG and Shuttle planes, that is, have a moving curtain and block the middle seat for people willing to pay or use status to sit more comfortably in these flights. Upgrade the service with meal service and free drinks for those in front of the curtain while at it. As it now, I personally will go out of my way to connect rather than going on an all coach flight. Call me spoiled. Call me arrogant. Shoot me!!, but that is what will get me to travel these flights.

Small stuff, all small stuff that have been effectively sliced away over the past years with no hint that anybody in Delta will try to put this salami, where there is not much but the stump left, back together again!!

vasantn

Lately??? Try 2002.

Lehava

I have 2 since no one else has stuck to one *smile*

1) A few FC sets (seat size at leasst even if not other services) on CRJ's

2) give us a couple other ways to earn MQM's, even if only a token amount, all out 10,000 of our bonus miles turn over to 2,000 MQM's or something

Aircfo

Since I mostly fly song (except for trans-atlantic) I would really like to see some song perks besides priority seating. With that in mind, if you are in row 9 you have to board last which takes away from a medallion perk of boarding first.

I don't think delta would want to make the front cabin of song strictly for medallions. Although that would be nice, I don't see it as a reality.

When I'm not checking luggage and I don't need to get somewhere in a hurry, I will switch in ATL or elsewhere to upgrade.

RamAir

How can they afford this if most can be upgrades and not paid F pax? It's a double edged sword: they can give the meals but then they would have to limit upgrades, and fill the F cabin with paid pax (lower prices slightly or decrease the size) and make the F reward even more points. It's a give and take. For a while we have had it REALLY good. Now things are a little more fair for the airlines but, we were spoiled. It is also my feeling that since there is inflation on the money we spend to aquire points, there can be inflation on the rewards. (Nots: the CAN is key because the mile we fly don't get shorter or longer!)
Steve

Humaniod

I agree with items 1, 3 and 4 that FlyingDuck has laid out. Recently I have flown more and more WN due to the invasion of RJ's throught the DL system.

rackensack

Base status on a sliding window, instead of calendar year, sort of like what Hilton does with it's Hilton HHonors program. Once you rack up 25K miles in the previous twelve months, you're Silver for the next twelve months. Hit 50K within any twelve month period, you're Gold for a year from that date. I'd be closing in on Platinum if they'd implemented this before, say, June of last year, and would definitely be making sure every flight I take is on DL. As it is, I may have trouble making Gold during 2005, and Silver was in the bag months ago, so on routes where there's a viable non-DL option and my odds of an upgrade are low anyway, I'll really have very little incentive to keep flying DL if it becomes obvious I won't make Gold. Which is more in DL's interest -- a guy who flies just enough international trips in a calendar year to accumulate 50K MQMs, or someone like me who's on at least two domestic DL flights every single week of the year?

ecaarch

The answer may not be as clear as you might think. The pax flying a boatload of domestic legs to reach GM probably DOES generate more revenue for DL than the pax flying a handful of international legs. However, it costs DL a lot more to fly that domestic pax.

Every segment has fixed costs in landing fees, gate rentals, the cost of issuing a ticket (it costs even to process an e-ticket), the cost of the labor to board the pax, to load the baggage, etc. The pax with the higher number of segments generates more of these fixed costs for DL. It is no accident that Song, in an attempt to keep those costs as low as possible, flies routes of substantial length rather than short segments.

Does that mean that the international pax with a few segments generates more profit than the domestic pax? I doubt if any of us know for certain. What I do know is that this is a very complex business with so many variables that simple assumptions may not always be accurate.

francophile

DL lost my business over the past few years because of the frustrating experiences I've had trying to use my SkyMiles for award tickets. Simply put, it is much easier to use AAdvantage miles than SkyMiles, at least for the type of travel I'm after.

Lehava

Agree totally, I love this idea. I am so happy with how Hilton made this change and would love the same in an airline. I know I will be short of enough for Gold by the end of Dec but know I fly a lot in Jan and Feb, going back to zero Jan 1 kills me.

rackensack

I understand all of that, which why I made it a question, rather than a statement. That being said, however, I have to be believe that those of us who have our butts in a DL seat six to eight times every month do a lot more to help keep the lights on and the planes in the air, making it possible to serve the higher-margin occasional pax (assuming that their profit is in fact higher on those pax). Many businesses have a core of lower-margin customers whose steady patronage is essential to the viability of the business, and this seems to me to be no different. And it's not as if the guys who fly 10 long-distance flights a year wouldn't also stand to benefit from the change I proposed.

I also realize there'd be a lot of information systems that would have to be reworked, so it wouldn't be a free or even cheap change for DL to make, but the question was about what would keep Medallion-level flyers choosing DL, which it seems to me this undoubtedly would.

JRF

Actually, while the PM status was based on a calendar year, FT991s were issued based on a sliding year.... it was great!

So, it can be done!

RSSrsvp

I totally understand the reasoning behind boarding row 9 last. As a veteran of many Song flights , the vast majority of them are boarded from the middle door that is right in front of that row. Trust me, you wouldn't want to be sitting there while people are still coming onboard as they will step on your feet and hit you with their bags. I have been on several flights where I was allowed to board and some late arriving passengers did this to me. It is almost as if they are deaf, dumb and blind.

In addition, the FA's have protected the overhead bins for the people in row 9 without any corporate directive. I always ask them if there is any official procedure regarding the overheads and they reply that they just do this on their own after learning the hard way. Joanne Smith should instruct her FA's to make this SOP instead of an unofficial practice, and make sure that there is enough space protected for the four passengers in row 9.

Xcheckme

1. Change the medallion upgrade rules to what they were in 2003
2. Give PM's incentives to keep flying DL once they reach 75 k miles
3. Preminum cabin on Song

That would do it for me, but I doubt that any (other than maybe # 2) will ever happen, and I just booked 2 more roundtrips on HP..............