SkiAdcock

* That's why I voted against it.

+1.

+1.

I'm basically done w/ this thread. Even if gkbiiii isn't moving on, I am.

Cheers.

Rojo

Interesting to see how TalkBoard members do not understand what goes on inside the airlines. Sending letters to inverstor relations without explaining exactly what FlyerTalk is... well, don't expect a good response. Most airline employees in investor relations and PR don't know about this community or don't understand this community.

As much as I would like to see a Spirit Forum and think that FlyerTalk can benefit from it, it is up to the TalkBoard members to decided, and some of these members are business travelers that just don't like the LCC's because they don't offer the perks they are used to... I know most of them will trash me or delete this comments for saying this, but it is the truth.

As an airline employee and academic resercher in Loyalty Marketing and behavioral decision making, I've been able to understand what airline customers think of frequent flyer programs. In my opinion, Free Spirit should not even exist... just by doing simple math (using basic mile acquisition cost and fees charged), in 70% of the cases it costs more to redeem an award than buying the same ticket without using miles. In the end, customers get angree, but still fly Spirit because they are price sensitive and most of the times they are the cheapest.

To NK, Free Spirit is a good source of ancilliary revenue which genereates profits by giving customers miles but taking advantage of very complicated rules that VFR customers do not understand. Many LCC's, like EasyJet and Ryanair, have tried FF Programs and decided to discontinue them because they were very expensive to operate and customers never understood them... since NK is not a true LCC (*LCC definitions vary), and more of a hybrid LCC with hub and spoke + some O&D markets, they have been able to keep this program thanks to the revenues it generates from the cobranded credit card with BofA. Nevertheless, I think they are struggling to meet contractual targets of new card acquisitions and if they don't sign more partners, the program might struggle and prove to be unprofitable.

I don't think NK's management wants to push for a Free Spirit Forum in Flyertalk, since it will give customers an option to better understand the program and the award system...

This is a research papaer I wrote last year for a Research Conference:

http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/vi...nf_hospitality

lo2e

You must be thinking of some other website that actually censors members' opinions. FT is not one that does that, and never has.

gkbiiii

You know that Ben was the former Senior Vice President of Marketing for US Airways. From his days there, he knows quite a bit about Flyertalk and its view of him.

Spirits main problem with their BofA card, is that it is geared to top wage earners; people whom will not fly Spirit. Why they promote a World Mastercard (how many Spirit flyers even qualify for this) is beyond me. Their focus should be on secured cards, basic starter cards and debit cards. It seems to me, Spirit could make cash buy selling miles, something Us Airways has done with great abandon.

tcook052

Yes, I did know that having read post#166. The horse, however, is still dead.

joshwex90

Why do you assume TB members don't understand airlines?

Recall that no one from TB sent a letter to NK

Correct, and they've decided that there is no need. Story's over

Seriously? How many times has it been shown, AGAIN AND AGAIN, that the forum was not approved because there hasn't been shown enough traffic for it. Everyone has made clear that they voted one way or the other EXCLUSIVELY BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC. Never before, and certainly not now, has TB ever considered their personal feelings of the airline in voting for it. Whether they hate it or not, they vote because of how the FORUM will do. They could care less about the airline itself.

Trash, yes. Delete - only because it's dilatory at this point since the vote has already happened. Not because of censorship

lin821

Are you referring to gkbiiii, who wrote that letter?

If you are indeed a researcher, I would have expected you have no problem finding who are the current TalkBoard Members and locating their say on airline operations. Whoever you are accusing of not understanding what goes on inside the airline business is not serving our TB.

Or maybe you know something that I don't know. Can you provide evidence of any of the above 9 TalkBoard Members who wrote to investor relations?

SanDiego1K

Enough.