andrewwm

Just had an interesting experience on my own MR/mini-vacation. Am flying from LAX-SGN via Guam due to a recent fare sale (about $800 a/i). HNL-GUM was delayed due to weather in Houston on the inbound aircraft.

When the flight landed in GUM, they directed those of us connecting to HKG (and who had now missed our flight) to be rebooked at the front counter. Most people were just average people and were rebooked on the same set of flights the next day (there is no easy way to get from GUM to HKG/SGN on a Saturday except through UA).

However, there was one other pax that was clearly on a MR, same as me. He appeared to be a student, as he was going through some class notes.

Except he went straight to the rebooking and demanded that they rebook him in business on Korean, going from GUM to ICN to SGN, His logic was that he was in business GUM-HKG. However, he sat with me in Economy+ HNL to GUM, so no doubt he was up front on the onward sector as the result of CPU/maybe RPU. He proceeded to get a bit angry with the counter staff when they were deliberating if they should rebook him and how they would do it, and pushed hard for business class, which they eventually granted him.

On top of that, hotel space was limited due to it being a busy time in GUM, but he demanded (and received) one of the few hotel slots available, despite his flight departing in about 6 hours from when the rebooking occurred. The GUM staff accommodated him mostly to just get him out of the way because there were a pile of pax needing rebooking, but to see him be pushy and take advantage of the desperate situation was depressing. He additionally said that this wasn't the first time he'd been stuck in GUM so he'd probably been doing these MRs back to back and had likely copped the same attitude before.

I was frankly pretty disgusted with his demanding behavior and if many of the MR community is like him, I can see why UA will not be sad to lose his business next spring - a net drain on UA's financials, the UA staff's time, and taking up resources that could be used for better customers.

zrs70

We are likely to soon see a report here that says:

I was in a trip via GUM that faced a delay that would have severely affected my getting to HKG for my sister's wedding. I ran to the ticket counter to get there before the crowds. Because if great advice from FT, I stood firm about getting the next flight out. At first UA tried to deny me space, as my class of service wasn't available. But I insisted they get me in the next flight. I was also able to get one of the few hotel rooms left.

Baze

^

rankourabu

first lol @ "MR community" - what the hell is that? Do they hold weekly meetings?

second, I am still lost, how do you know he was on an MR, was it written on his forehead?

andrewwm

1. LAX-SGN fare could have also routed through NRT (or SFO-HKG). Only reason to route via GUM is for miles. If you are going to a wedding, doing a 4 segment itinerary with multiple 1 hr connections when you need to arrive on a specific day is just bad planning. Also given no luggage and non-Vietnamese last name, had to be MR.

2. He spoke like an expert about GUM because he said he'd flown through there a lot lately. Lots of recent fare sales that have been routeable through GUM, but to route through GUM you have to use multi-city search on UA - it doesn't show the option by default. He had to have purposely chosen to route through GUM.

3. Y class was available on both Korean flights. It is what he should have been rebooked into if he hadn't bullied counter agent.

4. His shuttle left hotel at 12:30 am for 2:45 am flight. Total time in hotel was maybe 3.5 hours. Others, including elderly, were at risk of sleeping in airport, but he made sure he got his hotel for 3 hours.

JBord

Definitely!

I've never done a MR, although I'm considering one later this year. But I've seen the same behavior by people who I'm pretty certain weren't on a MR (I'm assuming all you MR's don't wear suits on those trips!). The only thing you can extrapolate from this single experience is that some human beings are rude and obnoxious, and some people aren't.

channa

While I don't condone his behavior, I have to hand it to him, it was effective, as he got what he wanted. Many of have been in situations where we've had to assert ourselves probably more than we should have to, especially with CO/the new UA. Maybe he was just saving time and passing over the usual niceties based on his previous experiences.

UA-NYC

Exactly

MRs aren't the enemy. Nor is "the customer".

andrewwm

As I said, I'm fine with MRs that take the offered fare and follow the rules of the program. I'm one of them myself. I think UA is pretty much fine with them too.

But there are certainly some maximizers (as that's what a MR is - a maximization play) that cross the line into unethical behavior.

Demanding things that they know they aren't entitled to from overworked staff (rerouted an extra 1000 miles out of the way in C on OAL on a Y ticket, when delay was due to weather), taking benefits simply because you can not because you need them, being generally abusive to staff, etc. I'm 99.9% sure he will also be writing UA for compensation too.

Inbound to HNL was delayed due to ground stop/thunderstorms in IAH.

Juventini

So OP how did your "Mini Vacation" end up, same set of flights out the next day and mini vacation turned into a real MR?

JBord

Your point is fine, it's just that it has nothing to do with a MR. In the case you described, let's assume the passenger was on a MR to renew 1k. That also most likely means that he's either spent $10k with UA or has significant spend with Chase. So he's not by definition a bad customer. Why would UA want to get rid of him more than the non-status passenger who yells and screams and demands things until a GA gives in? And this same behavior could come from a 1k who has spent $30k this year.

Again, bad behavior is an individual issue. I agree with everything you say about working within the rules. But there are a lot of self-important nobody's who behave like this every day. If UA wants to fire this type of customer for his behavior, fine with me. Frankly I think it's annoying and embarrassing. It just has nothing to do with him being a mileage runner.

mduell

What spend with Chase gets you PQD-eligible for 1K?

andrewwm

Still a mini vacation in SGN, just more mini now. But got to explore GUM for a day instead, which was a decent outcome.

My point is that there is a certain maximizer mentality that goes along with booking MRs. It's fine if you maximize according to the rules, but when maximizers push that and really try to get everything they are entitled to or not, it crosses the line. And they are more effective in pushing for things that they shouldn't get than a kettle.

A kettle may ask a UA rep for a UC club pass for a routine delay - agent doesn't have power to authorize it and kettle won't get it.

Maximizer knows that OAL is sometimes an option and hopes GA won't notice when he bullies them that C boarding pass is actually on a Y ticket for a delay caused by weather -> MRer is rerouted on OAL in C.

JBord

Good point! Didn't think that through. Clearly a valuable UA customer!

mduell

If UA doesn't want MRers, they should put minimum stays on cheap fares. PQD is about something else.