Well this is the final nail in the coffin. I had a $375 ticket on hold to fly US, I canceled that and bought the same ticket on Delta for $500. F-US Airways!
FFOCUS is mobilized over this issue. Again US shows its disdain for the frequent flier.
While UA's plan to charge for second bags is less than ideal, at least it is designed to get more revenue from people who historically pay the lowest fares. To penalize those of us who historically pay the highest fares, and the highest yields (most short trips yield $1.00 a mile or more) shows just how shortsighted they are.
I typically fly on 7 day fares so I get hosed quite a bit. i already refused to accrue miles with US Air and have been building up Delta status in addition to United status. If this also affects US flights credited to United I think I might just get away from Star Alliance all together.
Funny thing about US: they do so little to promote the perception the public has of them. Face it, this change will have no impact on anyone who posts on this forum [do the math: @ 0.01/mile it’s not even the price of a cup of coffee these days], yet it could have been handled more delicately.
Might have been better if there was some advanced notice and they should have consulted with their *A domestic partners to see if they would agree to institute a similar change.
Although I am often supportive of US, this latest tactic seems to make little sense - financially or otherwise. The value of a FF mile to an airline is often given as around 1/2 cent (considering that they are all not generally used, and they go towards the cost portion for the airline) which has to roll down almost nothing for the airline’s profit. And of course, it is unlikely anyone uses their miles immediately after accruing them, so they only help toward future costs. Who’s to say what the price of jet fuel will be next year?
Seems like a very ill advised PR move. One would assume the upper management approved it, but aren’t they supposed to be seasoned veterans who have some “feel” for the airline biz?
I don’t have a dog in this flight since most of us in the West will not be impacted, however, I am amused that others who no longer fly US seem the most vocal.
Programs: CO Silver, Peon on DL, AA, UA, US, and WN
Posts: 3,189
Jumped Ship Already...
I have jumped ship to CO (I hope they don't follow US's lead on this). I have one more flight scheduled on USX (PHL-IAH), for tomorrow. That's it. No more $$$, even if I have to make connections elsewhere - and I am a so-called "hostage" in PHL to them and their blowfares®. At the very least, I'll be getting my 1324 miles to IAH. Good bye US! I don't know if I'll want to redeem them quickly, since gold and silver members are trash to US. We don't fly enough??
__________________
It was mealtime on LY. "Would you like lunch?" the FA asked Sid. "What are my choices?" Sid asked. "Yes or no," she replied.
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 forwarded this excellent post to my company's entire CLT HQ staff, many of whom fly US and will be impacted by this change.
This is ridiculous. By way of background I used to fly America West a ton when I lived out west, now that I moved east I mostly use US for short hops around the coast (paying as much as I used to for flying transcon!!!) for the occasional conference or leisure getaway. I would be affected by this severely. I have already written an e-mail to this effect to US customer relations, but I am sure it will be ignored.
Time to start spending down the DM balance! It's over 300k due to wanting to get some Australia F tickets, but if this (and eliminating the web booking bonus) is how they are devalue the program how long will it be until they raise the # of miles needed to get an international ticket on a partner?
Edited to add: If you were in my shoes would you keep holding on to the miles or burn some on cheap Caribbean vacations?
Location: Finally back in Boston after escaping from New York
Posts: 5,108
"Dear US Airways,
I want to thank you for your recent changes to the Dividend Miles program where I will earn exactly the amount of miles that I fly instead of a few extras for the shuttle.
In the past, I have had to choose between, US, DL and a few others to whom I should give my 60c per seat mile. In the absence of differentiating factors, I have chosen to go with US Airways, but I could really have gone either way.
Fortunately, you have made the decision easy for me. By cutting the amount of miles that I earn on the shuttle roughly in half, you have pushed me onto Delta, where I will no longer be faced with a dilemma.
Thank you again. I truly appreciate your thinking of me and helping me come to a satisfactory decision.
I don’t have a dog in this flight since most of us in the West will not be impacted, however, I am amused that others who no longer fly US seem the most vocal.
I'm not vocal, just reading this thread partly out of bemusement, and partly fearful the contagion could spread. A quick calculation shows me I would lose 28,500 RDMs a year with this move (both BIS and bonuses) had I not left. That's a whole coach ticket.
I won't be getting up in arms, and won't be sending any emails. I'm just quietly spending my dollars elsewhere now, and this solidifies that decision. If their profit calculation shows the benfit of this move to them outweighs the loss of revenue from folks who leave or have left, bully for them. They made a rational business decision and so did I -- no reason for either of us to get upset about it.
Anyone got a response yet? Doubtful that we'll hear anything. Maybe folks should start e-mailing the newspapers in the US cities, particularly Express towns on the East Coast...
This reinforces my decision to move to Delta. I'm getting 100% bonus on my gold status (match), clean planes, planes with individual TV's, friendly F/A's, snack choices in coach.
I'm passing up a non-stop US PIT/BDL this weekend to take a connection on Delta through CVG. May live to regret it (with iffy weather forecasted), but I just despise US so much. They sure don't make me regret my decision to move.
Programs: DL Platinum, AA Platinum, Recovering US Chairmans, Hilton Diamond, Starwood Gold
Posts: 446
I were DL I would IMMEDIATELY announce a mileage bonus on all flights where they aggressively compete with US (especially the shuttle) and either increase capacity or move to larger planes and undermine US as much as possible.
I am impressed that FFocus is mobilized and ready to take on Tempe but, let's be realistic here. How many times do we have to grab the torches, pitchforks, tar and feathers before we just take our business elsewhere.
US is a LCC. Their focus not on customer service, not on creating value for their customers and certainly not on generating customer loyalty. Name one true enhancement US has made since the merger. I think my personal favorite was a labor force that is even more disgruntled than before the merger. Perhaps next they'll spit in our faces when we board.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...letter writing is fine but cash is king. Speak with your business and US will listen...until they get another wild hare up their @sses. I am SO glad I moved most of my biz to DL. They actually respect their customers.
FYI...DL and CO (and I think NW) offer status match as high as Gold with supporting documentation only. AA requires a "challenge match" based on miles flown (not segments).
