FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Why Frequent Flyer Programs Make Sense -- and Gutting Benefits Does Not
Old May 20, 2003 | 2:20 pm
  #26  
jmartin
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Sioux Falls, SD
Posts: 2,545
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">(U.S. Airways) tried to alter their frequent flyer program accordingly, but backed off as a result of negative PR.

Delta has gutted it's frequent flyer program in an effort to restructure it to reward only high fare passengers.</font>
That's really bizarre - U.S. Air backs away as a result of negative P.R.

But Delta forges on ahead, and what do they get? They get a grassroots campaign that's generated enormous attention (saveskymiles.com).

The thing I'd like to know is this: Had Delta known ahead of time that gutting would lead to saveskymiles - and that saveskymiles would generate such a huge response and the accompanying PR - would they have made the changes?

I bet they never anticipated the sort of response - and the volume of responses - that it got.

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I'm only here trying to shed light on public relations issues brought up on this board. I do work for a subsidiary of the New York Times Co., but I don't represent their final word when answering a question because they prefer to fabricate their own answers from phony sources and package this fiction as news. Please e-mail Customer Care with your questions.

[This message has been edited by jmartin (edited 05-20-2003).]
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