Originally Posted by
J.Edward
Just curious to see who's leaving CO due to the changes, where you're planning on going and why (or what change particular) was a deciding factor.
Well JE, I'm in almost an opposite scenario to you. Since the DL/NW merger announcement I've been giving serious consideration to signing up for OP and shifting to CO.
But I'm glad I held off on this for a while because the StarA announcement has changed the landscape a lot. Now I see that the OP changes just announced are disheartening, yes, but they won't be the last. The forthcoming all-RJ sched to TUS is another disincentive.
I have in the past, and do now, congratulate CO on the depth of their partnership with NW. I've felt treated as a genuine Elite whenever I've flown CO for better (most of the time) and for worse (irops at EWR). And for the last few years I've felt that the SkyTeam options were the best, in terms of network coverage, choice of carriers between many US cities, reciprocity levels in FFP accumulation/redemption and so on.
I think the CO/UA relationship is going to be nothing like as effective for OPE. Starnet filtering, upgrade certs a la UA, etc.
By the way, this critique doesn't mean that I'm defending how DL is going to treat merged NW WPE either, because I fear DL Customer Service and many other things.
You can be sure I'm enjoying my last few months as a genuine redtail PE:
Op-ups to the top deck of the 744 to Asia left and right.
Op-ups on award tix on the 330.
Excellent irops recovery under all circumstances.
Wonderful flexibility and helpfulness from the WP GE/PE line.
Great WP program conditions, no late booking fee, no fees at all for PE until next week, etc.
SWUs - and other great benefits - through the EEP program.
Must book those juicy HNL-Asia RTs in C, on the top deck, for 60k and no fee before DL pulls the plug and/or surcharges us like AF/KL do for European FF.
After this, it's really all downhill. Our nice 744s and 330s will all descend into ATL and be seized. We'll be issued with our new DL SMM cards and told to call India where the agents won't be empowered, or able, to assist us concocting our favorite WP award itins from US-EU via SXM, AUA with stopovers, open-jaws etc.... MSP and DTW will get the crummy DL 763s. Etc.
Sigh. WP was the best program. I do remember one award flight I took a few years ago on CO, to GIG, sitting next to an OPE pax who'd also booked an award...this was when OP had just incremented to 50k for Y awards, but WP were still booking at 35k for deep S.Am. On CO metal.
But now, if you're the guy reading this, you get the last laugh because now we have...DL.
We're all going to experience a diminution in service.