Originally Posted by
Carolinian
And of course you know where CO's 50% EQM policy came from. They copied DL's policy imposed for several years during the Rob Borden reign of terror (see
www.saveskymiles.com ). Eventually, the DL customers fight against that policy succeeded, but the fact remains that DL and US over the last few years have consistently been the airlines leading the race to the bottom in ff programs, finding new ways to hose customers. And now, lets hear your usual management defense.
The fact of the matter is that, at this point, CO has it and DL doesn't. Period. End of story. Where it came from is beside the point. CO will never abandon the policy, so you are stuck with it. Personally, I think all of the carriers will trend toward partial credit for most coach fares within the next few years, but at least with NW/DL, you are probably safe for another year, and have some slim hope that they won't adopt it in the future.
Besides, despite your rhetoric, you have actually managed to uncover a prime example where DL listened to negative feedback and actually changed the policy as a result. Contrast this with CO, where management readily acknowledges the negative feedback on this, yet has repeatedly stated that they have no intention of changing it. I respect their honesty, but it is disingenuous, even for you, to try and obfuscate this very real negative of the CO program and somehow try and blame it on DL.
With regards to partner earnings, I would also add the following once CO joins *A:
- Completely opaque earning rates on codeshares. The standard practice in *A is that earning follows the operating carrier, not the ticketing carrier. I have found no *A program that provides the mapping of such fares so that you know what you will earn prior to looking at your statement.
- Almost complete loss of partner elite bonuses. I believe that only BMI offers them for most/all partners. UA, for example, offers them only on UA and LH TATL. My guess is that CO will follow suit.