Originally Posted by
lhrsfo
I had hoped that availability would ease up after 31/1 because a) fewer miles were issued last year following the devaluation of Gold and Platinum and b) fewer 1Ks were around and earning GPUs after so many had, apparently, defected to AA.
But it seems that stories of mass defections have been somewhat exaggerated.
I think they are still tweaking with the business model -- finding that right balance between revenue and rewarding loyalty.
Perhaps PMUA had erred too much on the side of loyalty, but the new UA appears to err too much on the side of (perceived) revenue. The problem is that they perceived revenue may not materialize. My case is a perfect example, where my money went to AA. I was happy to burn 50K miles plus $700 in co-pays on the top of a high priced economy ticket ($2,000 without a Sunday stay). Instead, that money went to the competition.
Suggestion to UA --
Please do not antagonize your customers by zeroing out ALL of your R/RN inventory. You should release a few seats per flight. The two optimal times to do this are (a) 330 days out when the flight schedule opens and (b) 2-4 months out.
Originally Posted by
mitchmu
+1
How does one find out about these fare sales?
And, why, if COdbaUA has an entire marketing team, have I never once received an email from COdbaUA, since the takeover, inviting me to participate in one of these sales?
Instead of something useful, like that, I get nothing but junk, junk, junk from them. Every few days. Another worthless offer to over-pay for crap from a partner.
Why are they trying to hard to sell me over-priced crap from every possible vendor on the planet, except, themselves?
I subscribe to First Class Flyer (FCF)
http://www.firstclassflyer.com/first...lyer/newsroom/.
The author of that newsletter, Matt, does a good job at tracking these fares for his subscribers and issues first/business class fare alerts almost on a daily basis. I have been happy with that publication.
Incidentally, Matt @ FCF did change my perception about how to view loyalty programs. Matt believes that loyalty programs are no longer about rewarding loyalty. He taught me to view loyalty program miles as alternative currencies that I can use when purchasing a trip. Matt believes that premium flyers are better off if they chose an airline based on whoever offers the best possible deal for their specific trip rather than being "loyal" to their airline.
I have come to embrace Matt's philosophy over the years, and my recent booking on AA is a perfect example. I had 50K miles seating in my AA account and did not think twice about taking the AA deal to Europe
even if it meant the difference between silver and gold in terms of my UA status.