<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by DCA_DR:
Everyone here is a business expert; anyone know anything about politics? Quit wasting your time on this board complaining, and organize and complain to someone who matters. I'm willing to bet that less than 10% of the people claiming to have "written letters to Gordon" have put crayon to paper.
When the FDA tried to regulate dietary supplements, the supplement manufacturers said to the elderly "the government wants to take away your vitamins." The response to this proposed regulation REMAINS the LARGEST grassroots effort on the Hill. Members couldn't use their fax machines for days. In the end, the FDA not only didn't get their law, Congress passed another law (DSHEA) that restricted the FDA's ability to regulate these products.
I can sell a health insurance plan to your employer that limits your medical equipment reimbursement to $2500. They read it and bought it knowing what they were getting. But if I turn down your request for a $13,000 electric wheelchair, you'll send a camera crew to my house asking why I'm depriving you of your civil rights. And you'll win!
Let's face it, folks. It's their job to make a profit, it's your job to get the best price. Use public opinion and grassroots lobbying to your advantage. Organize a fax campaign explaining your displeasure. Plan one month where you will ALL fly a different airline (you only need 90 for plat, you can spare the segments). Document the amount of money you spent with someone else (believe me, CO will notice the drop in revenue if you make them aware up front). And threaten to do it again. Or contact another airline and tell them what you are willing to do in exchange for a best price on their best product. I know a group of 30 guys that renegotiate with their health clubs this way every year.
If everyone on this board is as important as they say they are, thousands of dollars are being wasted daily on your meaningless writings. Organize, make your writings worth something, and change the system.
But anytime someone organizes frequent flyers, they become a business person who sells the access they have to you instead of working on your behalf. Is it time for a non-profit to represent American travelers? </font>
As a pr and political consultant, I am intrigued by your post. Our primary business is to shape the outcome of decision making processes. Sometimes that involves "forcing" decisions that someone doesn't want to make, but of course it costs extra.
While we have done several economic development projects that targeted companies, I think of only one project we took on that actually sought to make a company do something that it wasn't going to do (and didn't want to.) We were hired by the contractor of a local workforce agency to embarass an apparel manufacturer into paying the workforce board more money to "retrain" workers it had laid off after many years of faithful service. I will let you figure the rest out.
In this case, I don't think you will be able to swing public sentiment to your side. Imagine the story:
"BusinessLast: Overpaid Execs Outraged by CO's Refusal to Give Away First Class Seats -- Beleagured Employees, Aunt Edna from Iowa Applaud Airline's Firm Stand Against Corporate Handouts
HOUSTON- Consumer groups, the American Federation of Labor-CIO and Aunt Edna Schlipkof from Cedar Rapids, Iowa lauded Continental Airlines Chairman and CEO Gordon Bethune Today for his firm stand against corporate greed. Said Aunt Edna, a retired Bell System operator who describes herself as a frequent flyer, "I fly once every ten years to attend the Pioneers reunion and those corporate fat cats, oooh, I just can't stand them. They think they are so important with their laptops and cell phones. My retirement has lost a third of its value, it's time someone put them in their place. Mr. Bethune is a good christian man."....
DCA_DR's proposal, however, differs in a number of important ways from most lobbying campaigns.
Leverage, which you are right to bring up, is one area of uncertainty. What type of financial leverage do FF's have on airlines? If recent comments by US Air execs are any indication, it is less than we would like to believe. Also, despite the onboard announcements, how much choice do we actually have when we fly?
I bring leverage up because CO knows exactly how much leverage we have and everything else about us. Unlike the classic "grass roots" scenario, which exploits the informational vacuum in which many congressmen operate, CO will have the upper hand in information.
An additional point to consider is that in the typical "flood of faxes" scenarios congressmen tend to think they are getting a good deal. You are potentially trading your one vote, or your limited contributions or volunteer hours for action on one of the thousands and thousands of issues that come before him. As long as it doesn't make anyone upset and no one else has a stake in it, what does he care about where a road goes/how much the depletion allowance is, etc. These campaigns work because the congressman is giving you a good which you perceive to have a very high value, but which may be seen as worthless by most people and which has a very low cost to him.
With CO, the situation is nearly inverted. You are asking CO to give up something very valuable for something that it may feel is easy to come by or at the very least, is not very valuable: a customer. Unlike a vote, or campaign help, which are both infrequent and difficult to obtain , consumer purchases happen everyday. If webfares have taught airlines anything, it is that flyers aren't as loyal as they claim to be and that it isn't wise to undercut yourself just to win their business.
Another point to consider is whether your request is reasonable. There are many things that public officials (and airlines for that matter) won't or can't do and you are wasting your time trying to get them. Skilled political operators are engaged in the process of discovering and maximizing possibilities and this is a process that must be considered before you make your request. Since a permanent 80% discount is probably not within the realm of possibility, you have to figure out what is and work from there. Incidentally, this is the area where good lobbyists earn their pay (because they usually have to convince their clients to change their expectations!).
Finally, you have to be credible. In most campaigns, this would mean people believe your position has broad support. In this case, however, I would just concentrate on convincing CO of your sincerity and not coming off as a bunch of cranks.
Apart from boycotting the airline(unlikely), I don't think that numbers are going to sway CO. They already know who their elite flyers are and aren't likely to be convinced to change their analysis on the basis of a letter. To me, the best strategy would be to appeal to emotion, assure them of your loyalty and urge them to the right thing. Tell them how much you value their efforts, etc. etc. You understand how difficult the airline environment is and are offering this suggestion out of a desire to see them succeed. Share a story(real or imagined), about why CO is "your airline." So on.
I wouldn't present CO with a blunt "take it or leave it," because at this point, most execs in the airline industry will just tell you to leave it. Without going on for pages and pages, this is general advice that I believe would effective in the current environment. Try it on for size.
jh