I'd like to introduce myself having been on the list for a little while now - 12/22/99 actually.
I've feen a FFP member since Dec 1989 - the first time i came to the USA, which was also my first flight on NWA. Since then I have been at various times a NW Silver/US Chairmans Preferred/UA Premier/ AS MVP.
Currently a KLM FD ( Flying Dutchman ) Royalwing/CO Gold/AS MVP.
In all of this time i have never flown on business ! I have always travelled on the lowest fare possible, because at the end of the day I was the person footing the bill, nobody else ! I must point out that at one time i did some travel writing, but i am now just a frequent leisure traveller...
In the UK ( where i live ) airfares are very reasonable if you wish toi travel intercontinental, but extortionate usually for intra Europe travel. In fact i can often get stateside for less than i could to any destination North or East of Germany.
I started flying NW by accident originally - they offerred me the best deal, but since then when KL and NW got hitched I was ecstatic my fave US airline with my fave European !!! I became a KLM fan because once apon a time they took a passenger of a plane so that i was able to travel, when my father had had a heart attack. My ticket was not even on them !
So while i haven't flown exclusively with them, I have tried to ! On many occasions since then they have greatly p***** me off, with some of the strange things they have done.
I would still be a NW WP member if KL+NW had not cooked up this deal where all WP members resident in Europe had to belong to KLM's FD programme which is nowhere near as good as NW's ! If you read any WP publicity material you will see that European residents may not join/belong to WP - they must join FD ! All european members of WP were unilaterally switched to the KL programme a few years back.
There are many diffeences between the KLM programme and NW or Co's for example, but the biggest is the administration - which is totally incompetent, but i will tell you the pro's+con's of the actual programme first.
The disadvantage of the KLM programme is NO Elite bonus's !!! That's right NONE !!! NADA ! Nothing ! Bonu's of any kind are very infrequent, and usually on come with new routes.
Upgrades when it suits KLM only ( Although we get automatic upgrading on NW from ANY fare at time of reservation if seats available ! ).
Award tickets are always available in my experience, but cannot be changed AND officially must be made + ticketed 14 days prior to flight.
The one major advantage is that Lounge access is totally complimentary to Elite and does not even require us to be flying KLM or partners !
A further bonus of KLM itself ( rather than the FFP ) as far as i am concerned is that KL/NW for travel originating in Europe almost always have the best fares around, and all paid fares earn mileage. ( In addition, KL generally has the best possible connections from other UK cities. Schipol is widely accepted as a better hub than Heathrow or Gatwick for travellers originating other than London ! )
Not so good is the sheer incompetence of KLM to run their FFP - for instance my elite membership officially was renewable in Nov, but i still have not received a new card, and do not expect to befor March at least ! And then only if i keep on reminding them !!! This is not a one off example - there is a UK forum on the KLM uk website which is filled with stories of their incompetence.
As on this webflyer board there are many frequent posters on the
www.klmuk.com, who keep posting horror stories about the KLM FFP administration.
How about waiting 6 months for a new card !!!
( BTW membership no's are changed each time a new card is issued ! ). How about never receiving an email response ( most of us, myself included !!)? How about not being able to get through on the phone AT ALL for 3 months? YUP, speaking from personal experience here ( and this is trying every day !). How about waiting 6 months for a pin no. to accss my account online ( YUP, speaking from personal experience here ), oh and having it unilaterally changed 3 months later. Still waiting from June to be told the new one !
This list could go on so far you would truly believe that i was making it up.
Many of the regulars there have recently ( myself included ) been comped to Gold Elite on Continental. And you have no idea how greatful we are - because CO comped me Gold from my joining date in August 99 to end 2000 ! and now that CO+KL are going to be tied, we can get the KLM fare, and CO status. Best of both worlds
All in all you guys in the US do not know how lucky you are.