Did www.errorplan.com actually work?
 

As I recall, several told me it did have a direct edfect on some of AC's planned policies? UA fliers are in the same boat right now, and a website for top tiers has been just set up called www.1Kflyers.com

If anyone has a summary of whether or not errorplan worked, please post your input here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum50/HTML/013980.html



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~ Glen ~ Calling all United 1K flyers - please join .. www.1Kflyers.com

On some issues errorplan worked well - they changed the minimum mileage accrual to 50% from 35%, on other things like the elimination of no capacity control reward seats for elites it didn't work... oh yeah it also worked well on the upgrade window - AP backtracked from the cuts they were going to make and settled somewhere in the middle.

Overall an effect, AP members didn't get everything back they wanted, but they did get some stuff back. Maybe post your comments on the errorplan board - the editors may have better insight onto this.

I think it worked as much as AC was willing to reconsider. Elites, who lost any access to award seats from rev inventory, got this benefit back, albeit at a 100% premium versus the 50% premium of US carriers. The mileage accumulation, as noted, was retained at last year's level, though AC did raise from 50% to 75% for higher-priced discount fares within Canada and to the Caribbean.

Will a UA site work? I am not sure 1Ks are losing all that much which shouldn't be expected from an airline that may never see the light again. And where are 1Ks going to go? To AA? As great as AA benefits are, if too many UA types defect, access to upgrades and other AA elite benefits will become more difficult to get.

I think it is more critical for a US AIR site to be established, to get them to change their "no status credit" for nonrefundable tickets. If anything, I see this move as the most disastrous thing that could happen to FF programs than anything we have thus far seen.

Afterall, what are 1K rooms, and why are they essential services?

Websites okay, too many pop ups for me...I clicked off after a while...

I hate those dam pop ups...

Errorplan did stick to the point, set out its goals achieved them, and then let AC carry on with its business, I think by not be a constant pain was the right idea.
Tackle the issues, then move on.

saying that it will be interesting to see what ac do this year.

as for UAL, another issue, you have no chance, the airline is bankrupt, its about survival not keeping people happy., that will come later...if they is a later.
I would be using up my miles real quick, cause me thinks the USA needs to loose a big airline to level the playing field...and the government will probaly let UA go, for many reasons, but econmic for them really...

Reduce the number of airlines, reduce the amount of bail out funds...and so on.

Good Luck with your efforts.

I agree that a USAIR web site would be more useful, but not for this reason. The purpose would be to kill USAIR, kill them dead. Ask the USAIR FFers to sacrifice themselves by throwing themselves on the grenade, in order to save everyone else. Hopefully in short order the rest of us would be able to assist those victims of the USAIR debacle.

That will send a message to the airlines like no other possibly could. The message will be "Screw us, and we'll screw you over so badly you won't again see daybreak."

Then once that's accomplished you put a new front page on your web site that simply says "OK, who's next?"

erroplan worked because it sideswiped Air Canada. They didn't know what hit them, and as Rupert Duchesne acknowledged, they hadn't worked through all the implications of the cutbacks they had made and they had done a miserable communications job.
It wasn't simply the website that made a difference, it was the publicity generated after errorplan's newsletters started appearing in MLLs across the world, followed by the website. If those who are disgruntled with UA and US want to make an impact, they need to develop a creative strategy.

Remember, don't get mad, get even. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by Academic (edited 09-02-2002).]

The situation in the US market is even better for a errorplan.com like strategy. That market has real competition and a tenfold market place capitalization. US FF can apply great pressure on their airline. The airlines can't afford to bleed customers at this finacially precarious time in their history.
Divide and conquer. Strategize and play the airlines one against the other. Organize campaigns and let the airline know that you are mad and willing to walk across the tarmac to the competition.

IMHO, www.errorplan.com is still working. I'm sure the people behind it have something up their collective sleeves as the format for the Forums was drastically changed last month and Editor2 has promised more to come.

I hope errorplan.com gets Rupert to come clean and give us the scoop before 31 Dec.

Did errorplan work? I'd say yes.

Is it still working? Well, yes and no. It seems pretty quiet there, but maybe that's more to do with the fact that AC has been fairly quiet.

Will it work again? Probably, so long as AC (and other airlines) get the message that people out there are watching and that they had better tread very carefully.

FewMiles..

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Which in turn was tremendously helped by AC's ham-fisted attempt to shut the web site down, when one of their security people blundered into an unsuspecting (and incorrect) business, with thinly veiled threats. See Air Canada agents on trail of dissidents.



[This message has been edited by Ken hAAmer (edited 09-02-2002).]

I sure hope you are right! Over 100 United 1K Members have signed up to www.1Kflyers.com and right now are discussing what moves to take next. We will certainly not have the high visibility of errorplan and supporters, but 100 x highest Elites, in a total new management climate cannot hurt I guess?



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~ Glen ~ Calling all United 1K Members - please join .. www.1Kflyers.com

OZSTAMPS.

You should also consider the other UA flyers, errorplan did well cause it had the rank and file flyers, the airlne hass more at stake loosing these guys cuase they are the business future, if you loose them to another airline now you have a good chance of loosing them for ever...

I see your website is for 1k only, you should have opened it up...you will get a lot more support from other high rev customers.

Ferrari makes a very valid point. The more people involved, the louder the cries will be.

The downside of only involving 1Ks is that it projects an elitist image of a select group fighting to retain very special benefits.

I would also consider an alliance with untied.com. This site is on UA radar screen.

I'm not sure Errorplan can claim much of the credit for any changes AC may have introduced. It cetrtainly wasn't the only means of letting AC know that the changes they proposed (and essentially introduced, with what were in my view, only minor changes), caused a great deal of grief.

I read erroplan a good deal when it first came out but soon concluded that they were not interested in a balanced discussion of the issues. It seemed anytime someone tried to say something positive about AC, they were promptly bashed by several of the more active members of that group.

Needless to say, I haven't visited their site for some time and have no intention to. I think this site is far more informative and balanced in its approach and while I may not post a great deal, I certainly enjoy the many lively discussions that take place.