ARCHIVE: Concierge Key AA Premium Service
#16
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Westford MA - AA PLT, 1.5MM, Lifetime AC, AAdvantage since 1981
Posts: 360
Whoa! Are you saying that the mythical EXP Challenge actually exists? Just what did you say to her to get her to come up with this? What department did she work in? (Maybe run-of-the-mill AAdvantage agents don't know about EXP challenges or aren't authorized.) Did you get a letter confirming? Who did that come from?
Wow. An EXP Challenge! Wait 'til WSJ and Conde Nast hear about that!
#18
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: STL, CPS
Programs: AA LT Plat
Posts: 974
This seems to me like an effort to keep business that might otherwise be going to light jets.
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: SJC/VCE
Programs: AA PLT (2.9+ MM), HH GLD, Hyatt Diamond, SPG PLT
Posts: 10,161
Whoa! Are you saying that the mythical EXP Challenge actually exists? Just what did you say to her to get her to come up with this? What department did she work in? (Maybe run-of-the-mill AAdvantage agents don't know about EXP challenges or aren't authorized.) Did you get a letter confirming? Who did that come from?
There are numerous threads reporting AA reaching out to customers whose travel has dropped off but I don't recall anyone else negotiating an EXP challenge - way to go ordflyer6....
Last edited by bdemaria; Apr 28, 2007 at 9:02 am
#20
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Home airports:SRQ,TPA,RSW
Programs: AA 0.4MM, BA G, LH SEN,TK S, HH Dia, Sixt Plat, Hertz Gold, Marriott Silver
Posts: 2,689
Agreed - most are "mogulii" / biz travel arrangers etc. Consolidating and justifying it under one rubric makes sense. In any case, it won't be yours truly; I'll just continue being a flying frontline grunt. But if it helps AA keep the money and high tier travelers flowing in, good on 'em.
#21
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Midwest
Programs: AA, UA, DL, LUV, SPG, HHonors, Avis, Hertz
Posts: 3,033
Bottom line, whether new or not, is that the overall decision to cater to these clients is very shrewd. If you could calculate it, the ROI of such programs would be astronomical. Very little extra effort in order to maintain extremely large amounts of revenue. Remember, it generally takes multiples of the base to attract, rather than maintain, clients.
#22
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: AA GLD (1MM), DL GLD, Marriott Plat, RCL D+, X Elite
Posts: 3,229
I am very happy to hear about this. Not that I'll be a participant. But hey...truth is that I've still got a tiny little vested pension benefit at AA, and anything they do to increase revenue and take care of AA's best customers makes it more likely that I'll collect it from the pension fund as opposed to collecting it from the PBGC.
The Premium Services staff people that I know are pretty darn good at what they do. I'd be interested in hearing more details of how this is going to work if they become available.
The Premium Services staff people that I know are pretty darn good at what they do. I'd be interested in hearing more details of how this is going to work if they become available.
#23
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Midwest
Programs: AA, UA, DL, LUV, SPG, HHonors, Avis, Hertz
Posts: 3,033
I am very happy to hear about this. Not that I'll be a participant. But hey...truth is that I've still got a tiny little vested pension benefit at AA, and anything they do to increase revenue and take care of AA's best customers makes it more likely that I'll collect it from the pension fund as opposed to collecting it from the PBGC.
The Premium Services staff people that I know are pretty darn good at what they do. I'd be interested in hearing more details of how this is going to work if they become available.
The Premium Services staff people that I know are pretty darn good at what they do. I'd be interested in hearing more details of how this is going to work if they become available.
The one thing that seems to distinguish many of the AAngels is that they're acutely client focused, as though they grew up working for Nordstrom instead of...
#24
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,176
At stations with AC's the staff are cross utilized, other stations they are designated personnel who work with station management.
#25
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,176
Sounds great! I wonder how much revenue one has to generate for AA each year in order to qualify?
I suppose the old saying applies: if you have to ask, then you don't qualify.
I imagine that those of us whose accounts are tagged as "VIP" will await the arrival of the new card eagerly.
Some comments/questions:
1) Hopefully the additional burden on the EXP AAgents won't be too problematic.
2) Does anybody know what SERO, IAD, and SRO stand for in this context?
3) I always thought that "Special Services" referred to things like UMs, oxygen, and wheelchairs, while "Premium Services" referred to VIP stuff?
I suppose the old saying applies: if you have to ask, then you don't qualify.
I imagine that those of us whose accounts are tagged as "VIP" will await the arrival of the new card eagerly.
Some comments/questions:
1) Hopefully the additional burden on the EXP AAgents won't be too problematic.
2) Does anybody know what SERO, IAD, and SRO stand for in this context?
3) I always thought that "Special Services" referred to things like UMs, oxygen, and wheelchairs, while "Premium Services" referred to VIP stuff?
1/ From what I am reading the service is designed to provide more of a day of departure service to VIP's. The information provided to us is that the number of VIP's has been greatly reduced , the list appears to have been reduced by 50% . Given the small number of VIP's and the fact that they dont all fly everyday I dont think there will be that much of an impact.
2/ Just the names of the offices that the calls will be routed to.
#26
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Midwest
Programs: AA, UA, DL, LUV, SPG, HHonors, Avis, Hertz
Posts: 3,033
Contrary to the broad-brush condemnation of airline employees that's so common, my personal experience, particularly since I began flying regularly about two years ago, is that the vast majority of AA employees I deal with are terrific. And I consider that a feat given the difficult choice of staying in a job and industry that are so economically difficult these days.
Unfortunately, I think the average consumer--while justified in outrage at individual incidents of bad service--tends to overgeneralize about how terrible things and people are. Though, of course, there are companies within which a crappy culture resides, regardless of how hard individuals try to overcome it.
#27
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: AA GLD (1MM), DL GLD, Marriott Plat, RCL D+, X Elite
Posts: 3,229
I'm not familiar with any domestic station that has a premium services rep that does not also have an Admirals Club. Not saying there aren't any, just that I don't know of any. Outside of the US, all of the cities I used to visit during my younger days doing station audits for AA had a "premium" or "special" services person(s) who handled VIPs. I think they may have actually worked for station management though, and not sales. I'm talking about 1 or 2 flight per day cities like BRU, ARN (gone now), BHX, etc. Obviously, the London's, Frankfurt's, etc had Club staff. However, the non US stations work under the International organization whose VP sits in London. They weren't necessarily organized the same way as domestic US.
Others with more current knowledge than I will chime in if I've gotten something out of order due to my 3 year absence from AA.
Last edited by MJonTravel; Apr 29, 2007 at 6:33 am Reason: To correct a 3-letter ID
#29
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Stuck Between the Moon and CLD or SAN, Your local Taco Bell
Programs: AA EXP/LT PLT, DL PM, UA Silver, SPG Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 3,509
Whoa! Are you saying that the mythical EXP Challenge actually exists? Just what did you say to her to get her to come up with this? What department did she work in? (Maybe run-of-the-mill AAdvantage agents don't know about EXP challenges or aren't authorized.) Did you get a letter confirming? Who did that come from?
Wow. An EXP Challenge! Wait 'til WSJ and Conde Nast hear about that!
Wow. An EXP Challenge! Wait 'til WSJ and Conde Nast hear about that!
Asked them for a flight from PHL-NYC/BOS/anywhere on the east coast that's not MIA so I could connect and stay on AA. They then offered the 25k in 90 days for EXP. Just so happened I had a trip to HKG planned that ate up ~22k of those.
... it's good to be "king" again!
#30
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
OK, McFlyPHL, will you now add that to your spreadsheet?
Congrats!
BTW, all, I had an MD-80 flight DFW-SMF last night where the fairly senior (I suspect) FA providing meal service etc. was absolutely top notch! Addressed everyone by name taking drink and meal selections FEBO, and did so several times during and at the end of the flight (when thanking pax for flying AA.) Humorous, personable, warm, welcoming, positive, returning several times to see if people wanted more nuts, a refill, etc. Yes, a bit OT here, but OTOH, that is premium service!
Congrats!
BTW, all, I had an MD-80 flight DFW-SMF last night where the fairly senior (I suspect) FA providing meal service etc. was absolutely top notch! Addressed everyone by name taking drink and meal selections FEBO, and did so several times during and at the end of the flight (when thanking pax for flying AA.) Humorous, personable, warm, welcoming, positive, returning several times to see if people wanted more nuts, a refill, etc. Yes, a bit OT here, but OTOH, that is premium service!