Since the start of the CO-NW alliance, has anyone have a problem in booking domestic first class awards?

I have Platinum Elite status with CO. In the past, I've had very few problems booking domestic F awards, even on typical business routes, i.e., IAH-ORD, ORD-EWR, etc. If I can't get the exact flights I want, all I have to do is go on a different flight or move my travel dates by 1 or 2 days. For 5,000 miles more (50,000-mile award), CO waivers the Saturday night stay rule.

Last week, I tried to book an award ticket (AUS-PHL) for the last week of October. Apparently, there are no seats in F on CO, NW, or HP using the 40,000-mile award! There are no 40,000-mile award seats for the entire month of October and November for this routing! Also, a Saturday night is now required. The 50,000-mile award has been discontinued. However, the agent cheerfully informed that there were F seats available if I wanted to use 65,000 miles. Is this a rip off or what? So much for alliances! I thought the whole point about alliances was more seats and better access.

I called DL and asked if they have seats. I have Platinum Medallion status with DL. Sure enough, I got my first choice of flights in F. I didn't even have to book a Saturday night stay.

I started to fly Continental after an experience trying to use AA miles for 2 tickets to Guatemala, I think in '90 or '91. I wanted to travel for a period of 7-10 days within about a 2 month window, thought I was being pretty flexible. Nothing available.

My brother suggested that I try Continental, and that we could swap the miles. No problem with getting the the first dates I gave the reservations agent!

I started flying Continental since it seemed to make sense to fly an airline that would give you some chance of redeeming my ff miles. Not being able to use the AA miles seemed to make it seem to be worth the risk that Continental would not make it through its second bankruptcy.

Over the years it has seemed that the treatment of frequent flyers is inverse to the financial condition of the airline. After they came out bankruptcy I tried to book 2 bizFirst tickets to France with no luck. After Gordon Bethune took over I received a mailing telling me that everything was going to be wonderfull again, and hoping to see me on board soon. I wrote to Gordon telling him what I thought. About 3 weeks later I received a form letter telling me that Gordon really appreciated my comments, and that I would be hearing from someone at continental soon. A couple of weeks later I got a call from some VP in marketing. I gave him an earfull and he said that he would have someone else contact me. About a week later I received a call from a supervisor in reservations asking me when I wanted to go!

The airlines have had it good lately, fuel has been cheap, and lots of people are traveling, profits are at record levels. Frequent flyers have to fly more to achieve elite status, and receive lower total mileage credit for the actual milage traveled with the elimination of the threshold bonuses.

Unfortunately we humble frequent flyers have to go with the flow, although I believe that it has been worthwhile to write to the company when I have felt that there was a legitamite complaint.

I don't find anything strange about FF benefits being inversely proportional to airline profits. The more demand for the service the less need a service provider has to provide extra service to retain business. It's a simple supply and demand situation. An
airline in trouble should have to
offer added FF benefits.

As for the elimination of the treshold bonus, I think Continental has more then balanced that with the 20,000 award ticket(off peak) and the
elite e-ticket bonus.

The new confirmed upgrade process
has helped the top tier elites(probably at the expense of
the lower tier, and certainly made the prestige pack upgrades less useful).