odnyc

Good grief. If it wasn't for hating CAL what would some of these posters do? Actually, reading some of these posts, it's a scary thought. I know I walk by some of these people in the airport- to them EVERYTHING sucks. To me, looking at the flight monitors at EWR, the whole airline is a MIRACLE. On the board (and, in my experience, in real life) the airline is on time like 95% of the time. The planes are clean and most CAL employees I've dealt with I would hire to run a business. You can fly x country for less than 50 years ago- look it up- and the perks such as One Pass are not half bad (to say the least). To move all of the people, with all of the personalities and frankly unresolved (and unresolveable) issues, around the WORLD that CAL does is pretty much amazing. All of us have our bad days (bad hours even) and like anyplace else, one bad CAL person can turn off dozens of passengers, but, at the risk of death threats and venomous attacks, please tell me a better all around domestic airline than CAL? Oh and memo to Gordo (I was there before he came- not much if I could avoid it- and I know what he did, that's why I just bought the stock: Can we buy out some of these incessant whiners? Send them to Jet Blue so they can watch tv and get ripped off with no perks at all- like FF programs etc.

Sorry, just landed from MDW to EWR, the flight tonight was l0 minutes early leaving the gate. I'm sure somebody there will gripe about being EARLY!!!!!

channa

Ok, I'll bite. It is a pet peeve of mine to push back early from a hub. I don't care so much from an outstation like MDW, but when they're pushing back 5-10 minutes early in IAH when there are delayed incoming flights, it just doesn't seem right.

I won't say the CO picture is as pretty as you painted, but for the most part it's not bad. And if you did fly in the meatball and pre-Gordon days, it definitely is a much better operation now. I was about 95% happy with CO until the Elite changes a few weeks ago. Now they appear to have become less competitive in the rewards department.

sllevin

I'm going to bite as well. I don't think that we can, or should, lump people who are unhappy with Continental into some class of "people without life."

I rather think it would be easier to lump anyone who reads FT and actually worries about getting miles, etc., as "needing a life." Since we all fit into that category, let's move on

My father has always said he won't spend a penny more to fly any given airline -- and I think the point is, he may just be right.

Steve

cab747

I don't like COs new changes and some policies, but I keep going back when I can.

RustyC

I'll also bite. Why is it that individuals who complain about what an airline (or any business) has done are called "whiners," but the term is never used for, say, airlines that complain that too many passengers are flying on deeply-discounted fares? It seems that in some peoples' selective view, there's no such thing as a corporate whiner (though business interests of all sizes in fact do complain a lot).

Certainly one can see the glass as half full rather than half-empty, but the recent changes definitely drop the fill line from wherever it was. I think it's also telling that, rather than just adding a layer of incentive to reshuffle the deck on upgrades like AA has done, CO felt the need to do more cuts and take-backs directed against low- and mixed-revenue flyers. CO obviously changed its long-held position and decided that these people were getting too much benefit, and those voting with their feet to other airlines obviously disagree.

dallasflyer

Odnyc, glad you like CO. What is the purpose of your post? Are you giving us any information or help that could aid us to receive more miles or points? Are you trying to help us have a better journey? I really don't get your post.

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dallasflyer, Let's put the fun back in FlyerTalk!

Jim Phillips

Kimosabes, J.P. the medicine sage say, that ODNYC whine about the whiners.

Vulcan

I'm not a whiner, but I become more disenchanted with CO by the day. My requirements are simple. In return for my money, all I want to know the rules, all of them, in writing. If they change the rules, just put it in writing. I can live with any rules; I can't live with "trust us".

Since EUA maybe the most important componemt of OP, I don't think its asking too much to simply post the rules. My wife and I stopped flying early this year because we felt EUA was being manipulated.
And now, I noticed this posting on another thread:
============================================
AusEXP

Posts: 5
From: Austin, TX
Registered: Sep 2001
posted 10-06-2003 10:50 AM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My understanding is that they are processing the Y's first, before elites.
I flew yesterday and didn't get my usual upgrade from IAH to BOS. I had noticed that upgrades had been more sparce in the past few weeks. I asked the woman at the Pres Club (arguably, not always the most accurate source) and she said that two weeks ago, they began applying the following rules:

1) Every half hour, on an ongoing basis, the system checks for new high $ fare purchases and processes upgrades based on availability.

2) 100 hours out, the elite upgrades are processed, again based on availability (note after the Y's).

3) Upgrades are continually processed prior to the flight. As they are available, they are allocated, first based on fare class, then on status.

4) Airport standby for upgrade is now also fare based. Not just first come, first served based on status. (this may have always been the case. I'm not certain if they prioritize fare class then status, or status and then fare class).

I can give you an example. On my IAH to Bos flight. I checked in first - 29 hrs and 59 minutes before the flight. I had the number 1 on the check-in order on my boarding pass. I am Platinum. When it came time for the standby upgrade, the GA went to the back of the plane and pulled up another fellow. Perhaps also a platinum, but definitely not ahead of me in check in order.

Perhaps CO has always done it this way. It just seems that both my IAH - BOS and IAH to LGA routes, I have stopped getting upgrades.

Again, source was sketchy (particularly the details), but it does make sense.

Essentially, they publically rolled out and bragged about "Elite Access", but didn't explain the fine print
=========================================
IF this is true, and I believe it to be very possible, then, while technically CO may not have lied to us about how EUA works, this sure leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

We fly only NW now (100% upgraded). If CO wants our business back is it really too much to ask to simply post the rules???

Nevsky

Do you count the airlines as incessant whiners as they keep running to the government for handouts?

As to JetBlue, since when is it a rip-off? It delivers a great product at a fair price without all of the fare complications of CO. Also, they do have a Frequent Flyer program, albeit not a good one. I admit I have been (but may not continue to be) loyal to CO because of the perks, but the new rule changes and the extreme difficulty and cost of international upgrades may cause me to defect.

On the international front, maybe we would all be better off if CO and the other majors had to share some of their international routes with JetBlue or other upstart airlines.

thezipper

not a whiner per se` but there's alot of give and take. When I take a flight I don't want to have to think about upgrades or try to game the system. NW takes care of me on that front... CO IMHO is quite lousy at total customer service on the ground... In the air, they shine. This is the reason I, like Vulcan, moved basically 100% of my flying to NW after being a double plat (NW and CO) two years ago... CO's customer service attitude is a bit short sighted, sort of like the new FF scheme. I want them to take care of me when I spend the big $$$ as well as the little $$$, coz in the end, they are all the same $$$.

MileKing

No, everything does not suck. Only OnePass, or perhaps more specifically OnePass elite qualifying rules, OnePass HoKeY, and OnePass reward availability. Other than that, everything is OK.

Does that make you feel any better?

bry99

I'll gripe. Despite the former 10-minute rule (now the 15-minute rule), I've had a CO flight "close" on me even though I was at the gate 30 minutes before the scheduled departure. On another occasion, CO gave away my confirmed FC upgrade seat over 30 minutes before departure.

When I fly CO as opposed to WN, I have to budget an extra 20-30 minutes each way for fear that I won't get a boarding pass or will lose my seat and/or reservation. (WN still applies the 10-minute rule for cancelling reservations to allow standby customers to travel on full flights, and WN does not close flights to boarding customers until the scheduled departure time.) Since most of my travel is on business, billed at an hourly rate to clients, I have to consider the cost of that extra time when buying airline tickets.

mauld

Just a thought Bry99, but with CO's on line check in, if you were able to check in up to 30 hrs prior to your flight, wouldn't that help in ensuring your upgrade, seat etc??

Vulcan

maud:
Apparently not. Please scroll up to my post about 5 up.
Ed

mauld

My point was more in the vein that if he were to check in on line & print out his boarding pass prior to arrival at the airport (I am assuming EUA had already occured and/or desired seat selected), & then were to get to the airport within 30 min of his flight, he should in 'theory' be allowed on board with his seat already set.
I understood his point to be that his seat was given away before he boarded, meaning he checked in at the airport.