Does Continental Track Runners?
 

I’m new to Flyertalk, but I’ve been a OP member since ’88. I’ve flirted with elite status a couple of times and even made Silver in 2001-2002 on a fly twice before some date deal. I started a new job in June and I’m making a lot of short hops (47 segments in four months.) I’ll go from nothing to Gold by the end of the year and I’m toying with a mileage run or two to get to Platinum. I’m wondering, though, if Continental tracks runners, logs it in their profile, and treats them differently. It doesn’t seem that it would be that hard for them to do and it could be used against someone in all kinds of ways.

TIA

DLM

I haven't heard of mileage-runners being treated any different that any other elite member at the corresponding level.

As for it being documented, I highly doubt it. There is too much mileage activity being posted to the various millions of OnePass accounts in a given day, I highly doubt they are going to analyze each account in detail.

Oh, and welcome to FlyerTalk!

CO needs no tags, the fare basis on your ticket is all the tag they need to determine how you should be treated for each flight. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Really, I would hope Continental has better things to do. What would be gained by tracking such a thing?

Besides, the percentage of people who go on mileage runs is miniscule.

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"We will not cut benefits from OnePass, our industry-leading frequent flyer program, because we remain committed to rewarding our most loyal customers."

-- Gordon Bethune (Continental's CEO) two weeks before significantly cutting benefits of the OnePass program

cab747: I doubt it too, but not because it would be hard for them to do. You have to think they're already mining their OnePass account data for marketing and other reasons. All they'd have to do is determine their criteria for what constitutes a runner (like a high mileage to revenue ratio) and let the computer figure it out.

Yes, it's called Gordon's Run. And IAH is really the Carrousel http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif . Actually, I think Continentl does not care if people are making runs or not. Also, welcome to Flyertalk!

I doubt CO wastes their time on actively tracking mileage runners. However, I would not be surprised to discover that they "monitor" the accounts of people who decide to publically bash the airline...

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Has YOUR airline won an award lately?

Which would be a very boring chore for them in my case since nothing ever changes in my CO account. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

So you must be infinite Platinum and a CO Star...

I just did a run with 100% upgrades from CLE-ANC none of the flights were more than 60% full so if they are tracking CO should be glad I made the run! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Do you suppose that double 'aught is bettin' that Jolly Gordo's elves are watchin' who's been naughty and who's been nice. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Is avek00 gonna be blue when he looks in his stocking on xmas morning?

I’m wondering, though, if Continental tracks runners, logs it in their profile, and treats them differently. It doesn’t seem that it would be that hard for them to do and it could be used against someone in all kinds of ways.

TIA

The premise of tracking runners, in my opinion, is ridiculous. On the one hand, it is revenue they would not normally have. Second, what about people who make quick trips without knowing what a "run" is or cares about a run. I recently had to go to FLL to sign some papers, and let a seller know I physically exist. I flew SAN-EWR-FLL-EWR-SAN on a red-eye returning 3 hours after I landed in FLL. Is some CO OP nitwit going to sit there and try to figure out if it was a run, or a quick business deal?? I certainly hope not, or CO is grossly overstaffed with people twiddling their thumbs.

Whether or not CO has a specific 'runner tracking' module for their frequent flyer database analysis apparently they are doing some kind of (aggregate?) tracking which has identified 'runners' to the extent that it has led to the 2004 OnePass program changes which I think and hope will blow up in CO's face.

I remember reading in Harvard Business Review a year or so ago (by the way, as a self-made businessman, my worst employees have been MBA's (think they always know better, but just don't roll up their sleeves and do what it takes to get the job done which is what it's all about. But being self-made does not mean that I can not read about the latest pedantic proscriptions for a decidedly non-academic sport) some write up about "are your most valubale customers costing you more than they're worth" which I can not help but think got its way to some middle-manager at CO and DL marketing who is trying to show upper management that yes! they too can not only read but even understand Ivy League ivory tower academic tripe.

In it was some four-square matrix which established customers along parameters of "loyalty" and "cost/revenue generation." It pontificated that some loyal customers are in fact better off not being retained.

Like so much of this horse**** and the consultants who read it, it's great cocktail conversation (though that's no party I'd care to attend), but real life don't work that way, not in the least in the case of the airlines who by Gordo's own mouth every scrapping nickel and dime is needed.

So on the assumption that somebody out there is beeming over the joy of putting cutting-edge management research http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/rolleyes.gif into practice, somebody probably did a data mine and fit the results according to the constructs established in that paper and Presto! you have ScamPass and SuckMiles 2004. I can't wait for the 'paradigm shift' in the 're-alignment of the enterprise of aviation transportation' in 2005, which I am prognosticating will involve some abomination of a merger between CO/DL/NW whose DOJ approval will be expedited due to poor financial consideration spurred in part by defection of patronage to their competitors who offer better frequent flyer program perks. Wasn't Gordon the guy who said of the AA/TW merger that you put the #1 airline together with the #3 and you get #13? Methinks that'll be the glorious comeuppance and the industry consolidation that Gordo has been clamoring for as the victor of the poetic justice espoused of his own big bad mouth.

[This message has been edited by Jim Phillips (edited Nov 16, 2003).]

Logan 5,

No doubt the sandmen at CO are just waiting to retire mileage runners.

Fear not, Sanctuary awaits at nearly every other airline except the Boxian DL...

Do not believe Gordo's promises of unenhanced Carousel... Your lifeclock will stop blinking on OAL. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif