Fee is waived for Plats

Uncle!
 

Uncle, I give up, I surrender ... please stop beating me over the head.

I'm just going to have to switch FF programs from NW to OP. I just wanted to ask if there are any special bonuses for signing up for OP ... I did a search but I didn't find anything.

Thank you in advance for any input you can give me.

Where did you get this information? Everything I've seen -- including the dummy reservations that I have made on nwa.com while logged in as a Platinum elite -- demonstrate that we Platinums are not exempt from the "Coach Choice" charge.

And non-elites can?

What're the transaction costs going to add up to? How about the delays while people ponder yet another transaction during checkin? I guess the kiosks will come in handy. How about bumps and reroutes?

I am more concerned about the safety issue than anything. Those exit row seats are not there for comfort (but man are they), they are there for safety allowing enough room/speed to exit in the slim chance they are needed. The person in that row has a responsibility. By charging you open yourself up to what was stated earlier, what happens if the person who paid the $15 is not qualified? Who will police this? By charging for these, the airline has fundamentally changed the role of these seats from safety to a perk. Does this make a difference? I am not sure. Ive seen too many people sitting in those seats who may be legally qualified, but knew after watching them struggle to lift their own carry on that those were not the people I want ensuring I get out. This policy probably won't make a difference to who is sitting there but I wish the airlines would consider tougher restrictions for who should be sitting next to that escape hatch.

Who will actually pay for these seats? I suspect most people will pass them by - I can understand paying for a transatlantic exit seat but paying for one on a NW DC9 seems odd to me. I have been on several VS flights with empty exit row seats. I wonder what then happens if flight is full but no one paid for the seats - who sits in them?

http://www.nwa.com/features/coachchoiceqa/

Elites
Q: Are there any benefits for WorldPerks Elite members?
A: Yes. WorldPerks and SkyTeam Elite members have early access to Coach Choice seats. Elite members may purchase these seat assignments prior to check-in at 36 hours prior to departure using nwa.com. All other passengers may purchase only during the check-in process.

Q: Are there still Premium Select Seats for Elite members?
A: Yes. Select Seats remain available to Elite members up to 90 days prior to departure, free of charge.

Q: After purchasing Coach Choice, if a WorldPerks member standing by for First Class is upgraded, is the Coach Choice fee refunded?
A: No. The Coach Choice fee is nonrefundable in the case of upgrades.


-Vincent

Where do you see anything about a fee waiver for Platinums? :confused:

Yeah, we have a few more seats at our disposal than non-elites. But a lot less than as of yesterday.

And we'll have to pony up $15 to get the new "Coach Choice" seats like everyone else. We just get a 12 hour head start on staking our claim.

And even when upgraded, NW will keep the fee for the "Coach Choice" seat that we vacated.

THE SAME PEOPLE THAT POLICE THIS NOW!!!! Ugh. :rolleyes: This "issue" has been mentioned several times on these various threads, but it is a non-issue. Currently, when one attempts to pre-assign an exit row there is a verbal (over the phone) or printed (online) "warning" about being exit-row qualified. One has to agree that one is qualified before the seats can be reserved. IT WILL BE EXACTLY THE SAME NOW, but you will need to provide your credit card to get to that point. Even if one isn't exit row qualified, but says s/he is, this will be discovered upon boarding and the pax will be re-seated.

THERE IS NO COMPROMISE TO SAFETY.

These issues may or may not be valid, but as you suspect, really has nothing to do with NW's plan.

Hmmmm I thought I read about the Platinum waiver somewhere...

-Vincent

True as to the 34", but the NW D9S 16 F/C seats are about 2" wider and come with free booze and occasional Spinzels(tm). Actually most NW aircraft have 16+ F/C seats far more than exist on JetBlue or on the growing CO ERJ fleet. With no CO/NW comp EAU on DL I guess I will be forced Mar 15 into the occasional NW 34" pitch.

MisterNice

Isnt Continental planning on withdrawing some 70 ERJs from the fleet?

-Vincent

No. They're threatening to take them away from RU and issue an RFP for a new operator. This is simply a threat to lower costs. Don't be suprised if you see a spawn of the Mesa Air Group flying under the COEx banner.

YOU have too be kidding the seats are better than the rest, and they should command a premium to the rest of roach class seating. smart move by Northwest and yes all the others will follow.

people pay for what they WANT, I should know i have been making a market is theatre and sports tickets for 30 years........TIXX

Ahh the fun of hostile negotations...

-Vincent

There is no waiver for Plats or any other elites. Elites get a double whammy...they pay the fee, and if they are upgraded, the fee is not refunded - but the seat can be resold to another customer and NW collects two fees on the same seat.

Perhaps this whole plan was thought out while NW management was watching a Soprano's marathon on HBO? It sounds like a racket to me.

I've scored them (without paying the 50 quid (!)) just by asking at the gate. And it seems sometimes the flight attendants let people move onboard if they ask.

Count me out
 

Mr. Jim Cron,

These are certainly troubling times in the US airline industry. With overcapacity, low yields and labor crisises causing huge issues. These demand that airlines adjust their models to increase revenues (however incrementally) and reduce costs.

I fly Northwest and earned well over 100,000 miles last year mostly in paid World Business Class or domestic First class. I have been a Platinum Frequent Flyer (NWA # xxxxxxxxx) with Northwest for 2004, 2005, and 2006. (I do occasionally fly economy class for personal travel.)

My choice of carriers has been Northwest however, over the last few years that choice has become more difficult. With the removal of many meals, in flight entertainment, and even pretzels. The choice remained largely NWA when possible. Even in spite of the "worst domestic F cabin", and in some cases 11 hour connections to get home when I could have flown other carriers ("CO/DL/AA/UA") with far better connections.

I have suffered lost baggage, damaged baggage, mis connections, forced overnights at my own expense and rarely do I complain. I thought I was rather understanding compared to most.

The Coach Choice program however, is the final straw. It says what the marketing materials do not. That is that Northwest does not care about it's loyal passengers.

Northwest advertises and markets its elite programs actively. I have seen huge de-valuations and limitations on the programs yet I remained. This is however one step too far. The introduction of Coach Choice is ill conceived and I do not believe the incremental revenue will by compensated by the loss of the most loyal market segment customers.

Please withdraw this program it will not serve the best interest of Northwest or its loyal customers. It is insulting, degrading, and the person(s) who came up with this idea should be released.

I wish I could get Continental to match my NWA PLAT status. I am moving to Houston, and just as the previous poster, this is the last straw. When I fall to gold or silver, I will most likely not get upgraded, and I will not even be able to reserve an exit row.

Cheers,

Timo

it's in the long thread, someone received it either from Jim directly or from Customer Service

me to, I believe it's in one of two really long threads on the topic....but because they are now so long I'm not going to search it out (sorry) since I'm only a silver it doesn't impact me either way

What about CO/DL elites?
 

I'm going to guess the answer is yes, the fee does apply to us but does anyone know for sure?

Also, check out his letter posted to Doug by RobertH::td: to this exciting change from NW.

The fee applies, but we may get seats at 36 hours priors instead of 24.

-Vincent

I'm not going to search either, but is it possible people are confusing the "Premium Select" seats from the "Coach Choice" seats? Premium Select seats are all the seats toward the front and any exit rows not designated as Coach Choice, aka Elite Seating. This remains free for all elites. The "Coach Choice" seats are a small subset of Premium Select, including a few of the aisle seats up front and what looks like the second (reclining) exit row. These seats cost $15 for ALL passengers, based on what I've read.

You are correct.

"Coach Choice" -- NW takes nickle-and-diming to a new level!
 

The "Coach Choice" seats in general represent the most desirable seats in coach, not just a "small subset of premium seats." They include seats at the bulkhead and in the second exit row -- you know, the one that actually has reclining seats. I guess people paying $15 for an exit row seat might complain once they find out that the seat does not recline. They'd better save the non-reclining ones for the lowly Elite members.

This is not a good way to foster customer loyalty.

Also, CoachSelect is in test phase....if it does well, it *will* be expanded and you can bet virtually all the current PremiumSelect seats will go for sale and they will find a new set of less desirable seats to toss into the Premium pool, or maybe eliminate it altogether.

When it came to balancing the need for premium coach seating for Elites with an opportunity to raise abit more revenue from each flight, UA got it right. E+ for all elites, and E+ for sale per flight or per year for non Elites.

When it came time for NWA to do the same thing, they got it dead wrong.

Sometimes it amazes me how two companies in the same business can go to opposite ends of the spectrum when attempting to achieve the same result.

The fun doesnt stop here potentially!

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll.../BIZ/603140400

Who knows what the future holds anymore...

-Vincent

UA got it right from a customer perspective. From a business perspective it's not clear this is a good move. I do not think that NW or CO could remove a row, add a few inches to some Y rows, and then pay for that by selling the E+ section seats to non-elites. Removing a row of seats can be quite costly to an airline, which is why CO at least is loathe to do it. Look at what happened to AA and MRTC turning into LRTC. CO doesn't see this as being good for their business.

They're not ALL the most desirable seats. With the exception of the ARJ, they've left Row 5 alone. But they've taken most of the best aisle seats, that's for sure.

See my analysis here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...50#post5466950

Are they giving a discount for the non-reclining seats at the rear of the aircraft. And Oh, I also heard that they were going to hold everyone on the plane after landing until those that paid the new $15 expedited exit fee had deboarded the plane.

very possible....what I do know is I won't pay the fee....but then as a silver I'm batting 95% so far this year, and the only times I was in coach was due to weather reroutes....hopefully it'll continue this well for the rest of the year (I do know Jim Cron's been extremely busy personally responding to emails the last few days)

And by "personally responding to e-mails" you mean "writing a bunch of sentences that people in India can rearrange into 'personal responses' to e-mails."

Thankfully NWA hasn't followed DL's lead with Indian (yet)....but he does read FT and he is personally responding to each and every email (reminds me alot of Beth (RIP) and Larry) of course I sent my email last weekend to Andrew (EVP Ops)

BUMP ... anybody?