ExRSA

ContinentalFan

I'd fire the carrier; though it doesn't make much difference, as I am on a path to dump Continental anyway!

ContinentalFan

I'd rather that airline try to encourage the loyalty of heavy travellers such as PE's.

Weatherboy

Maybe CO should simply only publish upgrades for Platinums and Golds... and give Silvers a space-available upgrade certificate or 2/3/4 to use over the year. If Platinums are lucky to get upgrades, why even bother to make Silver upgrades a published perk if they don't ever happen?

I think this is another reason why CO should consider a lifetime program --as the elite ranks swell and first class cabins shrink, CO should offer other incentives to their long-standing very elite / very profitable fliers as the elite upgrade system becomes more and more dysfunctional over time.

ContinentalFan

It's a fair point, while Silver upgrades do happen--at least people on this Forum have spoken about getting upgrades, they're certainly not as common as the upgrades for the more precious metals!

It seems to me that part of the issue is management of expectations. If people have been flying for the past three or four years, it's probably getting clear that upgrades are tough to get.

I agree that offering some kind of incentive for the heavy travelers makes sense. I don't see CO losing out my copying the DL program.

MIA-SAT

If you want to know why CO has not implemented these changes, lifetime elite, higher upgrade percentages and SWU's, just walk to the mirror and look. The reality is that they are filling their cabins because you all don't vote for change with your business. The revenue per passenger mile and load factors tell CO management that it does not need to implement these changes, even though these perks are part of programs of other carriers. CO management apparently believes that it has struck a proper balance between perks for elites and filling its cabins.

I, too, will admit to some guilt on this issue. Three years ago, I moved over one half of my business to AA. Lifetime elite is just icing as I posted above. My reason for shifting a substantial portion of my air travel expenditure to AA is that AA gets me into F at a higher percentage rate than does CO. With 200K miles of travel a year, this is an important benefit. However, for reasons such as routes and frequency of service, I still fly CO frequently enough to still make plat. Co Insider frankly is a benefit in my book, Scott really does solve problems for frequent flyers.

Frequent flyer programs are designed in part to impede customer switching between carriers. I had to think long and hard about doing a Gold challenge and then a Plat challenge on AA because I knew that as a non-status flyer on AA, I would not be upgraded while earning the BIS miles needed for qualification into the AA account. Even as a Plat on AA, I did not upgrade as often as I did as a Plat with CO. I had to get to 100K miles 100K points on AA to enjoy the benefits of shifting carriers, with the nearly 100% upgrade rate as an EXP on AA.

Of the legacy carriers, only AA and CO avoided bankruptcy and CO was profitable sooner after 9-11 than was AA. CO will implement these changes only when it perceives that the absence of these benefits is reducing profits. There are plats on this board who are either happy with CO or less than happy with CO and stay despite the fact that CO does not offer these perks (SWU's and lifetime elite) or offers them less frequently (upgrades). I see comments that many do not want to go through the loss of benefits to work their way into the equivalent level on another program, something that I understand. Undoubtedly CO monitors closely the flying patterns of its highest revenue customers. Let enough Plats and CO Stars reduce their Co flying, and those customers will be pelted with "customer survey" emails and maybe even calls. Any business with the extensive customer data that an airline possesses will be quick to act to discover the problem the moment that customers register dissatisfaction by reduced patronage. Apparently that has not happened, and given what I see on these boards, it will not. Rest assured mere comments on this board are not going to get the change implemented.

Weatherboy

I agree with this. However, the other carriers are also filling up with more and more premium paying passenger. It'd be foolish for an airline not to keep their most frequent, most valuable members that generate the most revenue/profit. So as other airlines become more aggressive in their attempts to lure other cariers' premium passengers, CO must put in place a long-term program to stem the attrition of such passengers. After all, it's a lot easier to keep an existing customer happy than it is to try to win a new one over --especially when it comes to profit-generating heavy travelers.

MIA-SAT

I guess where I disagree with you is as to what flyers will actually do rather than what they will threaten. Many will complain, send messages to this forum and the like, but how many will actually move their business? Even in my case, I could not move all my business to AA which has a lifetime program. CO has some routes and times that just work so much better for me. For example, I need to go to GUA this next weekend on business. I cannot really conveniently go to GUA from SAT on AA, CO works so much better. CO's management has to know the routes and markets where it has a dominant position, and I am sure this example is not the only one.

Do you really believe that enough people will actual do something on this or on the other issues which they have with CO? How many are willing to go through the process of near certainty of remaining in coach while building status on another carrier when they still have maybe a 50/50 chance with a free upgrade on CO?

Weatherboy

Yes, because all other carriers (NW/DL excluded) will match your status and/or provide you with a robust challenge, giving you the opportunity to have a 1st class seat on your very first flight with them.

I had 2 carriers match my status and enjoyed the privledge of being a top-tiered elite in each without having flown either before. So now the playing field is level set: who will keep my long-term business?

cova

EUA does on occassion happen for Silver Elite. Not often - but maybe 5-10% depending on routing and day/time. Silvers get confirmed upgrade if on Y fare at time of ticketing - so that is a good Silver benefit.

I thinks most Silvers know EUA is rare. Even Plats have come to realized that EUA is not automatic and maybe only around 50%. Much less for key routes. The current system works - it would be too complicated to provide certificates to Silver. CO once did that - and the current EUA system is the most cost effective - to eliminate any mailings or human communications.

MIA-SAT

Yes, but what carriers will match you to the level that gets you the equivalent or better that those bennes for CO Plat? I have done a status match on America West, and declined to stay in status. It was not anywhere equivalent to CO plat. I had to do the challenges with AA and that only got me to Plat and AA will not match or challenge to EXP. With AA, its pure BIS miles to get to EXP. So if DL, NW and AA will not match into top status (or any status in the case of the first two) , what does that leave, UA and US / America West? You may be right to a point; my judgment is perhaps clouded because AA was the only real alternative that I had for the routes in which I have flown CO. WIll UA match Co plat to its highest elite level or is it like AA and require full BIS miles to get there? With at least three carriers not granting an easy route to the equivalent of CO Plat, you may be partially right, but I think that the route to transfer of similar status on another carrier is not an easy one, and will cause many CO elites to stay put, or limit their action to complaining on the boards.

fly2w

As a Silver I agree. I fly a lot on Sundays and almost always get upgraded.

ContinentalFan

Delta. Delta matched me to Gold Medallion based on my EXP status with AA. So far, Gold on DL is better than Platinum on CO.

There's only shortcut to EXP that I know (meaning fewer BIS miles), that's to fly on B or higher fares. Flying on B or higher means 66,667 evil sounding BIS miles gets you to EXP!

BF263533

OnePass & Continental was/were my main airline from 1981 to 2005. I have a One Pass card that says Member Since 1983. When I explained to Larry that I was loyal for 24 years, and his response was that he was a lifetime gold on American and that lifetime status was only wallet candy, I stopped flying Continental. At some point we all will retire and begin to fly a lot less. After 30-35 years of flying an airline, usually at the top elite level, maybe you should be given a lifetime status. It was rarely convenient for me to fly CO except for nonstops to Houston or New York. It makes more sense for me to fly Delta, so I switched, especially considering that I will earn lifetime status long before I retire. I was loyal to CO through its bankruptcies and very narrowly missed Infinite Elite (and believe that I actually qualified). Because CO could not be loyal to me, I avoid giving it any money unless I absolutely have to fly CO.

CAL PHL FLYER

CO has allready tried this program and it failed..OnePass seems to be filling a record number of seats..Id say the program is working as it is!!