Award Goes from Low to Med as PM
Nov 9, 2009, 5:47 pm
#16
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Nov 9, 2009, 7:00 pm
#17
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If you can't accept problems with the website (and only specific areas, at that) of a company in the middle of a huge merger, then you should simply stop flying with them. I'm being patient, as I think they'll work out the award calendar issues by mid next year. Also, while I can't speak to international availability, I can say that I've been able to redeem literally dozens of both first and coach class awards at the low/saver level for a whole slew of domestic city pairs over the past year with little trouble. I usually need a day or two plus some time of day flexibility, but I'm usually able to work it out.
Nov 9, 2009, 7:08 pm
#18
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This is certainly not just the result of "bugs" and "problems" with DL website technology. This mess is primarily the result of conscious decisions undertaken by DL management and no amount of smoke and mirrors -- including trying to assign responsibility for all of these issues on DL's acquisition of NW -- is going change that or fool all of the customers all of the time.
Nov 9, 2009, 7:31 pm
#19
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Aren't most of the issues being reported now pretty much the same issues reported before the merger was even approved?
Nov 9, 2009, 8:05 pm
#20
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This is certainly not just the result of "bugs" and "problems" with DL website technology. This mess is primarily the result of conscious decisions undertaken by DL management and no amount of smoke and mirrors -- including trying to assign responsibility for all of these issues on DL's acquisition of NW -- is going change that or fool all of the customers all of the time.
Nov 9, 2009, 8:06 pm
#21
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This mess is primarily the result of conscious decisions undertaken by DL management and no amount of smoke and mirrors -- including trying to assign responsibility for all of these issues on DL's acquisition of NW -- is going change that or fool all of the customers all of the time.
Nov 9, 2009, 9:08 pm
#22
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Excuses, excuses, excuses. There is always some kind of excuse. 
No, that's not it. Rather it's that DL management knows how much it has gotten away with so far without sparking a large enough customer exodus of the kind that would finally get DL to surrender its customer-unfriendly ways which are the primary driver behind these reported outcomes. Some may want to believer or fool others into believing these are merely a product of the "merger" and/or of IT problems but the maxim holds that you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.
No, that's not it. Rather it's that DL management knows how much it has gotten away with so far without sparking a large enough customer exodus of the kind that would finally get DL to surrender its customer-unfriendly ways which are the primary driver behind these reported outcomes. Some may want to believer or fool others into believing these are merely a product of the "merger" and/or of IT problems but the maxim holds that you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.
Nov 10, 2009, 7:34 am
#23
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Your theory rests on the assumption that it would take a massive exodus to reduce Delta's profitability and that management is content as long as they avoid this. I suggest that it is unlikely Delta's entire management culture is wise enough to recognize there are trade-offs - sometimes that fall along a precipice - and their role is to juggle them carefully.
Nov 10, 2009, 9:08 am
#24
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Your theory rests on the assumption that it would take a massive exodus to reduce Delta's profitability and that management is content as long as they avoid this. I suggest that it is unlikely Delta's entire management culture is wise enough to recognize there are trade-offs - sometimes that fall along a precipice - and their role is to juggle them carefully.
As with what I noted earlier, the following is not a theory: there has not been enough of a massive exodus of SkyMiles customers due to SkyMiles changes last year or this year to have resulted in a DL management shakeup over the SkyMiles-related changes.
Nov 10, 2009, 4:45 pm
#25
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+1. This is not an issue with the merging of websites. The DL award engine has nothing to do with the integration of websites. Everything is going to DL IT.
Nov 10, 2009, 4:49 pm
#26
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Nov 10, 2009, 4:54 pm
#27
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Yes, and DL management decided to make things even worse before the merger by going with the 3-tier award pricing approach that has broken apart the value in more customer accounts than any "bug", merger-related or not.
Nov 12, 2009, 5:59 am
#28
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This is probably a stupid question or at least one with no answer.
We all know that the award calendar at DL.com is broken. It's been broken for some time now. Everyone on FT knows this. Most DL Medallions know this. Heck, even DL knows this and I believe that they have even admitted or acknowledged that it is broken. So why doesn't DL just shut it down and put it back up when and if they ever fix it?
Why would any company continue to provide a broken service to customers on such a long-term basis? Maybe this is the MS model of doing business? (yes, that was a snarky remark. But I get snarky when I get frustrated).
We all know that the award calendar at DL.com is broken. It's been broken for some time now. Everyone on FT knows this. Most DL Medallions know this. Heck, even DL knows this and I believe that they have even admitted or acknowledged that it is broken. So why doesn't DL just shut it down and put it back up when and if they ever fix it?
Why would any company continue to provide a broken service to customers on such a long-term basis? Maybe this is the MS model of doing business? (yes, that was a snarky remark. But I get snarky when I get frustrated).
Nov 12, 2009, 6:27 pm
#29
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This is probably a stupid question or at least one with no answer.
We all know that the award calendar at DL.com is broken. It's been broken for some time now. Everyone on FT knows this. Most DL Medallions know this. Heck, even DL knows this and I believe that they have even admitted or acknowledged that it is broken. So why doesn't DL just shut it down and put it back up when and if they ever fix it?
Why would any company continue to provide a broken service to customers on such a long-term basis? Maybe this is the MS model of doing business? (yes, that was a snarky remark. But I get snarky when I get frustrated).
We all know that the award calendar at DL.com is broken. It's been broken for some time now. Everyone on FT knows this. Most DL Medallions know this. Heck, even DL knows this and I believe that they have even admitted or acknowledged that it is broken. So why doesn't DL just shut it down and put it back up when and if they ever fix it?
Why would any company continue to provide a broken service to customers on such a long-term basis? Maybe this is the MS model of doing business? (yes, that was a snarky remark. But I get snarky when I get frustrated).
Nov 14, 2009, 10:23 pm
#30
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Here's another example, of many, of the broken DL award ticket engine.
On Delta.com an award ticket SAN-AMS-SAN for July 2010 priced at 245,000 miles for business class. On NWA, the EXACT SAME FLIGHTS AND DAYS, priced to 100,000 miles.
So as a PM DL is charging me 2.4x the price for an award ticket vs. NWA.
Another example: SYD-LAX on Jan 26,2010. The NWA coded flight is 120K miles for business, but 185K for the DL coded flight, but it's the exact same airplane. So Delta wants 50% MORE miles for the SAME flight?!?
On Delta.com an award ticket SAN-AMS-SAN for July 2010 priced at 245,000 miles for business class. On NWA, the EXACT SAME FLIGHTS AND DAYS, priced to 100,000 miles.
So as a PM DL is charging me 2.4x the price for an award ticket vs. NWA.
Another example: SYD-LAX on Jan 26,2010. The NWA coded flight is 120K miles for business, but 185K for the DL coded flight, but it's the exact same airplane. So Delta wants 50% MORE miles for the SAME flight?!?
Last edited by yngdiego; Nov 14, 2009 at 10:32 pm