mikey1003

One month ago today, this spokesman for Delta said the following in The Wall Street Journal:

"Delta says it has been responding to feedback from members who contact them directly. "We'd rather handle it that way as opposed to en masse," says Kevin Pinto, a SkyMiles manager. "Besides, we have 28 million members, and only about 900 are on this site.""

Looking at The Scribbler's post,on the "My Saveskymiles Day" thread, on December 9th we had:

539,998,658 Total SkyMiles Represented
170 SkyMiles members
337 Silver Medallion members
352 Gold Medallion members
141 Platinum Medallion members
1,000 Total
539,999 Avg. Miles per member

Signed up on www.saveskymiles.com

TODAY ON THE ONE MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF THAT AUSPICIOUS MOMENT, WE NOW HAVE:

1,500,992,196 Total SkyMiles Represented
320 SkyMiles members
869 Silver Medallion members
1,105 Gold Medallion members
362 Platinum Medallion members
2,656 Total
565,133 Avg. Miles per member

WE HAVE AN INCREASE OF ALMOST 1 BILLION MILES AND 1,656 MORE SKYMILES MEMBERS SIGNED UP.

KEEP UP THE PRESSURE! KEEP WRITTING DELTA "DIRECTLY", KEEP CALLING THE MEDIA AND KEEP HANDING OUT THE WWW.SAVESKYMILES CARDS!

Not bad for a "grass roots" effort!!!!!!

Clark Kent 2001

Mr. Pinto? Paging Mr. Kevin Pinto -- please open your yap again -- we can use the help.

Dataton

Sorry about that. I actually caught my error and was attempting to remove it when interupted. So I just threw up the blank. And of course when I did that, there was already a response. My apologies.

[This message has been edited by Dataton (edited 01-08-2001).]

Tolarian Wind

It moves like lightening!




TW

[This message has been edited by Tolarian Wind (edited 01-08-2001).]

hfly

In the old days, a frequent flyer program could change its rules pretty much anytime it wanted and would normally get away with it. The tricks were always to stick a small written notice anong many other notices that came with statements.

In most cases, even if a person read the notice and was angry, there was little he could do. He could tell friends and colleagues, but most flyers wouldn't know enough people similarly effected to make this a strong option.

The airline could create a spin for whatever it wanted to push and many people would buy into it. Even if they bought into it, there was little they could do.

Guess what Kevin. THIS IS THE INTERNET AGE, we come together, compare notes and inform eachother.

The Kakfaesque doubletalk that has been used to defend these policy changes is being proved to be more and more inadequate by those who you claim to be helping, Delta's most frequent flyers.

Had the economy and the airline industry stayed the same as it was, you would probably have been seen as good "bean counters" by management.

(Remember, when the media and financial world wants to put pressure on a company, they can turn the nuts in Business Class into an issue).

Airline wars are about to get nasty, as soon as consolidation is accomplished, everyone is gonna try to POACH us (some already have, I recently was approached through this board by a high ranking exec from another big carrier offering me their top tier and extra SWU's) unless we're happy, Don't you know that?

[This message has been edited by hfly (edited 01-30-2001).]

MikeFly

Great Post! Hope he reads it, especially the internet comment.

BTW willing to share the name of the exec (privately if you like). I ask as I have made the decision this year that no more DL for me! Primarily because of the Skyteam issues.

hfly

I'm bringing this back to the top in case Mr. Pinto is checking the boards in anticipation of the chat tomorrow night.

Incidentally, I have delayed a flight until the next morning just so I can be at the chat.

doc

hfly- Careful not to scare 'em away!

pzsoccer

For everyone out there bashing Kevin Pinto, read this message!

My fellow frequent flyers,
You are hammering the wrong guy. Not only is Kevin Pinto not the person you should have a beef with, Kevin has been on one of the most ardent supporters of us FFs within Delta. I have talked to people who work for Delta, and have been in these meetings. According to a Delta manager named "Jenny something" I met in an airport in Japan one day late last year, the real guy you should be after is called Bobby Spann or Spahn ( I didn't get the spelling from her.)
He is the real enemy of the Delta medallion member, and should bear the brunt of your displeasure.
According to Delta people who should know, and I live by many of them, Kevin Pinto has fought for our rights at every turn and for him to be targeted is just not right.

GET THIS SPANN GUY!!!

milesrus

I have also had meetings with Kevin Pinto he is a good guy.

mikey1003

I should hope that we are not out to "GET" anyone. All we want is someone to work with and to listen to us to make Delta some semblence of what it once was.

If this Spahn person is really behind all of the negative changes that we are frustrated with...Than we should actively seek to make him painfully aware that we are here. Not GET him!

Maybe Pinto is a good guy--Maybe he isn't...at least we will hear from him tomorrow nite.

Steffo

I have nothing personal against any DL employees I've met, nor Kevin or any of the folks I haven't met. In fact, the quality of the front line employees is one of the things that sets DL apart and one of only 2 reasons I am still flying them. Nonetheless, the truth is that they continue to make the Skymiles program worse each year, a consistent trend. Regardless of which employees favor or oppose which cuts, the bottom line is that the company has clearly demonstrated a commitment to chiseling away at the benefits of elite flyers. That's what I want to see change. And I really don't care who is responsible, what the personalities are, etc. Bottom line is that senior Dl management is following a policy that is VERY unpopular with DL's best customers, and that company spin doctors (apparently including Mr. Pinto, according to the WSJ) are claiming that the changes are being made for the benefit of, or even at the request of! Skymiles members, which seems disingenuous at best and frankly more like a bald faced lie. Now either they come around and change that, or they don't. And either way, it's going to say a lot about how the company treats its best paying customers.

I don't know yet if I'll leave DL or not. I'm considering all the options. But I eagerly await further clarification of exactly where the airline stands with regard to its best customers and where its going. And what they say doesn't mean much to me--I'm watching what they DO!

james

Mr. Pinto is the current public face of SkyMiles and he is the one who makes unfortunate remarks in the Wall Street Journal. If he sets himself up (by virtue of his job) as Delta's public channel to us, he is (one of) our public channels to Delta. Therefore, we can and should communuicate our views to/through him. Nobody is out to get anybody here, just to seek change.

Moreover, pzsoccer, your message does rather lack credibility - someone whose name you don't know that you met at an airport in Japan told you that someone else whose name you don't really know for sure is the problem. I think I will worry about Mr. Pinto for now, thank you.

[This message has been edited by james (edited 01-18-2001).]

james

Steffo - great post.

craz

People we aren't 5 year olds. I haven't found an airline that hasn't cut at their FF prog including TWA who were trying to get people to fly at any cost. What was-was. A Caddy cost a few grand back in the early 70's does GM still have to give it for that price or include for free what options they did then,I think NOT.
Yet I still say take them for what ever you can, but if you are complaining today something tells me we haven't seen anything yet. Its like saying the stock mkt was up for 10 yrs straight now that I go in,it goes down I want my $$ back.Or I made 25% a yr for the last X yrs, I want 25% for this past yr altough I have a loss.
Or the last few yrs there were rebates on this or that,if you don't give it to me I won't buy your goods. GIVE ME A BREAK. Lets realize that the PARTY is over and that every so often we will get some hand outs but that WHAT WAS,WAS. Yes its hard and we are SPOILED but life goes on,altough I too would like to see get better than worse,its just not worth crying over. I've flown in a packed coach section many a time and survived I would have preferred Bus or First,but I got what I PAID FOR. Want to make sure you don't fly COACH,just DO NOT buy a coach seat, and its settled,what you don't want to pay the price($$$) then maybe you'll have to pay by seating in COACH. But then you want your cake and to eat it at the same time,I understand and if you can get away with it all the power to you,but lets not ALWAYS expect that.