StayingHomeIsBetter

Someday I will learn how to nest the quoted threads inside quoted threads...

Yes, DL management reserves the right to change SkyMiles any time they want... but, I still feel they would be placing themselves on thin ice by aggressively marketing a commodity (i.e., miles) if they have been planning to willfully devalue that commodity for a considerable period of time prior to marketing it.

My advice to anyone... buy a few miles so you can claim legitimate membership in the plaintiff class... then, bide your time.

GRALISTAIR... you make a very good and valid point. That is one good example of why, in some companies, the term "corporate ethics" has become an oxymoron.

StayingHomeIsBetter

I have never sued anyone. I have been sued in my role of an elected official on a public body.

I do provide expert witness support, but always on the side of the defendant.

So, I am not a particularly litigious person.

But, this is one situation where I would be glad to deposit my $2.87 settlement check and watch a few ambitious lawyers walk away with their $10 MM in legal fees.

Airline Contracts of Carriage are, in my non-lawyer opinion, contracts of adhesion. And, it is past time for them to be invalidated.

dcline414

Just to play devil's advocate, what would replace COCs? As heavily slanted in favor of the airlines as they are, I can only imagine that anything replacing them would be more cumbersome, more difficult to enforce, and (though perhaps more fair) still somehow slanted in favor of the airlines.

It does make some sense that they are so heavily favoring to the airlines. Wouldn't we risk losing service and face more fees if the airlines were forced to bear more risk? They already face sales of a perishable inventory while dealing with acts of God (weather) and a great deal of uncertainty within a highly regulated industry with fierce intra-industry competition.

Somehow I feel like any push back on the COC would result in bad things for the general public.

goodandclassy

Two words: Sky Rewards

https://corp.points.com/customizatio...tml/terms.html
T&C freudian slip?

davetravels

I think I posted elsewhere that my guess was SkyPoints

goodandclassy

the skypoints have a better ring to them..
rewards... sounds like cash back, if you know what i mean /

MSPeconomist

SkyPriority, SkyPoints, SkyP.....

javabytes

You know, this forum has already come up with a term that fits the SkyP... theme and sounds like money.

jsmith50

Bubba, we haven't agreed on much in this thread, but I agree 100% here. Yes, as others have noted, DL markets a commodity with the SM they dispense either in exchange for flying or for purchase (the purchase part is what makes this a bit sticky, legally). However, the language in the SM agreement is clear as it could be. As far as that goes, DL could cancel the entire program without notice per the conditions of the contract.

Unfortunately, we live in a litigious society where anyone can sue anyone for anything at anytime. I'm sure some sue-happy lawyer out there would take a shot at DL over major major changes to the program, but in the end, other than some bad press, DL would prevail because of the clarity of the program rules which allow those changes at anytime and without prior notice.

nsx

I wouldn't, because I know that customers end up paying for all costs, including litigation. Class action suits are horribly wasteful, typically benefiting lawyers much more than the ostensible plaintiffs.

exwannabe

"better customers"? Would that not be those who spend more, and on higher margin items?

It is so funny to read this thread and see everybody duck and bob on this issue.

Really, it reads like coupon clippers getting pissed off that Krogers started giving discounts only on high margin name items that people overpay for.

A "better" customer is one who brings in more margin. Anybody who thinks otherwise is living in a dream.

StayingHomeIsBetter

Please understand that I am not proposing to do away with COCs. All financial dealings between two parties need to be based upon a contract.

But, I do feel that there is ample opportunity to make the COCs so that they more equitably balance the interests of the passenger and the airline.

Right now the airlines, in effect, can say "Don't like our COC? Fly another airline. Of course, their COC is pretty much like ours. There is always Greyhound."

There is a palpable inequity when one side can dictate all the terms and the other side has no option but to accept them.

jsmith50

No question that a 'better' customer is one who brings in more margin. However, the issue is that there are a finite number of these 'better' customers and it's a relative term. In a perfect world, DL and any other airline wants the pax who pays for full Y or J every time they fly and who flies DM-level mileage. The reality, is that there are very few of those people out there (and no I can't quantitate that but I've heard it said so many times at DL investor days that I believe it). Instead, the airlines MUST target the frequent traveller who is willing to display loyalty and then make their margin off of quantity of travel. Many of those passionately arguing their cause in this thread are the DL loyal who fly tons of miles each year. In the past, at investor days, this is the customer that DL expressly stated they wanted and whom they were attempting to reach. Sure, some bring in more margin than others and by that relative terminology are 'better' customers. However, when you start messing with the lifeblood of airline loyalty, i.e. FF programs, the loyal start evaluating what other options might be viable and this then may dilute the quantity that any individual airline needs to make a good margin off that flyer. This is what we are hearing in this thread over and over again.

As for me, got the e-mail from UA today that my status match request has been accepted. Booking my first UA flight for next week, LAX-ORD. Time to see how green the grass is on the other side!

glbetrotter

Please share your impressions, good, bad, or neutral. I just started my 1K challenge with UA/CO as well. Would very much like to hear recent opinions from other frequent flyers.

MSPeconomist

Did UA give you a status match or a status challenge? To the 1K level? Or even to GS?