Like many of you, I do not hesitate to send a letter or email to an airline if I have had an exceptionally bad experience on a flight. However, I also take the time to communicate with the airlines about what they do right. During 1998, I have contacted United twice about exceptionally good people that work for them. Both times, my MileagePlus account has been awarded with 500 bonus miles! The one time in 1998 that I contacted UA about a problem (I observed a gate agent that had an attitude problem) I was "rewarded" with a form letter.

Also, I wrote NW a letter in 1997 about a horribly organized boarding procedure for a packed 747 where everyone crushed the entryway to get on at once and was rewarded with a hand written apology letter, 2500 bonus miles and a $100 flight voucher towards future travel (long since used).

A few months ago I received an interesting email from a gentleman that submits extensive flight reports to the airline after his journey. Packed with many details and done in a professional manner; he claimed to receive over a dozen free flights and tens of thousands of miles every year for his effort. I thought it was pretty interesting.

I am Preferred on NW and PremEx on UA. I wonder if that has anything to do with the positive responses?

This is very interesting, Mileage Addict.
I have e-mailed the airlines with complaints
and complements but no bonus miles. (Delta
did sent a form letter thanking me for my
continued business.)

I am PremEx... So maybe I should write a letter saluting the flight attendants who
made my flights to and from Maui great.
Especially the one who made sure I had dinner
(the details are on my babbling post!)

I'll let you know what happens. Not in it
for the miles, but everyone likes a little
praise once in awhile! CATMAn

I'm Gold on CO and have written or phoned in a few complaints in the past when I have received shoddy service. I have always received something - either a voucher (usually $100) or bonus miles. I would expect that if someone made it a habit to send in lots of complaints/complements that an airline would wise up and stop the rewards.

UA files your claims etc under your ff-number (at least that is what they told me at the Zurich-office some months ago).

It is a good idea to write such complaints sparingly, only in instances where you were really inconvenienced or bothered. I have written to United on a couple of instances, once they sent me some upgrade coupons and once they sent me a one way upgrade certificate.

the "cost" for UA upgrade-certificates was (till end of sep-98 when they closed the Zurich-office):

1 international upgrade-segment = about 339 grams of handmade Swiss-chocolates (+ a smile)

1 US/Canada-upgrade-segment = about 119,5 grams of handmade Swiss chocolates (+ a smile)

It is true -- if you are nice to the airlines, they will be nice back to you.

I am AA Gold and used an upgrade award for a 5 segment domestic flight. The last segment was LAX - JFK. After I returned to NY, I faxed American a 3 page letter with my compliments and complaints. I was credited with 10,000 miles (for my unpleasant flight form LAX - JFK in business class), 2 passes for the Admirals club and the direct dial phone number of an individual at AA Customer Service in Dallas. Not bad for 1/2 hour writing a letter.

Rudi, what are these free one-way international upgrades you mentioned above and in your mileage summary (round the world trip.) I (1K) have personally never seen any of these in the US. Has anyone else seen them? All we get are the North fAmerican ones.

Rudi, what are these free one-way international upgrades you mentioned above and in your mileage summary (round the world trip.) I (1K) have personally never seen any of these in the US. Has anyone else seen them? All we get are the North fAmerican ones.

free one-way international upgrades:

the one's I "bought" with chocolates look like the US-ones and come in pairs (each good for one segment on any paid price, advanced reservation/confirmation 24 hours, only good on international UA-flights, excluding code-share, excluding continental US/Canada/Puerto Rico, Mexico, Hawaii. I believe that they are in the competence of (each?) UA-employee^s for ????

on my round-the world-trip I used:
*UA = 13'000 miles one-way-awards (twice)
*other Star-Alliance-partners: free Star-Alliance-Partner-Upgrades (only for StarAlliance-Gold-members, validity: till 1st-dec-98, not good on UA and code-share-flights, only for use at check-in, for one segemnt, any paid fare, one-class-upgrade). Any (of the 6) StarAlliance-Partners gave two of this vouchers to it's Gold-members in summer 98.

till february-98 (then UA cancelled their direct flight from Zurich-IAD), buying full-fare-business "automatically" (just for the asking) always got me "free" to international first-class at Zurich's UA-office, with confirmation at booking-time (I always visited them in person to book, it is just a 5 minutes walk from my office, and the Spruengli-chocolate-shop is another 5 minutes away ...).

MileageAddict, many companies will reward you if you send a letter stating what you like about them. I know M&M's has sent candy...back in elementry school, I remember our teacher was telling us about how students who wrote companies got back some kind of reward.

Justin,

To hell with mileage! I'm drafting a letter to Hersheys, Nestles, Godiva, Lindt.......

I guess chocolate ranks up there with mileage. I'm sure Rudi will agree.

Mileage Addict... I'll take the miles. I'll
look like the Pillsbury doughboy if I got
all that chocolate for nice letters (My one
to UA is in the mail!!)

Or Ben & Jerry's ice cream! CATMAN