Northwest is the Here and Now
 

Just a suggestion for those who can fly other large airlines as opposed to
Northwest. Airlines like American, Delta, United and others Award lifetime status in their Elite programs for those who log lots of miles over the years. Marriott also does the same thing with lifetime status and it creates a good
will from their longterm customers to thank them for their commitment to the
company. Northwest is a here and now comapny that has the "what have you done for me lately " for their customers and a CEO who is clueless about how
to support customers.

Northwest is the strongest of the major USA Airlines
 

Perhaps you want to be a lifetime million miler of Eastern, TWA, or U S Airways?

Many of the US airlines are in deep financial trouble and probably will not be around in the long term.

Northwest is being cautious, conservative and trying to avoid going bankrupt.

If you own a business or are in sales or management you realize "What have you done for me today?" is a reality. You can't allocate a lot of resources for inactive business relations.

I think if you look a little deeper at Northwest, you'll find that they are a well managed airline.

RC

That's a lot to read into not having a "lifetime status".

What else is missing from NW's customer support that makes Richard Anderson clueless?

As nice as lifetime status might be for an individual receiving it, giving priority to people who no longer earn it wouldn't seem to be in the best interests of other customers or a great thing for the airline.

Think about how this plays out. As a current elite member, I get the privilege of competing with somebody else for upgrades. As an airline, I need to provide special privileges to someone who might choose to take an occasional flight, but is possibly no longer much of a contributor to the bottom line. In fact, earning lifetime status might actually encourage some passengers to earn status on another carrier because they've got things permanently covered with Northwest. "Here and now" seems to make some sense -- particularly in times like these. It doesn't sound clueless to me at all.

Forget about the guy. He has only posted a GRAND TOTAL OF 2 MESSAGES and obviously does not know what he is talking about....... :td: :td: :td:

Well not only that but here's his first post that I remember so distinctly:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...6&page=2&pp=40

aloha

Lifetime or not
 

I'm Plat for Life with AA (2mm). I'm earned Plat with NW 4 yrs running. Since hitting lifetime with AA 2 years ago, I've flown about 10k miles with them. So, did it work to keep me as a customer? I only consider AA when NW/CO or now DL don't go there and AA does.

heheh you have a good memory...

On the separate note, I'll have a layover at HNL on THANKSGIVING DAY. I have a scheduled trip to Shanghai in Nov. I would be 3000 EQMs short of Plat this year should I go for the normal route BOS-DTW-NRT-PVG. So I found BOS-MSP-HNL-NRT-PVG route for the same price. Any special event on Nov. 25 in Hawaii?

I would only ask how important is elite status when you get to the point that you only fly occasionally? I mean, yes, the preboarding is nice and all, as is the extra mileage, but if you only fly a few times a year, I don't see the benefit as a big deal. Flying every week, yes it is a big deal, but just occasionally?

In many ways, being non-elite can be a "freeing" experience. No more worrying about the upgrade lottery. No more fighting the "preboard horde."

And, I have to say, as much as I *love* Northwest, I am a "What have you done for me lately" kind of passenger. If NW ever goes the way of Delta, I will not hesitate to drop them just like I did Delta. Tit for tat, it's only fair.

I would also disagree with NW dropping you like a hot potato...I was Platinum in 2001, did not earn more than 5,000 miles in 2002 (long story). For 2003, I was "awarded" Silver Elite. Downgrade? Yes. Dropped, forgotten, told to go away? No. I feel like they are working with me, here. And, their patience has been rewarded, as I just missed making Gold for this year. So, still Silver. Hey, on NW, this is not a bad thing!

Finally, I think calling the CEO of Northwest (why not just name him?) clueless is a little harsh, especially considered in the light of what OTHER CEOs have done.

For one thing, it makes it easier to keep earning miles, at least at the main airline that has lifetime status. AA Elites get 6000 miles a year just for doing 3 iDines each month (of any amount), whether they fly or not. Just that ALONE, on a lifetime elite status, can get you a free domestic coach flight (or one way transatlantic upgrade) every four years that you wouldn't get if you weren't lifetime elite for not necessarily more than a dozen or two bucks a months (for which you get served food, too!).

Keep in mind that probably a lot of the people who would want lifetime elite are people who are flying a lot on business for a while but later (either due to a change of jobs or retirement) won't be in that position any more, but they'll still want to get SOME benefits for the years where they were able to spend flying a lot on business. With airlines that don't have lifetime elite, the ONLY benefit you can carry over if you stopped flying a lot on business is any miles which you may have saved up.