red priority tags (and blankets)
Jun 2, 2009 | 1:59 am
#1
Original Poster
Moderator, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles & Accor ALL
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: BRU
Programs: TK*G, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 8,225
red priority tags (and blankets)
Well you learn something new every day. Those little red priority tags cost *A members $ 600,000. Pity that they still don't have any impact on baggage delivery, at least on most of my recent trips on BD, LH, LX, UA or US. Or maybe now that the tags are cheaper so is the baggage handling.
From ATW:
From ATW:
Star: Alliance's growth, innovation continue to attract attention
Monday June 1, 2009
Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht said he sees a "renewed and more aggressive" interest in the alliance from member airlines as well as from nonallied carriers owing to the recession and industry downturn.
"We have seen a similar trend after 9/11. Our members are keener to find or participate in initiatives in the area of cost savings and synergies," he told ATWOnline last week at the Aegean Airlines joining event in Athens (ATWOnline, May 27). Recent projects include sourcing of the priority bag tag by Star for 14 members, reducing the collective bill from $600,000 per year to $90,000 with savings of up to 90% for some participating airlines.
The alliance received a similar mandate from members to source onboard blankets, which now are bought from one Chinese manufacturer although airlines maintain their own specifications and designs.
The network, revenue and cost savings benefits also are attracting more carriers to the world's largest alliance, Albrecht claimed, adding that "many candidates do contact us. Initially it was very difficult to recruit candidates." The fact that Star, oneworld and SkyTeam account for three-quarters of global traffic proves "that we were right, 12 years ago, to establish an alliance. Many were very critical of the idea and many have been equally critical of a lot of the initiatives we have taken, yet many have followed our example. Look at the recent decision of oneworld and SkyTeam, ten years later than we did, to have aircraft with their alliance livery" (ATW, February 2008).
Albrecht said he sees a similar shift in mentality "from push to pull" at other stakeholders, like corporate account holders and airports. "Several years ago, airports were not interested in talking to us. Now, often they take the initiative to talk to us. Co-location was an annoyance, now they regard it as a more rational distribution of space."
He dismissed criticism that Star, with 21 full members, three regional members and five confirmed future members, is becoming too large and unmanageable. "We started with five, grew to ten and today we have over 20 members. It's an evolution, and we had to rethink several times the way we do business and how to remain relevant. We are in the process of a new analysis of our corporate governance" that will be announced "soon" he said.
Star, however, will not announce soon another future member, he added. He confirmed that the alliance has held talks with Air Malta, which some sources mention as a future associate, as well as other carriers, "but there are no new application talks going on right now."
Aegean, Air India, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines and TAM all are set to come onboard. Once they complete their respective integration processes, which are in different stages, the Star network will encompass 26 carriers and three regional members (Adria Airways, Blue1 and Croatia Airlines) operating some 21,000 daily flights on a network spanning 1,010 destinations in 176 countries. Presently the network offers close to 17,000 daily flights to 916 destinations in 160 countries.
by Cathy Buyck
Monday June 1, 2009
Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht said he sees a "renewed and more aggressive" interest in the alliance from member airlines as well as from nonallied carriers owing to the recession and industry downturn.
"We have seen a similar trend after 9/11. Our members are keener to find or participate in initiatives in the area of cost savings and synergies," he told ATWOnline last week at the Aegean Airlines joining event in Athens (ATWOnline, May 27). Recent projects include sourcing of the priority bag tag by Star for 14 members, reducing the collective bill from $600,000 per year to $90,000 with savings of up to 90% for some participating airlines.
The alliance received a similar mandate from members to source onboard blankets, which now are bought from one Chinese manufacturer although airlines maintain their own specifications and designs.
The network, revenue and cost savings benefits also are attracting more carriers to the world's largest alliance, Albrecht claimed, adding that "many candidates do contact us. Initially it was very difficult to recruit candidates." The fact that Star, oneworld and SkyTeam account for three-quarters of global traffic proves "that we were right, 12 years ago, to establish an alliance. Many were very critical of the idea and many have been equally critical of a lot of the initiatives we have taken, yet many have followed our example. Look at the recent decision of oneworld and SkyTeam, ten years later than we did, to have aircraft with their alliance livery" (ATW, February 2008).
Albrecht said he sees a similar shift in mentality "from push to pull" at other stakeholders, like corporate account holders and airports. "Several years ago, airports were not interested in talking to us. Now, often they take the initiative to talk to us. Co-location was an annoyance, now they regard it as a more rational distribution of space."
He dismissed criticism that Star, with 21 full members, three regional members and five confirmed future members, is becoming too large and unmanageable. "We started with five, grew to ten and today we have over 20 members. It's an evolution, and we had to rethink several times the way we do business and how to remain relevant. We are in the process of a new analysis of our corporate governance" that will be announced "soon" he said.
Star, however, will not announce soon another future member, he added. He confirmed that the alliance has held talks with Air Malta, which some sources mention as a future associate, as well as other carriers, "but there are no new application talks going on right now."
Aegean, Air India, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines and TAM all are set to come onboard. Once they complete their respective integration processes, which are in different stages, the Star network will encompass 26 carriers and three regional members (Adria Airways, Blue1 and Croatia Airlines) operating some 21,000 daily flights on a network spanning 1,010 destinations in 176 countries. Presently the network offers close to 17,000 daily flights to 916 destinations in 160 countries.
by Cathy Buyck
Jun 2, 2009 | 12:23 pm
#3
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: HKG
Programs: Marriott Ambassador (Titanium Lifetime), BA GfL, EK Gold, HH Diamond, Ex-BD*G
Posts: 3,736
Interesting post, thanks for the info. That must be a lot of priority tags (and have a similar experience where they are often treated as a distraction rather than an instruction to load/offload first :P
Jun 2, 2009 | 1:58 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 574
Yep, even at the reduced price the priority tags are a complete waste of $90k. The only place they ever work is Japan -- and there ALL the bags come out fast anyway.
UA's strategy with cost savings on blankets seems to be simply not to have any (or nearly enough). Laundered blankets are a severely endangered species.
UA's strategy with cost savings on blankets seems to be simply not to have any (or nearly enough). Laundered blankets are a severely endangered species.
Jun 2, 2009 | 2:32 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: London, UK
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Posts: 8,156
Yep, even at the reduced price the priority tags are a complete waste of $90k. The only place they ever work is Japan -- and there ALL the bags come out fast anyway.
UA's strategy with cost savings on blankets seems to be simply not to have any (or nearly enough). Laundered blankets are a severely endangered species.
UA's strategy with cost savings on blankets seems to be simply not to have any (or nearly enough). Laundered blankets are a severely endangered species.
Jun 2, 2009 | 3:31 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: YUL, BKK, VLC
Programs: Aeroplan E75
Posts: 617
Priority handling of luggage is pretty well respected in BKK and CDG (at least at 2A). In YUL from int'l flights it generally works.
Transiting often in BKK, CDG or YUL, for me the tags are not wasted at all!
Transiting often in BKK, CDG or YUL, for me the tags are not wasted at all!
Jun 2, 2009 | 4:21 pm
#7
Senior Moderator, Moderator: Community Buzz and Ambassador: Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners)
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Location: 150km from MAN
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Of the two airports I use most often, red priority tags always work at NRT and never at MAN.
Jun 7, 2009 | 9:54 am
#9
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Colorado
Programs: United -1K, Emirates, China Southern, AA
Posts: 17
Priority tags mean nothing at US airports, especially Dulles and Chicago. My bags are typically in the last 25% of the total when flying into either of these major hubs from overseas on United flights. On Turkish Airlines however, they mean first out and on the belt.
Jun 8, 2009 | 1:55 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Manchester, UK
Programs: BA; IHG, HH
Posts: 965
LHR domestic - see if we can make them last off the belt
LHR international - mixed
AMS - mixed - once saw them put on the luggage "train" tractor unit instead of with the rest, and sure enough, they popped off first. Other times not a successful
At all the rest I was either too tired to care, or I didn't notice!
LHR international - mixed
AMS - mixed - once saw them put on the luggage "train" tractor unit instead of with the rest, and sure enough, they popped off first. Other times not a successful
At all the rest I was either too tired to care, or I didn't notice!
Jun 14, 2009 | 7:50 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Generally PHX
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP, TG Gold, Starwood Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 413
Sometime last year, a UA check-in agent at SFO told me that they no longer used the priority tags - but were now printing 'PRIORITY' on the baggage tags itself. And with the reverse printed PRIORITY (White letters on black background), it did seem to work in most places.
Also, it seemed to me that the Red Tag works better in Asia, then other parts of the world.
Also, it seemed to me that the Red Tag works better in Asia, then other parts of the world.
Jun 14, 2009 | 3:07 pm
#13
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Reading, UK
Programs: BA Silver, IHG Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 666
I suspect the red tags only work for those in the premium classes - and *G in Y is treated as normal. The secret is in the barcode - not the tag.
As a *G, but Y class only traveller, I have never received my luggage as priority, even when the first bags off are priority.
As a *G, but Y class only traveller, I have never received my luggage as priority, even when the first bags off are priority.
Jun 14, 2009 | 6:24 pm
#14
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Helsinki
Programs: AY Platinum, IHG Gold, Diners
Posts: 1,299
I suspect the red tags only work for those in the premium classes - and *G in Y is treated as normal. The secret is in the barcode - not the tag.
As a *G, but Y class only traveller, I have never received my luggage as priority, even when the first bags off are priority.
As a *G, but Y class only traveller, I have never received my luggage as priority, even when the first bags off are priority.
Jun 14, 2009 | 7:28 pm
#15
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 574
I suspect the red tags only work for those in the premium classes - and *G in Y is treated as normal. The secret is in the barcode - not the tag.
As a *G, but Y class only traveller, I have never received my luggage as priority, even when the first bags off are priority.
As a *G, but Y class only traveller, I have never received my luggage as priority, even when the first bags off are priority.
