Life_Platinum

I just got my Dear John letter from the Ambassador Club, and like AH-64D I am quite dissapointed as had chosen TWA as my carrier of choice after purchasing a Family Life Ambassador Club Membership and achieving their Life Platinum status a number of years ago. For me the Ambassador Club has been one of the major reasons for flying TWA, as it has allowed me to maximize my flying on TW even though many routes had been inconvenient. Even though I have owned other Club Memberships, I have not used them as TW was able to provide me comfortable, safe and a very envoyable experience.

I have started to evaluate which airlines would give me the best experiences and one is CAL. I would be grateful if 2 Million Miler would tell me why he has chosen CAL over the pack.

Tango

Just wondering if you would be happy if AA gave you lifetime access only to the airports where TWA had lounges??????

AH-64D

Tango, I would be happy with your suggestion.
Gleff, look like UA will be my airlines of choice.

2 Many Miles, your assumption about AA is wrong in more than one way. If AA is trying to maximize revenue then they should be copying Southwest. Porsche tried to cater to the big spenders and almost gone into bankruptcy. Now, they are trying to make SUV. If AA really loves big spender they would have cross check my TWA Platinum with my Ambassador Club membership and beg me to spend time in their club.

freakflyer

Life_Platinum,

Do you really want to switch airlines? I would assume that you have accumulated over 2 million miles, and if American does honor the lifetime miles then you will be a lifetime platinum member on American. This will give you double miles, access to lounges on international itineraries, preferred seats, etc. forever (well, as you have learned, for as long as the airline is around and their program is around). Do you want to start from scratch with another airline or try to rearn the loyalty each year?

I too am losing my lifetime TWA card and I am quite disappointed. However I have more than earned back the cost of the original lifetime fees (which almost is what American charges for a yearly fee to new members!).

Good luck on your decision making.

FF

Life_Platinum

FreakFlyer-I was deeply disappointed by AA's decision not to purchase the assets of the Ambassador Club including their members. I still remain optomistic that AA will discover this is a major marketing mistake, and welcome us to the Admirals Club. When I choose TWA, one of the reasons for that choice was their Ambassador Club was at most of the cities to which I frequently flew. However, I also purchased other Clubs including one that I have a Family Life Membership. Some of the airlines have introductory programs to attract their competitors' best customers, so transferring my TWA status of Life_Platinum to one of these would result in me not starting all over again. All I would need to do is to maintain my current level of flying.

I also am fortunate that my wife flies almost as I on business, and although she is not a Life_Platinum on TWA, she is pretty close, and again already has qualified for an Elite 1. Hence our situation my be different from yours in that we do have other Life Airline Club Memberships, and both of us have a hefty amount of miles in our accounts.

If I were to make the break from TWA, this would be the time for me to do it, especially since so many of those fine employees who have looked after us for all those years will be retired or working part-time on odd shifts. We previously had brought more of our business to TWA when Western was bought out by Delta, and

2 Many Miles

AH-64D --

I must admit that I don't know you. Please don't take any of this personally, but I just can't get my mind around someone who already spends a fair amount of money on travel switching alliances because a company he's never shown any loyalty to won't honor a benefit that they never promised him.

TWA Elites have shown loyalty to TWA, not to AA. Why should AA reward them based on that. Are you telling me that if AA gave you lifetime AC membership, you'd be as loyal to AA as you were to TWA? What if AA slashes service to your local airport by 50% because they decide the TWA routes there were a network planning mistake in light of the larger AA network? Would you still be loyal to AA based on the fact they gave you lifetime AC membership?

If you really spend so much money on travel, you should be using this as a chance to evaluate ALL the airline programs out there and see which benefits/routes/pricing structures give you the best deal. To make the decision just based on lounge access strikes me as silly.

Life_Platinum --

In your post, you say "I was deeply disappointed by AA's decision not to purchase the assets of the Ambassador Club including their members" Unfortunately, the members are a liability, not an asset. An asset is something with value. A liability is a corporate obligation. The members are a liability, not an asset. They are something AA has to spend money maintaining -- in the case of lifetime members, for a very long time.

Life_Platinum

2 Many Miles: In my view, members of any airline club are some of the most frequent business travelers. No airline would be willing to sell their lists of their club members to another, although I think it is very likely that all airlines would like the lists of the members of their competitors clubs. If an airline is trying to market to business travelers because of the expensive fares they buy, wouldn't they like the lists of their competitors? Sure there is a liability of absorbing the members of the Ambassador Club into the Admirals Club, but there also are potential long range gains. That is why airlines have offered club members of the airline their were injesting into their own club.

Sagy

Just my $0.02.

2 Many Miles, is the glass half empty or half full? Using your argument, the current customers of any business that provides service or support (from car dealers to software companies) are liabilities (from accounting point of view this may be true). However, we all know that it is easier to sell to an existing client (especially if he is a satisfied) as compared to finding and selling to a new customer (too many times you can’t even get through the door).

What AA has done in this case was to turn a satisfied customer (AH-64D) into a dissatisfied customer due to a reasonable request ("give me access to your lounges in airports TWA used to have lounges.") AA is under no obligation to accommodate this request, but in refusing they lose a lot of good will and as a result a likely to spend a lot more money (compared to the cost of access to AC) to find a customer that will replace the revenue that AH-64D and alike would have provided.


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Sagy

AH-64D

2 Many Miles, I used to fly for two years PHX-ATL on TWA instead of Delta for almost 30% more in cost. I do it because I can. AA bought out TWA operation and they should take care of TWA best customers. Why should I continue to fly AA if they treat me wrong? I fly mostly full fare business and first so service comparison between airlines is a moot point. Lounge access is not an issue here because I can get in on my full fare business or first class ticket. It is silly that you can not see the different. What AA and you can not see is that I have instructed my department to never travel on AA if they can help it.

freakflyer

AH

You wrote:

It doesn't sound like YOU purchased these full fare tickets at a 30% premium over a non-stop flight, but rather your company did, or your clients. I would not be advertising this fact that you are spending 30% more not of your money just to collect some miles. AND you may have spent up to twice the travel time getting there, which you may have also billed to your clients or company. Sorry, I have no compassion here. And I also do not know of any domestic carriers (though there may be some!) that give you club access for full fare domestic fares.

ff

AH-64D

ff,

As President and CEO of my company, yes I BOUGHT these tickets. May be some day, if you hit the lottery, you will understand the luxury of being a President of a company. My department is every one that report directly to me. I don't want to micro manage every one else in my company.

If you buy a full fare coach on TWA, they will bump you to first class via their Y-UP ticket. Then you will have lounge access for free on the day of travel.

Cut the jealousy and lets get back to the issue at hand.

Djlawman

So (if I understand the argument, and I think I do) AA should give you free lifetime AC access to retain your business because you are a very frequent flyer? And if they fail to do so, you will walk and go to another airline?

Well, doesn't this same argument apply to ALL of AA's frequent flyers. Shouldn't they give them ALL free lifetime AC access to retain their business? Otherwise, they "Might" lose their business? Or maybe just to any FF who threatens to leave and take his business to another airline?

I fail to see how or why you should be distinguished from any other AA frequent flyer whose business AA should want to keep.

It's too bad that you paid for a lifetime club membership with TWA, but (and I may be repeating myself here) that money did not go to AA.

Djlawman

sdix

My TWA LIfetime member plaque hangs proudly on my office wall next to my Pan Am and Western plaques. Never got one from Delta or AA so perhaps they will survive!

dave99

An FT posting for got me to make a copy of my Pan Am Lifetime Clipper Club Card (and my spouse's) and to fax them to Delta last month. I should have done it ten or so years ago, but our brand new comp lifetime Crown Room Club cards are spiffy. Thanks FT.

[This message has been edited by dave99 (edited 08-30-2001).]

freakflyer

Rumor is that some people have used that same trick successfully with old Eastern cards, getting lifetime Continental President's club cards. Certainly worth a stamp.