United CFO Rainey Implies Certain Elites were "Over Entitled".
May 19, 2012, 1:04 pm
#106
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May 19, 2012, 1:04 pm
#107
Join Date: Jan 2003
Programs: American Airlines Platinum, National Executive
Posts: 3,790
US Airways used to have a senior management person like the United CFO (dissing his most loyal customers), Ben Baldanza. He now runs Spirit Airlines, I think.
May 19, 2012, 1:08 pm
#108
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May 19, 2012, 1:11 pm
#109
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Given Spirit's profitability, apparently there's lots of money to be made that way. Perhaps $misek has decided to emulate the Spirit customer service model.
May 19, 2012, 1:12 pm
#110
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: LHR (sometimes CLE, SFO, BOS, LAX, SEA)
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may be an overstatement but with the CFO's talk,
with UA Insider's explanation of upgrades, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18590619-post1532.html
the discussion chinatradermr had with Senior VP of Sales, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18585613-post236.html
the desired relationship of the new UA with it customers and elites is becoming clear.
While there had been much speculation, these instance are all painting a much clear situation -- a Brave New World.
with UA Insider's explanation of upgrades, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18590619-post1532.html
the discussion chinatradermr had with Senior VP of Sales, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18585613-post236.html
the desired relationship of the new UA with it customers and elites is becoming clear.
While there had been much speculation, these instance are all painting a much clear situation -- a Brave New World.
I don't get the sense that UA is deliberately driving away elite members. Rather, the occasional scary service interruptions that we're seeing seem to happen across the spectrum of frequent-flyer status.
- An infrequent traveler who holds a United credit card was denied the published benefit of being put on the upgrade waitlist, while a phone agent listened on in horror and later called him proactively to report that the agents had upgraded nonrevs instead of him -- http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18599672-post14.html, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18578835-post1.html
- A Global Services member had an award segment vanish from an itinerary and United could do nothing about it -- http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...disappear.html
- All F pax missed a snack because no one told the crew on a rare 737 sCO-operated LAX-SFO about the catering guidelines, so they treated the onboard snack baskets as "crew meal" and gave nothing to the F passengers - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18570062-post1.html
- A 1K member was IDB'd on a flight where the gate agent never solicited volunteers - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18545873-post1.html
- A Million Miler on a full-fare first class ticket was involuntarily downgraded and told "we would rather let someone who hasn't experienced united before a chance to fly in the BusinessFirst cabin than you", http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18229953-post1.html
- Everyone in the coach cabin of BRU-EWR missed a meal allegedly because the crew overslept, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18346543-post1.html
- An passenger (not sure about status) traveling on an international F award in three-cabin F was denied access to the LAX IFL, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18594560-post25.html
- A passenger (not sure about status) was randomly shuffled out of his confirmed seat next to his wife, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18560473-post6.html
- A Silver-status passenger on a full Y fare tried to upgrade a flight with miles, but it didn't clear in advance. Agents refused to add the passenger to the departure-management upgrade list and the passenger ended up flying in coach while there were empty seats in the front cabin, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ut-system.html
There's no rhyme or reason to this stuff. It's not like 1Ks are being singled out for mistreatment.
I do think that it was a mistake to get rid of "service recovery" (UA no longer apologizes with vouchers in the same way they used to) at the exact same time as the introduction of a bunch of new business processes which have caused travel disruptions. Especially for elites who were used to a meaningful "we're sorry", it could feel a bit like UA is tripping them and then kicking them while they're down.
May 19, 2012, 1:12 pm
#111
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Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_1_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B206 Safari/7534.48.3)
I feel entitled to EXP.
I feel entitled to EXP.
May 19, 2012, 1:13 pm
#112
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 251
This "over entitled" 1K just finished booking all of my travel through the end of July. On AA... I'll "re-qualify" EXP on July 25th most likely (78 days after my first AA flight) - that's about $30,000 that COdbaUA would have gotten if they'd just maintained PMUA's attitude and customer service.
It makes me sad that I've already given COdbaUA the revenue for >100K BIS miles this year. Oh well, such is life...
It makes me sad that I've already given COdbaUA the revenue for >100K BIS miles this year. Oh well, such is life...
May 19, 2012, 1:15 pm
#113
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I wish Jeff well on that one....
May 19, 2012, 1:20 pm
#114
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May 19, 2012, 1:24 pm
#115
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: DL plat
Posts: 318
I sent an email to AA with a link for the conference call and commended them for offering the status match. It's easy to complain about bad business but I felt I had to commend them on what I believe is a good business decision. I told AA that they should forward it to their marketing dept. Can you imagine what wonders a commercial would do for AA's business including that quote?? FT is small compared to the vast reach of television and all those MP members (who are more numerous that French citizens!!!!!!) (not for long) will start flocking to AA. Good for them
May 19, 2012, 1:24 pm
#116
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...writing to you from the DFW AAdmirals club, where I'm enjoying a tasty quesadilla that I happily purchased, appreciating my newly minted EXP status on AA, while waiting for my flight on which I'm upgraded (and wasn't asked to pay for it), where I'll be able to use wifi and eat decent food (relative to the competition)...
I think his honor Rainey might have a point, but look where I'm now spending my travel $$$...
I also agree with the others that even if he's thinking it, what an unprofessional thing to say.
Seems like a real tool.
I think his honor Rainey might have a point, but look where I'm now spending my travel $$$...
I also agree with the others that even if he's thinking it, what an unprofessional thing to say.
Seems like a real tool.
May 19, 2012, 1:24 pm
#117
Join Date: Jul 2005
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What I find funny is that when the new rules came out, 1K's were happy! Silvers and Golds got shafted but 1K's told us how great UA is! If the 1K flyers (which I was until 3 years ago) had joined forces with the Silvers, who got the major shaft! Now it's too late. UA is laughing at us!0
May 19, 2012, 1:25 pm
#118
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The only period during which these accolades were deserved was in the Bethune era.
After that, they milked their reputation for all it was worth, all the while ruthlessly gutting their soft product.
I will give them the credit, however, for being managing their image really well, for maximizing the positives and somehow always managing to bury the increasingly overwhelming negatives.
May 19, 2012, 1:26 pm
#119
Join Date: Dec 2009
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no matter the context or interpretation, not a way to "win friends and influence people." Not just a UA/CO issue but a societal customer service issue.(or lack thereof)
May 19, 2012, 1:31 pm
#120
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: SLC
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 493
Why would UaCo be excited about a 1K who achieves his status on the least expensive fares and then expects constant perks such as free upgrades, a dedicated CS line, and semi-official exemptions from fees and rules?
UaCo would just as soon fill those same seats with equally cheap kettles who expect nothing in return and might even occasionally spend some hard cash (even if only ToD's) to sit in FC. If a kettle needs to change a ticket, or do SDC, he or she is paying for it at full dollar value. If they want to sit in E+, they're paying for it, etc.