Lindyhopper

DiaPlat - first, I think CP vs Gold depends on how much you are going to fly next year, and the types of planes you fly. Last year with 100 segments on Dash 8's and D328's it didn't make much difference at all. This year on trancons it has made a lot of difference.

If there is still time, I would get the Platinum visa, register for the double miles promo, and fly before 8/31 (which you might not be able to do).
Alternatively, there are some very attractive non-V fares (ie, upgradeable with your SWUs) to Europe in Nov/Dec.

Babu - Yes, on ocassion I have been asked about meals first. I don't know when this happens. One day, as I think is should, it went by who had actually paid for first first, and then CP, Gold .... Most of the time it seems to go by row.

SS255

I was also thanked once by a FA when I was a SP. The woman across the aisle from me was thanked (just as nicely) for being a CP. That was back in the "old days." I was also referred to by name by an FA when I was an NP (non-preferred), but had upgraded on a "Go First" fare.

Art234

I have often been thanked by flight attendants who have expressed their appreciation to me and my fellow CP's for our loyalty.

In one case, I was singled out by a captain who recognized me from a couple of his other flights, and thanked me for being a CP, and for my business. That was a true shock.

On 2 of my past 3 meal flights, the flight attendants asked me and a few other passengers for our meal selections before others--I assumed it was because of CP, but could have been that others were non revs.

Overall, it's the people who make the difference at US--and the Chairmans Desk is beyond great.

DEFINITELY go for CP!!



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IT'S THE FARES, STUPID!!

Regards,

Art at ISP

gulfcoastdave

Yes - have had GA and FA folks give a personal "thank you" for flying. The CP desk is top notch when things get tough!

kv99

I frequently get my first choice of meal, discreetly, on US, even though its not policy. On UA where it is policy, I frequently get skipped.

Four out of the last five flights, I've walked away with a bottle of champagne as well (but that's just because of my charming personality

And Art234 I also had a captain on a recent flight to CDG recognize me and thank me for my business...

hscottm

FWIW, while perhaps a nice touch, I dont see 'personal recognition on board' as a reason to go for CP.

Maybe I am just saying this because I have never been thanked ;-)

Once I was one of the only ones not thanked. Happened to be chatting to the FA while waiting to use the restroom and told her it was a nice touch. She said she 'made a point of thanking all the US2s, 3s, and 4s for all the flying they do'.

I noted 4s dont necessarily fly so much.

DiaPlatimonium Fun

Thanks for the input. After reading responses, I realized something I should have shared: I'm a newbie who's never flown FC (never tasted caviar, either). Coach has just been part of the commute. What I value most in preferred status really comes down to two things: more award travel and a guaranteed window seat in front of the wing - that's it!. I guess I'll go ahead and use some of those e-UGs to see what it's like up front before I decide whether it's worth a mileage run to get CP.

Think any applicable double miles towards pref promos might pop up after labor day?

Art234

Most of the FA's I speak with really appreciate us US1's. Why would your FA exclude US1's when we fly the most? Makes no sense.

To another point, the recognition and thanks isn't the reason we appreciate US1--the Chairman's Desk is a MAIN advantage. Try getting off a plane which sat on the taxiway for 2 and a half hours, turned back and cancelled, and 140 people were directed to a special services desk around the corner from the gate for rebooking...I dialed Chairmans and as I walked off the airplane my reaccomodation was completed. All I had to do was go to the new gate or the club and pick up a new boarding pass.

THAT makes a difference.



------------------
IT'S THE FARES, STUPID!!

Regards,

Art at ISP

CPRich

I will echo that comment. I showed up for a 7:30 LAX-PIT flight a few weeks ago, only to find "cancelled" on the board and a long line at the desk. As I heard the agent telling folks "flights are booked, next available is the red-eye" I dialed the CP line. I soon was running to terminal 4 to catch a 7:45 AA flight, and was home about 2 hours late.

777lvr

I hope that I am not beating a dead horse, but I went from GP to CP earlier this year and I must say that it has been a pleasant experience. Being a US CP really makes flying somewhat enjoyable. For starters, the upgrades, where available, are certainly a pleasure. It is quite liberating not to have to count or care about the number of miles that you are traveling or to question how many eups you have in your bank. Further, I have upgraded two companions before and I think they got put in first before some GP's.

Just this morning I called the CP liason because my flight on the shuttle left 4 hours after its scheduled flight time. They not only refunded my ticket but the ticket of my companion as well. I NEVER got that level of service with Delta. Granted, some of the planes are dirty and the IFE leaves MUCH to be desired but at the end of the day, CP has made a big difference in this new era of air travel that were are forced to reckon with.

Rose

Acheiving CP is all about service. Once, during a thunderstorm, I was waiting for my badly delayed flight when the rep called my name. She told me the flight was cancelled, and she had booked me in first class on the first flight out the next day. Then she made the general announcement, and I was off finding a cab while everyone else lined up. Another time, an agent in Mexico upgraded me, my husband and our son even though we were travelling on award tickets.

nawlinsdoc

I was sitting on a plane that hadn't left the gate yet from BWI on my way to MSY. After about an hour, the captain announced the flight was canceled due to some malfunction. Without getting up from my seat, I called the CP desk from my cell, and was booked on a UA flight E+ from Dulles to MSY a little later. When I was walking out to ground transportation, I saw a line of about 150 people waiting in line to get rebooked or whatever they did. I felt lucky as hell I was a CP.

hscottm

Art - my fault for being creatively vague. The FA had the wrong idea about how the numbering goes - Ie thought CP was US4. ;-) She was a bit embarrased when I let her know the difference - especially when she said she had been using that method for 6 months!

jetsetter

I too have always wondered about this question because I have been Gold off and on for the past 10 years. In 2004 I became Chairman for the first time and was very eager to see the differences.

The Good:
*You go to the top of upgrade lists, and airport standby lists. Note, US does not publish the fact you go to the top of the standby list. This means that in either a voluntary or involuntary change you are the first people to be cleared on to a full flight. I remember one flight this summer that I changed to at the last minute and literally got the last seat on the plane and it was a window not even a center! If any standby is going to be cleared in to either Y or F, its likely to be you...the CP. This largely elliminates the "where am I on that standby list," because 99% of the time, your on top!;
*Usually your call is answered with in 3 minutes calling the CP desk, even during a blizard or major thunderstorms. During normal ops, calls are usually answered with in 1 minute. Waits for general and Gold members can exceed 15-30 minutes. Also the CP line is locked and requires account number and pin;
*There are a few airport and cabin employees that really appreciate CP's and will go the extra mile and/or thank you, but they are diminishing. But if you fly a lot, you will once in a while find them. I won't post specific examples publically since as far as I know management does not want any special recognition or favors or consideration to go to CP members even though we are the bread and butter of the company from what I can tell. This typically involves either schedule changes, involuntary reroutes, or even voluntary reroutes. The most interesting part of the whole equation is how are voluntary reroutes handled;
*Being CP is the only way you'll get complimentary international transatlantic upgrades without having to use miles (DMUTA4 certificates). You'll get 4 per CP year. You can also request row 1 (sleeper seats) on the A330 fleet. This is a nice benefit very similar to a covetted "double upgrade." Golds/Silvers no longer get any complimentary intl upgrades and must use miles, and can only reserve row 1 sleeper seats maybe if left at the gate or if paying a full fare or having a key corporate account designation;

The Bad:
*I have never gotten any special voluntary change waiver or help from the CP desk. At least during nights and weekends, the CP desk calls get routed to regular Gold Pref reservations which is just a light on the reps phone. I wish I knew the hours the "real" CP desk was open. Often even when you get a CP rep, and ask a moderate or complicated question, they have to look in to it which involves hold time. Usually this involves a DM question where the rep has to call the DM service center. There is not an easy way for a CP member to directly contact DM service center except via email. Also I don't think CP reps are specially empowered to do things that regular res cannot do. For example, when a flight is under airport control (which I have seen happen just about 1 hour before) I have had a situation where they could not put me on it. Another example is US's new policy requiring res to reissue rather than just revalidate changeable tickets. When a reissue is done, it both takes time to get processed, and if you were checked in even for an unchanged flight the check in status will be lost. Most of the time the CP desk still follows these policies. It is my impression that a CP agent has to go to a supervisor to get anything waived rather than being individually empowered to work with the customer? Also as CP, I have had to ask about routing on other carriers, they didn't volunteer that service initially. One time, for the first time, I asked the CP Desk (again not sure if real or overflow call center) to waive the $50 DMX132 (fly 3 get 1 freee) re-routing fee. I felt this was at least a little justified since I think CP members get free redeposit of mileage based awards. As much as saving $50, I was very interested to see how the CP Desk would react to this first request of mine to waive something. The person went to their supervisor, and said they could not waive it. I could understand this if I had gotten a lot of waivers before, but even though I am probably a jaded traveler, I was surprised in a bad way that even this first CP Desk waiver request got so summarily shot down as a CP. I would figure they'd give you at least 1 or 2 free bee's out of a concern for customer relations;
*In some stations they close the door of flights 5-10 minutes before departure even if a CP is checked in and it is the last flight of the night. I could see not delaying a flight more than 1-5 minutes after scheduled departure, but closing it early when they have CP check in is disconcertting, and then at the same time they don't offer to pay for hotel. This happens because of station managements obsession with on time, and cost cuts. Your mileage may vary from station to station, airlines are very decentralized operations. Perhaps you'll have better luck with small commuter Express stations. It is of course namely an issue on the last flight of the night;
*When you have a complaint or issue, recently, many personell will not go the extra mile to help you even if you are CP. Agents and front line supervisors are probably afraid of losing their jobs, and the pay cuts and low morall in the company probably directly relate to this. This relates both to giving out compensation, and even offering to personally call the pax later on to discuss resolution of the issue. E.g. many supervisors don't get to know there customers personally and build relationships as would happen more 10 years ago. Stations are limited, at least officially, to providing $25 travel vouchers and this is not increased for CP members. However, you might get better treatment on US Express subsidiaries because those are independent companies and they seem to have more latitude than main line US. You will run in to some people who will go out of their way to help you, and others that will brush you off (but it might be because of their management as opposed to them wanting too). I have not noticed much difference with this going from Gold to CP. I get the sense that some employees feel forced by management to put US's policies before pleasing customers. Ten years ago I think there was more an emphasiss on pleasing customers, and policies took a back seat sometimes. While management might see dollar signs by rigidly enforcing policies, it is difficult to measure the impact if customers are unhappy with these policies. The customer might actually buy more from a company who is flexible with them.

In conclusion Chairman's has some solid benefits as noted above. However, US has put in a number of policies that can make travel more difficult for customers particularly if someone was around flying during the "good ol days." US is renound for taking care of its customers during schedule changes and other iregular operations, and the "double upgrade" is a US exclusive! However, if you fly on "roach fares," and need to make changes you may not notice that US is more liberal with you as a CP than when you were a mere Gold. Can you say, fees? This may impact you more if you are primarily paying for your own travel as opposed to if you just whip out the corporate plastic. Also some flyers might have in the back of their mind that it was US Airways that first introduced phrases like standby fee, and "use it or lose it," to the noman clature of flying in America, even for CP's which based on the law of averages fly evry week.

But I don't regret going for Chairman, it was mostly fun getting there, and I have requallified in 2004 per the standard miles/segments. I'm still not sure in 2005 whether I'll go for CP again, or strive for UA 1K. I guess it'll depend on which airline I think will be more liberal with customers , but good luck trying to figure that one out because it probably depends just who you get and UA too has eelliminated its free same day confirmed changes for the top 2 levels of their program. I might also say that if you fly an airline where they are an "underdog" in your city, you might get treated better because they really locally *want* to earn your trust and business. But if you live in a hub where any airline has a lot of nonstops, they might think your business has been earned just based on their size in that city. So your experience, no matter who you fly, is going to vary a lot depending on what stations you use and the internal employee/management workings and culture of said station no matter what airline we're talking about. To paraphrase from Animal Farm, all stations are equal, but some are more customer service oriented than others .

LuxCal

Is this really true? If so, it's a new development. I'm GP, and I've been upgraded internationally twice in the last four months or so (once to row 1!).

Just out of curiosity, did you really look through a year's worth of threads to find this one, which hasn't seen any activity since August 2003...?