PineyBob

Us Airways has been given a great deal of "flak" over the changes to Dm and it's approach to elites. We hear that other companies do better in this regard and here is one example:

Subject: Your Marriott Rewards Elite Membership xxx-xxx-xxx
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:33:40 -0700
From: [email protected]
To: PINEYBOB


Dear Robert,
As a Platinum Elite member of the Marriott Rewards program, we value your business as well as your opinion. We've noticed you've not stayed with us in recent months as often as you had in the past. If there is anything we can do to better meet your needs or improve the program for you, or if there is a reason you're staying with us less than you had in the past please reply to this email to let us know. If you prefer to call instead feel free to do so at your convenience by dialing 1-800-442-9929. We hope to hear from you soon.
Thank You,
Jennifer xxxxxxx
Marriott Rewards

Now the above stands in stark contrast to US Airways approach. Many on here and elsewhere have left or will leave in February. Have ANY of you that have left gotten any correspondence from US Airways that you didn't initiate?

Not talking about the e-saver, e-statements, DM promotions etc. I'm talking about anything that would demonstrate they know you exist beyond your DM number?

If, as I suspect the answer is no then I'd really like to know just how the expect to stay in business. When you ignore your best customers ultimately they will ignore you by flying some one else and last time I looked the pool of road warriors isn't growing all that fast.

I guees we'll be adding US to the list of failed carriers soon enough

lougord99

Do you really think that Marriott will do anything with your reply? Yea, it's good PR, but I don't believe that this letter is 'Marriott doing it better'.

fcn2121

PineyBob,
I have been checking this forum once in a while and it is definitely not the same anymore. I have been hoping for US management to finally see the light, but this does not seem to be happening. I have one more paid flight on this now sad airline and I am done. I still accumulated approximately 110k EQM's for this calender year to get me Chairmans' through 02/2010. Fortunately for all the Silvers', Golds' and Platinums', I will not take away any of their hard earned upgrades anymore. I have now given up and I wish all of US Airways' employees the best for the future. Having been preferred since 1995 and CP for the past 5 years this company does not value my business nor the thousands of dollars of business I steered towards them on a regular basis. I just hope for the 35000+ employees of this company that the drop in oil prices saves this company from going under. I have met flight crews on my recent trip to SJU that know you very well and I heard good things about you. Being a cockroach just like myself, I want to thank you for the efforts. All I need to do now is burn the last few thousand miles on award travel and I will cut all ties. I am not mad, upset or disgusted with US Airways...I am sad. Wishing everybody well....

me4yankees

Marriott may not be doing it better, but at least they noticed and appear interested in the drop in bookings from PineyBob!

I dropped from CP in 2007 to Plat in 2008 to Silver for 2009 and no one from US has sent me a note asking why I have stopped booking flights. Asking why is the first step in good customer relations.

spin88

In fairness, I think that its more like Merriott is above average in this respect (and i would put my starwood treatment heads and shoulders above any airline program), not that US lags somehow.

E.g. Three years ago I switched from CO back to UA. 2006 I flew 110K on CO, 2007 it was 26K, and nearly all of that on NW or DL. (this year its 7K on CO and 145K on UA so far). Note I usually buy a B or Y fare, and if not that an H. I don't buy cheap tickets. Yet, Nothing, nada, etc, from them.

Just not sure that US is lagging here...

me4yankees

After all US has done in the past three years to run their best customers off, how can anyone say US is not lagging!?

Perhaps the hotel/airline comparison is not one that should be made, but US is definitely lagging behind most of the other legacy and low-cost carriers when it comes to both product, service, and value.

And US should care where their best customers are going. The one or twice a year leisure travelers will not pay what loyal customers do.

PineyBob

Well then you know little about customer retention. What the e-mail showed was that someone, somewhere was watching their elites and it is merely good business to reach out to a customer who hasn't stayed in one of your properties for 90 days and ask "What's Wrong?? Did we screw up"?

It's the little things that often make the difference. Way back when I sold for Xerox Business Services we were working on a huge Outsourcing deal and my contact mentioned that the CIO (decision maker) loved cookies. I'd meet with him a few times and the last meeting I had before the final presentation I bought a $1.98 tin of butter cookies. You would have thought I'd gifted him a set of Golf Clubs. We became much friendlier and 30 days later I got my largest order in my 15 year selling career. Little things matter ALOT!

But since US Airways can't measure the above on a Spreadsheet and their precious "Metrics" they will NEVER get it.

ArizonaRoadWarrior

In the real world, the good companies keep track of their customers in a CRM software solution. Knowing your customers is vital. In my company, all of the 100+ sales reps know their top 20 customers, how much they spent with the company for the past three years, reports are run to see if their revenues are dropping off and etc.

CPRich

If paying attention to your customers, watching their behavior, and proactively reaching out to them to uderstand changes and look for improvements isn't "doing it better" than simply ignoring you (as US does), I'd like to understand your definition of good customer management.

I received a similar letter, noticing my lack of stays, and offering me an accelerated path to renew my PLT membership. I quickly moved back over (there weren't enough travel days left to hit the 75, but there were enough to hit what they offered me). So they got my business back, and an appreciation for them recognizing me. No, I don't think Bill M looked at my account a said "holy &^&*, CPRich isn't staying with us". Just the fact that they thought about, and installed the automation needed to notice these patterns tells me they have a focus on customers".

All I ever got from US for 15 years of 100K+/year, now down to just squeezing past the 30K mark was, well, nothing. Oh, a piece of paper with Million Mile Flyer on it. Woohoo.

here2thereinAZ

7 year CP here. Silver this year. SQUAT next year. As they have disintegrated and my commitment to helping them survive has disintegrated, I have heard nothing from US. But, I still get their spam...so they know precisely where I am.

I learned almost 2 years ago that the reason we don't her from them is because they have no intention of improving either their culture, their business model, or their ability to stay in business.

Doesn't bother me one bit because when they disappear, my flying patterns will have their disappearance have no effect on me. I haven't flown them on a paid ticket in about 10 months. And, I have even found that burning miles and flying free is very low value with US. Flew to SEA 5 days ago on a paid AS ticket because I couldn't bear the thought of over 2 hours on a US aircraft at no cost.