US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
Here is an email received from the morons at US Airways this morning:
Dividend Miles program changes
As part of our continuing efforts to provide valuable benefits to our frequent flyers, US Airways is making a change to our Dividend Miles program. We're making these changes to offset record fuel prices and rising airline related expenses while maintaining the benefits you've come to expect. Beginning May 1, 2008, Dividend Miles will award the actual number of miles flown rather than a minimum number of miles flown for each segment. Also, members who redeem miles for award travel within 14-days of departure on usairways.com will be assessed a quick ticketing fee. Here's a summary of the policy changes:
Accrual
Tickets purchased on/after March 1, 2008 for travel on US Airways on/after May 1, 2008 will earn the actual number of miles flown and will no longer earn a minimum of 500 miles per segment.
Tickets flown on partner airlines after May 1, 2008 will earn the actual number of miles flown.
Tickets purchased prior to March 1, 2008 will continue to earn the 500 mile minimum for travel after May 1, 2008. Accrual on flight segments greater than 500 miles in length are not impacted by this change.
Redemption
Members redeeming miles for award travel online within 14-days of departure will be assessed a quick ticketing fee of $50 per ticket.
A quick ticketing fee of $75 per award ticket will continue to apply for award tickets purchased from US Airways Reservations. Chairman's and Platinum Preferred members booking within 14-days (both online and by phone) are exempt from the fee.
Dividend Miles members still get award travel for as low as 25,000 miles. And, we offer the most generous Preferred upgrade windows in the industry. Earn miles when you fly to any of our 230 destinations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. You can also earn and redeem miles to the nearly 900 destinations served by the Star Alliance.
Thanks for continuing to fly with US. Not likely.
So once again, US chooses to penalize their most valuable high yield customers, and they choose not to go after the leisure market, as UA did. While distasteful, UA's move at least tries to get more revenue from people who traditionally pay less. US instead has found a new way to screw their best customers--those who provide some of the highest yields in the system.
They just handed shuttle customers to DL on a silver platter. Remember--Shuttle fares range from $400 to $600 in most cases, and BOS-PHL is around $800 or more.
Based on the emails I have received and the protests we have already heard of, I think there's gonna be a S***storm of protest over this one....and I will bet they will have no choice but to rescind the change before it takes effect.
Just when one thinks they could not do anything more stupid, they surprise you......
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
I got it too, and they make it like its a good thing they are doing....
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
Quote:
Originally Posted by Art at ISP
Just when one thinks they could not do anything more stupid, they surprise you......
i say that on a daily basis.
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
"Actual number of miles flown."
Someone should hold them to that. With the FAA's cockeyed routing and some circling action, BOS-LGA could add up to 500 "actual miles flown." :)
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
The two pairs of mergers should do well to finish the gig for US pretty soon at this rate.
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
Did you have to be an active DM Preferred member to get the e-mail? I got nothing in the e-mail...
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
Quote:
Originally Posted by GothamSpotter
"Actual number of miles flown."
Someone should hold them to that. With the FAA's cockeyed routing and some circling action, BOS-LGA could add up to 500 "actual miles flown." :)
HA HA HA HA HA!!!
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
I am neither active, nor do I believe I am preferred any more. My last flight on US was like in April or something.
I got the email, and am heading the campaign at FFOCUS to fight this with everything we've got.
For those who don't remember, it was a boneheaded move like this which gave birth to the US Cockroaches, who became FFOCUS...in fact the name change back then was at the request of US themselves in CCY at the time.
We have only begun to fight....
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
What an idiotic move! My God, are they that stupid over at US? Frequent fliers are the base of your entire network, you don't want to piss them off!
Have fun US FF, what you are earning 150 miles for your flights, I will be enjoying the 500 mile minimum/segment on NW :D
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
Quote:
Originally Posted by nwafan20
Have fun US FF, what you are earning 150 miles for your flights, I will be enjoying the 500 mile minimum/segment on NW :D
You mean Delta...?
*ducks*
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
Quote:
Originally Posted by adam613
Quote:
Originally Posted by nwafan20
Have fun US FF, what you are earning 150 miles for your flights, I will be enjoying the 500 mile minimum/segment on NW :D
You mean Delta...?
*ducks*
Not yet :D
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
Even more reason to travel Amtrak in the Northeast Corridor.
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
Quote:
Originally Posted by nwafan20
What an idiotic move! My God, are they that stupid over at US? Frequent fliers are the base of your entire network, you don't want to piss them off!
Have fun US FF, what you are earning 150 miles for your flights, I will be enjoying the 500 mile minimum/segment on NW :D
Does NW offer ELITE miles for the 500 also or just 500 miles regular flown?
AA does NOT offer elite mileage for the 500, just the actual miles flown, I have seen this on my short haul segments with AA.
Does or did US actually offer ELITE 500 miles minimum too?
Alex
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
Yes, the 500 is EQM (Elite Qualifying Mileage). So, even though my DTW-IAD flight is only 380ish miles each way, my total banked miles for the trip will be 1,000.
They also offer elite status by how many segments flown. That is a really great thing for people who do short jumps for business all the time like DTW-ORD, DTW-JFK, etc. It isn't even that hard to reach elite with the segments, all annually by the way.
Silver Elite: 30 segments or 25,000
Gold Elite: 60 segments or 50,000
Platinum Elite: 100 segments or 75,000
What is really nice is Platinum Elites are guaranteed upgrades on all domestic flights, or else you get 1,000 bonus miles. Not a half bad deal!
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
Damn, we need to do some talking to American Airlines LOL.
We only get 500 miles flown minimum for those short haul segments but only EQM for the actual miles flown. Shame really but oh well.
Alex
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
I just joined DM a few weeks ago, since US flies to DAB (again). I did not get an email from them mentioning the changes.
I may be flying them more often, even though I haven't flown US since they pulled out of DAB originally back in 1997.
Now that they are back, I will probably fly them again coming home from college if FL doesn't work out with the times.
Also want to try flying through CLT instead of ATL for a change.
The 500 mile minimum being thrown out seems like a first. I know DL hasn't done it...at least not completely. Why would US do this if no other competitors are doing it?
Re: US Trashes Dividend Miles--Eliminates the 500 mile minimum
JBAF,
That is the $64,000 question. They are doing it because they think it will save money. Basically US is the only major airline which is at war with its best customers. They have been nickel and diming us ever since the merger to cover up for lost revenue due to issues they could have fixed but didn't--like a deficient reservations system, operational issues just now being partially addressed, and failiure (or lack of desire) to agree to new labor contracts which could have provided some degree of savings.
The current team is a regional airline management trying to operate a major airline and failing miserably. So when costs go up, they don't have the guts to raise fares, so they take more from the customers.
As stated before, at least UA did something, while distasteful, is targeted at less frequent travelers, and those who usually contribute less to the bottom line. What US has done here is to again penalize the bread and butter passenger, who spends the most and provides the highest yields in the system.
I understand their email servers are near overload, and I think the backlash from this is going to be something much worse than they could have imagined in their worst nightmares--and basically it looks like all the other airlines will not match-they are happy to hang US out to dry.
I think Forrest Gump got it right---stupid is as stupid does.....
Time will tell, but this is one for the textbooks.
