Changes in First Class Catering?

[USFlyer]

You got it Piney. When is the last time US sent an email like the one I posted above? I've had status on UA for about a week and you wouldn't believe the emails they send thanking customers and showing appreciation. To some this may seem silly, but when people believe that their buisness is appreciated, you do even sillier things like pay $1700 to go to FAT.

For a company that is so concerned about fares and costs, their current model gives greater rewards to people who buy cheap tickets and they ignore the high fare biz traveler.

I get an e-mail from US about every 6 weeks (apart from the monthly statement). Are you sure your spam blocker isn't blocking the e-mail?

 

[US1YFARE]

I get an e-mail from US about every 6 weeks (apart from the monthly statement). Are you sure your spam blocker isn't blocking the e-mail?

read the email from UA. the emails i get from US are not about appreciation directed to an elite member--they are about promotions and offers. The context of the UA email is very different than what we see on US.

And, Bear, please, we are sending in receipts showing our bookings on other carriers. Nothing is stopping us. Although I will admittedly be unsuccessful with a total boycott of US because I am in PHL, I can send the vast majority of my business, particularly high fare flights, to another carrier.

 

[AstroLounge]

T o the employees of this airline that are "hell bent" on defending P*ss Poor decision making (when THEY ever get around to making them.......duh Coke/Pepsi, F'n Jury is STILL OUT) attacking the FFlyers that supported BOTH airlines in difficult times is ludicrous. The POINT that the FFLyers are trying to get across is D-E-F-I-N-E your product (is their F/C or isn't there), when you tell me Low Cost are you LOW FARE or down right CHEAP w/ NO FRILLS? Expecting these customers to merely show up and give you their business with a level of service that changes like the weather is REALLY asking a helluva lot of them. (Many employees want to remind the traveller of ALL the pay and benefit concessions that were taken over the years and expected THEM to listen but ALL of a sudden THEIR concerns get turned into THEIR PROBLEM!) :down:

 

[Bear96]

And, Bear, please, we are sending in receipts showing our bookings on other carriers. Nothing is stopping us. Although I will admittedly be unsuccessful with a total boycott of US because I am in PHL, I can send the vast majority of my business, particularly high fare flights, to another carrier.

Great! I hope you have found true love and happiness. Really. 🙂 Mean it. Seriously.

But wait a mo' -- ummm, if what you are saying is true, and the "vast majority" of your business now goes elsewhere, then why are you here loudly wailing away about every little change coming down the pike? You know -- since you have already take your business elsewhere and all.

(BTW, other airlines serve PHL. Yes, they might involve a change of planes. But since USAirways has such bad service at such rip-off prices, as we keep reading here, it seems like a minor trade-off. It's that "choice" thing again. Even in PHL, no one is holding a gun to your head forcing you to fly ol' U.)

...D-E-F-I-N-E your product (is their F/C or isn't there)

There is no First Class by any reasonable definition of the term.

when you tell me Low Cost are you LOW FARE or down right CHEAP w/ NO FRILLS?

Downright cheap with no frills.


Any other questions, post them here.

 

[Travelpro72]

I think the bottom line here is that US charges the same for their F/C seat as other carriers yet offers much less as far as service. If you can travel F/C on any other carrier in a given market, why would you choose US when you can choose another with better service. I as a us east f/a feel that our f/c product on domestic is minimal at best besides the snack basket. Lower the F/C fares to match the service provided. Sure none of the perks in F/C have to be provided but the point is that others do for a price in the same ballpark as ours. If we are truly a LCC let the F/C fares reflect it to match the service. It's silly. If you have two movie theatres next door to each other and they both charge $12.00 for a VIP seat why would you give the business to the theatre next door that is not renovated and has the old bench seats? That gives our FF's a legit excuse to be PO'd.

 

[Twicebaked]

It a cold turkey pastrami sandwich folks!!!!! It's not a gourmet meal. Most people pick it apart or pass on it all together and complain about it. Now that they are trying to take them away (somewhat)you are not happy either. Get rid of first class altogether and charge Southwest prices. Will that make you happier??? Dumb topic....I'm done.

 

[Whatnow?]

Dumb topic....I'm done.

True.....kinda like beating a dead horse! 😉 We need some exciting news on here!

 

[luvn737s]

I think the bottom line here is that US charges the same for their F/C seat as other carriers yet offers much less as far as service.

Nobody buys a full-fare first class ticket, especially the people complaining the loudest on this thread. It is hard to put a value on the FF perk that FC has become, so it's hard to figure out how much money you should spend on it.

But conscientious customer service yields big dividends consistently. On that we agree.

 

[Twicebaked]

Some points are valid.... some. As someone else presented this...Piney, when was the last time you actually paid for a first class ticket? I usually see more than 50% (aiming low) as upgrades, then first up program seats, or overflow from a oversold flight.

Although I somewhat understand your point, we are still an LCC. The first class pamper is a thing of the past domestically.

 

[Travelpro72]

Whether a FF pays for a f/c seat or not is beside the point. I'm sure most of f/c on other carriers are upgrades as well. THEY are the ones who pay top dollar for a full coach seat on business only to get upgraded on US to a dismal f/c. So again, why would someone fly US when they could buy a full fare on another carrier and STILL get upgraded to a better f/c. I for one feel our FF's deserve it. Hopefully management will see that they are turning their backs on what should be considered their most valued customers. Again, if the "new" US doesn't feel they should offer more in the f/c cabin then lower the f/c fares to reflect it.

 

[Twicebaked]

Whether a FF pays for a f/c seat or not is beside the point. I'm sure most of f/c on other carriers are upgrades as well. THEY are the ones who pay top dollar for a full coach seat on business only to get upgraded on US to a dismal f/c. So again, why would someone fly US when they could buy a full fare on another carrier and STILL get upgraded to a better f/c. I for one feel our FF's deserve it. Hopefully management will see that they are turning their backs on what should be considered their most valued customers. Again, if the "new" US doesn't feel they should offer more in the f/c cabin then lower the f/c fares to reflect it.

Are you willing to take another pay cut to support the "old style" first class? I sure am not and will not. We all (customers and employees) have felt the cut. We all have a choice on who we fly and everything else we do in life. We accept the changes and move on or we just move on.
Competition is the backbone of the american economy! Bring it on.

 

[Travelpro72]

Compared to what we at US offer in f/c, how are we being competitive? No I sure as hell am not willing to take a paycut to bring back what has been stripped from f/c. How is it though, that other carriers can offer a better level of service than we do yet charge the same fare. Shouldn't our f/c fares be less then? As a consumer we all have choices. Why would I choose to give a particular company my business if I can get the same someplace else for the same price yet get more? It's really quite simple as to what most of us would do. I don't see how US is being competitive. Shooting themselves in the foot yes.

 

[AstroLounge]

TravelPro I agree, how can the other airlines (that Management wants to compare themselves too) OFFER the ammenities yet US can't abandon plastic cups/ mediocre service standards and minimum food? What, US has costs but no one else does? US went BK twice and threw out most of its debts when other airlines paid up during a difficult period in aviation. The customer is ONLY going to put up with so many excuses, so little service and so much of PHL and then it's SAYONARA, Adios and say YOUR LOW FARES are not really LOW FARES!

 

[Travels2mch]

Some points are valid.... some. As someone else presented this...Piney, when was the last time you actually paid for a first class ticket? I usually see more than 50% (aiming low) as upgrades, then first up program seats, or overflow from a oversold flight.

Oh we pay and we pay a very high price. I have been gold or CP for over 10 years. Maybe not a VFF by some of your standards, but still average in the range of about $25,000 to $40,000 a year in USAirways tickets. And I'm sure there are many on here who spend much more. We do have a choice and many of us have chosen to support you and your employer. I for one have done it because of some of the great people that work for the airline and still provide fantastic customer service. That is getting more and more difficult to do lately.

And as far as an LCC, well so far the tickets I have bought this year are all significantly higher than I have paid on the same trips. Cost of a trip I finished today-round trip, 50 minute flight on a POS Emb145-$840. Cost of my trip next week-PA to Indiana, connection, total travel time 6 hours (not air time), mix big jets and the POS Emb-$760. Cost of your best customers waving goodbye to USAirways-Priceless. That's a LCC???? These are trips I have been repeating for several years and have never paid this much until the last few months.

That is why on the rare occasion that you hit on a big jet that has FC, and has a seat up there that is available, yes it makes us happy and we deserve it. Don't insult us by insinuating that we don't pay for it. Or maybe you are falling in line with a growing group of US employees that are actually trying to drive your best customers away. If that's the case, then you are certainly doing a great job at it!! Congratulations!! :angry:

 

[FCYTravis]

Yes, you're absolutely right. I don't pay for a First Class seat, I get the comp Elite upgrades. I expect reasonable FC service. Guess what? That's why I CHOOSE to fly US Airways.

I have a bazillion choices here in the Bay Area. I could choose to fly United, with a major hub and lots and lots of non-stop service. I could choose AA, with fewer non-stops but still a decent operation at San Francisco. I could choose Delta, I could choose any number of legacy carriers.

Instead, I choose to fly US Airways, with all of five non-stop destinations. I choose to put up with connecting at least once and sometimes twice. I choose to put up with PHL and 8F 757s and all the other things that aggravate US FFs because... 1. As I mentioned in my letter to About US, I have never gotten bad service from the front-line employees. Ever. Even with multiple issues relating to delays and cancellations, I've always had thoroughly professional, helpful and generally awesome CSRs, FAs, res agents and club reps. You all are the heart of this airline. 2. I like the PHX and LAS hubs, as I find them convenient and easy to use. 3. For us in the Bay Area, generally easy comped F upgrades, with reasonable F service (decent food, snack basket, etc.)

I don't expect UA or AA or CO F service. I don't even expect DL or NW F service. What I do expect is that they not keep making F service EVEN WORSE. Keep making it worse, and one of the three things making me loyal to US Airways starts getting sawn out from under. A two-legged stool ain't very stable.

I "pay" for that FC seat by giving every single mile of my air travel business to US Airways despite the fact that US is sometimes more expensive and almost always less convenient than competitor service. If they don't want that business, all they have to do is say so.