I sent this to Dave yesterday. If get some time he''ll get another, more detailed letter, today or tomorrow.
Dave,
As a US Airways'' frequent flyer (US1 # XXXXXXX) I was incredulous to see this morning''s news:
The airline feels perfectly free to cancel flights and alter schedules on a whim and yet when we, your passengers, the people who pay the bills, need to make a change you''re just going to pocket our money? You were already charging so much to make any sort of changes to these tickets that there was little value in doing so -- but to flat out steal the money is amazingly arrogant.
I had thought that the airline was on the road to recovery but I was clearly wrong about that. Today''s changes to refundable tickets, standby policies and the earning of preferred miles are beyond belief. Charging for paper tickets and eliminating free drinks makes sense.
US Airways management needs to spend some time talking to customers and learning why your business is being threatened by SouthWest. The primary reason why I am strongly considering switching all of my business to SouthWest is not price. It is flexibility and reasonableness. SouthWest has fare rules that I understand and policies that make sense. The above gem illustrates perfectly what is wrong with US Airways and the rest of the "major" airlines. Talk to your customers!
Dave,
As a US Airways'' frequent flyer (US1 # XXXXXXX) I was incredulous to see this morning''s news:
What do you think you''re doing? This is quite possibly the most arrogant and obnoxious statement made to date by any airline -- and that is saying a lot.US Airways Revamps Policies to Cut Costs
Tue Aug 27,11:09 AM ET
ARLINGTON, Va. (Reuters) - US Airways Group Inc. , which filed for bankruptcy earlier this month, said on Tuesday that it has changed some of its fare policies and eliminated some amenities, like free paper tickets and alcoholic drinks, to cut costs.
US Airways said it will no longer let passengers who buy nonrefundable tickets for many routes in North America and Europe use the value of an unused ticket as a credit toward the purchase of another one.
"If you miss the event, your ticket isn''t good for the next day," said B. Ben Baldanza, senior vice president of marketing at the airline.
The airline feels perfectly free to cancel flights and alter schedules on a whim and yet when we, your passengers, the people who pay the bills, need to make a change you''re just going to pocket our money? You were already charging so much to make any sort of changes to these tickets that there was little value in doing so -- but to flat out steal the money is amazingly arrogant.
I had thought that the airline was on the road to recovery but I was clearly wrong about that. Today''s changes to refundable tickets, standby policies and the earning of preferred miles are beyond belief. Charging for paper tickets and eliminating free drinks makes sense.
US Airways management needs to spend some time talking to customers and learning why your business is being threatened by SouthWest. The primary reason why I am strongly considering switching all of my business to SouthWest is not price. It is flexibility and reasonableness. SouthWest has fare rules that I understand and policies that make sense. The above gem illustrates perfectly what is wrong with US Airways and the rest of the "major" airlines. Talk to your customers!