I read some updates today and I read no more companion upgrades on on discounted fares . . . . This is good news I hope they continue to make first class something you have to pay for. . .
As as CP heading towards Gold, all I can say is BFD. But in my case, it's not about outrage or anger or anything of the sort. Truth be told, we pax really don't give a damn anymore because we know exactly what Tempe and US is all about and it no longer matters. I've concluded that sh!t is sh!t and you plan accordingly. The emotional and paradoxical
love to hate ya loyalty of elites towards US by is gone and so too are your elites.
It doesn't matter if US sells an F or Envoy product sans companion UGs. The ball game is over for Tempe and gang. Tempe's lies, deceptions, and weak product have basically taken its elites out of the equation. Truth is, that without the lies and deceptions, many of us might have adapted if we had been given a clear explanation of the product and had Tempe executed the plan. But that's not the case, and the deceptions continue to grow.
I'm gonna digress, but here's an example.
Anyone here care to admit that Tempe is holding back on confirming elite Envoy UGs when J inventory is sitting there in bucket within the UG window? ( let's face it, we all know that Tempe is hoping for a last minute sale and is pushing GoEnvoy real hard -- we too can watch the Z bucket come to life 7 to 10 days before departure and we can also see if any J inventory pops up ). On a very recent TA trip I watch the bucket, the 7 day window arrives and no UG -- bucket showing J4. Six days out I call the CP desk which checks and asserts no UG, telling me to check back the next day. Only when I tell them I'm looking at the bucket as we speak and it shows J4 do I get the UG then and there. Same exact scenerio on my return trip. Doesn't look or feel like human error to me ( which I can always forgive).
I'm not calling this a crime against humanity. But it is deception as Tempe is not living up to the words and its own promises for the DM and UG process. Then again, I've known that something is rotten in Tempe for a long time. No small wonder then that all sorts of things are going wrong with this airline for pax and employees.
My response is not outrage or firing off a nasty complaint to CA. Our priority remains flying from point A to point B while developing a reliable relationship with an airline -- and we will pay extra within limits to make our flying better. Living near PHL, we're currently stuck with US and this terrible product and management team. But we're looking and we're hoping that Open Skies brings some new choices to PHL in the future. In the mean time, we're holding the line at Gold status as our *A Gold status is important to us. We've dropped our remaining planned flights with US for the year as we're done trying to play the game with US. It's a bittersweet situation as we've always enjoyed those fine veteran FCs on the TA flights who try to do the job with whatever Tempe gives them. Tempe's lies, deceptions, and continued product failures stick in our throats compelling us that we too must change how and with whom we fly.
The inertia of being a big airline is what keeps Tempe flying at the moment despite its mistakes and mismanagement ( posting profits which make DP think he's a genius ). But Tempe has also created a negative business inertia which is increasingly difficult to disavow. It's a matter of time before the chickens come home to roost. I'll live with no companion UGs, but you guys gotta live with Parker and where he's taking the airline. Good luck.
Barry
