Delta & Northwest … better service is on the way

As a Northwest frequent flyer, I have been receiving periodic electronic mail assuring me that I will not notice any negative changes or impact to my status as an elite member after the merger … and I believe them.  Why would the merger negatively impact my status, when the airline can do that anytime.  Read the fine print for your frequent flyer program.  The airline can change the rules anytime they want too.

I believe Northwest when they say that I will not lose my miles or status as an elite member and that I will continue to enjoy the high level of service as a loyal customer.  This makes sense for many reasons.  The reason that frequent flyer programs are effective is that we expect to accrue some benefit.  I certainly do.  Federal regulators would also be skittish about future mergers if passengers were completely abused.  The airline would also risk losing a loyal customer, assuming that there is still competition.

I don’t know about better service, but I expect to keep my miles and status … they just may not be worth much after the merger though.  The airlines have never needed a “good” reason to redefine miles programs and the benefits of elite status, so why blame the merger.

AAA Travel … okay, that was dumb

In early May 2008, I will be going to Colorado Springs, which I am excited.  Like so many of my travels, there’s a glitch.  Delta cancelled my departing flight from home.  The second glitch … I used AAA Travel to make my flight arrangements.  Since this is a business trip, it is easier to get reimbursed when I use the University’s official travel agency.

The first glitch … that happens when you travel.  The second glitch … well, that was just dumb.  Everything started fine.  I used AAA Travel to make my flight arrangements, paid for the ticket, and received my itinerary.  Some time after making my arrangements, a travel agent called to inform me that a segment of the flight was cancelled.  Okay.  She asked will it be okay to change your departure itinerary.  I asked, do I have any options if I wanted to get to Colorado Springs on the same day … of course, I didn’t.  So, the agent says you will be departing from Cincinnati on the same day.  Okay, thank you and I’ll wait for the confirmation.

I must admit that I am partly at blame because I did not ask about my return flight and probably did not attend too closely to what the agent said.  My other problem was not immediately checking the new itinerary closely.  So, I accept some blame, but who would have someone flying out of one airport and returning to another airport 80 miles away!  Apparently, the AAA agent who was trying to help me.  Now, this may make sense for O’hare and Midway or LaGuardia and JFK, because they are close and both cities, Chicago and New York City, have excellent public transportation that you can take to the airport or you could even use a taxi, but airports that are 80 miles apart.  That’s dumb!

Why don’t airlines make sense?

Recently, as in yesterday, I had to make airline reservations to Atlanta.  My reservations where under the 21 day rule for lower fares.  This I have no problem with.  Well, I have a little problems, because it cost so much more money!  But I can understand, well not really, but as travelers, we know that the later you wait the more expensive the ticket can be.  Of course, the opposite happens sometimes too where you get a great deal tickets at the last minute.

What I don’t understand is being able to offer an airline ticket and hotel room for less than the ticket alone.  This is what happened yesterday with Travelocity.  By the way, I could find so such deal on Expedia.  Using the same reservation dates, the airline ticket plus hotel room was half the cost of airline ticket alone.  There was also a car rental plus airline ticket option, but this was “sold out.”  I understand that travel agencies, which Travelocity and Expedia are, in a sense, make these types of deals with airlines and hotels and car rental agencies to help ensure the air plane is full, the hotel is at maximum occupancy, and that all cars are rented. 

So, my question is, if airlines are able to make these deals, what’s the true cost of flying?  Does the airline’s operating expenses increase the later passengers make reservations?  Is the airline industry “putting the squeeze” or taking advantage of passengers who have to make travel arrangement late?  If you are making arrangements two days prior to travel, perhaps you are desperate, do airlines see dollars to be made?  Of course, the opposite is true too, why should the passenger who wait the week before traveling get a better rate than me … just because the airline wants to fill the plane?

“One-person-one-fare”

Oh Canada!  A Canadian tribunal in early 2008 ruled that Canadian airlines could not discriminate against the obese by charging them for more than one seat if they spilled over into the accompanying seat.  The tribunal said that obesity is equivalent to having a disability.  I am a strong believer in individual rights and protections against discrimination, but I recently was traveling within the US and was seated next to an oversized person … luckily for both of us, I am not a big person.  This lady took at least a quarter of my seat.  What about my right to a whole seat?  Maybe I should have asked for a quarter percent refund, since I paid for a full seat and expected to get one.  In fact, the passenger could not even lower the arm rest.  I am not trying to attack obese people, but if you are have a waist size greater than 50 inches, why shouldn’t you have to buy two tickets.  I don’t think this is a bias; you are paying for what you get.  On one of my recent flights I did not get what I paid for.  What about one-person-one-fare-one-seat?

Passengers Bill of Rights … update

I am a free market person, but only when the free market works.  In my opinion, I do not think that the free market is working when it comes to passengers and airlines.  I am also a skeptical of government intervention, because the situation typically does not improve … that’s as positive as I can be.

The airline industry is making it difficult for me to be a free market person.  What would be ideal would be for the airlines to propose a “Passenger Bill of Rights.”  This “Bill of Rights” could even be different from one airline to another.  I think that we consumers are smart enough to decide if the “Rights” are important enough for us to decide to fly or not to fly with a particular carrier.  But the airlines have not do this, so who is left to give us a “Passenger Bill of Right?”  Congress of course.  If I were an airline excutive, I would be feverishly developing a “Bill of Rights.”  Of course, Congress can not produce one and the courts have ruled early in 2008 that individual states cannot write a “Bill of Right” … this may be a blessing in discuise, but I would like some protections or rights as a passenger that extends beyond what the airlines offer now.

The Senate proposed a bill that would guarantee that passengers have clean water, food, bathrooms, and the ability to get off a plane that is delayed by 3 hours.  The House bill proposed that airlines have procedures for addressing passenger complaint, provide information to passengers about delays, publish frequently delayed flight information, publish lowest fares and schedule information, make reasonable efforts to find and return baggages within 24 hrs, and all the Senate rights.

I don’t have a problem with any of the Senate’s or House’s requirements, but don’t the airlines try to do this anyway?  I fly often enough to get delayed quite frequently, and I am certain that the airlines and their employees would prefer not to deal with irrate passengers, which I am not one.  The airlines could do a much better job of updating passengers about delays, but often the poor gate agent doesn’t know why a flight is delayed.  I would like the airlines to have to honor what they promise.  For example, what does it mean to be a frequent flyer who has earned elite status, because they are a loyal flyer?  What does it mean or is worth to accumulate all of these miles? 

Sometimes, the airlines and airport do not honor what I consider to be a contract like elite passengers are supposed to have perks because they have demonstrated loyalty.  I can count the airlines and airports that actually provide a reason for being an elite passenger.  The airlines can also at any time change the rules for airline miles.  Why not lock the airlines into the initial contract that entered.  Airline miles are not like credit cards where you are asking for something like credit.  Airline miles are something that you have earned.  I want “rights” for the things the airlines explictly promise us.

Why do awards program work?

I have shameless bought into the awards program.  I overuse my American Express, I only fly Star Alliance and Northwest and their partners, and I always stay in Hilton owned hotels.  Why?  Because I’m a Rewards, frequently flier, and Honors member.  I must say that I’m a fairly loyal member too.  But what do I get from being a loyal member?  Supposedly, you get to redeem points and miles for things.  At least with American Express and Hilton, it’s not a nightmare to redeem your points.  The airlines are another story.

I have lots of airline miles with both United and Northwest.  In fairness to Northwest, I redeem miles in 2007 for two tickets to Cozumel, Mexico.  I only had to pay about $94 in taxes per ticket.  That’s a bargain and I was lucky.  The way that miles work is that the airline provides a number (supposedly) of seats on a number (supposedly) of flights that are available to fliers who want to redeem miles.  In other words, if you want to redeem miles you need to be going somewhere where their are “miles” seats.  There are not always “miles” seats.  I thought that I would use some miles for a trip to Vienna, Austria this summer, but so far, United is not offering any “miles” seats.  So, if I go, I will be paying full price, but I will get more miles!  Maybe, I’ll find what their least popular flights are and take a trip there.  I am sure that there will be “miles” seat on that flight.

So, why am I such a loyal flier?  Oh, it must be because of my elite status … that’s an issue for another day.  Last words, …  Dear Airline Executive, what have you done for me lately.

Those interesting asterisks

For some reason, I get lots of email offering me inexpensive flights and travel packages.  These deals always look get; however, they almost always have an asterisks.  These asterisks always point you to a more complete explanation of the deal.  For instance, you have to fly out of New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. or some other major airline hub.  Of course, I live in none of these cities.  Sometimes, these deals are also restricted by when you can travel.  Sorry, I can’t travel tomorrow or next week.  My favorite disclaimer is that these flights are one way!  Frequently, all three conditions apply.  Okay, there goes that part of savings.  My least favorite offerings that I get are vacation packages, which include flight and hotel.  No thank you!  Despite my skepticism, occasionally, there are good deals that you through email … I guess that’s why I keep reading them.