Here to help
Like a 747 loaded to capacity, United Airlines is rising — slowly, steadily and improbably.
“I thought I was imagining it,” says Anne Klein, who works for a marketing agency in Durango, Colo. “But United is listening. It’s trying to improve.”
Read more “United’s effort to regain air travelers’ trust gets off the ground – slowly”
Going somewhere in 2016? Here are three things to know before you leave.
Read more “3 things you need to know if you’re traveling in 2016”
There was a time when choosing a “budget airline” meant traveling with the Southwests, JetBlues and Frontiers of the world.
It was an affordable experience that actually had the feel of a boutique rather than a big box brand. The flight attendants were friendly, the customer service was on par with the rest of the industry and the perks for frequent fliers were so worth it.
Read more “Dear Frontier, it’s time to stop treating your passengers like cattle”
If you’ve ever done something for the miles, like Rick Brown has, you probably know the dilemma.
Should you shrug off a higher fare, a less convenient routing or consistently bad service for the promise of a “free” flight?
Brown, who runs a trading company in New York, has done all that — sticking with his preferred carrier, United Airlines, even when the airline struggled. He’s spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on airfares for himself and his family during his career, “more than on any other airline,” he says.
Research suggests many consumers are similarly seduced, and that the siren song of loyalty programs can lure them into booking a substandard product. The debate is particularly intense now, with United’s’ controversial loyalty program changes taking effect this month. It becomes the latest airline to reward customers based on money spent instead of miles flown.
Read more “Do seductive frequent flier programs hurt competition?”
If you don’t like some of the recent changes to your airline loyalty program, talk to Mike Croswell. He’s a United Airlines “Million Miler” who assumed that his three decades of devotion to the airline would be reciprocated after he stopped being a frequent flier.
He assumed wrong.
“The money I spent chasing Million Mile status is without a doubt the poorest investment of my career,” says Croswell, who lives in Aspen, Colo., and joined United’s frequent-flier program, MileagePlus, in 1983. “I have zero benefits that were promised to me.”
Read more “After loyalty program changes, airlines brace for Million Miler march”
