Like Southwest, US Airways is also holding a promotion for flyers interested in retaining or obtaining status.
Promotion Details:
Get ready for the fastest, easiest way ever to get (or keep) Preferred status. Just fly between October 1 and December 25, 2009 on any US Airways or US Airways Express flight, and you’ll earn Preferred status faster than ever before. The more you fly, the more you’ll earn. Think of it as an end-of-the-year shortcut.
Here’s how it works:
- Fly 7,500 miles or 10 segments and earn Silver Preferred status
- Fly 15,000 miles or 20 segments and earn Gold Preferred status
- Fly 22,500 miles or 30 segments and earn Platinum Preferred status
- Fly 30,000 miles or 40 segments and earn Chairman’s Preferred status
Don’t worry, the miles you fly will also count towards the total miles you flew for the year – you’ll be awarded the highest status between the two. So if you fly 55,000 Preferred miles for the year but only end up flying 8,000 Preferred miles during the promotion period, you’ll still earn Gold status for the year.
We’ll determine and award your Preferred status on January 10, 2010. You don’t need to register (we’ll keep track of your flights). We told you it was easy!
Something to think about if you live in a city where US Airways is a hub.
Here’s another promotion from a fellow roadwarrior for USAirways. After signing up for the promotion, you will receive Silver preferred status and all the associated benefits for a limited amount of time. If you meet the travel requirements, you will then get to keep the status going forward.
Here are the details:
Try Preferred status on for size. See how you like it. At the end of your 90-day trial, you may want to keep it! Once you register, you’ll be Preferred within 14 days. And, if you qualify during your 90-day trial, you’ll keep your Silver Preferred status for the program year*.
All you have to do is register and we’ll give you Silver Preferred status for 90 days (a $200 value!). You’ll travel Preferred and enjoy the best upgrades in the industry, waived baggage fees, bonus miles and more!
Just register between May 15 and August 31, 2009. Then, check your Dividend Miles profile to make sure we have your contact information so we can send you an email with your new status.
Not a Dividend Miles member already? Not a problem. Join now and then come back to register.
It doesn’t hurt to sign up if you are planning to fly USAirways for the first time.
From a recent US Airways press release:
“US Airways (NYSE:LCC) is returning complimentary beverages to the coach cabin on all US Airways and US Airways Express Flights beginning March 1st. Passengers will be offered free soda, juices, tea, water, and coffee in flight. Beer, wine, and cocktails will still be available for purchase for $7.”
You really have to wonder why US Airways would issue a press release just to highlight a service which is already provided by every other airline except theirs. Perhaps it was issued to highlight the fact their other programs have really squeezed the dollars out of the frequent flyer.
“The company still expects to generate from $400 to $500 million in 2009 from a la carte items like checked baggage fees, Choice Seats, and our new blanket and pillow offering – the US Airways Power-Nap Sack ™.”
The press release’s target audience are the investors, but were I an investor, I’d question the strategy of increasing profits by sticking it to your best customers. Seems to work well when everyone else is doing the same thing, but once the economy turns, flyers will jump ship as long as they have a choice. Frequent flyer programs no longer have the stickiness they initially started with due to the devaluation of points.
My advice to airlines - stop playing to your investors and focus on your customers. Smart investors realize customers are the ones paying the bills.