Clear Card Received!

Just a short post!  I received my Clear card today in time to use it at HPN this weekend and MCO next week!

ROA-DTW-LGA and back on NW; my take on NW as a domestic carrier

February 23:

NW 5848 DTW-ROA CRJ, seat 8B exit row aisle
So far, so good! NW 5849 operated by Pinnacle departed ROA on time and arrived early, an hour and three minutes later, at 7:21 a.m., 16 minutes early. There was basic CRJ beverage service with snacks for sale for $2.00. There were about 15-20 sleepy passengers, including me!

I arrived at the NW WorldClub (WC) near my gate and inquired about my upgrade. I was first on the list with one person not checked in, but otherwise F was full–on a Saturday morning! However, I had already cleared my upgrade for tomorrow. At least I had 9D, exit aisle.

NW 540 DTW-LGA, A319, seat 9C exit row aisle
We departed at 9:10 am, arrived 10:25 a.m., 12 minutes EARLY! NO WEATHER DELAY!

I was able to eat a bagel and yogurt in the WC before the flight, but F checked in full. Still difficult for me to believe on a Saturday morning! (I was on an A319 with 16 F seats.) Perhaps F is filling up with US Airways refugees?

They boarded special assists, unaccompanied minors (UAMs), and F first, then NW/SkyTeam Elites, and so on.

Anyway, I was in exit 9C aisle, as I switched seats (from D to C) so three college girls could sit together on the other exit row side. I am not sure how they ended up there, as that side of row 9 is designated premium coach and NW sells those 24 hours in advance or allows elites to select them for free 24 hrs. in advance, according to the seat map at nwa.com. I think it is good to save some premium coach seats for last minute ticket purchases, don’t you?

One of the girls was asked if she was old enough to operate the exit and she was like, “I’m 19!” But she really did look about 14. Wish I had that problem!

In the A319 exit row, there was excellent legroom, as good as F I would venture to say. I am sure the aisle on this Airbus was wider than the US Airways version.

One thing I noticed about NW as per the flight attendant (FA) announcement is they allow all electronic devices above 10k ft. as long as the transmitter is in the off position, even cell phones and smartphones!

The flight itself was one hour 15 mins. There was a beverage service with snacks for sale (Pringles or trail mix, $2.00). We departed 20 mins. late, but arrived 10 mins. early. The flight was full I assume due to the inclement weather the previous day or two.

When I arrived in NY, John and I went to earn bonus DL SkyMiles with SkyMiles dining (there are NO restaurants in my area at all that participate!) We ate at an Italian restaurant–and split the check so we could both earn!

February 24:

NW 541 LGA-DTW A320, seat 4C (First class)
I arrived LGA just before 5 am. I breezed through security. The WC did not open until 5:15 am so I went to the Crown Room Club (CRC), which is one of the nicest clubs I have visited. Everyone is so nice, the décor is pleasant, and the club is clean and well-maintained. It opened at 4:30 am.

We boarded on time and actually departed LGA at 6:06 am. The flight was very quiet as most were sleeping. There was one open seat in F of 16 total seats. We had beverages (in glasses/mugs) and snacks–bananas, cinnamon pita chips, and granola bars. The flight time was one hour 17 minutes, according to the pilot, so we arrived early to DTW at 7:23 am.

NW is clean, comfortable, and consistent. I like knowing what to expect when I fly them.

I arrived so early, I had three hours to kill in DTW, so I was, of course, in a WC–the one in C near my departure gate.

NW 5848 DTW-ROA CRJ, seat 8B exit row aisle
We boarded shortly after 10:00 am and departed the gate EARLY. We took off around 10:45 a.m. and arrived in ROA an hour and five minutes later, EARLY, at 11:50 am. Again, there was no seatmate in row 8 for me. We had the same beverage service as yesterday’s flight in the other direction, except this FA came by and offered seconds.

Even though this is basic, never once has an FA on my 10 Pinnacle flights ever said, “due to the short duration, there will be no beverage service.” A big thumbs-up to them!

Final Thoughts from my drive back to Bristol:

I thought about this on my drive home today. You know who is the real low-cost carrier/legacy airline? NW, that’s who! Really! On my short-haul flights, they do what US Airways does, but they do it better. They have basic, no frills service with a nice coach section and a very roomy, clean, and comfortable first class. There is no domestic in-flight entertainment (IFE), which is probably an option that saves them some money. They sell snacks in coach on their mainline and connection carriers, which also covers some of those expenses. They appear to be operationally sound (or I would guess that DL would not be interested in them.) They offer fares that better match what one receives as a customer. But even they know there has to be some sort of value added to attract repeat business from frequent fliers, so they have a little perk here and there, like the ability to upgrade, a real beverage service with the china and glass, snacks on short flights, bonus mile promos, the 500-mile minimum for flights under 500 miles, etc.

I’m in the Clear!

From an e-mail I received!

You Are Clear!
Your Clear application has been approved. Your Clear Card was put in the mail today, and you should expect to receive it in three to ten days. Once you receive your Card, you will be able to use it immediately at any registered traveler airport in the US.

Fly Clear
We are working to expand the Clear network so be sure to check www.flyclear.com/airports before you fly for updates about new Clear locations, and other exciting changes.

Security Updates
The information used to reach your eligibility determination will be periodically reviewed as part of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security review process. It is possible that TSA could revoke your acceptance. If this happens, Clear will send you an email within three days and give you a pro-rated refund. The TSA vetting fee is not refunded, unless you are receiving a refund for unused years of membership.

A Call to Action

By now you should have received an e-mail from US Airways regarding changes to the Dividend Miles Program. The FFOCUS Policy Board finds these changes to be draconian and an insult to every loyal traveler.

With the above in mind it is now time to act. We have tried to open channels of communication only to be rebuffed and in one case chastised by a Senior Executive. We must send a message to the management of US Airways that the 500-mile minimum being reduced to actual miles flown is completely and totally unacceptable.

The Policy Board will be actively courting our media contacts regarding these changes. What we need from each and every one of you is your time. The time it takes to write a letter, send an e-mail or call the US Airways and let them know in no uncertain terms just exactly how you feel regarding this change. Below are ways to contact US Airways and make sure your voice is heard.

executive.office@usairways.com – Phone number is 480-693-2341
brad.beakley@usairways.com – Vice President, Reservations and Inventory Services
travis.christ@usairways.com – Vice President, Sales and Marketing
douglas.parker@usairways.com – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
elise.eberwein@usairways.com – Senior Vice President, People, Communication and Culture
scott.kirby@usairways.com – President
robert.isom@usairways.com – Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
suzanne.boda@usairways.com – Senior Vice President, East Coast, International and Cargo Operations
kerry.hester@usairways.com – Vice President Customer Service Planning
tom.trenga@usairways.com – Vice President, Revenue Management
andrew.nocella@usairways.com – Vice President, Revenue Management

What we request is if you e-mail more than one of the above, and we encourage you to do so, that you send them individually not as one e-mail to everyone. Snail mail is even more effective. The regular Customer Relations address is:

US Airways
Attention: Customer Relations
4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034
Fax: 480-693-2300

Address for Corporate Executives

US Airways Corporate Headquarters
111 W. Rio Salado Parkway
Tempe, AZ 85281
480-693-0800

This is a battle we can win if we all do our part. Be on FlyerTalk and speak out early and often. Call, write, fax and e-mail your honest feelings. Let the powers that be know your displeasure. Now is the time for action. I urge you all to join us and to tell your friends and business colleagues and urge them to speak out as well. The Policy Board is counting on your help as we cannot do it alone, we need you with us on this one.

Warmest regards,
The FFOCUS Policy Board

Official response from FFOCUS to the Management of US Airways

Dear US Airways Management,

FFOCUS is in receipt of a transcript of the Q4 State of the Airline Report, Frequently Asked Questions document. We are concerned about the facts as misrepresented in the following statement:

“FFOCUS (Frequent Flyers Organized and Committed to US Airways Success), their web site seems to be more of a Smear Campaign than actually a commitment to the success of the NEW US Airways. Just reviewing many of the FFOCUS posters on US Aviation from home. Is this group for real, have we met with them to address their concerns, or are they just unhappy with the past and wanting it all back, more First class, Glassware etc.etc..

FFOCUS is a group that we have met with regularly. They’ve given us some good suggestions and we do pay attention to what they say. Sometimes, their posts are very negative, but they do represent some of our customers.”

We sought an ongoing relationship and were led to believe this might come to fruition, but after only two meetings we were pointedly informed that you had no interest in further discussions with FFOCUS as a group; rather, you would deal with members’ concerns on an individual basis. At your request, we submitted names of high revenue FFOCUS members who expressed a willingness to have their concerns addressed by your management team, and not one member was individually contacted. Mutual trust and credibility are the cornerstones to any successful relationship. Comments like the one above made either publicly or internally do little to further the goal of a mutually beneficial relationship between US Airways and our group of employees and customers.

FFOCUS remains committed to the principle that employees should be a company’s first priority, followed closely by customers. When these constituents are well-served, the shareholders will prosper. Misleading statements about your relationship with FFOCUS, which you terminated, are disingenuous to say the least. However, we stand ready to actually have the regular meetings you said were occurring and to further the mutual goal of US Airways becoming the “Airline of Choice.”

The Policy Committee on Behalf of the 1000 Members of FFOCUS

Clear Enrollment & Delta Return Trip EWR-ATL-TRI February 10

I had posted on FFOCUS that I received a free year of Clear (http://www.flyclear.com.) I had completed online enrollment and I completed in-person enrollment today at EWR. The employees were extremely nice (they must work on commission!) But what an invasive experience: they took a digital photo, made digital fingerprints then verified the prints, and scanned my irises then verified the scans. The unfortunate thing is that eventually this will probably become the norm for all travelers. At any rate, we will see if this moves me quicker through security at airports where there are no elite lines (HPN and MCO are my upcoming destinations that have Clear.) They are trying to get Clear at EWR terminal C, the Continental terminal.

DL 1299 EWR-ATL, MD-88, 14 F seats, seat 4B, no IFE:
Interesting start to the flight–the pilot came out and introduced himself and the first officer and told us about their Navy and DL flight experience, 30 years combined service!

We departed the gate on time at 11:20 am and took off at 11:30 am. F was full and coach was about half-full. The flight time was 2 hours 5 minutes due to a strong head wind. We had pre-departure drink service and in-flight drink and snack basket service. The snack basket had crackers, peanuts, Sun Chips, granola bars, and Biscoffs. The FA, Patti Z as per her Delta wings name tag, was friendly, funny, and worked the entire trip. She refilled my red wine (in a small wine glass) twice (and offered me a third, which would have made 4 glasses–I said no.)

We still arrived 10 minutes early. And our landing was especially smooth!

Why this flight was better than a comparable US flight:
–An especially open and friendly crew who made sure we knew them and worked the entire time. US needs name tags like DL FAs have.
–Clean cabin and lav, clean tray table
–Great legroom in F, even in row 4

There is not a Crown Room Club in D, just a small CO Presidents Club, so I went there to wait for my next departure. They had Fritos corn chips, Lays regular chips, and cheese and crackers. There were signs on the tables asking people to refrain from putting their feet on the tables! LOL! The chairs were beige leather and appeared to be in good condition. The tables were wood with marble tops. The floor was black and beige tile. There was a lady cleaning the area as I was there. And there was not a Vegas gaming machine! But there was free booze (I had water!)

One more note about the Presidents Club: they are remodeling/expanding–thank goodness because they had one, unisex bathroom with one toilet and the lock was broken, so one had to knock before entering! I felt like I was in a European bar, except the toilet was not a hole-in-the-floor, stand-up version! LMAO!

DL 4196 ATL-TRI, CRJ, seat 8B exit aisle, scheduled from 2:58-3:57 pm from D33. Scheduled flight time was 38 minutes:
The flight boarded about 15 minutes late. The GA called all zones to board at once, but did honor the Breezeway lane and scanned our BPs first ahead of the general boarding lane, which sort of caught me off-guard in a good way!

Again I had no seatmate! We left the gate at 3:02 pm and were 5th for departure, departing at 3:16 pm. In-flight service was choice of a snack from the basket and Dasani. The Biscoffs came in a red, Delta co-branded package and the cookies had the Delta logo on them! We landed at 3:55 pm, 2 minutes early.

By the way, the roundtrip cost was $350.60, non-refundable coach, and I was upgraded on the two mainline flights at my Gold Medallion status window.

Delta from TRI-ATL-EWR February 8

DL 4710 TRI-ATL,CRJ operated by ASA, seat 8B
We departed on time and the flight was almost full. Service was by request only. We arrived 45 minutes later, early, but had to wait to park at a gate. I met my fiancé on his way from ATL-LGA and he tried to get me on his LGA flight (mine was to EWR), but the GA said she could not do destination changes at the gate. So I saw him off, ate Chinese for dinner, and enjoyed a Sweetwater Atlanta Pale Ale in the Crown Room Club in Concourse A, free, of course, but still in plastic due to the severe drought in ATL.

DL 1436 ATL-EWR, 757-200 (24 F seats), seat 3B aisle, then 4C
We boarded a little late due to a late-arriving aircraft. They boarded zones 1-3 (the F and elite zones) and reminded us of the Breezeway lane for elites available at anytime. Upon arrival at the seat, waiting were a pillow, blanket, water, and headphones. We received a full pre-departure drink service and coats were hung by two FAs. The seat backs had individual touch screen IFE monitors with music, movies, and live Dish Network TV, so I guess this was a refurbished 757/old Song aircraft? Seats were medium-blue leather, similar to the refurbished US planes. The aircraft was visually immaculate despite the quick turn. We departed the gate only 10 minutes late and took off at 8:55 pm. My IFE was not working for my one hour 30 minute flight. But luckily F was not full, so I moved to 4C and watched Larry King, Anderson Cooper, and listened to one of my favorite groups, The Counting Crows (Adam Duritz is awesome!) and their CD, August and Everything After. In-flight service was a snack basket and beverages in glassware. For pre-departure beverages, they used co-branded DL and Coca-Cola plastic cups and napkins. Despite our late departure, we arrived about 20 minutes early. Great flight (except for my broken IFE!) I love Delta!

Upgraded for the weekend!

I have flights this weekend, TRI-ATL-EWR round trip on Delta, and I was upgraded at my Gold Medallion window of three days in advance of travel. This is a definite perk of being a frequent flier, upgrade chances. Delta gives you the opportunity for unlimited upgrades based on availability, as do Northwest and US Airways. I used to fly US Airways almost exclusively until about eight months after the merger with America West, when service started declining. The turning point for me was not being able to access my usairways.com Dividend Miles account during the summer of 2006.  I joined FFOCUS, became more active at FlyerTalk, explored elite status matches, and tried out other airlines that I had not flown in years.