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On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

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Re: On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

#341

Post by sooheon »

valleyer wrote: post #326
kirse wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every time you take a flight, for somewhere between 3 and 20 hours, you're told exactly where to stand, where to sit, what you can and can't wear, what you can and can't carry. On the other hand, it no longer takes months to travel West and half your family generally doesn't die of dysentery on the way there.

I believe car travel provides that same benefit without the dehumanization.

You for a cross continental trip you lose days of your life confined to the interior of your car. I'd rather suck it up for a few hours and kick my feet up at the destination.

Re: On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

#342

Post by _emacsomancer_ »

kirse wrote: post #316
atourgates wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's something about air travel that makes it a uniquely terrible experience and drives me to participate in these programs. There is nothing I do in my life regularly where I'm more restricted, or more closely related to a rigid caste system than air travel. Every time you take a flight, for somewhere between 3 and 20 hours, you're told exactly where to stand, where to sit, what you can and can't wear, what you c…

Every time you take a flight, for somewhere between 3 and 20 hours, you're told exactly where to stand, where to sit, what you can and can't wear, what you can and can't carry. On the other hand, it no longer takes months to travel West and half your family generally doesn't die of dysentery on the way there.

> On the other hand, it no longer takes months to travel West and half your family generally doesn't die of dysentery on the way there.

And yet the state of modern air travel is such that it's a still a toss-up which is worse.

Re: On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

#343

Post by ajmurmann »

tehwebguy wrote: post #258
wpietri wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tangent: Are there other people here who just refuse to sign up for any of these programs? I have family members who are super into frequent flyer programs, credit card points, etc, etc. But I don't like the cognitive load they introduce, and I don't like having to figure out how much I'm being manipulated in any given interaction. I get that I'm missing out on goodies, but they're paying for those goodies somehow, s…

Yeah, that was me before. Then I got super into it and earned a ton of miles, and used them on some some really cool experiences. Like 25+ int'l business class flights, 6 int'l first class and some more. UK x 3, Finland, Middle East, Japan x 2, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia over a few years. Did what would have cost like $300k in flights and hotels for maybe a few grand across 5 vacations and still have like a mill…

What's the best starting point in your opinion to get "into it"?

Re: On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

#344

Post by wallace_f »

azinman2 wrote: post #92
wallace_f wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might be surprised to know many (most?) libertarians are against privatization of prisons, policing, courts, national parks service, and so on. Also, the GOP is completely fine with the military industrial complex, big budget deficit spending, tariffs, and other anti-free market policies.

Oh I never said that the GOP (or any group) is entirely consistent in ideology, or is homogenous. But it’s a common part of their platform and has been for years. https://www.statesman.com/news/20180904/commentary-republica... https://www.thenation.com/article/this-is-how-the-republican...

You said "everything," and have been trying to make the point that privatization is bad.

Re: On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

#345

Post by porlune »

One might argue that having such a list constitutes bad faith. 1) It's dishonest to not inform your customers that they are to be systematically treated differently based on a secretly kept score. 2) Such a score kept changes the relationship between parties after a contract has been established, thereby negating value of the contract.

Given that good faith requires honesty, such a thing should be regarded as unethical. It would be like if Disneyland sold you a season pass for the same price as everyone else, but then made you wait in a longer line because someone during that process didn't like the tone of your voice.

Re: On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

#346

Post by kccqzy »

ajmurmann wrote: post #343
tehwebguy wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that was me before. Then I got super into it and earned a ton of miles, and used them on some some really cool experiences. Like 25+ int'l business class flights, 6 int'l first class and some more. UK x 3, Finland, Middle East, Japan x 2, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia over a few years. Did what would have cost like $300k in flights and hotels for maybe a few grand across 5 vacations and still have like a mill…

What's the best starting point in your opinion to get "into it"?

/r/churning and /r/awardtravel

Re: On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

#347

Post by jobigoud »

sbr464 wrote: post #289
Waterluvian wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm the same. I've skipped out on maybe a dozen flights of points. I don't have an account. I just don't want to be bothered. I have plenty of wealth and don't need your point system. I extend this everywhere. I don't have enough a single points card anywhere. The only thing I use is Canadian Tire money because it's fun and stupid but they're even replacing that with a stupid points card.

This is my logic. I don’t feel like wasting my single life reading blogs and watching YouTube videos about points/benefits. Would much rather buy out directly. I also value not dealing with the frustrations/loopholes/asterisks that come with these programs.

There seems to be two different discussions going in this thread. Frequent-flyer programs don't require to do any of reading blogs, watching YouTube or whatever. You just input your number at booking time (or later if you forgot or someone else booked for you). That's literally all there is to it. After a number of flights this gives you extra baggage allowance and line skipping and preferred treatment.

Re: On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

#348

Post by wlll »

GordonS wrote: post #338
wlll wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I signed up for the BA frequent flyer program and "cognitive load" really didn't ring true for me. Basically, I add my frequent flier number to the booking form online and that's it. When I hit Bronze (it's a couple of long flights or so) I don't need to do anything, I just get to skip the queue at checkin and (airport depending) security. There's no sales, no emails, no upsell, my (travelling) life is just better af…

Try to actually use your points on a flight or upgrade and you'll see problems - it can be extremely difficult to find availability, even if you are prepared to book a year in advance, and the BA tools for searching are buggy as hell.

I guess I just treat Airmiles/Avios as irellevant compared to the actual benefits which are skipping queues/extra bag if I need it/lounge access at silver.

Maybe one day I'll book a flight with Avios, and when I do I'll have enough for sure, but I don't treat them like a perk.

Agree with the BA tools/site being terrible, it seems to be pretty consistent that this is the case across airlines.

Re: On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

#349

Post by wlll »

Fomite wrote: post #308
wlll wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I signed up for the BA frequent flyer program and "cognitive load" really didn't ring true for me. Basically, I add my frequent flier number to the booking form online and that's it. When I hit Bronze (it's a couple of long flights or so) I don't need to do anything, I just get to skip the queue at checkin and (airport depending) security. There's no sales, no emails, no upsell, my (travelling) life is just better af…

It's especially not cognitive-load building if you live at a hub (or a place with only one carrier). Live in Pullman, WA? You're flying Alaska anyway. Salt Lake City, UT? Get yourself a Delta number. The tricky places are where there are lots of competing carriers. San Francisco with it's...pseudo-hubness for a number of airlines, Washington DC, etc.

Near Manchester, UK. Most of the flights I get are to the US, so BA or AA and I can use my BA number on both airlines.

That said, when I need to get a flight somewhere else and there's no BA or AA flight convenient I just get the flight I want to get and don't sweat the loss of status building.

Re: On Hold for 45 Minutes? It Might Be Your Secret Customer Score

#350

Post by wlll »

ajmurmann wrote: post #343
tehwebguy wrote: post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, that was me before. Then I got super into it and earned a ton of miles, and used them on some some really cool experiences. Like 25+ int'l business class flights, 6 int'l first class and some more. UK x 3, Finland, Middle East, Japan x 2, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia over a few years. Did what would have cost like $300k in flights and hotels for maybe a few grand across 5 vacations and still have like a mill…

What's the best starting point in your opinion to get "into it"?

I read somewhere that (maybe just one?) airlines had tightened up the rules around this sort of thing and it's much harder to do now, but maybe I misread…
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