I am a US Airways Dividend Miles member and I love it. But the good days will be coming to an end. The merger with American Airlines (AA) is going to ruin my frequent flier life. I will lose mileage-earning non-stops to Europe from my home town, Washington, DC, and upgrades will be flushed down the AAdvantage toilet.
First, let’s look at what I am losing in terms of flights. As I have repeated said, this merger is robbing USAir fliers of their United Airlines destinations and robbing United Airlines of their USAir destinations. At the same time, AA and USAir are claiming more destinations. However, these “new destinations” are at the expense of old ones with United Airlines.
There is no net benefit for USAir fliers when the old United Airlines and Star Alliance flights are stripped out of the USAir universe and replaced with AA and oneworld alliance destinations. In fact, USAir customers turn out to be losers.
American Airlines customers will end up with far more new destinations, but it is cold comfort to USAir frequent fliers.
With international flights the situation is grimmer; especially for fliers from the Washington, DC, area. All of the non-stops on United where USAir Dividend Miles members can earn full flight mileage benefits will disappear. Currently, United’s European non-stops to Geneva, Munich, Paris, Brussels, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Zurich, London and Dublin are all available for a hassle-free trip to Europe together with the ability to purchase Economy Plus seats if travelers so choose.
With this merger, all of those non-stops disappear except a British Airways flight to London. For what? There is no benefit to travelers in the DC area. Our travel lives will be made worse by having to transit London Heathrow, one of the most expensive, maddening and confusing airports in the world. Heathrow is also saddled with some of the slowest customs and border inspections on the European continent. For travelers like me, this merger will be a disaster.
Mr. Parker, after claiming that his customers have told him that they want to proceed with this merger in testimony before Congress, obviously did not speak with his Dividend Miles members in the DC area.
Next, we come to the joy of flying on British Airways (BA) with frequent flier miles. Wait! There is no joy; only more financial pain from BA’s onerous fuel surcharges and the London Heathrow departure taxes. Frequent flier members lose both ways — fewer non-stop flights to Europe and higher taxes and fees.
Overall, USAir frequent fliers have 27 different airlines associated with the Star Alliance on which they can earn frequent flier miles. When USAir frequent fliers changeover to oneworld, they will only find a dozen alliance airlines where they can earn miles and spend them.
Now, the US Airways Dividend Miles member will be introduced to and integrated into AAdvantage. It will be a serious demotion for USAir elite frequent fliers. Today, Dividend Miles members have unlimited free upgrades that are awarded automatically. I have almost forgotten what it is like to fly in the back of the plane on my monthly flights between Washington-Reagan and Manchester, NH. The upgrades work regularly and seamlessly.
With the engorged AAdvantage program, free upgrades are handed out on stingy basis. Only the highest level of elite members receive free upgrades. Other lesser elite members must pay for their upgrades. They receive four 500-mile upgrades for every 10,000 qualifying miles they earn meaning that getting upgrades costs them upgrade coupons resulting in the need to ration upgrades that are not guaranteed at any time.
Even if the merged airline continues with free upgrades, Dividend Miles elite members who are relatively exclusive will find themselves competing with hoards of AAdvantage members who will make their ability to score upgrades much more difficult.
In short US Airways’ DC area fliers will bear an inordinate burden from this merger. They will lose non-stop European service and scores of domestic destinations that were once served by United’s domestic destinations on an alliance basis. In addition frequent fliers will have fewer opportunities to earn and spend miles by the move from Star Alliance to oneworld, they will be faced with more inconvenient European connections, and they will encounter more competition for upgrades from far more numerous elite-level members of AAdvantage.
Where are the benefits for US Airways frequent fliers? Where are the customers who have been begging Mr. Parker to go through with this merger?
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
