‘Stressing out’ the loyal airline customer

A traveler who uses frequent flier miles and used American Airilnes and Japan Airlines on a round-the-world trip asks: What is the point of the airlines “stressing out” the loyal customer?

Regarding “Not Feeling the Reward of Frequent Flier Miles” by Catharine Hamm [On the Spot, Dec. 25]: Recently, I returned from a round-the-world business and pleasure trip. I used a combination of frequent flier miles and revenue for ticketing 14 flights. As Hamm’s article stated, it is getting increasingly more difficult to use frequent flier miles whether it’s one carrier (American and Delta are my preferred airlines) or foreign (partner) carriers.

There were two issues that were exceptionally annoying:

British Airlines charged about $550 for a transoceanic fuel charge. The tickets were processed through American Airlines. I am positive that the fuel charge was not disclosed until I saw the complete charge when the itinerary was emailed to me.

I was trying to get an upgrade on a Japan Airlines flight. American Airlines (and confirmed by JAL) indicated that no business class seats were available because the section was totally booked. However, I was “encouraged” to keep trying. It was only after several weeks and probably 25 phone calls that I was upgraded on the day before departure. When I boarded the plane, there were two business class sections in which about 30% of the seats were occupied.

I understand that airlines prefer to book revenue tickets, but what is the point of the airlines “stressing out” the loyal customer?

Jerry Rosenstein

Los Angeles

Delta comes through

Recently I was on the phone with Delta Air Lines to arrange a flight for my wife and me from LAX to Nice, France. I was inquiring about the price for both economy ($1,700) and discounted business class ($5,600). After a few minutes it became apparent that the agent was relatively new in the position as it was difficult for her to understand my travel preferences. After going back and forth for more than 30 minutes, she stated that she had found a flight from LAX to Nice that connected through JFK. The price for the business class trip was $2,200. I was shocked, only $500 more for a business class ticket over economy? I said to her, “Are you sure this is for business class and not premium economy? She said yes. I repeated myself and she said that it was for business class.

After receiving the flight confirmation by email, I looked to confirm that it was indeed business class. Sure enough, the ticket I had just purchased was for premium economy.

I got back on the phone and contacted Delta. I shared the situation with the supervisor and the fact that I repeatedly asked if the fare was business class. She was very nice and apologized, but said that it was an unfortunate mistake and that she could not honor the business class fare for $2,200. .

So, we spent time trying to find another itinerary that would work. After several minutes she asked if she could put me on hold. When she returned, she apologized and said that she had sent an email to the agent who had booked my flight to confirm my facts. She said that the agent confirmed that I had asked her several times if the flight we were about to book was business class and that she had admitted to making the mistake. She then said that she was going to honor the business class ticket for $2,200, which was $3,400 less per ticket. She said that it was the right thing to do.

Delta now has a very loyal customer who will go out of his way to use it whenever possible. Other airlines should learn from the character and integrity of the employees at Delta.

Joel Goldhirsh

Irvine

Mojave memory preserved

Mark Vanhoenacker’s fine piece on the Mojave National Preserve [“A Rest for Restless Spirits,” Jan.8] reminded me of our family adventure there a few years ago. We had a tradition of spring break camping trips with our kids to beautiful desert areas (Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Anza Borrego) and were eager for the remoteness of the Mojave National Preserve. The wind was cold and, we thought, rather strong as we set up camp. By midnight, the wind was so intense that the roof of our tent was almost on our faces as we lay. Before we could yell to our high school-aged kids that we were going to pack up, the wind shredded their tent and blew it into the desert. The five of us worked together to salvage and pack what we could of our gear. Hours later, our room at the Ludlow Motel (yes, we checked in at the Chevron station) was a welcome sight. It’s a story we’ll always remember. The kids are off to college, but my husband and I plan to return. Maybe you wonder what we did to save that trip? We went to Disneyland.

Diana Campbell

Santa Barbara

Farewell, lions

I couldn’t help but feel sad upon reading that the MGM Grand Las Vegas has done away with the Lion Habitat that has been there for many years [Travel Ticker by Chris Erskine, Jan. 8]. I have seen these magnificent beasts through the years as they casually strolled through their home in the middle of a casino in the middle of the desert. I’d like to think that the king of beasts were partly instrumental in bringing people in.

Bill Spitalnick

Newport Beach