Continental Airlines poaches a frequent flier after Delta drops the ball

Kathleen Pierz is one happy Continental Airlines customer this morning. After a series of misunderstandings involving Delta Air Lines’ codesharing agreement with Continental, she’s been shown the ultimate courtesy.

Delta might have another word for it, though.

Here’s the situation: Last fall, Pierz booked a codeshare flight through Delta on Orbitz. When she checked in, the codesharing arrangement appeared to still be in place. It wasn’t. Continental had joined the Star Alliance a few weeks before her flight.

Then Pierz got to the airport.

I was told that Continental was no longer a code-share partner with Delta/Northwest airlines. This was the first notice I received of this change. As a result I received no mileage credit or bonus mileage, no first class upgrades, no fast check in and no other elite privileges on these six flights. Had I been aware of this change I would have never booked these flights and given up my miles (with my bonus this is nearly equal to a free ticket), my upgrades other privileges I enjoy as a long time Platinum frequent flier.

The problems didn’t end there.

In October I paid $720 when I renewed my World Club/Delta Sky Club membership in person at the World Club desk. At that time, absolutely no mention of my new inability to access Continental President’s Club facilities was made. I only discovered this fact when I was denied entry to the President’s Club in Newark on December 12th. To further add to my problems I was denied access to the Delta Sky Team Lounge at Heathrow Airport on December 18th.

I showed my new card, my boarding pass and even my Platinum Card and was told that even though I had just paid $720 for this membership I was told that I was not allowed to use it unless I was actually flying on Delta that day.

Is that any way to treat one of your best customers?

I suggested that Pierz send a brief, polite letter to both Delta and Continental, outlining her problem. She did.

Delta’s first response? A polite note to “stick it in your ear,” says Pierz. So I suggested she appeal to someone higher up.

You will be happy to know that I just got a call from a nice woman at Delta Air Lines. They are giving me full credit for the miles I flew on Continental last month. Better late than never.

Then Continental came through.

All I can say is WOW! They certainly want my business. They called to match my Platinum status from Delta and to give me full credit and elite bonuses for the London trip and the included access to the President’s club. I think this kind of unexpected service is amazing.

I am delighted. This kind of service is unheard of these days. I thought you’d like to know.

I’ve been a fan of Continental, too, recently. Although after this, I’m not sure if Delta is.

(Photo: phinalanji/Flickr Creative Commons)

  • Liz

    I find it hard to believe that a freqent flyer with status would fail to notice that CO was switching alliances. They announced it a full 16 months prior to the change over.

  • http://fredglick.com Fred Glick

    I had an issue where Continental did not come through.

    I booked an Air France flight under the only coach code I could earlier this year when AF and Continental were still married.

    I have Platinum Elite from Continental and thought it would be great to get my PHL-PAR 7000 miles (or so) in Continental points.

    After flying, I found out that they would not take the points because of the class of service I flew. Who knew???

    Delta would not take it either. Air France would. But, only at 25% of the actual miles flown.

    I was ripped off on this trip and realized that I am stuck flying U S Air to Europe if I want useful miles.

    Moral of the story is to ask if you will get miles flying oversees BEFORE you book.

  • Andy

    I agree with Liz. And to think that the codeshare would end and FF programs separate but lounge reciprocity would remain is beyond naive. Ms. Pierz seems to be an example of the elite with an exaggerated sense of entitlement so often discussed on this blog.

  • http://www.wineandspiritstravel.com Marcia Frost

    I have had status with Delta and American for years. Since there are times where one doesn’t fly where I need to, it makes sense to have another alliance option rather than higher status with one.

    Delta’s customer service has been getting increasingly worse. I had a horrendous 2009 with Delta in which they constantly lost my luggage (which included refusing to let me turn around and get something off the plane — or get it for me), didn’t answer at the Elite desk, gave me conflicting information, and endless other problems. My trip on December 28th was so horrendous (SIX planes with mechanical difficulties???) that I canceled my end of the year mileage run to complete my status and have given on Delta.

    I’m really surprised you got support from Delta — I guess it’s just the Silvers that they treat so badly. It looks like Continental is one to check out.

    Marcia

  • Carver

    @Liz/Andy

    Respectfully, I strongly disagree. Frequent fliers come in all stripes. Some people are more like the flyertalkers who painfully manage ever aspect of their travel, while others just travel and collect miles

    I suspect the OP is more of the latter. She probably doesn’t spend hours poring over documents from her frequent flyer programs.

    With regards to the lounge, being denied to the Continental lounge makes sense. I don’t know what she was thinking. Being denied to the Delta Lounge is ridiculous. She paid for it, she shouldn’t have to be flying that day to have access. But that’s a Delta rule I guess.

    I will agree that she sounds entitled. It may be because of the unfortunate use of the term “best customers”. Its pretentious and just not true.

  • George

    I agree with Liz and Andy – if she really earned her status by flying, she would have had to be living under a rock to not know about Continental leaving Sky Team, which was announced well in advance. I don’t think that Delta was really at fault here, but it was a nice gesture that they gave her the miles when they didn’t have to. If she really is a frequent flier, she would know to check on her reservations regularly for changes, which can happen all the time.

    More importantly, with the exception of NW flights, upgrades on Sky Team partner flights (e.g., AF, KLM) are not a published benefit of the DL frequent flier program, so I don’t get her sense of entitlement for upgrades. Even more to the point, international upgrades are also not a published benefit, even if they had been flights operated by DL. If she wanted first class that badly, she should have paid for it.

  • J C

    I also can’t believe that a platinum f.f. didn’t know of the switch. COME ON. There was plenty of notice and to plan a trip in the fall and not know what was going on – PLEASE – talk about having your head in the sand. She got lucky and would not have had a leg to stand on if Delta had said no.

    As for the Skyteam Lounge at LHR. I don’t know the ins and outs of Worldclub, but a SkyClub membership would have allowed you to use a club no matter which airline you were flying. There rules are very specific on this.

  • Adrian Shadowmoss

    Hear, Hear!! Andy and Liz are both right on1 If this lady is a “best customer” FF, then she should know what’s happening with the airlines and various changes. Methinks this lady is exaggerating somewhat. A for flying internationally, you would have to be brain-dead to not check up on your flights at least once per week. AND, as a double million miler (41 years of UGH air travel) I still make mistakes and let things fall through the cracks, but I do not ever think that that the airlines will get it right all the time. Most regular flyers this day and time know that they shoud be suspicious of airline intent and OP’s. I guess she’s lucky to still be able to fly at all in these times.
    AJS

  • Liz

    Hi Carver, even if you’re a ‘casual’ frequent flier, that was a hard change to miss. I can’t count the number of emails I got from both CO and UA, and I’m not elite on either.

  • DN

    I have been a Red Carpet Club member for a few years and I also had an Alaska Airlines Boardroom Club membership. I can enter any domestic Red Carpet Club or Alaska Boardroom without having to fly that particular airline, but if I wanted to enter the Delta, US Airways, or Continental lounges, I needed to be flying that airline that day (which makes sense because I didn’t purchase the membership for that particular club).

    However, Chris’s note about “the codesharing agreement seemed to still be in place” is incorrect. As a United 1K, I was anticipating Continental’s entry into the Star Alliance and they had HUGE banners at the airport and notations all over their website trumpeting their entry into the Star Alliance. I received email notices from Delta and United about the Continental change months in advance.

    @Carver: I checked the Delta website and she paid for a 3-year membership at the Platinum level (which is why it was $720). The KLM lounge at Heathrow (which I assume is the WorldClub lounge she referred to) will allow her to enter *if* she had a ticket on any SkyTeam member airline – since Continental exited the alliance, she was screwed.

    @George: I’ll assume that Kathleen was referring to how Platinum Medallion members get automatically put onto the 1st class upgrade list for her domestic flights and not to any international flights.

  • schuey

    happy to see that the comments make sense. Clearly, the switch from Continental to StarAlliance was major news in the US sky, the non eligibility to the lounges absolutely normal. good on delta to have “done the right thing” but her complain is just not justified…

  • David Farnham

    I agree with Liz. This seems to have been totally the customer’s fault for not following ongoing events. It’s hard to believe this is a top-level elite flyer.

  • SWL

    I think people are missing the point that she was a Delta Platinum level FF, not Continental. It’s not as if Delta was publicizing Continental’s switch from Sky Team to Star Alliance. I find it entirely believable that a Delta FF that doesn’t make a point to follow travel news (not everyone monitors this site!)could be unaware of Continental’s move.

  • Ron G

    I think we are missing the main point here. Too many times we hear about airlines answers always being all about no, no, no.

    It is nice to hear about an airline being smart and thinking outside the box. They are competing for the valuable business travelers. They managed to get a valuable flier for probably years to come.

  • http://www.roamingtales.com Caitlin

    @Carver It was Chris who used the phrase “best customer”.

    @Adrian said: “As for flying internationally, you would have to be brain-dead to not check up on your flights at least once per week.” Are you serious? In my book, you would have to be anally retentive to check up on your flights once a week. That’s completely over the top. I book my flights and then check on them the week I fly. That’s quite enough.

    @SWL Excellent point. Why should a Delta frequent flyer know what Continental is doing? She booked the flight through Delta (it was codeshare), that should be enough.

  • Justin

    I honestly enjoy flying Continental. The past several times I have used them, I have walked away a VERY VERY HAPPY customer. Their stewards and stewardesses are very friendly. Their service is great. Continental, so far, seems to be one of the few airlines that ACTUALLY CARES (yes I said it!).

    Keep up the good work.

  • Carver

    @Caitlin

    I think your comments are excellent and spot on.

    @SWL

    Excellent point. She’s a Delta FF. I doubt if Delta spent too much time publicizing who enters and leaves the loyalty program.

    I am a member of AA. There is usually maybe one e-mail about a partner leaving. I’d have to check to see who is still a member of the program and what level they participate it.

    @Others

    I don’t fault the OP for being a little confused about lounges. There are many ways to gain entry into a loungne.At AA, you gain entry by membership, membership in partnership airline,certain types of internation tickets, membership in certain credit cards, etc.

  • Justin

    WAVES AT CHRIS…

    You missed a MAJOR travel story. Here’s the link at CNN.

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/01/12/delta.baggage.fees/index.html

    Delta and Continental at RAISING their baggage fees for checked bags! Give it a few years and it will cost AS MUCH to fly with a bag as it does for your plane ticket!!

  • Justin

    *Woops I missed that you did report on Delta. However, you did not mention Continental WILL ALSO BE RAISING their fares to align themselves with Delta.

    My apologies.

  • Christopher Elliott

    @Justin, when I posted the story on Tuesday morning, it was only Delta. Thanks for the update.

  • Justin

    @ Chris

    No Problem. Break out the check boot. I think you’ll need to mortgage the house to fly soon, if all the airlines keep raising their rates. I think most travelers will LEARN TO FLY LIGHT. I bring a carry on, weigh it, and check nothing. However, I am sure it won’t be long before there are fees for your “First and Second Carry ons”……

    Continental is still a great airline but their fees are “Greater”…. Disappointed.

  • Kathleen Pierz

    Clearly Chris could not include every detail in his article. I was a Northwest FF, and Northwest did NOT notify customers and in fact Continental is STILL listed on the NWA website as a partner airline – go look. http://www.nwa.com/corpinfo/allia/partners.shtml Delta did not notify those who were on the NWA side of the merger. Delta sent me a letter with my new Delta FF card spelling out the changes in the program, no change in the codeshare status of Continental was noted, I entered my FF numbers when I booked and it was accepted and the NWA website listed Continental as a partner – I checked before I booked – seems reasonable to me. I don’t have the time I need to follow every detail of the airline industry, I check websites when I need to and just try to get from point A to point B on each trip. I’m the frazzed single mom of 3 teenage kids who travels way too much.
    I requested my money back for the Delta Sky Club because my previous membership just now expired and the new membership doesn’t meet my needs and I wasn’t told about the changes. I haven’t gotten that back either and it has been almost a month.
    The real story, however, is that Delta Airlines (the company I consider the ‘responsible party’ in this confusion) sent me a form letter telling me “NO” and Continental, who really had no need to feel responsible stepped up to the plate and stunned me with outstanding service. All I requested was the mileage credit I felt I should have gotten due to the poor communication – how much would that have cost Delta? I use all my miles to fly my foster son back and forth to visit his extended family on the Navajo reservation; so those miles matter to me.

  • Scott

    I am a little confused. If she is such a frequent flyer, how did she not notice CO’s change from SkyTeam to Star? It was very well publicized, and I for one welcomed it. All of the rules about what flights would count, and how to claim miles were there posted on CO’s web site long ago. Additionally, if she booked the ticket before the change over date, even if she flew after, she should have been entitled to the Delta miles. I did the reverse, where I booked a Delta flight before October 24, but flew after, and I got the CO miles.

    Whenever I can, I fly Continental. They seem to actually care about their passengers. I live equidistant from Newark, JFK and Logan, and could fly Delta or American with equal ease, but I far prefer how Continental treats me, the significantly better condition of their aircraft, and their food on long flights is significantly better. This is a case of Continental taking a few extra steps, none of which really cost them much, to make someone happy. I bet she will be far more likely to fly CO in the future. There is an old adage that if you don’t take care of your customers, someone else will.

  • DN

    Kathleen has a point; as an Alaska Airlines Gold MVP, I’ve found that the NW and Delta sites still act like they are separate companies. If I book a Delta flight, I don’t get any of the freebies that NW and AS members share (choice in premium seating for free, early boarding, upgrade list capability, etc) but I *do* get it if I book a NW flight.

  • Gregg

    I gave up on Delta after a two-day delay in Atlanta a couple of years ago. I was flying Dublin-Tulsa via ATL in Biz First. After arriving in ATL my flight to Tulsa was cancelled because the crew was stuck in Richmond. They rebooked me on a flight the following morning but refused a Comp hotel. The following morning the weather had deteriorated and my second flight to Tulsa was cancelled. After receiving no help on the phone and horrendous lines at the ticket counter, I got on a flight to Oklahoma City, rented a car and drove 100 miles to Tulsa. A letter to Delta went unanswered so I tried email. I received an unbelievable response: I was told that Delta was shocked that I had the “temerity” to complain because I was travelling on an award ticket. And how much did it cost me to earn that award ticket ? Plenty. I have never flown Delta since.