A good friend of mine, Shawn, travels nearly every week with his job as a regional sales manager for a large technology company. Shawn is a member of United Airline’s Mileage Plus frequent flyer program and recently achieved its elite status, 100K (which recognizes 100,000 actual flight miles traveled within the calendar year).
Late last year, on the outbound leg of the flight that would carry him over the 100,000 mile threshold, a United Airline representative approached him in the gate area, thanked him for his loyalty, and recognized his achievement of a status that very few frequent travelers will ever reach. As a part of the recognition “ceremony,” she took his boarding pass, drew a line through his current Premiere Executive status, and hand wrote “United 1K!”
Shawn was so complimented by the gesture that he saved the boarding pass and uses it as a bookmark. He recently told me that this simple act by the gate agent reinforced his loyalty to the airline and was the deciding factor to book with United Airlines when comparing flight schedules and fares offered by United and two competing airlines for an upcoming business trip to Calgary, Alberta. And, in case you’re wondering, United was not offering the cheapest fare.
How about you? How have you been complimented lately as a customer?
