Noah
Well Known Member
For those hanging on to their XM weather receivers until they do their mandatory ADS-B upgrades in the not too distant future, you might be interested in this. I have had a subscription to Aviator Light for $35/month for 3 years, and recently learned that XM is offering a "Pilot Express" package for the same price as the "Aviator Light", but it includes all of the additional, coveted weather products previously only availble in the "Aviator" package at $55/month. That is to say, you get these additional features for the same price of $35/mo: AIRMETS, SIGMETS, PIREPS, Lighning Strikes, Surface map with Isobars and surface features, Winds/Temps Aloft, Weather Watch Boxes, and Forecast Winds:
http://www.xmwxweather.com/aviation/data-service-pricing.php
http://www.siriusxm.com/sxmaviation/features
I called XM and asked how I can get the much better "Pilot Express" package with all of these additional features for their advertised price of $35/mo, the same price I have already been paying for 3 years. What? They will not sell it to me, because I have hardware that is incompatible with the "Pilot Express" package? Really?
Now it seems to me, that if XM is selling the same bundle of weather products and calling it "Pilot Express" in one case and "Aviator" in another, that they should be charging pretty much the same price, since the weather products are pretty much identical. I don't understand how XM justifies the need to spend an extra $20/month, just because I have different receiver hardware. It doesn't cost XM any more money ; they are already broadcasting the weather products but they're charging different prices to different users just because they have different receivers. That makes no sense.
If you agree, call XM and tell them you want the "Aviator" package, with the same weather products as the "Pilot Express" package, for the $37/mo price of the "Pilot Express" package. Perhaps if enough people call them to complain about this inequity, we can get them to change their misguided pricing and marketing policy.
Sirius XM doesn't seem to get it. They are dinosaurs selling buggy whips who should be doing everything they can to hang on to the shrinking customer base that they have, not accelerating their own demise by annoying their customers and charging some customers more money for the same products.
http://www.xmwxweather.com/aviation/data-service-pricing.php
http://www.siriusxm.com/sxmaviation/features
I called XM and asked how I can get the much better "Pilot Express" package with all of these additional features for their advertised price of $35/mo, the same price I have already been paying for 3 years. What? They will not sell it to me, because I have hardware that is incompatible with the "Pilot Express" package? Really?
Now it seems to me, that if XM is selling the same bundle of weather products and calling it "Pilot Express" in one case and "Aviator" in another, that they should be charging pretty much the same price, since the weather products are pretty much identical. I don't understand how XM justifies the need to spend an extra $20/month, just because I have different receiver hardware. It doesn't cost XM any more money ; they are already broadcasting the weather products but they're charging different prices to different users just because they have different receivers. That makes no sense.
If you agree, call XM and tell them you want the "Aviator" package, with the same weather products as the "Pilot Express" package, for the $37/mo price of the "Pilot Express" package. Perhaps if enough people call them to complain about this inequity, we can get them to change their misguided pricing and marketing policy.
Sirius XM doesn't seem to get it. They are dinosaurs selling buggy whips who should be doing everything they can to hang on to the shrinking customer base that they have, not accelerating their own demise by annoying their customers and charging some customers more money for the same products.
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