Originally Posted by
UA Insider
Hi everyone,
We recognize the importance and value to you of accessible and transparent information about United flights. It’s a meaningful part of your travel planning, and we are committed to providing useful information that is both accurate and preserves the integrity of United’s data and systems.
While we are committed to data transparency, Expert Flyer has been accessing united.com in an unauthorized fashion to retrieve UA availability. In addition, these activities have consumed significant united.com bandwidth that could otherwise be used by regular consumers. As a result, we had to take this action to protect the security and integrity of United’s systems.
Thank you for your understanding as to why we had to take this action. We continue to look at ways in which we can provide you with timely and useful information (some of which you will see in new releases of our own digital channels) as well as with partners that have authorized access to our data.
Aaron Goldberg
Sr. Manager - Customer Experience Planning
United Airlines
Dear Aaron,
Please work with EF to give them authorized access to your R/RN Inventory. It will be way cheaper for you to do that than to pay your agents to spend hours on the phone with us.
Here is a hypothetical illustration on how this could play out over the phone:
Hi, I am looking for upgrade space for an upcoming transatlantic travel. I have some flexibility with travel dates, and also I don't mind connecting at one of your gateways if this can guarantee an upgrade. So, what I would like to do is check all possible TATL routes, one by one. My travel window is the five-day period from xx/xx/2014 to xx/yy/2014. Are you ready? Let's get started.
First, could you please check IAH-FRA for these five days?
What about IAH-AMS, same five days?
What about EWR-CDG, same five days? What about EWR-AMS? And, EWR-FRA? Wait, there is a EWR-BRU also. Also, EWR-DUS could work.
OK, let's try ORD now. Same gateways in Europe, one-by-one please, same five-day window.
Wait, I'm not done. Let's try IAD, same gateways.
Just when you thought I would be done -- let's try DEN and the west coast also...
OK, now that I found upgrade space from EWR to DUS, let me book the domestic flight. What is available from IAH to EWR? What about AUS to EWR? And DFW to EWR?
OK, now, let's try the return flight. Here is my five-day window for the return, and I would like to search for all trans-Atlantic flights from either FRA, AMS, BRU, LHR or CDG into any of your major US gateways.
And then, of course, I would want to check domestic upgrade availability as well.
Aaron, please tell us that this is how you really want us to use the call center. And if so, please make sure to send them a memo to let them know what to expect.
Are we ready to return to long wait times to speak to an agent?