Independence Air iClub - Why do you fly DH over UA????

Some people who live here in DC fly with DH over UA. Some like my self fly with UA over DH? Why would you fly DH over UA?

DH's target marget is nothing like UA's target market. UA is shifting focus from domestic to international.

I would have given Indy a ton of business if they had introduced a frequent flyer program that had some teeth. When going head to head with the likes of UA, a much better program should have been implemented.

With United's Round the World Promo and the current 25,500 offer, I never flew Indy for even one lousy flight.

I flew them because I wanted them to stay in business so that UA wouldn't gouge its customers. The only reason why UA lowered its fares in most markets was to match DH. With DH out of the picture, presto, fares go back up.

I have generally gotten better service on DH than UA, especially for minor inconveniences (delays, etc.). Not that UA has given me bad service, just that DH has been better.

And I've generally been able to snag cheaper fares on DH, to their own detriment. I'm cheap when I'm paying the bill.

Over the past year, I've been roughly 1/3 DH, 1/3 WN, 1/4 UA, 1/4 others when I've paid. (Yeah, that's a lot of travel.)

PRICE, this past summer i used my GLiDE pass about 25 times. Now that's the best $250 my employer ever spent.


I have generally gotten better service on DH than UA, especially for minor inconveniences (delays, etc.). Not that UA has given me bad service, just that DH has been better.

And I've generally been able to snag cheaper fares on DH, to their own detriment. I'm cheap when I'm paying the bill.

Over the past year, I've been roughly 1/3 DH, 1/3 WN, 1/4 UA, 1/4 others when I've paid. (Yeah, that's a lot of travel.)

DH was so liberal with discount programs that I flew DH over UA because it was cheaper. UA matched all of DH's fares, but when I could pile 20% off and $20 off (each way, sometimes), DH often came out 40% cheaper than UA. However, when DH offered no discount and cost the same as UA (mainly in Summer '04), I was flying UA for the RTW credits (which even in the simplest case made short-haul R/T's buy-two-get-one-free). Though I flew DH often, I regretfully was flying on money-losing fares for DH.

A/B terminal at IAD. Hands down easier to depart then C/D,G for UA. Plus flyI has much friendlier flight crews.

In no real order-
1) Service
2) Prices
3) Flight frequency; where I went it was much better than UA.

Once a DH pilot radioed baggage and made sure my golf clubs were loaded b/c I was ONLY flying to PVD to play in a tournament. THAT'S service.

Other than that, they're timetable was perfect for when UA/X had a service disruption, and it sure beat the G terminal!

I feel that I am appreciated as a customer, when I fly DH.

While the United Express/Mesa F/A spent an hour sitting at her seat reading magazine on an IAD-EWR flight after making "due to the short duration of this flight, no beverage will be served", Indy Air serves you a nice cup of beverage along with refills, hot towelette, and mint all on a 38 minutes EWR-IAD flight.

Indy Air's leather seats also make CRJ rides a bit more tolerable, and the Airbus A319 is just as nice. It really makes an effort to make sure you will come back in the future.

I only wish DH luck because without DH, IAD fares will be shot up the roof.

Carfield