gegarrenton

Because it reflects on the airline as a whole. Obviously not going to be numero uno, but hey, it is something.

I got questioned on why offshore call centers were a reason I left years ago as a 1K, when I had still (thankfully) had a US line. Because I don't want to be part of some cheap ... airline with lame offshore call centers for US based passengers, that's why. Would that single reason have made me leave? No, of course not, but it is definitely a negative in the running tally.

Superguy

Also, 1Ks likely won't be 1Ks forever. If they've been fortunate enough to make it MM, it's a drastic reduction in the lifetime benefit that was promised from a long time ago.

channa

I think part of that is innate bias in the appreciation program. You spend hours with the FA. You spend no time to a few minutes with a GA (more now under SHARES of course ).

entropy

I get the feeling that the war lines are being drawn (or have been drawn) in corporate HQ... as well as on the line. (e.g. CO employees proudly announcing that their flight is operated by CO pilots and FAs).

A lot of UA employees were (rightly) proud of the progress they'd made over the last decade really making great improvements in their hard and soft product, their website, and corporate culture that really worked hard to deliver for their loyal customers.

On the flip side, CO employees were proud of the accolades and reputation they'd received, pre, ~2005 when they came back from the grave as a well-run, smooth and slick operation. Unfortunately, that operation never really competed globally, nor did they have to play in the 'deep end' with myriad other airlines with complex itineraries, etc.

When they finally came together, the CO side was in the process of being gutted by a slick, sarcastic CEO, while UA was generally improving their product (IPTE in particular) and their operating economics were on the up and up.

The CO people, in their accolade/reputational arrogance, said they knew best, UA practices were a relic of 20 years ago, came in and said their (crappy) SHARES system would be better and cost less. The FF program would switch to OnePass policies, and the systems limitations inherent there, etc. No real merger of equals, it was a takeover, COdbaUA.

UrbaneGent

LOVE the above, you should add one more $ so it's, $$$XXXXXX

Where did you come up with this? I LOL'd driving thinking about this...."Dracula! So real....so life-like!" haha! We are all walking around with two holes on our necks....nickles and dimes sucked right out of us!

UG

iquitos

what a tankless job having to listen to the complaints knowing they are valid and feigning concern knowing there is absolutely no hope.

bseller

I have said as much regarding this "merger" as being a takeover, but you've done a really nice job of helping to explain WHY this has happened. Particularly w/r/t the airline fka United and HOW the CO policies came to be almost universal.

Thank you!
Dave

TIMOS

Done!

This is my first year as 1K. Prior to this I was Gold (50k level) and Gold is all I will make again next year. I don't fly enough to hit 1K. 100% of my travel is personal leisure travel, so 1K was a once off.

Now I know how impossibel it is to use GPUs I' wont bother with 25k mileage runnning toi hit 1K.

I'll be back to Gold. So a 100% cut in RDM is a big deal for me next year.

RickS2R

I would just like to see that pompous, arrogant, smug Jeff Smisuck come out with an apology ad, like Jim did after the "Summer of Love" and admit that he screwed up with the merger and that he will make it up to every customer by resigning and having the board replace him with a competent and inspiring CEO.

oopsz

It does cost less. When CO sold SHARES (former EA SystemOne) to EDS, they negotiated a free license to the software. UA did not do the same when they sold Apollo to Travelport/Worldspan, so UA had to pay a licensing fee every year it was in use. (I'd bet money UA paid more over time than they made in the initial sale.)

On a similar note, I believe AA just asked the BK court to void their contract with HP regarding Jetstream, their next-gen res system. That will be interesting to watch.

Superguy

If all goes well, I'll likely have no interaction with a GA other than handing them my BP. However, when the crap hits the fan, a great GA can make a huge difference if they're willing to go the extra mile.

FlyWorld

^^^

Zero chance of $mi$ek apologizing. The only hope we have is that the board fires him. As long as he's in that seat, this airline is in a race to zero.

BearX220

And if he flew through the SFH in 2000 and he's only embarrassed for the first time now, that is something.

A vision that the workforce doesn't understand, believe, or support is no vision at all. And there's no apparent vision for United beyond extracting every possible dollar from every customer every day. They sure aren't setting out to be the quality leader, or the service leader, or the irrops recovery leader, or the price / value leader. The only vision most employees seem to have left is a vision of a stiff drink at the end of the shift.

I have worked for horrible, craven, incompetent, let's-screw-the-customer management in the past, and there is no more sickening feeling for a committed employee trying to do a good job. Not that all PMUA employees fall into that category by any means, but still.

I say go nuts. The whole operation is degenerating on a massive scale anyway. After 8 July I'm staying far away, no more UA bookings, so I'm rooting for total employee mutiny and meltdown, resulting in a wholesale management change. The only hope left is to torch the place. Reminds me of the old Vietnam war quote about how it was necessary to destroy the village in order to save it, but in this case it's the truth.

I agree. It's a dark and grim time in the history of UA. Hatred for the brand increases every day. If there's going to be a war for the soul of the company, with mass casualties and ultimately a coup d'etat or something, game on.

StingWest

Me too - several times in a row now, so I don't think it's just a coincidence. The international meals (business) have definitely been improved!

It is absolutely possible to use GPU's! I have been able to find R inventory for about 50% of the international flights I've taken this year (8) at booking. It requires planning ahead and some date flexibility though, something that I know is not possible for everyone.

1KPath

Both he and my second UA pilot cousin had been recalled to military service in 1999 and 2000...so they were not flying for UA during that time. Saying that, they both admit that the pilot action was not handled well and resulted in a lot of bad PR for the pilots and pain for customers...and this coming from a die hard union guy...but he also sees the demise of the airline industry as he knew it...and as our fathers knew it...with air travel becoming a mere commodity. He feels little pride in a company that is being run by bean counters only concerned with the immediate bottom line...having a complete disconnect with their customer facing staff and customers. If management lacks passion for the industry they run, is it any wonder that rank and file are feeling the way they do?