AA New Website So Much Better than UA
Jan 20, 2013, 10:05 am
#46
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,068
Change flights and reissue ticket (including different routing) - Old UA website: NO/New UA website: YES
Mobile BP on the smartphone - Old UA: NO/New UA: YES
Booking and ticketing partner awards - Old UA: NO/New UA: YES
Viewing upgrade list - Old UA: NO/New UA: YES
Viewing seat map at anytime - Old UA: NO/New UA: YES
Knowing where the flight's aircraft is coming from and its current position - Old UA: NO/New UA: YES
Rebranding with a new logo is nice and all, and perhaps you don't find the above things important or useful. However, it's 2013, and many of us appreciate the ability to have those information virtually at our fingertips.
- I have a couple of reservations that will not display or email a receipt (though they're ticketed).
- I have watched people below me on the upgrade list get upgraded ahead of me.
- I have had the website display a different seat (sometimes in a different cabin) than the seat I'm really in on a flight.
- The upgrade requested (blue arrow) is flaky -- I have been upgraded when it wasn't there, I haven't been upgraded when it was there.
- I had one multi-city UA + partners reservation refuse to open to even view it on the website recently (and it would never show on the PDA site)
- The change ticket screens offer fewer flights than a new ticket
- The flexible/refundable options when changing tickets doesn't work, and only offers Y-like fares, not lowest changeable/refundable like it does in a new ticket search (that's a big one -- because it takes a PMUA task which took 30 seconds and makes it a 20-30 minute agent call).
The site may have a few bells and whistles, but it costs me more in time than having a reliable website with perhaps fewer functions.
Jan 20, 2013, 10:21 am
#47
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
Programs: AA PLT,AS,UA PP,J6,FB,EY,LH,SQ,HH Dmd,Hyatt Glbl,Marriott Plat,IHG Plat,Accor Gold
Posts: 10,820
UA has much more fundamental IT issues to address. Too many stories here of issues which all look to me to be the signs of a very brittle, poorly tested pile of software.
Here are some IT issues I've read about here in the past few weeks that I can recollect straight from memory:
A new web site would be the classic example of lipstick on a pig.
They may own SHARES and avoid paying any royalties to anyone for something better, and think it saves them money, but I really do wonder. The bug fix costs must be enormous, and the hundreds of additional call center staff to field the complaints ain't free either.
Here are some IT issues I've read about here in the past few weeks that I can recollect straight from memory:
- Having to stop posting miles for several days because of unexplained issues
- Two years in a row of many people getting the "wrong" higher status for several days at the turn of the year
- Changing and missing and inexplicable seat assignment snafus
- Running promotions, awarding miles, and then clawing them back because the wrong number was posted
- The infamous 4-miles to HKG in GlobalFirst debacle
- Being unable to print out an acceptable boarding pass
- Stuck CPU processing (was this ever working properly? Will it ever? Will UA ever come clean?)
- Numerous reports of issues actually ticketing award travel on partner airlines, and then not owning the problem
A new web site would be the classic example of lipstick on a pig.
They may own SHARES and avoid paying any royalties to anyone for something better, and think it saves them money, but I really do wonder. The bug fix costs must be enormous, and the hundreds of additional call center staff to field the complaints ain't free either.
Jan 20, 2013, 12:24 pm
#48
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: 12 stops from ORD
Programs: UA, AA, DL
Posts: 992
Jan 20, 2013, 2:19 pm
#49
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Tokyo
Programs: DL Diamond, ANA Platinum
Posts: 1,532
I prefer Delta and American's over United's solely on the fact that if you switch all three over to Japanese, DL and AA are quite stable and offer content parity. UA's site begins acting like a beheaded chicken.
The far superior design of DL and AA is just the icing on the cake. I like everything as modern as possible.
The far superior design of DL and AA is just the icing on the cake. I like everything as modern as possible.
Jan 21, 2013, 2:29 am
#50
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: LAX
Programs: UA Silver, AA, WN, DL
Posts: 4,091
Seems like you guys are the only ones that see it that way. I just searched 3 different itins and it listed lowest... to highest in order. I do not fly AA, so won't be using it, but I wish the CO site did that. The CO/ua site BLOCKS the cheapest options. Check it out...
What do you click on to have it sort by lowest price? As you can clearly see, it's scattered all over the place (even though it says lowest price is $200 on the tab, but that is on the bottom). It seems like you have some special ability/browser to have the flights listed by price. A screen shot or a sample itinerary where your flights are listed by price would help provide support for your claim.
Jan 21, 2013, 4:39 am
#51
Formerly known as UATexasFlyer
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: AUS
Programs: AA EXP, Hyatt Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Plat, Natl. Car Exec Elite, UA 1MM, *G
Posts: 451
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I can book a flight on united.com very quickly, from my PC, phone or iPad.
I can check in on united.com very quickly, from my PC, phone, or iPad.
I can check flight status on united.com very quickly from my PC, phone, or iPad.
Fancy flash and goobers that eat bandwidth and slow the process waste my time.
I can book a flight on united.com very quickly, from my PC, phone or iPad.
I can check in on united.com very quickly, from my PC, phone, or iPad.
I can check flight status on united.com very quickly from my PC, phone, or iPad.
Fancy flash and goobers that eat bandwidth and slow the process waste my time.
Jan 21, 2013, 5:04 am
#52
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NYC
Posts: 1,393
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I can book a flight on united.com very quickly, from my PC, phone or iPad.
I can check in on united.com very quickly, from my PC, phone, or iPad.
I can check flight status on united.com very quickly from my PC, phone, or iPad.
Fancy flash and goobers that eat bandwidth and slow the process waste my time.
I can book a flight on united.com very quickly, from my PC, phone or iPad.
I can check in on united.com very quickly, from my PC, phone, or iPad.
I can check flight status on united.com very quickly from my PC, phone, or iPad.
Fancy flash and goobers that eat bandwidth and slow the process waste my time.
No need for a fancy Delta.com, all we need is to clear the clutter
Jan 21, 2013, 5:39 am
#54
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Now MFE... formerly SEA and DCA
Programs: Now UA free!, AA Ex Plat, AS MVP, Marriott Titanium for life
Posts: 664
You must not have read the complaints from the link I provided you. Plenty of evidence both here and the other thread that it can't sort by price. If you are so certain it can list by lowest price, please enlighten me on how to have it sort by lowest with a sample list of flights shown below (LAX-SEA 2/18):
What do you click on to have it sort by lowest price? As you can clearly see, it's scattered all over the place (even though it says lowest price is $200 on the tab, but that is on the bottom). It seems like you have some special ability/browser to have the flights listed by price. A screen shot or a sample itinerary where your flights are listed by price would help provide support for your claim.
What do you click on to have it sort by lowest price? As you can clearly see, it's scattered all over the place (even though it says lowest price is $200 on the tab, but that is on the bottom). It seems like you have some special ability/browser to have the flights listed by price. A screen shot or a sample itinerary where your flights are listed by price would help provide support for your claim.
Just to be clear.. how do you feel about UA's site simply not showing the cheapest fares available? Isn't that worse??? It is to me, and for that reason I find UA's site lacking.
Jan 21, 2013, 7:04 am
#55
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: EAU
Programs: UA 1K, CO Plat, NW Plat, Marriott Premiere Plat, SPG Plat, Priority Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,712
UA's site is easier to use, but UA's IT infrastructure is really several different systems cobbled together and cobbling lots of systems together is never good for reliability.
Still, usually far easier for me to book new travel on UA than AA and DL.
Still, usually far easier for me to book new travel on UA than AA and DL.
Jan 21, 2013, 7:16 am
#57
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chicago
Programs: Hyatt Glob; UA 1K; BonVoyage LTT (RIP SPG); HH Dia; JX Insighter
Posts: 1,642
Just one more data point here. I recently moved and updated my address just fine on the UA site. AA errors out, helpfully letting me know that "This feature is temporarily unavailable. We apologize for this inconvenience. Please try again later."
Jan 21, 2013, 8:41 am
#58
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
I also thought the old UA marketing and ads were light years ahead of what they have now - I miss the soft, abstract illustrations used in the ads and website, compared to the boring pictures from shutterstock.com that CO/UA uses now.
Of course the old .bomb was had lots of functionality issues, too. As far as utility of AA or UA, they both have glitchy issues at times in my experience. I'm not sure I would rate either that highly. Unlike UA, the AA site only has a limited number of partners available for award booking (though they are improving)...though I guess that's more of a systems interface issue rather than purely web design?
Jan 21, 2013, 1:38 pm
#59
Join Date: May 2011
Location: California
Programs: UA 1K/MM, HH Diamond
Posts: 246
And United's website can't reinstate an RPU/GPU that didn't clear without what is often a 20 min phone call for elites...there will always be things that we as flyers think should be simple that for whatever reason (old backed systems, complexity across systems that isn't apparent, apathy/intent on the part of the airline to make it hard, etc), the systems can't seem to do.
Jan 21, 2013, 2:14 pm
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold, NEXUS, GE, ABTC/APEC, South Korea SES, eIACS, PP, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 16,046
Not quite sure why it's taken a long time for United to roll out a sleek, modern website. The current website is just awful and uninspiring. I would venture to say it's probably the worst compared to the other large legacy airlines in the USA.
AA was able to get theirs done very quickly. This is probably their second redo in the span of three years. This new look is very good.
Does United have a timeframe on when they are rolling out a website that can out do all the other guys?
AA was able to get theirs done very quickly. This is probably their second redo in the span of three years. This new look is very good.
Does United have a timeframe on when they are rolling out a website that can out do all the other guys?
The new logo absolutely blows and I hate the new fare display.
Give me the old website any day.
(Then again I am less affected as I mainly use the website to purchase web only fares that I can't get in the GDS sometimes and to use promo codes.)
New website is better IMO than UA.bomb (which defaults to YVR when I am overseas because I use company VPN.)
I wish AA could show fare rules as easily as UA.bomb though.