Ideas for premium cabin improvements - feedback?
Apr 16, 2014, 1:48 am
#46
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Apr 16, 2014, 4:13 am
#47
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Sheesh, I thought this would make you happy. You want better wines, this is a way to get them. If you're paying for something then there is far more of an incentive to deliver you what you want than if it's a free amenity. You must buy wine to drink at home. How good do you think that wine would be if you insisted on getting wine that was free to everyone?
Un-bundling / ala carte may be appropriate in economy class, but asking a customer that has already paid $6,000 to hand over a credit card for a reasonable wine is just stupid.
Other carriers make it work serving Krug / Dom / etc. Surely United can make it work with drinkable white/red choices.
Apr 16, 2014, 7:22 am
#48
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It's ridiculous because it uses the term "First" in it.
Connoisseur Class made sense back when it was a decent product. Note that PMUA retired that term what, some 10 years ago? Probably about the same time CO should have retired the BusinessFirst name as well, as the BF product was starting to fall behind its competitors.
And yes, it is ridiculous that UA continues to market something with the word "First" in it when it's so far behind the competition. When EVA will serve me Dom Perignon in J, with direct aisle access, and let me pick my meal ahead of time, while UA offers none of the above, seating in some cases 8 abreast on a 777 on the very same route, all whilst serving collard greens as a side dish, vending machine coffee, and providing a lounge with frat party liquor, cheap beer, and practically no food offerings, it's disingenuous to use "First" in any part of the product's name.
Have you flown any other carrier's J products recently? And have you flown another carrier's International F products? If you try some of them out, I think you'll see how ludicrous the BusinessFirst moniker is.
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Connoisseur Class made sense back when it was a decent product. Note that PMUA retired that term what, some 10 years ago? Probably about the same time CO should have retired the BusinessFirst name as well, as the BF product was starting to fall behind its competitors.
And yes, it is ridiculous that UA continues to market something with the word "First" in it when it's so far behind the competition. When EVA will serve me Dom Perignon in J, with direct aisle access, and let me pick my meal ahead of time, while UA offers none of the above, seating in some cases 8 abreast on a 777 on the very same route, all whilst serving collard greens as a side dish, vending machine coffee, and providing a lounge with frat party liquor, cheap beer, and practically no food offerings, it's disingenuous to use "First" in any part of the product's name.
Have you flown any other carrier's J products recently? And have you flown another carrier's International F products? If you try some of them out, I think you'll see how ludicrous the BusinessFirst moniker is.
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Today, they have a 3 class system, with 2 products named "First". First, BusinessFirst and Economy. The nomenclature itself is dumb. But the name BusinessFirst is also disingenuous at this point as channa points out, the UA product in C is inferior to C on most competitors at this point.
Perhaps a better set of names would be BusinessFirst, Business and Economy. The 'first' in businessFirst makes sense in that context: you get basically the same product as C but with a soup course, a little more room, and a more competitive business class lounge product in select airports.
Apr 16, 2014, 7:35 am
#49
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Perhaps a better set of names would be BusinessFirst, Business and Economy. The 'first' in businessFirst makes sense in that context: you get basically the same product as C but with a soup course, a little more room, and a more competitive business class lounge product in select airports.
Apr 16, 2014, 8:15 am
#50
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The responses here make me a bit sad 
I understand there's reduced competition, but what's wrong with UA taking a stand and saying "hey, let's raise our standards, pay a bit out of pocket, but get the money back with increased premium fliers" then actually doing it? I just don't understand the mindset of cutting back on premium cabin amenities...
I understand there's reduced competition, but what's wrong with UA taking a stand and saying "hey, let's raise our standards, pay a bit out of pocket, but get the money back with increased premium fliers" then actually doing it? I just don't understand the mindset of cutting back on premium cabin amenities...Squabbling about what to call all these mediocre products while United degenerates is like sitting in a lounge on the Andrea Doria and complaining about the teabag selection while she heels over.
Apr 16, 2014, 8:27 am
#51
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The UA business strategy depends on capturing hostages customers who have no options, not attracting new customers from competitors. This whole snafu is predicated on a less competitive market. So I'm afraid your ideas, while attractive, will take a change of management to implement, along with more of a near-death experience in the marketplace than UA has experienced since 2012.
1. Not anticipating the higher awareness and increased willingness by HVFs to switch to carriers with better services, products, loyalty programs.
2. Confusing a cyclical economic downturn with more permanent changes.
3. Not recognizing the increased competition for premium traffic on international routes.
4. Assuming the "network" and corporate contracts would keep them from getting cherry picked by lower cost competitor on their most profitable domestic routes.
Apr 16, 2014, 8:45 am
#52
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OP, the amount of time you put into writing this list is more time than UA has given and will give to consider improving its premium cabin product.
Now, on the other hand, I am confident UA has given and will continue to give much more time and energy to considering further cuts it can make the premium cabin product.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer this morning.
Now, on the other hand, I am confident UA has given and will continue to give much more time and energy to considering further cuts it can make the premium cabin product.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer this morning.
Apr 16, 2014, 8:47 am
#53
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I agree. I think UA has made a few miscalculations.
1. Not anticipating the higher awareness and increased willingness by HVFs to switch to carriers with better services, products, loyalty programs.
2. Confusing a cyclical economic downturn with more permanent changes.
3. Not recognizing the increased competition for premium traffic on international routes.
4. Assuming the "network" and corporate contracts would keep them from getting cherry picked by lower cost competitor on their most profitable domestic routes.
1. Not anticipating the higher awareness and increased willingness by HVFs to switch to carriers with better services, products, loyalty programs.
2. Confusing a cyclical economic downturn with more permanent changes.
3. Not recognizing the increased competition for premium traffic on international routes.
4. Assuming the "network" and corporate contracts would keep them from getting cherry picked by lower cost competitor on their most profitable domestic routes.
The Merger of UA and CO (which IMHO should never have been allowed in the first place) resulted in an airline which was/is not at the top by any measure. Hopefully the same will not happen at AA/US, but I fear it will.
The new UA is now in "react" mode for any positive changes they make. Long gone are the days when they were the leader (flat-bed seat rollout, to name one metric)
Still, in the years I've been flying for business (over 30), I've seen airlines go way up and way down. Internationally and TATL, I think UA is doing ok, compared to the others I fly (VS and BA). Hopefully, some fresh management will turn things around domestically.
Apr 16, 2014, 9:45 am
#54
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My thoughts exactly ... an unfortunately pious comment. Collard greens and mustard greens are being heralded as the 'new' Kale - I'm assuming Channa doesn't dine in Bay Area restaurants often - it's showing up everywhere, including on Michelin-starred lists.
Apr 16, 2014, 9:57 am
#55
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I'm hoping the yuppies discover okra next.
Apr 16, 2014, 10:07 am
#56
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Excuse me, but customers in the premium cabins are "paying" already.
Un-bundling / ala carte may be appropriate in economy class, but asking a customer that has already paid $6,000 to hand over a credit card for a reasonable wine is just stupid.
Other carriers make it work serving Krug / Dom / etc. Surely United can make it work with drinkable white/red choices.
Un-bundling / ala carte may be appropriate in economy class, but asking a customer that has already paid $6,000 to hand over a credit card for a reasonable wine is just stupid.
Other carriers make it work serving Krug / Dom / etc. Surely United can make it work with drinkable white/red choices.
Apr 16, 2014, 10:32 am
#57
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That's all well and good from the perspective of an intro to microeconomics class, but it ignores the reality that you simply don't charge premium passengers for wine.
Apr 16, 2014, 10:47 am
#58
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjgtLSHhTPg
There are more cogent arguments, like, people who are paying for wine are going to want a robust selection, and how many bottles of wine can you afford to carry around hoping that a customer will want one? Also, the weight of glass bottles is high.
While we're dreaming, how about some decent beer? I would gladly pay $20 for a good beer. And some of them even come in cans.
Apr 16, 2014, 10:54 am
#59
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Apr 16, 2014, 11:07 am
#60
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Now going back on topic from the whole BusinessFirst name, what I would really like to see is maybe the widebody aircraft getting a true premium economy cabin. Something like 2x2x2 on the 767s & 787s and maybe 2x3x2 on the 777s?. Special Dining better meals etc not just extra legroom in the same cabin as Y, but a separate cabin all in itself. So on CO & 2-cabin UA aircraft something like J/W/Y, and on UA 3-cabin aircraft (if it still exists). F/J/W/Y.