Yet Another Customer Satisfaction Survey - United at the bottom, but a lot.
Apr 22, 2014, 12:41 pm
#31
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The bottom line is that this management team is essentially running two poor airlines, and I maintain that the root cause of UA's current problems is the inability for this management team to find a way to integrate the operation. Since the merger, they've blown through an astonishing amount of employee goodwill and I am quite confident that this management team will never, ever regain the trust of the rank-and-file.
Treating your people like garbage (despite Bethune-era mantras, which are mostly lip service at this point) and not giving them the tools they need to do their jobs is not a sustainable strategy for running a business. Eventually the contempt trickles down to your customers.
Treating your people like garbage (despite Bethune-era mantras, which are mostly lip service at this point) and not giving them the tools they need to do their jobs is not a sustainable strategy for running a business. Eventually the contempt trickles down to your customers.
Apr 22, 2014, 12:48 pm
#32
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I haven't thought about it this way before, but perhaps I should be glad that they retired my beloved "tulip" in favor of a worn-out globe. That way when SMI/J gets his just desserts I can rejoice when the new administration retires that badly tarnished bit of corporate nothingness and brings back the tulip that was actually designed and stood for something as a sign of positive change to come!
Apr 22, 2014, 12:58 pm
#33
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Who cares if it's UA or CO for placing blame. You've got an idiot bean counter at the top who doesn't give a rats behind about the customer experience and you've got an airline that is short-sighted and out of touch. The airlines merged, the merger is done and the result is the bottom of the barrel in an industry where service is already a steaming pile of poo.
So in summary - United has the steamiest pile of poo and it's getting worse in an industry that already can't get out of it's own way to treat customers with adequate service.
So in summary - United has the steamiest pile of poo and it's getting worse in an industry that already can't get out of it's own way to treat customers with adequate service.
Apr 22, 2014, 1:02 pm
#34
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Based on this survey, what I take away is:
--Southwest is getting worse
--Delta keeps on getting better
--United is pretty much rock bottom.
--American and USAir get the same rating. It's too early to tell if the merger will be a good thing or not.
Bottom line -- I'm done with UA. I will make DL Silver this year and it's no looking back to see what CO did to the airline I used to consider "my second choice." It hurts to see the 757s disappearing in favor of more RJs and bare-bones 739s. I just get angry when I think of what this airline could have become. It's insane to think of how Smisek shot every possible opportunity down to make this airline what it is today. And yet he's still trying to convince me that they are friendly and great! Am I missing something?
The worst are the people out there that think CO control of the airline was/is the right thing to do, and will defend this horrid UA no matter what. Those people have some serious issues.
--Southwest is getting worse
--Delta keeps on getting better
--United is pretty much rock bottom.
--American and USAir get the same rating. It's too early to tell if the merger will be a good thing or not.
Bottom line -- I'm done with UA. I will make DL Silver this year and it's no looking back to see what CO did to the airline I used to consider "my second choice." It hurts to see the 757s disappearing in favor of more RJs and bare-bones 739s. I just get angry when I think of what this airline could have become. It's insane to think of how Smisek shot every possible opportunity down to make this airline what it is today. And yet he's still trying to convince me that they are friendly and great! Am I missing something?
The worst are the people out there that think CO control of the airline was/is the right thing to do, and will defend this horrid UA no matter what. Those people have some serious issues.
Apr 22, 2014, 1:07 pm
#35
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Would you like to re-state this to bring it in line with reality? I'm not aware of anyone here who defends UA on a regular basis.
Apr 22, 2014, 1:15 pm
#36
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Apr 22, 2014, 1:17 pm
#37
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Apr 22, 2014, 1:18 pm
#38
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I am saying that WN and B6 exceed expectations and UA falls short.
UA is supposed to be a reliable network carrier with premium aspects and worldwide reach. B6 and WN provide friendly, comfortable short-to-medium haul transportation with limited, well-defined scope of service.
It's like when you get into a $17,000 Chevrolet and discover an unexpected amenity, like a backup camera. Cool. Better than I thought. When you get into a $37,000 Volkswagen and discover it has vinyl seats, you think: Yikes. Lamer than I expected. On that basis, Chevy does better.
Apr 22, 2014, 1:34 pm
#39
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Well it's easy to fit in when you want to be part of the sCO EWR lovefest that overshadows reality on that board. If you don't beat that drum, they will show you the door.
And that's fine -- I know deep down that EWR is a dump with the most delays from any airport in the nation and surly employees to boot.
Apr 22, 2014, 1:36 pm
#40
Join Date: Feb 2002
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I haven't thought about it this way before, but perhaps I should be glad that they retired my beloved "tulip" in favor of a worn-out globe. That way when SMI/J gets his just desserts I can rejoice when the new administration retires that badly tarnished bit of corporate nothingness and brings back the tulip that was actually designed and stood for something as a sign of positive change to come!
I like the tulip as much as any avgeek but since the pilot strike of 1985 United as a brand has stood for mediocrity for the average consumer and the numbers here prove that.
What's striking is that Delta was a 56 in 2011. Same point in the post merger timing as US in 2013.
Now its 70+.
Change can happen quickly. But won't happen without the labor contracts. From what I understand some of the UA unions have balked at even aligning with the standards Delta set. Hard to compete without cooperation.
That flyer friendly campaign is directed as much at employees as customers.
CEO needs a stronger operational #2/3 like Delta with Bastian and CEO can focus on labor.
Last edited by cerealmarketer; Apr 22, 2014 at 1:53 pm Reason: wrong quote
Apr 22, 2014, 1:42 pm
#41
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Who cares? That's a truism, and almost like saying, "deep down, I know the sky is blue." Sadly, there is no real alternative which does not lay claim those attributes, either.
Apr 22, 2014, 1:43 pm
#42
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How can it be touted as some special hub when it's a piece of crap with major infrastructure problems?
Apr 22, 2014, 1:48 pm
#43
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BING!! sort out the damn labor issues, empower your employees to actually "serve" your customers, and invest in the soft and hard product. I would love to see SMI/J focus on the labor part and hire a soft/hard product manager from one of the Middle Eastern companies. Won't happen, but it would be nice.
Apr 22, 2014, 1:54 pm
#44
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Apr 22, 2014, 2:05 pm
#45
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the annual american consumer satisfaction index (acsi) scores are out for 2014. The survey uses data from a survey of 70,000 us customers and looks at a number of industries, and the scores can be compared across industries.
The scores for airlines are as follows (the first number is for 2013, second is 2014)
jetblue 83 79
southwest 81 78
delta 68 71
american 65 66
us airways 64 66
united 62 60
for comparison, the same report listed hotel chains, the ritz-carlton has a acsi of 86, westin of 82, and super 8 of 68.
It is notable that while delta, american, and us airways all raised there acsi scores, united's actually fell, and the gap is substantial. As the report noted "among the legacy airlines, delta emerges as the best in the group, with a gain of 4% to an acsi score of 71, inching ahead of the aggregate of smaller airlines (including alaska air, frontier, and spirit). This is a 27% improvement in customer satisfaction since 2011, when delta plunged to an all-time low of 56 in the wake of its northwest acquisition."
on united the report says: "since united is so far behind other airlines in passenger satisfaction, it will not be easy to gain market share or to keep customers, especially when considering that 30% of their passengers have an acsi score below 50. The acquisition of continental appears to play a role here—frequent and continual problems with reservations and refunds three years after the merger are problematic."
full report is here, registration is required to access: http://www.theacsi.org/news-and-reso...-2014-download
The scores for airlines are as follows (the first number is for 2013, second is 2014)
jetblue 83 79
southwest 81 78
delta 68 71
american 65 66
us airways 64 66
united 62 60
for comparison, the same report listed hotel chains, the ritz-carlton has a acsi of 86, westin of 82, and super 8 of 68.
It is notable that while delta, american, and us airways all raised there acsi scores, united's actually fell, and the gap is substantial. As the report noted "among the legacy airlines, delta emerges as the best in the group, with a gain of 4% to an acsi score of 71, inching ahead of the aggregate of smaller airlines (including alaska air, frontier, and spirit). This is a 27% improvement in customer satisfaction since 2011, when delta plunged to an all-time low of 56 in the wake of its northwest acquisition."
on united the report says: "since united is so far behind other airlines in passenger satisfaction, it will not be easy to gain market share or to keep customers, especially when considering that 30% of their passengers have an acsi score below 50. The acquisition of continental appears to play a role here—frequent and continual problems with reservations and refunds three years after the merger are problematic."
full report is here, registration is required to access: http://www.theacsi.org/news-and-reso...-2014-download