deskover54

With all the negative publicity, do we think there might be some good fare sales? Anyone predict if UA demand will drop?

getagb

No, most people will continue buying the cheapest tickets they can find, and elites will mostly stay loyal.

deskover54

But my facebook feed is filled with "I will never fly United again"

MDJennings

I hope so. It would also be nice if everyone claiming outrage over this cancels their award tickets so there is more availability for the rest of us.

Also, if you're an elite, less of them flying means more chances for upgrades.

mahasamatman

That's OK, my United account is full of "I will never use Facebook".

FlyerTom111

I doubt it. Delta had a very bad week last week. All the airlines screw up from time to time. People will forget. I doubt this will have that much of an impact.

FlyerTom111

Last week it was "I will never fly Delta again"

Next week it will be "I will never fly American" or "I will never fly Southwest" "I will never fly Spirit again"

They will sell tickets.

MDJennings

Yup. Especially when the ticket is cheaper than their competitors.

Kacee

I'm not sure about that. People are having a gut-level reaction to that video. That's the kind of thing that sticks with people at a subconscious level when they are making a purchase decision. It's the precise opposite of "the feel good" commercials that sell the product by creating a positive emotion. Modern marketing is premised on the idea that emotions sell better than facts.

Air Houston

I hope the fare sale includes IAH. Our fares are way too high.

(Except the 5 am flight to MIA. It is available for $79 O/W sometimes. But I don't want to wake up at 2 am to make a 5 am flight that goes to a place where I will be staying up past my normal 9:30 pm bedtime.)

MDJennings

Let's see if their gut-level reaction causes the family of 4 to spend an extra $800 flying on a different airline for Christmas.

deskover54

I've been watching Christmas fares all day hoping for them to drop wildly ready to pounce. No movement unfortunately.

jsloan

RM is unlikely to adjust fares based upon the PR fallout. They'll wait and see if there's an actual book-away factor. If their sales start to come in significantly below projections, or if they get a significant cancel rate, they'll start downgauging flights, cutting frequencies, and dropping fares, not necessarily in that order.

Personally, I don't expect this to have a material effect upon bookings, but time will tell. Airlines have recovered from worse.

oopl

Scott Kirby will know where to cut to make sure UA makes a profit.

gene2632

Ok, friends. I have to take the entire blame for this latest incident and the reality that the fall out will be gone in a week. When I was a college senior I wrote my senior thesis supporting the deregulation of the airline industry. My premises was that it result in lower fares for the flying public by fostering competition on fares and not just service and that would be good. What I failed to realize/address is that companies and managers would not be able to make the transition from the assured profits of a regulated industry to the free market realities so many airlines went under and in the long run competition has decreased. There are now just 3 legacy carriers left in the USA and a few LCC carriers who only cover a smaller segment of the population. My own reality today, 48 years later, is that the airport closed to my home in NJ is EWR and that is controlled by United. Most of the places I still fly to only UA offers non-stop service so if I want to boycott them I have to 1/ make connections, 2/ Travel to JFK or LGA or PHL so who am I hurting more by boycotting United? Yes, they were totally wrong, yes, I am no longer a big fan or supporter of UAL but the reality is I am kind of stuck with them for now. Could all of that change? Yes. as my MUAs continue to fail to clear the miles will pile up in our accounts again and we will likely just burn them up on trips rather than upgrades and once the miles are gone, about 140,000 at the moment, and I sell my home and leave NJ I may well leave UA in the dust then but not today.