Originally Posted by
Global_Hi_Flyer
US is materially inferior to the legacies in terms of service and product, and materially inferior to WN in terms of policies and service. Unless you live in a market where US is 1) the only option, or 2) hubbed (offering non-stops to a lot of places), it is more painful to fly US than another option.
US can't play both sides at once. They either need to go all the way over to a LCC, including WN's customer-friendly policies, or it needs to go all the way back to a legacy and offer services that the others don't. There is, simply, no market differentiation and brand confusion... and that's bad for the customer.
I usually use WN for my personal trips, along with most of the people I know. If the price goes down, you get a credit on file, no hassle. If you need to change your flight, no change fee. If you need to cancel, you get a credit on file, no fee. No bag fees, drinks are free, snacks are free. Despite the "cattle call" boarding, I've never had a problem getting a good seat. I flew them a couple of weeks ago (PIT/MCO), my friend & I got on at the beginning of B and got the 2 seat exit row both ways. We paid $245 - $58 in future credits for reduced prices (each). US was well over $300. One thing I gave US consideration for was movies and short clips on long flights (to west coast), WN does not have that. Now US takes that away. With WN as an option for leisure travelers, I don't know why anyone would fly US.