Originally Posted by
wpr8e
I'm a GS, almost exclusively domestic flying. On average 2 trips a week, sometimes with connections, and hitting over 135k BIS a year.
I'm not seeing any of this. Sure there are issues, but nothing that even remotely rises to the level of bolting for AA of DL. And to be honest, nothing I've seen posted on here recently isn't a redundant patter of complaints that all airlines face, and will always face.
If you fly long enough you begin to notice patterns of complaints; overbooking, missed flights, bad service, etc. There's really nothing new here. It seems to make people feel better to dog pile on Shares and the CEO, because it's easy and they don't fight back. The obvious truth is, the free giveaways have been reduced. It's actually amusing when a few defectors gloated that they now love AA because they threw them a few free things. Apparently that's the difference between leaving UA and going with AA, 2 lounge passes, and a form letter.
Fact is, there's nothing new to see here. And management knows it.
Originally Posted by
UA-NYC
No, it's definitely worse, between upgrade rates, IRROPS issues, anything SHARES related, labor/management problems, morale, etc.
You downplay the AA experience, it's not just getting "freebies" - it's feeling valued again, that you'll be taken care of if things go sour, and that they're not trying to sell things out from under your feet. COdbaUA is not like anymore.
+1
As a 1K for nearly 20 years and AA EXP for most of the past decade, I used to place the two airlines on par, with advantages and disadvantages to each. Now, the pendulum has swung way in AA's favor in many concrete ways that go way beyond a "2 lounge passes and a form letter" and that generally translate into a much more customer-friendly culture. I'm not saying AA is ideal - what company is? - but the difference between the two airlines is approaching night and day.
wpr, if UA still works well for you, that's great. And if you find some folks preference for AA "amusing", have a good time. But the fact that you're personally "not seeing any of this" doesn't mean that UA has not gone downhill in manifold ways. Many of us are putting more $$ into AA tickets and less (or nothing) into UA these days for specific reasons that go beyond a few minor perks or a form letter.