Originally Posted by
blueman2
And this is what really confuses me. People like us are supposedly who drive a disproportionate amount of UA's profit. Yet they consistently treat us like we are either stupid (come on - 'confused customers' rationale is BS) or are a nuisance.
Information is power, and the control of that information is money. There was a time when the only people with access to that information, other than the airlines, were travel agents. And they had to pay for that access.
The airlines must wish they could go back to that world, but ironically, it was the airlines themselves that destroyed that world by deciding not to allow travel agents to participate in the profits... which they did by opening up the information portals directly to the public, so people could book directly with the airline, saving a lot of money in fees previously paid to travel agents.
Today? The airlines want to turn the clock back in a way, removing information that used to be available to the consumer so they can charge more or offer fewer benefits. You offer something that looks great but people have to jump through hoops to get it, if it's available at all.
Restricting the information needed to take advantage of the opportunities is like combining the worst aspects of rebates and lotteries.
Originally Posted by
ksingh0311
United is at a very real risk of becoming another Micro$oft where no one believes them, cares for them and are left behind.
Was this a serious post? There can't be an airline in the world that wouldn't love to be in Microsoft's position. A huge captive customer base, upgrading on a regular basis to new versions that don't offer much over the prior versions. If you built up and own the system, you don't need users to care for you. Just users who need you. Microsoft still has that, in spades. They've screwed up big, but they still make a ton of $$$, consistently.
Apple
Microsoft
Novell
Microsoft's not a bad place to be. Where is United?