pdx1M

While true there are lots of those folks that book expedia or travelocity or kayak and they do see the cheaper fare. Kettles don't tend to even know the options so the multi-airline sites are their likely vendor of choice. For those folks it is just a question of price and to a lesser degree convenience. (Sure spend and extra $10 to get the shorter flight.) Folks with an upfront airline preference are generally more experienced and have reason to choose that particular airline. UA is working hard at removing any reason to a priori prefer UA - not at all clear why that is a good biz model but guess we'll all get to see. For me - I'll probably watch more frequently from some other carrier's seat (that I actually buy in premium cabins) that ever in the past. Why UA thinks that is a good idea is beyond my many degrees and year of business experience.