Originally Posted by
cyborg
Because we look for value. That is what all customers seek.
That makes you good to yourself. Does it make you valuable to the company?
Originally Posted by
exerda
I can spend, say, $300 to book on DL. Instead, I spend $500 to book on UA.
There's a difference between spending more and inconvenient. If you are consistently paying more than the CASM cost of carrying you on the flights you are taking - i.e. you are yield-positive in the books - then you are arguably a good customer. But that $500 ticket is barely break-even (if at all) for a transcon trip, whether DL is selling it for less or not.
Originally Posted by
exerda
Tell me again how my repeat business is not good for UA?
Losing money on every transaction and making it up in volume is rarely a smart way to be profitable. If your transactions are net-positive revenue then it can be good for the company. If your transactions don't cover the cost of providing the service it gets a lot harder to believe you're a valuable customer to the company.
Originally Posted by
exerda
The level of apologetics for UA is amazing.
So is the inability to understand simple P/L concepts by many people.
Just showing up a lot doesn't make you a good customer. I know I'm not a good customer to the company; I'm willing to bet they lose money on me and have for years now. I can understand why they would make changes to try to push me away. I might not like it personally, but I'm not so delusional as to believe that I fit their "best" customer demographic.