Originally Posted by bocastephen

I think it really depends on the GS - as that group can by sliced up by rank itself. A self-made person spending tens of thousands of their own money on air travel will have a far more demanding expectation on seat and service - but in my professional experience, most folks in this caliber are not exclusively loyal to UA unless there is a reason for them to be - ie, where they live, their usual routes, etc.

Many GS are just influencers who were given their status and really have no right to be complaining about anything, and many more are just rank and file corporate slaves who are on the road constantly and earn GS using employer money.

So when you drill down on the expectations of most customers, I think UA struck a good balance between offering a significantly upgraded and modern product, while keeping the seat volume needed to support upgrade, redemptions and buyups, understanding that you can't please everyone and hit every detail.

Remember, we're talking about a US airline - this isn't Singapore, Etihad, Qantas or Emirates. We should probably wait until a decent cross-section of customers have tried out the new seat on a real flight until deciding if it's a real dud, second fiddle to Delta's new product, or perhaps something pretty good.