Originally Posted by
aoumd
OP here (back from being at work all the live long day).
...
OK. Then what? Thousands of high-value status frequent fliers and millions of occasional fliers may now be boycotting United. Many won't want to come back simply because United apologized and fixed some of their policies. What proactive customer service steps can United do, on a larger scale, to win back the masses? Or, for that matter, win back those who already left United for other reasons in the past, who UA needs to win back to make up for those who boycotted and will never come back.
What would you do if on the UA management team? First stem the bleeding. PR only goes so far. I think a mileage bonus will fill a few seats. The customers UA wants are full fare business travelers who get pulled into the status race. Miles matter to these folks. Price matters too and price cuts can fill seats, but unlike miles price cuts are expensive and will entice pax bottom fishing. They are are less likely to excite ff's - especially with a revenue baed status system.
My guess is that this will settle down after a few news cycles, and it might be wise to wait before engaging in expensive measures to attract business.
I do think, however, that this presents Oscar with an opportunity to aggressively pursue change at UA. Morale is still lousy. An engaged team wouldn't have let this happen. I am 1k on UA and airport services are usually indifferent at best. No one seems to have, or want, authority to actually do anything but what the computer tells them to do. A smile is a rarity. Cabin crews are better, but spotty. It is all about culture and now is the time to fix it. That's what I'd do. Wade in with the team and roll up your shirt sleeves. Fix the culture and you've fixed the airline.