Originally Posted by
itsMoe
I'm torn on this.
On the plus side:- Crews and staff in general seem more engaged and less apathetic
- I like that 1kvoice now calls you back instead of sending you an email that is clearly comprised of pre-written text blocks
- Compared to a couple of years ago, the reinstatement of some perks (free food in domestic Y for 1ks, etc.
- Better and more food in United Clubs
- Polaris hard- and soft product
- Polaris lounges - although let's be clear, these are basically F lounges, not business lounges.
- Oscar Munoz
On the minus side:- I've had bad luck with operational reliability. 8 out of my last 10 flights had issues ranging from broken APU to in-flight problems necessitating a diversion.
- What's with the lack of proper meals on sub-4 hour flights in domestic F?
- Only major US airline to forge ahead with 10-abreast seating on the 777. Seriously?
- "Everyday awards"
- No more showers in United clubs.
- The stupid auto-splitting of PNRs during OLCI, and the inability to piece them back together
- Forced credit card sales pitches in the air.
- Scott Kirby
- I WANT MY SPRITE ZERO BACK
I am very torn as well, so I'd like to offer up my list:
On the plus side- Service has been visibly better, especially in the air, and for myself also over the phone. The only thing I think needs improving is just the way meals are being passed out. Passengers aren't barn animals, so we're not here for a feeding.
- The Polaris lounges are an improvement for when you fly Polaris.
- I agree that 1Kvoice seems to be more responsive than ever (but I've never received a phone call).
- Their social media team is amazing. Responsive, but if you're there for schedule issues, the only thing they can do is to offer you a canned response (which is understandable).
- The 10-across seating on the 777-300ERs. My first flight was from SFO-HKG, and the moment I sat down my elbows landed on the armrests (and I am a skinny guy). That's when I knew it's going to be bad for the 14-hour flight. How is this humane? Maybe some folks have read the recent NYTimes article on how some CEOs travel economy for "some of the time" and United's Munoz declined an interview? I am sure "all of the time" they were flying domestic.
- Bottled water in economy on long hauls.
On the minus side- Operations are not at its best. I've had flight delays cancellations and such. The schedule padding is so amazing that even with a 2-hour boarding delay on an international flight, we've managed to "make up time" so in the end we're only delayed by 40 minutes.
- Polaris food isn't really up to par with that of other airlines.
- United Club is just sad.
- Miles devaluation.
- All of those ads before you watch any show. I seriously cannot watch another Checkpoint nor Marriott ad EACH TIME I select something to watch.
- Food in economy is just gross. The sandwich is just nasty. Then generic ice cream on long-hauls. C'mon, they have Haagen-Dazs on NH. You can do better.