Originally Posted by
Kacee
Meanwhile, UA gives precedence to pax who spend at least $15k on UA tickets per year, versus the one-time buyer of a $195 P fare. This debate will go on forever, but UA's approach is perfectly rational (even if, as a former 1K, you now find it personally less favorable).
If UA would stop boarding the hordes of pax with children ahead of paid F and C, I wouldn't have a problem with their approach. That's the part of the LH process I find appealing. Board the truly impaired first, then your best customers - however you wish to make that determination - and then the "one-offs" who paid for an F or C seat before the stroller brigade.
And as a side note, LH staff in the front cabins stop by your seat during pre-boarding to introduce themselves, and before landing, stop by and thank you for flying LH. Every time, IME. Why can't UA staff do the same?
Originally Posted by
lincolnjkc
My sample of LH (and LH-group flights) is far from scientific -- being solely intra-Europe and FRA to/from DXB -- but it seems like LH has a much smaller number of elites/Business travelers than UA does -- I think my last *G boarding call there was maybe a half dozen of us. And the GAs have been more effusive at their thanks to us for us being *G than I'm used to seeing on UA as well... but generally boarding seems chaotic and given that 50% of the time you're just the first to get on a bus that's not going anywhere until it's full, its a bit illusory anyway.
This. I've been doing a great deal of intra-Europe travel over the last few years, and no matter what *A airline I use, the number of elites on the other side of the pond is tiny compared to what we see in the US. As a result, I'm always one of the first 10-15 to board a narrow body aircraft.