I am a Diamond on DL, Gold on UA. I live in the DTW area and am DL hub-captive. That said, I get a lot of experience with both hard products (I like the added capacity in E+ on UA). On the soft product front, UA for the most part just screams cheapness to me. Materially, many posters are correct, there isn't a lot of difference between the two products. However, it is just a general attitude at Delta that makes me feel more welcomed.
Does a pack of Cheezits and a granola bar move the needle for coach passengers? I don't know. The attitude is definitely different as flight attendants actively dole out the snacks on Delta compared to a UA flight yesterday where the passenger next to me was given a very abrupt no with a request for a Stroopwaffle AND pretzels. "You can just pick one". There are bad eggs on both airlines. United flight attendants (anecdotal experience) seem much less proactive towards the customer.
I think the mid-con and east coast to Hawaii is another example. Delta provides catering on those flights for economy. United started the laughable "test" of that on selected flights only to have it disappear. The turkey wrap probably costs Delta $2. If I know I won't be in a 10x 777 AND I get food, the decision is a no-brainer
IRROPS - In my experience (I deal with the ORD, EWR, and IAD hubs), United is WAY-inferior to Delta. Clearly, my respective status probably has something to do with my experience. In my anecdotal experience, Delta's operations seem infinitely more reliable than UA.
Transatlantic, I get off a UA flight hungry. On Delta it is never the case.
Last edited by bubbashow; Jul 9, 2019 at 8:07 am