I just also read the WSJ article today about the CXN demise. I got my letter over the weekend and I am pretty angry with UAL about this. I have been a loyal and frequent flyer with UAL and have gone through some pretty rough times and trips with them. I really think this decision is a poor one but am not encouraged that they will change it.
It reminds me of the time when I asked about why as a 1K, I was not asked about my meal preference. The flight attendant's curt reply was "Well, it is not an FAA regulation to ask you first". Just one of the many stories from the tin tube world.....
I am posting the text of the story. I am not sure if I can post the story in HTML form or not.
I will send my letters of dismay and request that UAL keep the Connection and I hope it will stay around. I hope many others will do the same.
Take care
WSJ Article
============================================
July 2, 2001
United Flier Goes the Extra Mile
To Save Reservations Software
By JANE COSTELLO
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE
Matt Wald is the kind of customer that airlines should love.
The Falls Church, Va., resident is a frequent flier and buys many of his tickets directly from United Airlines via computer, allowing the carrier to keep sales and distribution costs low.
The only problem for United is that Mr. Wald uses United Connection, the dial-up reservation software that was a pre-cursor to United's Web site (www.united.com). And he's not alone; the system has 9,500 users.
But on July 20, the airline plans pull the plug on the United Connection users, forcing them to move their business online and share booking capabilities with registered users of United.com.
Not all of the Connection customers want to go, though. They say the dial-up system is fast, reliable and offers features not found on United's Web site. In an attempt to reach out to other users, Mr. Wald has set up a Web site,
www.saveunitedconnection.com, to encourage people to write to United to express their displeasure about the airline's decision to stop supporting the software.
Mr. Wald says that he doesn't expect to be able to save United Connection, but he's hoping that if enough people contact United, airline officials might change their mind -- or improve the online product.
"I think the level of passion you see is also at least partly due to the fact that United has been cutting service and corners for about eight months now, and with this cut they are cutting beyond the fat and into muscle," he says. "Cutting chocolates, linens and hot towels are one thing. But forcing us to downgrade how we interface on a daily basis with the company is another thing altogether."
When United.com launched its reservation service in 1997, officials at the airline pledged to continue to support the software "until the content of the Web site becomes superior."
According to United, the time is now.
"We've reached that point," says United spokesman Chris Brathwaite, who points to the fact that United.com now has more than four million users, with first-quarter revenues up 42% from 2000. As part of the online transition, United has set up an e-mail account,
[email protected], to facilitate communication with customers who remained doggedly faithful to the software.
"Connection users are some of our very best customers; the last thing we want to do is to alienate them," says Mr. Brathwaite, who says the airline will look closely at the comments and suggestions received as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance United.com.
Even though the Connection is soon to be severed, some customers maintain that the software is superior. The vast majority of United passengers dutifully switched their allegiance to the online service, but this core group of frequent fliers still preferred to dial in rather than log on to make flight reservations.
"What I like about United Connection is the speed," says Steve Helgens, an elite-level United passenger from Edina, Minn. "I can view dozens of flight possibilities in a minute that would take much, much longer on United.com."
Aficionados of the software also maintain that while it still has a few pre- Y2K kinks -- United hasn't upgraded the software since 1998 -- it has a number of customer-service features that are lacking online. Connection users are already waxing nostalgic about the impending loss of "SuperShop," the ability to conduct a fare search over a number of days, and user-friendly seat maps that pictured all classes of service. The software's ability to develop multiple profiles allowed passengers to easily book travel for friends and family.
Perhaps the feature that Connection customers say they will miss the most is the option to hold reservations for up to 24 hours before ticketing.
Officials at the airline are keenly aware of the depth of loyalty inspired by its soon to be ditched disk, and are taking steps to improve United.com's functionality.
Adding the 24-hour hold for a reservation to united.com is "a high priority for us," Mr. Brathwaite says. Moreover, the airline is well aware of the other popular features, and is working to make sure that the needs of United Connection customers are given top priority.
"It's a bittersweet thing, the fact that people were so fond of the product," he says. "But we'd rather put the time and effort into improving the site rather than having to keep up with different iterations of [Microsoft] Windows."