Originally Posted by
oenophilist
Logically speaking, United should be very motivated to upgrade the cabins as quickly as possible. Until passengers can be assured that they will actually get to use the product when they pay for a ticket, it will have little bearing on the airline choice. I think the best way to do this is to finish off the 767's first (particularly since they have such poor first products), then move to the 747 then the 777. This assures a customer when they are flying that particular plane, they will have access to the premium product.
You are looking solely from the customer's perspective. United's management is looking from a cash flow perspective, and they are seeking to conserve cash now in the hope that the price of oil will drop. United may also be considering further cuts in the fleet, and it would make little sense to upgrade all the planes and ground some of them in the future.