As a PLAT who has flown CO pretty much exclusively over the past several years (mostly domestic and out of EWR), a combination of fares and schedules have taken me on several US and UA flights (out of EWR and LGA) over the past few months, giving me the opportunity to compare the three. Just thought I would share my observations and see if others have had similar experiences.

FLIGHT CREW
Hands down, CO wins this one. Crews (FAs and pilots) have, for the most part, been a great combination of professional and friendly. Pilots give frequent updates. UA comes in dead last on this one. So many flights I have been on lately have very few crew or cockpit announcements. During the safety announcements, FAs have sounded either stoned, giggly or completely blas�. Does not instill much confidence in their abilities to handle an emergency. And for some reason, beverage service is VERY slow on UA. US has been somewhere in the middle on this one, with some very nice FAs.

SEATING
Without any reciprocity, I have been in the back of the bus most of the time. Got E+ a couple of times only because of a change in aircraft and my Row 12 seat on the newer A320 became an exit aisle. Even so, have to say that UA and US seats in Y are more comfortable than CO. Will be very happy when we start getting access to E+.

BOARDING
UA seems to strictly enforce the boarding process. I have seen people get kicked off the red carpet for not being in F, Global Services or 1K. The nice part is that *Gs are in the first group to board on the other line, so it is easy to line up and be first in the next group. I have also found the zone system on UA to be ineffective compared to CO�s board from the back forward process. Too many tie-ups in the aisle. Also watched a UA FA give the security briefing to exit aisle passengers the other day while boarding was still going on. She was standing in the middle of the aisle seemingly oblivious to the line of pax waiting to get through behind her. DOH!

LOUNGES
As someone who rarely drinks alcohol when traveling , both the RCC and US Airways Club beat CO hands down. Better snacks and love the cappuccino machines. Depending on the lounge, also better seating options with lots of power outlets. Sure, you have to get a PIN for the wireless, but a small price to pay for that extra 20 second delay at credential check. US club at LGA even asked for my boarding pass � not for entry, but so that they could monitor my flight status and let me know if there were going to be any delays. Nice touch. And RCC (at least the one by B18 at ORD) is now offering food for sale at the bar.

ON-BOARD
Not sure how I feel about the free vs pay for food option in Y. Yes, it�s nice to have free food on CO, but the quality is so mediocre and no choices. The food in Y on UA has been okay � nice selection and not too overpriced. Only had snacks on US but both the selection and value was excellent for the price paid. UA, however, definitely takes the prize with the availability of ATC chatter on Channel 9. Went through a series of flights earlier this month where the pilot had it turned off, but overall, probably about an 80% hit rate on listening in. And why is that UA won�t let you turn on power until the plane is at 18K, versus CO at 10K? Not that they are enforcing it � again, the FAs on UA seem oblivious to just about everything.

MILEAGE POSTING
This one is very confusing to me. UA and US flights post to my OP account faster than CO flights. Go figure!

EQUIPMENT
Don�t know how old they really are, but the 320s and 319s look much newer than most of the CO fleet. WSell kept and maintained cabins. And while I like having the A seat on CRJs so I have both window and aisle, I love the overheads on both sides of the ERJs on US Express. More comfortable seats on the ERJs as well.

These are just my own $0.02 and obviously YMMV.

Thanks for the detailed comparison.

I agree with your points on UA (don't have enough US experience to comment) -- however I'd describe the employee/customer interaction as being minimal on United when compared to Continental.

It's harder to find agents, they're fewer GAs to board flights, etc. but I've also found the various automated venues (Mr. Chickin, the website, etc.) and the phone agents to be far more capable then CO ones.

Booze isn't that big a deal for me, and when it is I have an ample supply of RCC vouchers, but I do appreciate the fresh fruit and vegetable options offered at the RCC. Those offerings coupled with the Pepperiage Farm and other assorted goodies are way beyond the PC's tired offerings of packaged cheese and micro apples.

Very detailed analysis, and agree for the most part. Would like to see you fly F on the carriers and compare as well.

As for the interiors, I think CO's planes may look older than they really are because of the gray wall panels, which are a bit dated, IMO. The other carrers have white wall panels, which look brighter, hence newer.


+1

In addition, the UA systems for GA's seem to be easier for the GA's to use (or the GA's are more capable, not sure).

The other day, two of us, on separate PNRs, took a VDB on UA. We were really pressed for time, and proposed a flight to a different airport leaving in 15 minutes if the GA could do it quickly. It took her literally one (1) minute to process the change (2 records), resync the tickets, issue the compensation and release forms for us to sign.

I couldn't imagine such a thing on CO. I've seen CO agents spend more than that amount of time just adding me to a VDB list.

Well, over the last few days I've become convinced that the Presidents Club is a miserable product, and the usurpation of PC locations by the RCC is a net positive for CO flyers...

Anyway, I've been doing a fair bit of travel on UA lately, moreso now than ever before. I'll let my paltry 2P status lapse in favor of crediting everything to CO, especially in light of full elite bonuses and 100% EQM on all fares.

UA has been doing a very good job lately. Here are some things I enjoy about the Friendly Skies experience:

- Espresso machines in the RCC
- A fair number of domestic widebodies
- Generally clean interiors
- Pillows (hear that, CO?)
- Blankets that aren't hidden in a sealed bag in a FC overhead
- Channel 9
- Compensation for virtually any service disruption, no questions asked
- Explus
- Cheaper fares on transcons ex-JFK with a high-quality product
- The bar at the ORD RCC near C-18 when a 777 or 747 is on the stand
- Lots of celebrity sightings
- Wider A319/A320 cabins (compared to the 737s)
- About 100 757s with 24 F seats
- Lots of 777s
- 747-400s
- Flat beds in C on the 767s (I feel like we might have to wait years for CO to get around to installing new BF on theirs!)
- Service to all the major ski destinations (except SUN and MMH...)
- More reroute options and liberal rebooking policies in the event of IRROPS
- That cute F/A that I always seem to see on my EWR-XXX flight (I think she's married, but whatever)

Can't really speak much about US except for the fact that they are excellent for mileage redemption and their facilities at CLT, PHL (A-East and F), and PHX are generally quite good.

CO, on the other hand, has a much narrower focus, IMO, than UA. CO delivers a smaller range of products, but does a good job on a very consistent basis. Such an approach really breeds a sense of familiarity, which would explain why I always seem to feel 'home' on a CO jet. UA is a larger, more complex operation, with more fleet types, service products, hubs, and nuances that are both better and worse than Continental. One area where Continental has UA beat, hands-down, is overall consistency. I don't think anyone does a better job than CO in that regard (I rarely fly WN, as a Newark-based traveler).

Catching up on my FT reading, I saw that some *Gs had luck getting choice seating on US for free if you call. Just called and agent was not familiar with the policy but went to check and confirmed that yes, *G does get the choice seats for free. She checked for 3 upcoming itineraries and sure enough, got moved to exit aisles where available, and front of the Y cabin otherwise - for free. More points for US!

Good point about the color of the interiors. And I'd like to see me in F as well!!

Thanks for this tip! I just got exit rows on US on my two upcoming segments based on CO status!
It was so easy to do this on the phone (couldnt do it online).

Love it! Hahaha

I flew UA for years (as a kettle before my FT days) out of SFO and was always impressed by the sheer nastiness of many the GAs and cabin crew. (Now this may just have been SFO -- my uncle who is GS with them still goes out of his way to avoid that station). The final straw for me was being forced to deal with flight delays at something called a "self-service customer service" kiosk in ORD circa 2004. CO has always been head and shoulders above those experiences. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if end up flying mostly UA metal after E+ reciprocity. Still, I'm not at all thrilled by the prospect.

Nice to hear about the exit rows on US. Good to know in a pinch.

I have flown UA fairly extensively since 2006. Being based in NYC, UA is not the most convenient carrier, but I have flown them to DEN, ORD, YVR (via ORD), and PEK (also via ORD).

Except for my trip to PEK, which was in J, I have always purchased the buy up to E+, which was wonderful.

I have never met any employees who were anything less than professional and friendly.

On one DEN-LGA, I stood by for an earlier flight, and the UA GA was extremely helpful.

I have been at the RCC's in both LGA and ORD, which I found wonderful.

As a UA non-elite my only complaint concerns the ICC and the inability to contact anyone via voice regarding MP issues.

As CO has integrated into *A, it's been fascinating to watch the evolution of the attitudes toward UA (and to some extent US). As the alliance was announced, there was a torrent of negativity coming forth on this forum, a torrent that seemed to be based on some very old experiences flying UA.

Also, it seems that some posters here have a deep-seated need to establish the superiority of CO's product at all costs, even if this position is--in many respects--no longer justified.

As many here have begun flying UA, I think they have discovered that UA (and, again, to some extent US) is not the horrifying experience that some have described, and that, in fact, there are some aspects of flying UA which surpass the experience on CO.

[QUOTE=grobma;

These are just my own $0.02 and obviously YMMV.[/QUOTE]

grobma- one important category missing here is the fact that UA does *Net blocking and so far CO has not. UA likes to put strong limits to using award miles on *A metal other than its own. For me this a game changer.

I switched from UA to CO as primary back in 2001 or so because I found the CO employees friendlier and more accommodating, as well as upgrade rates to be far healthier than what I was getting on UA (was Premier at the time, getting about 20% upgrades with my e500 allocation, and got 70% as CO Silver). I was willing to give up E+ since I was riding in CO F most of the time.

Today, each aspect of the two airlines that drove my decision has flip-flopped, IMO. There are still many great CO employees, but they are tightly constrained in what they can do, and I've found UA to be far more accommodating in getting me going, particularly in IRROPS.


I know this gets a lot of attention on FT, but I'm not sure I'd classify it as "strong limits." In the past 12 months, I've redeemed well over 1 million UA miles on F and C *A partner redemptions, and not run into blocking. This includes LH F, TK F, LH C, OS C, TG C, and NH C.

The last time I ran into it was a couple years ago. So while it definitely sucks if the flight you need is blocked, and I dislike the practice from a principle standpoint, I'm not sure exactly how often it actually impacts someone.


+1

In addition, some CO employees still believe that CO is superior (which I would have agreed with back with Gordon's CO). I recall on a recent trip, a CO employee expressed bitterness at having to take CS training for Star Alliance, when "UA and US provide lousy customer service." I told him I find the opposite to be true, and that while CO's ground staff are usually good, the call center staff leaves much to be desired, and I'd much rather be dealing with UA or US if I run into trouble. Needless to say, he was surprised to hear that, since it ran counter to the thoughts in his head that were placed there by the company COol-Aid machine.

Also worth noting how irrelevant dated experiences can be, especially during the financial challenges the airlines have had over the past several years. UA and US (and NW) all sacrificed cleaning at one point as a cost-saving measure. This resulted in reduced customer sat rates. They all took steps later to rectify that, but the damage was already done. US was charging for sodas in Y, but fixed that, but the carrier is now considered a joke, despite reversing that policy. I think DL was using plastic in F at one point, but that's fixed. US still does, but that's another story. UA was arrogant many years ago when they were flying high, but that's changed. Just like CO seems more arrogant today. Hopefully that will change.

The point is this stuff is always changing, and there's no one consistently best carrier. Hopefully one day we'll look at this premium drink charge in F and laugh at it, because it will be behind us as another boneheaded airline mistake.

+2

Just to set the record staight: I like flying CO. It's just that I'm realistic about their strong and weak suits.

I have not been an OP elite since 2006 and I have flown CO since then only when it makes the most sense for me.

What that has meant is that I fly CO domestically when it's the most convenient and the cheapest. As a result, I have not flown CO domestic mainline once since 2006, but only CoEx from EWR, to places such as GSP, a lot to YQB, and other similar locales.

I also fly TATL and I try to fly J when possible. Since I am not Donald Trump, I am always looking for the best deal, and for me this heas meant flying EC (OpenSkies) since I do a lot of business in Paris.

Otherwise, I will fly CO BF, during one of their great sales, and I have found the CO BF is outstanding, especially considering the value.

CO is not perfect, but it is generally an outstanding choice for air travel. I believe that the entry into *A and the close integration of the product with UA can only be for the better, especially if it convinces Smisek that E+ is a good idea.

[QUOTE=channa;13274266]I switched from UA to CO as primary back in 2001 or so because I found the CO employees friendlier and more accommodating, as well as upgrade rates to be far healthier than what I was getting on UA (was Premier at the time, getting about 20% upgrades with my e500 allocation, and got 70% as CO Silver). I was willing to give up E+ since I was riding in CO F most of the time.

Today, each aspect of the two airlines that drove my decision has flip-flopped, IMO. There are still many great CO employees, but they are tightly constrained in what they can do, and I've found UA to be far more accommodating in getting me going, particularly in IRROPS.




I know this gets a lot of attention on FT, but I'm not sure I'd classify it as "strong limits." In the past 12 months, I've redeemed well over 1 million UA miles on F and C *A partner redemptions, and not run into blocking. This includes LH F, TK F, LH C, OS C, TG C, and NH C.

The last time I ran into it was a couple years ago. So while it definitely sucks if the flight you need is blocked, and I dislike the practice from a principle standpoint, I'm not sure exactly how often it actually impacts someone.


Last year I paid for 3 rt flights from HKG-IAH during DEQM dates, reached 1K, this earned me 100K award miles. UA comped me another 30K award miles due to various reasons, once because thery ran out of headphones on a flight and everybody got a redemption kit. In Nov 2009 I tried to book a rt HKG-KTM for 50K award miles, UA WOULD NOT BOOK THIS TRIP, so I ended using 50K CO miles on TG with no problem.

After my HKG-KTM experience and UA's confession of *Net blocking, I gave up on UA as my main carrier.

I agree with you on your other valid points about UA being just as good as CO if not better in many areas, especially IRROPS.