channa

What's interesting to note is that many of the posters who COmplain about CO's IRROPS handling also have experience working with other carriers during IRROPS as well, yet they don't seem to have the same issues with CO's COunterparts at other carriers.

Are you saying that the CO culture requires extra COddling from customers above and beyond normal COurteousness that works in the rest of the industry?

emcsweeney

Not at all, but I am suggesting we are COnstantly hearing from the same old COmplainers who I would bet are hard to please no matter what happens. I find it humorous when I read the tone of some of the posters and imagine what they were probably like to deal with at the time of the IRROPS. And then I laugh hysterically when they don't get the exact results they wanted.
I guess some of us just have better luck than others, or...

BTW, I highlighted your purely speculative and very vague line above. I would imagine they're sharing those 'negative' experiences in the other carrier's respective forums.

channa

It's sad that you find humor in the resistance CO provides during IRROPS to your fellow travellers. I also don't think it's a safe assumption to associate one's postings with how they do business in other interactions. People vary their tone all the time -- whether you're dealing with a company, your boss, your staff, your spouse, your kids, your mother, etc.

That aside, though, how to you reconcile the dozens of unrelated posters (some completely new posters) that come out of the woodwork each time there's a CO IRROPS debacle? Basic, stupid stuff like refusing to rebook on available *A flights? Do those posts have no merit too because they don't make CO look good?

As for tone, perhaps the tone you're hearing on the board was caused by what CO did to them. After all, for an airline to leave a statused passenger hanging during an IRROP, a time when they need help the most, is not terribly forgivable. Now of course a seasoned traveller knows there are good agents and bad agents, but I could see how someone may change their tune if they were repeatedly denied assistance, especially if this happened on more than one occasion.

As for me, if you go back a few years, I was pretty pro-CO. And while I may be more vocal than most, there were a lot of people who got similarly burned and starting flying other carriers.


I can't speak for others, but I know from my own experiences, I've had good to excellent experiences with IRROPS on UA, DL, and US. Assuming I'm one of the posters to whom you're referring, I don't have negative experiences on other carriers w.r.t. IRROPS.

ssullivan

Oh yeah. They're horrible. Last night they canceled my flight home on Friday morning, due to a forecast of icy weather at both ends of my first flight. That was followed about 10 minutes later by another e-mail notifying me that they had rebooked me on the very first flight out of the airport where I was stranded, connecting to a nonstop back to my home airport, and giving me the option to go online and select other flights if I wanted to pick something else instead. Real lousy job on that.

channa

Of course they're fine -- the automation worked.

Now if you had to deal with a person...

ssullivan

Yeah, those are usually very good too. Yeah, I know, maybe I'm just incredibly lucky or something.

UAL awesome

See, this is what ruffles my feathers and also other United flyers: When UA has an issue, to the CO people, it's because UA is a terrible airline and that their bad experience somehow represents the entire airline. Then there's another group of posters who think UA is the absolute devil and that everything about them is crap and should be trashed for the CO way and we UA'ers should accept it.

Yet, when CO has an issue, or recurring problem that's well documented by UA flyers, it's treated like an one-off anomaly and many times is shrugged off like it's not a problem. It's like there is an inner circle or cult that is determined to deflect any criticism of CO on these boards and on many others.

UA and CO both have their pros and cons, and in the case of UA, there's an overall perception that leans towards the cons part that doesn't really reflect reality and COnversely (this one is for you, channa ) there's a perception that is continously kept alive that CO is the greatest flying experience in the world and that's thousands of miles away from reality. I wouldn't have nearly as much animosity for CO as I do today if they weren't overrated to the hill and portrayed as something they're not, and it also doesn't help when Jeff does interviews about how CO is god's gift from above and tells us we're going to love how he screws us.

joshwex90

It works both ways. CO has its strong and weak aspects; ditto for UA. Some have great experiences with CO and terrible with UA, while others have the reverse. And some hate both while others like both.

Many people truly believe that CO is the best airline out there (at leased US-based) based on their experiences, while others believe that of UA. I personally have never had any of these issues with CO (bad customer service, nasty GAs, awful IRROPS...). Does that mean the issue doesn't exist? Of course not. Seeing how many posts channa has made on FT, and looking at his credentials, lends credence to his reports, as opposed to someone who once had a bad experience, and is intent on crucifying the airline. So yes, some also have bad times. Does that make CO awful? That's you opinion. In mine, no, because I know that there are many great things about the airline and that it usually does treat people well. All my extended family are CO fliers, and between us, are all FFs in OP to different places throughout the world. We're all quite satisfied.
So yes, when people post about awful experiences, I don't take it to mean CO is the devil. I don't doubt the story (usually,) but remember, there are good times also. Take IRROPS for example. This is a sticking point on these boards. People have had bad experiences and people have had good ones. You're having your feathers ruffled when "people here" tell "UA people" that they had a bad experience on UA, so UA is the devil, yet you are making the same accusation of CO!
Both airlines are world-class airlines, though with each, things to improve. Neither airline is at the level of SQ or EK, and I don't think anyone, even the biggest "apologists" have any delusions. They're more like European airlines, and in terms of that, closer to LH than LX. It'd be nice if they both, as a combined carrier, looked to make major improvements. But for the time being, you're talking about 2 big and 2 great airlines who have their fans and non-fans.
I have not had good experiences on UA. I don't take that to mean it's the devil. I just stick to CO. I'm looking forward to the merger, as hopefully it'll mean some great things that I don't get to experience with CO, finally coming. (E+, true F if it makes it, Channel 9, leather domestic Y seats...) I obviously believe that CO has great things to bring to the table as well. I've never experienced IRROPS with UA, so I can't say who's better, but IME, CO has much better customer service, friendlier FAs, and better on-board service. Some differ, and that's your right to your opinion. But I hope that the CO side of those aspects last the merger.