A CO PLT's Perspective on USA STAR Airlines
Mar 28, 2009, 2:00 pm
#1
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: At This Point, Only G*d Knows!
Posts: 3,467
A CO PLT's Perspective on USA STAR Airlines
Recently a fellow CO FTer and myself decided to see how the other side (UNITED and US Airways) lives.
We booked a one-way ticket in First Class between BOS-MIA with the following routing: BOS-ORD-PHL-CLT-MIA for the sum total of 139.00 including taxes.
Frankly my fried and I were fairly scared of checking in at BOS as we had not heard good things RE: UA front line staff, especially their Customer Service skills.
Our worst fears were confirmed when the first agent that we had contact with barked at us, this is not the First Class line, I only service GSs (service huh?).
She pawned us off to another agent who could not have been nicer, a compete opposite of what I had envisioned a UA agent to be. She worked with us, placed us on earlier flights and even ensured that our BD (British Midland) FF accounts were properly applied to our reservation.
We passed through TSA which was painless and we boarded the flight without incident. In fact the GA was fairly hot for a 40 year oldish woman, (think .... [can I write .... on FT?]).
Our F FA was really personable and offered pre-departure beverages, hung our coats and was the example of a good FA. In fact, my friend and I have zero complaints RE: our two UA segments and the soft product experienced. We both agreeded that the red wine of offer was far superior to the Lindemans that CO has served in the past and while not wonderful (it did have hints of vinegar), was not completely unacceptable either.
With regards to US, while the employees on the whole were really nice, lack of training was fairly evident. (More on this later).
We booked a one-way ticket in First Class between BOS-MIA with the following routing: BOS-ORD-PHL-CLT-MIA for the sum total of 139.00 including taxes.
Frankly my fried and I were fairly scared of checking in at BOS as we had not heard good things RE: UA front line staff, especially their Customer Service skills.
Our worst fears were confirmed when the first agent that we had contact with barked at us, this is not the First Class line, I only service GSs (service huh?).
She pawned us off to another agent who could not have been nicer, a compete opposite of what I had envisioned a UA agent to be. She worked with us, placed us on earlier flights and even ensured that our BD (British Midland) FF accounts were properly applied to our reservation.
We passed through TSA which was painless and we boarded the flight without incident. In fact the GA was fairly hot for a 40 year oldish woman, (think .... [can I write .... on FT?]).
Our F FA was really personable and offered pre-departure beverages, hung our coats and was the example of a good FA. In fact, my friend and I have zero complaints RE: our two UA segments and the soft product experienced. We both agreeded that the red wine of offer was far superior to the Lindemans that CO has served in the past and while not wonderful (it did have hints of vinegar), was not completely unacceptable either.
With regards to US, while the employees on the whole were really nice, lack of training was fairly evident. (More on this later).
Mar 28, 2009, 2:14 pm
#2
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No you can't say .... on FT. But we do understand you......since spirit ran a sale of the same name.
Mar 28, 2009, 3:53 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: EWR and SAN
Programs: PWP Direktor of Homeland, CO Plat* 1MM,UA 1K,BD Gold,DL Gold,SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 7,551
As someone who flies both CO and UA regularly, I have to say i'm starting to prefer dealing with UA over CO.
I could go into depth, but out of fear of beating a dead horse, the best thing I can say is that I have yet to see a CO front-line employee wow me. (With the exception of sfogate). United really does take care of it's top tier Elites in many different ways. At CO, you're just another person with a shiny card.
Case in point, this week my IAD-EWR flight got cancelled. The later flight had seats shortly before the cancellation. I received an email saying my flight was cancelled and I had to call in. I called and the agent had no options out of IAD and asked if I could make it to DCA. I said screw it and drove.
On UA, I would get the cancellation email and then have a second email with a new routing.
CO, where did those seats go on that were there on the later flight? Shouldn't a CO* Plat Y fare been given one of those?
I really have to say i'm coming to the end of my wits with CO. The feeling I get is they genuinely feel they are better than they think they are and it's really starting to show.
With the DEQM promo the are only further diluting the elite program so I see Onepass elite being worthless for the forseeable future.
I could go into depth, but out of fear of beating a dead horse, the best thing I can say is that I have yet to see a CO front-line employee wow me. (With the exception of sfogate). United really does take care of it's top tier Elites in many different ways. At CO, you're just another person with a shiny card.
Case in point, this week my IAD-EWR flight got cancelled. The later flight had seats shortly before the cancellation. I received an email saying my flight was cancelled and I had to call in. I called and the agent had no options out of IAD and asked if I could make it to DCA. I said screw it and drove.
On UA, I would get the cancellation email and then have a second email with a new routing.
CO, where did those seats go on that were there on the later flight? Shouldn't a CO* Plat Y fare been given one of those?
I really have to say i'm coming to the end of my wits with CO. The feeling I get is they genuinely feel they are better than they think they are and it's really starting to show.
With the DEQM promo the are only further diluting the elite program so I see Onepass elite being worthless for the forseeable future.
Mar 28, 2009, 5:57 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: DCA
Programs: UA LT 1K, AA EXP, Bonvoy LT Titan, Avis PC, Hilton Gold
Posts: 9,658
I agree with you. Between the DEQM and CO give away Platinum - Platinum is really the minimum acceptable Elite level on CO. Although to CO's defense, CO did not have much choice on the DEQM - they had to match the other airlines.
Mar 28, 2009, 7:05 pm
#5
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: HH Silver, MR Plat Prem & LT Plat, Hyatt Plat,SPG Plat, Hertz PC, National EE, UA 1K
Posts: 3,405
Former CO* Plat on all Y fares and current UA GS on Y fares here! AMEN!
I had a flight recently XXX-IAD-ORD-YYY (XXX/YYY only served from IAD/ORD or DEN respectively) and ORD-YYY was cancelled during my XXX-IAD leg. Upon landing at IAD, I was greeted in PERSON at my plane, and walked by a GS agent from Terminal "A" to "D". He apologized profusely that my flight was cancelled (due to weather).
Upon getting to the GS office, he gave me my new bp's IAD-DEN-YYY with IAD-DEN in F! (This was on a non-refundable Y fare originally). He then escorted me to the RCC and "bought" me a drink!!!
Flying from EWR a lot, I have become DISGUSTED with CO. CO cares about all flyers equally-MINIMALLY!
Mar 28, 2009, 8:22 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2004
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CO cares about O/D flyers. As for anyone beyond EWR, IAH or CLE...yeah, no love there.
And come to think of it, no love really for the hub flyers as CO's got them by virtue of their non-stops & schedule and does not really have to compete for them anyway.
UA's generally fine and as a top tier I'm taken care of when the sh!t hits the fan. On CO I've got a good chance to have them
at me, blame me and tell me anything to get me out of their hair. 
But I guess that if I disappear another Plat will spring up in my place to replace me, so why bother?
FWIW I did 75k on UA this month in Y/F and found the majority of the experience to have an edge on CO. (CO still wins the food and the inflight amenities (i.e. power, AVOD, etc.), UA won the comfort with a better seat, Y+ and proactive agents who blocked middle seats so I'd have an empty next to me...plus the upgrades helped too.)
The ray of hope I see in this is CO's willingness to participate with us, hear us out and affect change based on the feedback. They deserve high marks for this and hopefully they'll wake up and take this to heart.
And come to think of it, no love really for the hub flyers as CO's got them by virtue of their non-stops & schedule and does not really have to compete for them anyway.
UA's generally fine and as a top tier I'm taken care of when the sh!t hits the fan. On CO I've got a good chance to have them
at me, blame me and tell me anything to get me out of their hair. But I guess that if I disappear another Plat will spring up in my place to replace me, so why bother?FWIW I did 75k on UA this month in Y/F and found the majority of the experience to have an edge on CO. (CO still wins the food and the inflight amenities (i.e. power, AVOD, etc.), UA won the comfort with a better seat, Y+ and proactive agents who blocked middle seats so I'd have an empty next to me...plus the upgrades helped too.)
The ray of hope I see in this is CO's willingness to participate with us, hear us out and affect change based on the feedback. They deserve high marks for this and hopefully they'll wake up and take this to heart.
Mar 28, 2009, 8:23 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Clinging to the edifices of a decadent past from the biggest city in America nobody really cares about.
Programs: (ಠ_ಠ)
Posts: 9,077
Mar 28, 2009, 9:36 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: EWR and SAN
Programs: PWP Direktor of Homeland, CO Plat* 1MM,UA 1K,BD Gold,DL Gold,SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 7,551
While I hate them, I have to give DL credit for approaching this promotion the right way. Preventing cheapo fares from getting the extra EQMs was the right approach and provides for a more level playing field.
Mar 28, 2009, 10:33 pm
#9
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I could go into depth, but out of fear of beating a dead horse, the best thing I can say is that I have yet to see a CO front-line employee wow me. (With the exception of sfogate). United really does take care of it's top tier Elites in many different ways. At CO, you're just another person with a shiny card.
Mar 28, 2009, 11:03 pm
#10
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I know others that are about to ditch AA out here in West Texas for the same reason. AE out here is total suckage.
Mar 29, 2009, 12:45 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Programs: DL SM Plat, B6 TrueBlue, UA MP, AAdvantage
Posts: 10,008
As a passenger who has no status on CO or UA (although I will soon on UA), I have preferred my recent experiences on UA to CO.
First and foremost is E+, which is available even to us peons for a modest fee. Second, I have found all of my interaction with UA personnel to be wonderfully professional, cordial and helpful.
I have even found them willing to bend the rules slightly, in cases when their rigid application would be essentially pointless. One example of this is a recent YVR-ORD-EWR, when I checked two bags, one that weighed 41 lbs and one that weighed 54 lbs. Instead of making me transfer stuff into the lighter bag, they just put a "heavy" sticker of the heavier bag.
Every time I have encountered a similar circumstance on CO, I have been obliged to open my suitcase right there on the floor and shuffle things around.
There was a time when CO would have been the clear leader, and the change is a combination of an improvement at UA, but also a clear slipping of the product at CO, where Larry Kellner has been slowly but relentlessly chipping away to the bone.
First and foremost is E+, which is available even to us peons for a modest fee. Second, I have found all of my interaction with UA personnel to be wonderfully professional, cordial and helpful.
I have even found them willing to bend the rules slightly, in cases when their rigid application would be essentially pointless. One example of this is a recent YVR-ORD-EWR, when I checked two bags, one that weighed 41 lbs and one that weighed 54 lbs. Instead of making me transfer stuff into the lighter bag, they just put a "heavy" sticker of the heavier bag.
Every time I have encountered a similar circumstance on CO, I have been obliged to open my suitcase right there on the floor and shuffle things around.
There was a time when CO would have been the clear leader, and the change is a combination of an improvement at UA, but also a clear slipping of the product at CO, where Larry Kellner has been slowly but relentlessly chipping away to the bone.
Mar 29, 2009, 3:54 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: MUC (home), DUS (office), XXX (customer)
Programs: LH, AB, SPG, CC, Sixt, EC
Posts: 6,334
My experience traveling on CO and UA is very limited but I have to say, my UA experience is better as well.
I flew more with CO (most of the times with elites on the same PNR) and 90% of all times, something went wrong!
No issues at all with UA at all, it was a really nice and reliable experience but as I said, my traveling within the US is limited and doesn't qualify for general assumptions.
It's just good to read that the general "UA bashing" seems to come to an end here...
I flew more with CO (most of the times with elites on the same PNR) and 90% of all times, something went wrong!
No issues at all with UA at all, it was a really nice and reliable experience but as I said, my traveling within the US is limited and doesn't qualify for general assumptions.
It's just good to read that the general "UA bashing" seems to come to an end here...
Mar 29, 2009, 6:22 am
#13
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Harrisburg, PA / Savannah, GA (when home!)
Programs: DL-Diamond; UA-Silver (moan); Hilton-DIA; Marriott-PPE; IHG-Plat; NC-Exec Elite
Posts: 553
I was a 1K on UA for a brief period and they did take care of me when IRROPS occurred, however, the problem I find is that IRROPS occurs more with UA than CO. E+ is certainly nice if you aren't upgraded.
On the other side, I've found CO treats me pretty well as a multi-year Plat. I've had few issues with their staff anywhere. The two issues I can recall were handled well by CO following complaints and there was more than lip service - each time I received calls from HQ to detail what they were doing to remedy the situation and to thank me for bringing the issue to their attention.
On the other side, I've found CO treats me pretty well as a multi-year Plat. I've had few issues with their staff anywhere. The two issues I can recall were handled well by CO following complaints and there was more than lip service - each time I received calls from HQ to detail what they were doing to remedy the situation and to thank me for bringing the issue to their attention.
Mar 29, 2009, 7:10 am
#14
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Join Date: May 2003
Location: At This Point, Only G*d Knows!
Posts: 3,467
I will have more to say later, but just one thought, CO seems to have less IRROPS than UA and that means that while CO is not easy with IRROS changes, they have less chance than UA to become experienced at it.
With regards to AA, recently I heard a very wise source say the same thing that I have been thinking for some time, AA does not want to, nor like change, they like who they are and do as little as possible to effect change that is not urgently needed.
Dan
With regards to AA, recently I heard a very wise source say the same thing that I have been thinking for some time, AA does not want to, nor like change, they like who they are and do as little as possible to effect change that is not urgently needed.
Dan
Mar 29, 2009, 7:53 am
#15
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Virginia, USA
Posts: 4,508
With me, when flying in coach, it simply comes down to comfort. I'll always pay a little more for E+ on UA than fly CO "worst-in-class" coach seats, schedules being somewhat equal. I really, really hate flying coach on CO (but F is very nice)