Another Defector-in-the-making
Sep 20, 2009, 8:53 am
#31
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 102
Think twice before you make the move to UAL
After flying UAL almost exclusively for two decades, I moved to Delta about 18 months ago.
My experience is, on the whole, Delta is much better than UAL.
The free domestic upgrades on Delta are fantastic, the flight attendants are generally more helpful and friendly, the food is better, and if there is a problem, Delta is faster and fairer in resolving it.
Recently I used all my remaining UAL miles to fly business class JFK to Singapore. After several flights and many hours in business class, I can tell you that UAL's service is wildly uneven. You happened to hit a good one, but sadly, this is not the norm in my experience.
For me UAL's only advantage is that Star Alliance is stronger than SkyTeam. Other than that, Delta wins hands down on almost every front.
I'd try to resolve your problem with Delta, and if that works out, I'd stay put. Or try a couple more flights on UAL before you make the big more. I was hugely loyal to UAL and have many fond memories of my flights with them, but today, Delta is a better choice in my opinion.
My experience is, on the whole, Delta is much better than UAL.
The free domestic upgrades on Delta are fantastic, the flight attendants are generally more helpful and friendly, the food is better, and if there is a problem, Delta is faster and fairer in resolving it.
Recently I used all my remaining UAL miles to fly business class JFK to Singapore. After several flights and many hours in business class, I can tell you that UAL's service is wildly uneven. You happened to hit a good one, but sadly, this is not the norm in my experience.
For me UAL's only advantage is that Star Alliance is stronger than SkyTeam. Other than that, Delta wins hands down on almost every front.
I'd try to resolve your problem with Delta, and if that works out, I'd stay put. Or try a couple more flights on UAL before you make the big more. I was hugely loyal to UAL and have many fond memories of my flights with them, but today, Delta is a better choice in my opinion.
Sep 20, 2009, 9:15 am
#32
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Reno, NV
Programs: NFY, AA EXP, Marriott TE
Posts: 516
After flying UAL almost exclusively for two decades, I moved to Delta about 18 months ago.
My experience is, on the whole, Delta is much better than UAL.
The free domestic upgrades on Delta are fantastic, the flight attendants are generally more helpful and friendly, the food is better, and if there is a problem, Delta is faster and fairer in resolving it.
Recently I used all my remaining UAL miles to fly business class JFK to Singapore. After several flights and many hours in business class, I can tell you that UAL's service is wildly uneven. You happened to hit a good one, but sadly, this is not the norm in my experience.
For me UAL's only advantage is that Star Alliance is stronger than SkyTeam. Other than that, Delta wins hands down on almost every front.
I'd try to resolve your problem with Delta, and if that works out, I'd stay put. Or try a couple more flights on UAL before you make the big more. I was hugely loyal to UAL and have many fond memories of my flights with them, but today, Delta is a better choice in my opinion.
My experience is, on the whole, Delta is much better than UAL.
The free domestic upgrades on Delta are fantastic, the flight attendants are generally more helpful and friendly, the food is better, and if there is a problem, Delta is faster and fairer in resolving it.
Recently I used all my remaining UAL miles to fly business class JFK to Singapore. After several flights and many hours in business class, I can tell you that UAL's service is wildly uneven. You happened to hit a good one, but sadly, this is not the norm in my experience.
For me UAL's only advantage is that Star Alliance is stronger than SkyTeam. Other than that, Delta wins hands down on almost every front.
I'd try to resolve your problem with Delta, and if that works out, I'd stay put. Or try a couple more flights on UAL before you make the big more. I was hugely loyal to UAL and have many fond memories of my flights with them, but today, Delta is a better choice in my opinion.
I'd also like to reiterate (perhaps I didn't make it really clear in the OP) that although it was a huge problem at the time, they did re-book me on UA in F. So the problem was addressed, and although I won't get the EQM's, I'm generally happy with DL's ultimate resolution.
It was the trend of multiple issues lately that's had me looking elsewhere.
All the best, James
Sep 20, 2009, 9:19 am
#33
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Under an ORD approach path
Programs: DL PM, MM. Coffee isn't a drug, it's a vitamin.
Posts: 12,935
You definitely should get the EQM's. Just e-mail DL and ask for "Original Routing Credit", normally they'll show up within 3 days. Some people have successfully double dipped, where you'd get both UA and DL credit.
Sep 20, 2009, 9:22 am
#34
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Gone to Carolina in my mind
Programs: AA ExpMM, DL 2MM, IHG Spire/RA
Posts: 1,986
Oh please.... "extrordinary situation"..... lets just give these agents the benefit of the doubt and assume that there really was some emergency that necessitated giving a plane load of service men and women preferential treatment over paid customers...
If that WAS that situation...then are you REALLY going to argue that they couldn't have handled it better than creating a feeling in a paid customer of:
"The part that was hard to swallow was being shooed back into line, (the F line) and then missing the flight because of it."
And the OP points out that they only accommodated him in a proper manner after his PLEADING with them...
Is this REALLY acceptable? Wouldn't good customer service in this situation have been if they had explained the situation to the OP when he FIRST approached instead of "shooing" him to the end of the line?
And then when the OP couldn't make his flight after spending 1 hour in the FIRST CLASS check-in line....wouldn't good customer service have been to APOLOGIZE and then proactively tried to find the BEST solution for the OP instead of making them beg and PLEAD to be accommodated?
No airline has PERFECT operations and every airline experiences problems, emergencies, and unforseen circumstances....
HOWEVER how the company handles those circumstances is how you can measure just how good or bad their customer service is....
If you REALLY cared about Delta you would want them to be the best they can be and to handle bad situations as best as possible instead of apologizing for their shortcomings...
Can you HONESTLY say that the OP doesn't have a reason to be unhappy? Can you HONESTLY say that Delta's employees handled this the best way possible?
If that WAS that situation...then are you REALLY going to argue that they couldn't have handled it better than creating a feeling in a paid customer of:
"The part that was hard to swallow was being shooed back into line, (the F line) and then missing the flight because of it."
And the OP points out that they only accommodated him in a proper manner after his PLEADING with them...
Is this REALLY acceptable? Wouldn't good customer service in this situation have been if they had explained the situation to the OP when he FIRST approached instead of "shooing" him to the end of the line?
And then when the OP couldn't make his flight after spending 1 hour in the FIRST CLASS check-in line....wouldn't good customer service have been to APOLOGIZE and then proactively tried to find the BEST solution for the OP instead of making them beg and PLEAD to be accommodated?
No airline has PERFECT operations and every airline experiences problems, emergencies, and unforseen circumstances....
HOWEVER how the company handles those circumstances is how you can measure just how good or bad their customer service is....
If you REALLY cared about Delta you would want them to be the best they can be and to handle bad situations as best as possible instead of apologizing for their shortcomings...
Can you HONESTLY say that the OP doesn't have a reason to be unhappy? Can you HONESTLY say that Delta's employees handled this the best way possible?
Care about an airline? Why would anyone care about an airline, unless they work for it? It's a company that provides a service. I use them, along with about a dozen other airlines every year. If Delta (or any other airline) disappeared tomorrow, I would not shed a tear, or skip a beat.
I never said that the Delta employees handled the situation well, only that the OP will likely not find a better customer service situation at UA or any other USA based airline. I have found bad apples at all the majors over the years. I made no apologies for Delta.
I have been in ATL when a plane load of service men and women come in, and it does overload the recheck area, as they all need to be reticketed and bag tagged. It is an extrordinary situation, as all these kids want to get home after a long absence to see their loved ones, and the agents want to get them on their way. The lines end up very long. It obvioulsly could have been handled better by the agents, but it wasn't. If you cannot see it as an extrordinary situation, well.....
Sep 20, 2009, 10:43 am
#35
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: United, American, Delta, Hyatt, Hilton, Hertz, Marriott
Posts: 14,787
Gentlemen, I'm a newbie on this board, and need some advice. I live in Sao Paulo and fly to Houston five or six times per year. I'm CO ExecPlat, but because I do little domestic flying, I don't have a chance to upgrade often. Other than the use of CO's lounges and preferential boarding, I don't get much for my ExecPlat level. I recently was awarded a Premier Exec challenge status on UA, but I need to fly 15K miles in the next 90 days, which I expect to do.
In your opinion, is it worth it? Should I just stay with CO (I'll probably only reach their mid-tier Exec status for 2010), or should I try UA out? Is their extended legroom in coach worth it? CO's lounge in Sao Paulo is a dump, but they're nice and plentiful in IAH - how are UA's? I read above that UA's perks aren't too great if you're not 1K status - any thoughts on how they compare with CO's? Any advice on these or other topics that you'd like to pass along will be very much appreciated...
Tchua,,
DWS
In your opinion, is it worth it? Should I just stay with CO (I'll probably only reach their mid-tier Exec status for 2010), or should I try UA out? Is their extended legroom in coach worth it? CO's lounge in Sao Paulo is a dump, but they're nice and plentiful in IAH - how are UA's? I read above that UA's perks aren't too great if you're not 1K status - any thoughts on how they compare with CO's? Any advice on these or other topics that you'd like to pass along will be very much appreciated...
Tchua,,
DWS
I think that the question would be best directed at the people in either the CO forum or the UA forum.
Sep 20, 2009, 10:59 am
#36
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: PHX/MSN
Programs: UA 1P MP, CO, WN
Posts: 15
Hey James,
Although I’m not a regular poster here, I thought I’d chime in with my two cents.
I’ve logged 165,000 miles with United in the last two years as a Premier Exec. With the flying I’ve done this year, I expect to make 1K for the first time. My partner has been a 1K for several years (and, thus, I am very familiar with the exceptional treatment they receive, although I have no complaints at all with the benefits I’ve received as a PE). Most of my flying has been West of ORD, but includes a number of trips to the East Coast, Europe and the Pacific, so my United travels have been fairly expansive (although I’ll admit to having relatively few trips via IAD).
For some of the complaining you find on FT about United, I have to say my experience over 24 months has been great. The staff with whom I’ve had a chance to interact, be it on the ground or in the air, have been almost universally helpful, competent and friendly. Flights have been on time. Airplanes have been clean. The Premier Desk has been exceptional whenever I’ve needed any kind of assistance, including the single instance when one of my flights was cancelled. The vast majority of my upgrades have cleared and can’t imagine life in Coach without E+.
There’ve been one or two bad apples amongst the employees with whom I’ve come in contact, but to the extent there are complaints on this site about bad morale, I’ve found precisely the opposite (to the extent that I wonder what kind of alternate universe either they, or I, am living in). United.com can be occasionally frustrating (and, as one poster pointed out, they’ve definitely turned the heat up on “upsell” opportunities).
Having flown with Delta and others prior to throwing my lot with UA, I guess just wanted to provide some reassurance that, at least based on my experience, you shouldn’t be concerned about “trading down” in any respect. I’ve been exceptionally pleased with United and, to the extent that United has a broader range of service options from Reno (both east via Denver and west via LAX/SFO), it may be that UA will better serve your travel needs, all else being equal.
Good luck with whatever it is you decide.
Although I’m not a regular poster here, I thought I’d chime in with my two cents.
I’ve logged 165,000 miles with United in the last two years as a Premier Exec. With the flying I’ve done this year, I expect to make 1K for the first time. My partner has been a 1K for several years (and, thus, I am very familiar with the exceptional treatment they receive, although I have no complaints at all with the benefits I’ve received as a PE). Most of my flying has been West of ORD, but includes a number of trips to the East Coast, Europe and the Pacific, so my United travels have been fairly expansive (although I’ll admit to having relatively few trips via IAD).
For some of the complaining you find on FT about United, I have to say my experience over 24 months has been great. The staff with whom I’ve had a chance to interact, be it on the ground or in the air, have been almost universally helpful, competent and friendly. Flights have been on time. Airplanes have been clean. The Premier Desk has been exceptional whenever I’ve needed any kind of assistance, including the single instance when one of my flights was cancelled. The vast majority of my upgrades have cleared and can’t imagine life in Coach without E+.
There’ve been one or two bad apples amongst the employees with whom I’ve come in contact, but to the extent there are complaints on this site about bad morale, I’ve found precisely the opposite (to the extent that I wonder what kind of alternate universe either they, or I, am living in). United.com can be occasionally frustrating (and, as one poster pointed out, they’ve definitely turned the heat up on “upsell” opportunities).
Having flown with Delta and others prior to throwing my lot with UA, I guess just wanted to provide some reassurance that, at least based on my experience, you shouldn’t be concerned about “trading down” in any respect. I’ve been exceptionally pleased with United and, to the extent that United has a broader range of service options from Reno (both east via Denver and west via LAX/SFO), it may be that UA will better serve your travel needs, all else being equal.
Good luck with whatever it is you decide.
Sep 20, 2009, 11:12 am
#37
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Beverly Hills, CA
Programs: DL DM & 2MM, UA-PE, AA
Posts: 1,074
Personally, I have seen more than once chaos in F-lines (particularly at LAX). More than once I have seen DL employees loading the F-lines, with groups (such as servicemen or what appear to be tours). Why? Probably because the lines were shorter and their was a perceived "emergency". What happens next is that the F passengers are slowed down and you have the OP's experience. I think F-lines should be for F passengers first and Medallions next. Groups should only be allowed in F-lines if they do not interfere with F passengers or Medallions.
Last edited by DP-340; Sep 20, 2009 at 11:18 am
Sep 20, 2009, 11:36 am
#38
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Upstate, NY
Posts: 3,359
As such we "care" about Delta as they are our prefered airline and thus we want them to provide all their customers with good customer service...
Sep 20, 2009, 12:09 pm
#39
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K, AA Plat, AS MVPG
Posts: 287
Hey James,
For some of the complaining you find on FT about United, I have to say my experience over 24 months has been great. The staff with whom I’ve had a chance to interact, be it on the ground or in the air, have been almost universally helpful, competent and friendly. Flights have been on time. Airplanes have been clean. The Premier Desk has been exceptional whenever I’ve needed any kind of assistance, including the single instance when one of my flights was cancelled. The vast majority of my upgrades have cleared and can’t imagine life in Coach without E+.
For some of the complaining you find on FT about United, I have to say my experience over 24 months has been great. The staff with whom I’ve had a chance to interact, be it on the ground or in the air, have been almost universally helpful, competent and friendly. Flights have been on time. Airplanes have been clean. The Premier Desk has been exceptional whenever I’ve needed any kind of assistance, including the single instance when one of my flights was cancelled. The vast majority of my upgrades have cleared and can’t imagine life in Coach without E+.
As posters above have already said, E+ when you're stuck in coach is huge. I find UA superior when dealing with irrops. Believe it or not, I prefer the UA upgrade system: as a mid-level elite, it generally means I can confirm an upgrade on flights that are important to me (think SFO-JFK) well ahead of time with miles and leave the other ones to the 3 day upgrade window (full disclosure: as of Jan 2010, upgrading with miles will also require a co-pay). I have never had a problem redeeming miles for UA flights, while I'm still sitting on 250K skymiles I haven't been able to redeem at a sane level yet.
OTOH, you will encounter the occasional surly ground staff or crew (although this has been improving). IAD is a pit. UA undeniably puts a special emphasis on pleasing their top-tier elites, which I suppose will be great once I hit 1K. ;-) But in the meantime, to take a minor example, it means I can't use the UA equivalent of Breezeway, even as a 1P. UA has labor negotiations coming up that could threaten the progress they've made with frontline staff attitudes. And yes, UA's financials are more precarious, although the immediate threat of bankruptcy seems to have faded for now. But I would be more worried if I was sitting on 250K UA and not DL miles.
So, YMMV. Nobody's perfect, but I definitely don't find UA lives up to the "airline from hell" reputation it probably deserved 3-5 years ago.
Sep 20, 2009, 2:13 pm
#40
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Sao Paulo, Brasil
Programs: CO ExecPlat
Posts: 4
Sep 20, 2009, 4:08 pm
#41
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Gone to Carolina in my mind
Programs: AA ExpMM, DL 2MM, IHG Spire/RA
Posts: 1,986
I don't understand the emotional investment some people here make. My prefered airline is the one that gets me to where I want to go, in the way I want to go, at the price I want to go. It is not "my" airline, it is an airline that I prefer to use. If the airline no longer provides me the best combination of service and price, then I will find a new airline that will then be my "prefered" airline. Right now I have 2 "prefered" USA legacy airlines.
I also don't have a favorite sports team franchise.
Sep 20, 2009, 5:01 pm
#42
Join Date: May 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: Delta DM/2MM, Flying Blue Gold, Hertz Platinum
Posts: 1,934
I have all the respect in the world for members of our military.
But if I had gotten to the airport at 5am for a 6:25am flight, and was watching that time fritter away, I simply would not take no for an answer when it comes to getting someone to help me.
When told to get back in line I would (very respectfully) decline, and point out I'm about to miss my flight. I would do this while thrusting my PM card at the agent, and pointing out the soldiers were on later flights. I'm very certain I would get my BP and be on my way in minutes.
No matter what the airline, you're only going to get what you want if you're a vigorous advocate for yourself.
But if I had gotten to the airport at 5am for a 6:25am flight, and was watching that time fritter away, I simply would not take no for an answer when it comes to getting someone to help me.
When told to get back in line I would (very respectfully) decline, and point out I'm about to miss my flight. I would do this while thrusting my PM card at the agent, and pointing out the soldiers were on later flights. I'm very certain I would get my BP and be on my way in minutes.
No matter what the airline, you're only going to get what you want if you're a vigorous advocate for yourself.
Sep 20, 2009, 5:03 pm
#43
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EP, AA AC
Posts: 4,268
One cannot overstate that assertion IHMO. For all the hating that folks do on ATL and JFK (and for purposes of full disclosure I am not a really big fan of either but don't detest them as some do), I have not had any other connection airport manifest the consistently dreadful experience that I have had at IAD especially with "craptacular" Mesa. In this respect DL has UA beat IHMO be it legacy or combined NW-DL.
Safe Travels
Safe Travels
Sep 20, 2009, 5:20 pm
#44
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: EAU
Programs: UA 1K, CO Plat, NW Plat, Marriott Premiere Plat, SPG Plat, Priority Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,712
I do think it's important to note that while UA doesn't have UNLIMITED comp upgrades, they DO have unlimited half-upgrades to E+, and you will likely get the half-upgrade all the time (as opposed to 25k elites who may rarely get upgrades, and GEs who may or may not get upgraded.)
DL's "Unlimited Complementary Upgrades" are a bit of marketing speak - they're really "Space-Available Complimentary Upgrades"
DL's "Unlimited Complementary Upgrades" are a bit of marketing speak - they're really "Space-Available Complimentary Upgrades"
Sep 20, 2009, 5:52 pm
#45
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
One cannot overstate that assertion IHMO. For all the hating that folks do on ATL and JFK (and for purposes of full disclosure I am not a really big fan of either but don't detest them as some do), I have not had any other connection airport manifest the consistently dreadful experience that I have had at IAD especially with "craptacular" Mesa. In this respect DL has UA beat IHMO be it legacy or combined NW-DL.
Safe Travels
Safe Travels
