UA thinks 787 give competitive advantage
Sep 29, 2011, 4:39 pm
#1
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UA thinks 787 give competitive advantage
CNBC had a documentary about the 787 and interviewed the UAL CEO who said people will fly UA for this plane. Of course that's what Boeing is hoping for.
Boeing guy talked about design choices they made which will make the passengers enjoy the 787 on an unconscious level, things like making the plane as wide as possible at eye level. But he admits most people will just remember the big windows.
But they interviewed some flight consultant who said at the end of the day, the seat pitch will be no different than on other planes.
One thing which is a damper is what some might consider an underhanded tactic of moving some production to South Carolina, to undermine the union.
Boeing guy talked about design choices they made which will make the passengers enjoy the 787 on an unconscious level, things like making the plane as wide as possible at eye level. But he admits most people will just remember the big windows.
But they interviewed some flight consultant who said at the end of the day, the seat pitch will be no different than on other planes.
One thing which is a damper is what some might consider an underhanded tactic of moving some production to South Carolina, to undermine the union.
Sep 29, 2011, 5:01 pm
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Sep 29, 2011, 5:08 pm
#3
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The same thing happened with the A380. Some people fly it just for the experience, but is it really any different from a cattle car in Coach?
Sep 29, 2011, 5:28 pm
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Re: the 787, if it's a competitive advantage, does that mean UA would admit the ancient 757s are a competitive disadvantage?
Sep 29, 2011, 6:22 pm
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Sep 29, 2011, 6:25 pm
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Houston (all of Perry's TX for that matter) has never been very Union friendly...
Sep 29, 2011, 6:30 pm
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I think the biggest potential gamechanger with the 787 is that passengers are expected to feel more rested after a long flight because of the higher humidity and lower operating cabin altitude.
Sep 29, 2011, 6:41 pm
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Any chance United will opt for some of the newer-style E seats in their 787s? The "shell" style ones that seem well received elsewhere? Maybe they can do E+ with better seats ala Air New Zealand and really make E+ something worthwhile.
Sep 29, 2011, 6:56 pm
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It's not a competitive advantage unless it's something you have and your competitors don't. Boeing has been selling 787s to not only UA, but also UA's competitors, so I don't think the 787 is a competitive advantage. And I don't think people would want to fly UA for this particular plane, if the service is poor compared to, say, an ANA 787 (except for elites, who might do it for the E+ seats, if UA installs those seats on that airplane).
Sep 29, 2011, 6:57 pm
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LOL - I will take a 757 on UA over an MD80 on American. Those things are scary.
Sep 29, 2011, 7:13 pm
#11
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UA already announced that E+ will be installed on all mainline equipment.
Sep 29, 2011, 7:25 pm
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[QUOTE=cesco.g;17195897]Valid point re humidity. Not sure I understand "operating cabin altitude"? ....
Traditional aluminum airplanes are pressurized to about 8000 ft altitude when cruising. The composite skin and structure of the 787 allows the cabin to be pressurized to a lower altitude 5000 to 6000 ft level without having to worry about metal fatigue issues over the life of the airframe.
Traditional aluminum airplanes are pressurized to about 8000 ft altitude when cruising. The composite skin and structure of the 787 allows the cabin to be pressurized to a lower altitude 5000 to 6000 ft level without having to worry about metal fatigue issues over the life of the airframe.
Sep 29, 2011, 7:39 pm
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Seriously though, a "proper" premium economy model like on NZ is a very different business model to E+. If you install six-abreast, serious-legroom seating on a 777 then it's because you think you can charge a lot more for it (generally about a 80% premium on NZ) and not because you're planning on giving it away to your elites for free.
And since United has E+, they'll never get an E++. Suits me though, I'll take an E+ that I get to fly in over an E++ that I don't, any day.
Sep 29, 2011, 8:02 pm
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Sep 29, 2011, 8:09 pm
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