lhrsfo

LON-NYC
UA not going bust again.
More *A visibility for rewards bookings
Website better at showing W and upwards fares

For me UDU is a disadvantage - I preferred the e500 system as I rarely fly domestic - but I can see some will like it.

Unfortunately the list of disadvantages is far longer.

mnmme

Should we really continue this post?

If too many of us say we like the same thing, it will be the next change "we're sure to like"!!!!!!

wpr8e

For us in the old OnePass program, GS is looking great.

Just received GS prioritization at Newark this morning and cut everyone in line at Security.

Also received a scone (didn't eat it) on a EWR-CLE sector in First that normally served nothing.

Two positives this morning.

i_fly_to_much

WAY better low award redemption opportunities then on DL, where I defected from after 8 straight yrs as a Platinum flyer. YMMV, but I have been very pleased with this so far.

nycnnj

LOL, I like the words "scone" and "sector". Other than that, I can't think of anything else off-hand.

bob_the_d

as a pmCO flyer, the addition of E+ is big for me. it wasn't too bad i guess since i've almost always been able to secure row 7, but it's nice to know there's a buffer now.

also the decision to keep the old co.com instead of using .bomb. say what you will about the 90's looks, i've always found the co.com site far more practical and easier to use. .bomb has always been lipstick on a pig IMO. i also hated having to click on each individual flight to see the price. whoever thought that was convenient was an idiot.

the expanded route network is indeed a good thing. i think. i fly to PVG (direct on pmCO), ICN (via NRT which i prefer over pmUA's via SFO) and often to europe which (despite the drawbacks of them being mostly 752's... although i would always be able to find the one lone 772 flying per day and managed to always get on that) being EWR based was easy since there's so many direct flights.

when i got my 1K status over at pmUA, i did like the 1K call center. i've found them to be incredibly responsive and helpful. on the preview site it did say that they would be keeping them. i'm not sure if that's true behind the scenes but if that is, that would be a big benefit in my opinion.

having access to p.s. flights from JFK is also a big plus to me now. sure it's a little dated (okay... really dated. overhead CRT's? seriously? i thought they were going to hand out the old stethoscope looking tube headphones next) but being able to CR1 into the C seats on a 6 hour flight instead of being on the regular F seat is really nice. i remember reading that they're moving to install the pmCO BF flat beds (the pmUA C flatbeds would be equally as nice, i think it's splitting hairs at that point) in there and in my opinion for a domestic transcon that would make for a really good hard product.

i could list off a bunch of negatives too but there's already a million threads on those. mergers are always turbulent but there's usually some good things that happen.

why not? there's a millon threads out there crying and whining about the same damn things, so why not at least one thread that might not consist 100% of world ending doom and gloom?

for my flying habits the competing airlines generally don't match the route network i'm looking for so i realize that i'm going to have to lean on UA. instead of sifting through all the children stomping their feet and crying i'd rather make the best of it and see if there's other things that might actually help me.

shdflyer

For this PMUA flier, addition of the Platinum Level to the MP Program is making a big difference.

UAL4life

+Bigger Network

+the app (with the ability to see lists without having to be at the gate)

+the transcon Sundae's

Thats about it.

mre5765

I checked in for my first post-SHARES flight today. The linkage between reservations and check in is not as tight as it could be; so far, I have to cut and paste the record locater to the check in screen. No big deal.

As I had hoped, the arrival dates are on the BPs, a change I like from Continental. My M+ number is X's ed out, except for the two letter alpha prefix. Better security; another change I like.

However, in economy class my BP has boarding group 1, and not a big "1K". Assuming all elites are in group 1, this means that the cattle call for the blue lane is going to get even worse, because I don't expect GAs to read the fine print that lists my Premier 1K status.

I was surprised to be given the option to auto-checkin for my return flight. Another change I really like.

Overall the website is an improvement over pre-SHARES. The drastic, but needed, changes to the website would never have happened without the merger.

My upgrade success on flights I really wanted to upgrade was lower with UDU because with UDU every elite is placed on the upgrade list, whereas with e500s, only those with e500s, or a willingness to pay for e500s, were added to the upgrade list. I have to burn CR1s on Ex-Plus flights, because the idea of spending more than hours in the back on an RJ is unthinkable. In the e-500 era, I didn't sweat it except for the 3.5+ plus RJ flights.

Under CPU, your upgrade success rate will decline sharply because upgrades are processing at only 24 hour intervals instead of instantly when R space opens.

I called the 1K number on Sunday, and got someone who identified herself as a CO employee. Nonetheless, she was almost certainly USA based (granted India is doing a good job teaching American accents), and deadly competent and efficient.

busyroadwarrior

As a former PMCO Presidential Platinum member and now a Global Services member, I do like the added recognition you get for all your loyalty to the airline.

My business partner is a Delta Diamond and I was always blown away by the way they treated him, hand written thank you cards from FA's on board, being greeted in JFK on tight connections and whisked through security etc.

Last week on a PMUA flight from Beijing I was asked first for my meal selection and not asked for a second choice, whereas the guy next to me was asked for a second choice.

Also going through SFO I jumped in the GS security line that had no one in it, whereas the regular and even Premier line had maybe a 100 people in total.

Not yet sure about the upgrades, as mentioned in other posts, it appears they are trying to sell first class seats at super discounted prices when you check-in. On my Beijing flight last week, I was in BC and was offered a F class seat for $900, I also noticed that BC which was only about half full according to the seat map was quickly full at time of departure, so i guess they were selling those to Y customers too.

Time will tell I guess how it goes, if the former CO bosses bring UA metal and staff up from being #5 out of the US airlines rankings to CO's #1 position or if it will drag the combined CO/UA down a peg or two, hopefully not.

weirdlyndon

A good friend of mine who's a NYC based FA w/ UA told me the same thing. He also told me that he doesn't think it's right that, for example, a Premier Silver in 5A (p.s. flight) would get their first choice over a 1K in 9A. He has been informed of the new directive from management about meals front to back, but is sticking to his guns: he asks everyone for their first and second choice, and then sorts it by status privately in the galley.

Somewhat related, this past weekend I flew with CO crews - they took meal orders using a generic sheet (that appeared to be on a pad full of the same generic sheets) as opposed to the manifest. Apparently sitting in the last row of First equals only getting whatever's left. This is exactly why meal choices should always be prioritized by status.

jasondc

the transon Sundae's WHAT?

Madone59

I really like the "Combine Reservation" option when managing my accounts. I never used the old OP site enough to know if that was a carryover feature but I like it now.

I book a lot of O/W's to make a single R/T so I really like being able to block them together on-line.

+1

CASAFlyer

I like prioritization of instrument upgrades over complimentary upgrades and the inheritance of sponsor status for the waitlist priority: finally I can sponsor a relative/friend GM using CR1/SWUs with some chance of success.

Beerman92

I too like this change. Its probably posted somewhere else but is the default that the status is the higher of the pax being upgraded or of the sponsor? So if say a Plat uses an RPU on a 1Ks reservation would it be prioritized as 1K (pax) or Plat (sponsor)?