BrettJG

[QUOTE=mitchmu;19591192]I've finally made the decision to give up on 1K and give up on UA except where they are the best choices on the merits of price and schedule.

Same for me. I'm not quitting United entirely but after 10 years of 1K I'm not going to worry about it anymore. I stayed with United exclusively this year while they sorted thru the merger and will make 1K again but next year I'll do the smart thing and book flights on AA, Delta and VA if they work better. I'm particularly looking for non stops, planes with internet/TV and widebodies and figure I'll pay for first/exit rows. Before it didn't matter, I just booked United at all costs. There's not 1 particular reason why I've decided this, (my upgrade rate is the same as before the merger and I still value MileagePlus) but they're just not the same. Prior to the merger, as a 1K (who prefers to be at home) I felt at least I had a partner in United who were interested in making my life easier when travelling. Didn't always work that way but they tried and got it. It's not that way anymore, their corporate mindset makes me feel more like an adversary than a partner (the way they handled removing fare buckets is an example). The 1K desk and CS isn't what it was; reliability is down; on irrops I feel like I'm on my own more often than not; the mindset that all elites are equal has degraded the 1K experience both onboard and at the airport, and they've done away with the daily 777 between LAX/IAD that was my favorite east coast feed. While I'm not naive enough to think I won't have issues with those airlines as well but United no longer offers that intangible something that made the hassle of travelling a little easier and made me overlook their shortcomings. It's fine if they want to operate this way but I don't think it serves them well if they're trying to keep the more lucrative business market - I'll be buying first class probably 50% of the time next year but not on United. The stand alone First product isn't compelling enough to pay for it.

Waldofriend

[QUOTE=BrettJG;19592915]+1 ^
I couldn't have said it better myself - exactly the same situation and conclusion (minus the LAX/IAD 777!)

chinatraderjmr

Unfortunatly, in a market this size dominated by 3 SUB PAR airlines, it does not work that way. For every passenger UA loses, there is a new passenger waiting in the wings from AA or DL waiting to take his/her place. They all have ridiculous problems, just different ones.

burlax

Yes, but that applies to everyone. Even people who fly private have problems, albeit different ones.

FriendlySkies

Sad to see this happening. What was once a quality airline is now a pile of rubble led by an incompetent CEO. Hopefully things change for the better, but the likelihood of that happening seems to drop after each quarter of poor performance..

"United Airlines President and CEO Jeffery Smisek concedes that the airline’s dismal operational performance in the third quarter adversely affected corporate bookings by “a significant number,”

"but he expects to see high-yield passengers return now that the problems, which stem from the integration with Continental Airlines, have been resolved."

I'm sure Jeff thinks you will return.. The problems have all been resolved!

RichardInSF

I am actually considering returning based not on UA, but on the experience I have had so far on AA, which has not been stellar. But I will wait to decide until after my upcoming international trip.

unavaca

FWIW, I saw Silvers getting EUAs last week on a mid-con. Rumors of EUA's demise appear to have been greatly exaggerated.

pigx5

I just bought another ticket from MCI to NYC on DL.
DL and COdbaUA both offer non-stop flights, MCI-JFK on DL with CRJ700 while MCI-EWR on COdbaUA with ETOPS EMB-145.
I would like to pay the same fare to have chance to be upgraded on DL and leave the "EUA space" on EMB-145 for my beloved United flyers.

Before, I would buy the ticket on United due to the loyalty.
Now my choices are so flexible.

JetAway

How did you know they were Silvers? Did they have a name tag or something?

pdx1M

Really well stated! And I think this represents the worst problem for UA - it is the death of a thousand cuts. They haven't done any one thing that has alienated me and I don't particularly hate them. But the sum of what they have done and their corporate attitude toward customers makes me just not care much at this point. I've been a GS since that program started and even in years where I might have been a bit short otherwise I would make explicit effort to be in a position to requalify for it (e.g., purchasing a personal trip in first rather than cheap plus upgrade). This year I just don't much care - and that is the sad thing. They took a good (and valuable) customer and turned him into a transactional customer. In the long run that won't be good business no matter what Smisek thinks because while you can always fill a plane with seats sold cheaply you can't always attract the same number of folks willing to purchase your premium cabin. So you need to keep those and fill the plane with the cheaper purchases. I suspect (with no hard data so please all the CO appologists don't attack me for this) that part of the PRASM numbers are reflecting this fact to at least some degree. (And note - nowhere in this did I say I wanted more upgrades or other freebies - I buy mostly premium tickets, tend to give RPUs to family, and primarily want real service from front line employees enabled with tools and flexibility to meet reasonable service demands.)

unavaca

They were bragging on the plane.

unavaca

Seriously? We're debating who has better barbie jets?

pigx5

Yes, DL flies most RJ with F and provide F service while COdbaUA has most EMB-145 and CRJ-200 flying on routes more than 1000 miles.
We have never had Q400 at MCI. Due to the merge, we have Q400 here now...
If COdbaUA love to use those barbie jets, then, we should discuss.
I am also glad that people have better EUA chance with those barbie jets.
Should we only focus on the greatest B787? Seriously?

BrettJG

Agree. LAX/PDX non-stop has become exclusively CRJ-200s in the past couple of months and LAX/LAS almost exclusively. For me at least it's a valid datapoint when deciding who to fly, and I'm just not going to do it. Yes, I'm fully aware that's my problem, not Uniteds, but my $$s now go to VA on that route (always in FC), which may or may not be United's problem; I have no way of knowing whether they care or how it impacts their bottom line and its not my business to know.

tom911

Make sure you're up on the fine points of the AA program if you follow through on that. Discounted coach on Qantas metal accrues 50% miles on AA. AA codeshares, which can price higher, gives 100%. Less of an issue if you're on business class fares.
http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...nes/qantas.jsp