United CFO Rainey Implies Certain Elites were "Over Entitled".
May 23, 2012, 8:52 am
#991
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: ORF
Posts: 1,740
I hate to be such a contrarian, but I think UA was actually improving tangibly under Tilton.
Despite the fact that PMCO had such a stellar reputation, they have been largely coasting on the considerable goodwill they generated in the Gordon Bethune days.
With a few notable exceptions, virtually everything Bethune's successors have done diminished the product at PMCO, while under Tilton, the PMUA product tangibly improved.
Despite the fact that PMCO had such a stellar reputation, they have been largely coasting on the considerable goodwill they generated in the Gordon Bethune days.
With a few notable exceptions, virtually everything Bethune's successors have done diminished the product at PMCO, while under Tilton, the PMUA product tangibly improved.
Again, I am someone who will gladly pay a 20% premium for good customer service, so i have a different outlook.
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May 23, 2012, 8:55 am
#994
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: UA 1K 3.01MM Hyatt Globalist (Lifetime) AA ExPlat (real), Lifetime UniClub (not from the 2MM).
Posts: 173
I am Gold at UA and I have spent much of the time lately flying around in Econ Minus on CO aircraft not yet modified for Econ Plus. I do get an upgrade once in a while and am happy to get it. On paper I may be over entitled but I am rarely able to collect on those fab benefits.
May 23, 2012, 8:59 am
#995
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,825
Assuming you are buying Y ('last minute'), it will benefit you that UA holds back F seats so somebody like you - high value, last minute buyer - can get the upgrade.
May 23, 2012, 9:01 am
#996
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Denver • DEN-APA
Programs: AF Platinum, EK Gold, AA EXP, UA 1K, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 21,600
May 23, 2012, 9:07 am
#997
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PDX
Posts: 2,284
Not if the F seats are sold for TODs before the upgrade queues run.
May 23, 2012, 9:08 am
#998
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Programs: DL SM Plat, B6 TrueBlue, UA MP, AAdvantage
Posts: 10,008
Your opinion is certainly valid, I just disagree. Tilton led the cost cutting brigade, and really accelerated employee resentment. The biggest reason I quit UA was openly hostile employees.
Again, I am someone who will gladly pay a 20% premium for good customer service, so i have a different outlook.
Again, I am someone who will gladly pay a 20% premium for good customer service, so i have a different outlook.
And certainly far less hostile than it is now, under the PMCO juggernaut.
May 23, 2012, 9:10 am
#999
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,825
Agreed, based upon reports I read here (not my own personal experience), the system is still being fine tuned...
But, my understanding is that a flyer like majortom should benefit from the new system when it is functioning properly.
But, my understanding is that a flyer like majortom should benefit from the new system when it is functioning properly.
May 23, 2012, 9:11 am
#1000
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,645
If we were strapped to the outside of the plane:
1. We would not have to listen to nauseating videos of $mi$ek lying to us,
2. We'd get lots of fresh air and sunshine,
3. We wouldn't have to debate whether or not to choose between undrinkable black crap (marketed as coffee) or no coffee since there would be no drink service,
4. They wouldn't be able to force us to turn off our iPads at takeoff and landing since they could not communicate with us
There is the issue of extreme wind and extreme cold. I'll have a think on that.
May 23, 2012, 9:20 am
#1001
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Programs: DL SM Plat, B6 TrueBlue, UA MP, AAdvantage
Posts: 10,008
Once it was identified and the outcry became overwhelming, CO would "fix" it. Then, a few months later, the same thing would happen all over again, repeatedly.
It's almost as if CO used this feature as a stealth method to generate a little more marginal revenue when it felt it needed to...
After all, that's what the "dynamic pricing" feature of SHARES is for.
Last edited by TWA Fan 1; May 23, 2012 at 9:28 am
May 23, 2012, 9:22 am
#1003
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: PDX
Posts: 2,284
Also, seating in F has already been fine-tuned. If there are more premiers than F seats, purchased upgrades will be offered to all before CPUs run, in most cases. Any 'fine-tuning' would entail a change of policy, not a 'fine-tuning' of current policy.
May 23, 2012, 9:35 am
#1004
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: UA 1K 3.01MM Hyatt Globalist (Lifetime) AA ExPlat (real), Lifetime UniClub (not from the 2MM).
Posts: 173
Nope, not at all.
My last minute fares are rarely Y/B or even M. I almost never purchase more than a day in advance - often buy on the way to the airport (well, I used to do that, with the magic that is SHARES, that is a big risk now). Given the ToDs sales, I think I have had 1 upgrade in my last 10 flights, so no, I do not like the changes.
I am not a fan of UDU (never was), and think their new priorities make loyalty meaningless.
Their new system reminds me of why I hated Ted (and despite having a house in Orlando, frequent conferences in Las Vegas and living in LA never flew it).
As someone who books last minute with load factors as high as they are, upgrades matter to me in one of two ways: either I get one, or someone in an E+ seat gets one and I can get their old E+ seat. Given that Ted had no First Class there were no upgrades that meant that the full E+ seats remained full. United's current system ensures that there are no E+ seats (cheap sales in advance and at the kiosk) and that there are no upgrades (again, usually sold-out thanks to ToDs) for me or to free and E+ seat.
Assuming you are buying Y ('last minute'), it will benefit you that UA holds back F seats so somebody like you - high value, last minute buyer - can get the upgrade.
I am not a fan of UDU (never was), and think their new priorities make loyalty meaningless.
Their new system reminds me of why I hated Ted (and despite having a house in Orlando, frequent conferences in Las Vegas and living in LA never flew it).
As someone who books last minute with load factors as high as they are, upgrades matter to me in one of two ways: either I get one, or someone in an E+ seat gets one and I can get their old E+ seat. Given that Ted had no First Class there were no upgrades that meant that the full E+ seats remained full. United's current system ensures that there are no E+ seats (cheap sales in advance and at the kiosk) and that there are no upgrades (again, usually sold-out thanks to ToDs) for me or to free and E+ seat.
May 23, 2012, 9:50 am
#1005
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Posts: 5,825
This certainly does mean that they have more 'levers' that they can use to adjust / fine tune the system to maximize revenue on an (almost) real time basis...