EWR764

I think you misconstrued what I was saying, and haven't we already had this discussion via PM?

My point is that if you've never been on a sCO aircraft with E+, and further, if you've been on a sCO aircraft lately with DIRECTV and without EconomyPlus that is indeed an exceedingly rare occurrence. Nothing more, nothing less. Moreover, I don't appreciate being labeled an 'sCO person.' I fly United.

Anyway, this hyper-sensitive, ad hominem 'sCO people' vs. 'sUA people' crap is divisive and totally degrades the experience on this board. It needs to stop.

GBadger

That's true right now, but is the result of fairly recent integration/standardization efforts. It's not inconceivable that someone who generally does not fly on ex-CO metal would have this experience because it wasn't too long ago that the percentages you present were much higher.

In some sense it doesn't matter -- E+ is being added. In my experience the DTV is easy to turn off (with one button push, not 6-7) and doesn't come on during the flight. The only time where it cycles on and off is when ground power is disconnected and after the safety video, IME.

Yes, UA flies a lot of RJs -- so does DL. It just depends on your routes. DL has focused on going towards RJs with F and wifi, but as far as I can tell UA is doing the same (albeit more slowly). Heck, even the Q400s have an F cabin these days... IME, UA/CO aircraft are just as comfortable as other airlines -- I would certainly take a UA 73x over DL's MDs any day.

I get less upgrades on UA, but at the same time I can fly relatively cheap fares overseas and fly in J. Not possible with DL, and this will keep me in the UA camp for some time (along with the option for more direct flights from DEN -- with a toddler, this is very important!). $1300 for a W fare to Europe with upgrades in hand? Yes please.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, a lot of these issues will go away in the coming 2-3 years, and the UA that's left will likely look a LOT more like the current DL (who went through the same transition not too long ago...). If you don't believe me, dig through some of the NW/DL board threads from 2008 and 2009. You'll likely find things sound VERY familiar.

FlyWorld

I don't want to be divisive but sCO aircraft are different in important ways from sUA aircraft. The lack of E+ and the mind-grating repetitive in your face advertising are two indisputable differences. When I board an sUA aircraft, I feel like I'm entering a professional business space. When I board an sCO aircraft, I feel like I'm entering a low end theme park. Discussing these differences is a valid activity. Pretending that it's all one "United" does not make it so.

Every flight I've taken on sCO metal has been all E-. Without exception. Again, pretending it's all one "United" doesn't change the fact that every flight I've taken on sCO metal has been all E - and every flight I've taken on sUA metal has had E+.

halls120

Technically, it still isn't one airline, and I see no urgency on the part of management to change that.

EWR764

Correct, but the my point is that, on balance, this is no a longer relevant experience to the vast majority of United's daily departures. Things change rapidly in this business, and it does not do us much good to spend time ruminating on that which is substantially behind us.

I have no objection to this, but articulating your view in such a hyperbolic manner only incites others with equally robust, if opposing, perspectives. The responses from others come with the territory if you feel the need to express strong, highly subjective opinions.

Again, no objection from me, but I'm simply noting the increasing rarity of this experience.

bocastephen

No it does not - the airspeeds between these aircraft are comparable and planned cruise speeds are modified to balance schedule with cost.

FlyWorld

I have reviewed and reflected upon what I posted. And, I strongly disagree with your characterization that what I said was hyperbolic and highly subjective.

This is what I said:

"...I've never flown on an sCO aircraft that has E+ and with the endless aircraft substitutions that are going on, I never know if I'll end up on sUA or sCO, therefore, I never know if I'll have E+ or E-."

This is the truth. I'm sorry you don't like it. But it's neither hyperbolic nor subjective. This is, in fact, what I have actually experienced. In fact, every sCO aircraft I've flown on has had only E-. Full stop.

Further:

"And, the sCO E- is a torture chamber to me because I can't stand the endless loop of cheap advertising they force me to see from every possible angle and field of view. Four hours watching the same three advertisements repeat and repeat and repeat from the left, from the right, from every angle. It's horrific. More and more, I've found myself stuck on those aircraft."

Once again, this is precisely the truth. It is torture for me. I can't stand it. Maybe I'm an outlier in regards to how I feel about watching the same set of cheap advertisements blasted into my face for four hours. I reported about how I feel in regards to my experience. That is not hyperbolic nor is it subjective. It's an evaluation of how the experience impacted me.

EWR764

See below:

That is not only hyperbole but it is highly subjective. I doubt people less emotionally invested in this topic would reach the same wildly divergent conclusion you have. It's a matter of personal preference, and I am not disagreeing with your assessment, but when you phrase your views in this manner, you invite those with strong opinions to weigh in with their own. That does not make them any less right (or wrong) than you are.

pdx1M

Yes I did see it and have a note into UA to see if it is real. I would love it if true and it would make sense for UA and the customer but with UA's generally tone deaf state these days I am skeptical. Will see what they say but in any case thanks much for raising the possibility.

demosthenes1

I was just as surprised as you are when I heard it. Good luck!

unavaca

A professional business space with no power and overhead monitors?

Onboard power and PTV are undeniably superior to no power and overhead monitors. Seriously.

FlyWorld

We all have our own personal opinions.

800,000 miles over 10 years and it has never bothered me that we have the stupid overhead monitors. I don't watch that crap anyway and the pathetic out of the way monitors make it easy to ignore.

I enjoy stepping into the quiet space. I hate the DTV advertising. Power is nice but I've got 7-8 hours of battery then another 10-12 hours on my iPad.

Between downtime for eating, sleeping, and resting - that's gotten me through every flight.

Would I like to have power? Yes, of course. Would I choose endless advertising that never stops from every corner of the aircraft in exchange for a shared plug? No way.


Let's not argue about right and wrong here. I'm expressing my opinion. Others can do the same. And, that's it. There is no "undeniable" superiority or inferiority here.

Sulley

A professional business space?

Well, that's the first time I've heard it described like that.

Hmm...

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tuolumne

^Absolutely. Another undeniably superior aspect is the legacy UA seats. That's more important than PTVs and power ports for me, especially since my MacBook 1) has a vastly superior display 2) easily lasts the length of any domestic flight.

unavaca

For sure. For short hauls, I'll usually prefer PMUA equipment since I don't need the power and the seats are more comfortable. On tcons, I'm heavily biased toward sCO equipment because of power and DTV. Seats suck, though.

I suspect that mix will change for me once it becomes clear which fleet is getting Wi-Fi first; I'll preference Wi-Fi over everything else.