colpuck

Still doesn't change the fact that US will have a better hard and soft product compared to UA.

1KPath

You are correct! I have been blown away at just how good my US flights have been of late...It is obvious that one airline is ascending while the other is not! Sad, Sad, Sad!

bob_the_d

http://www.aa.com/i18n/pressReleases...p?locale=en_gB

they are using the same seat.

but yes, they will have both power and IFE nose to tail.

uastarflyer

Emblematic of the merger - where 1+1 could have been 3 it is now about 3/4.

And besides, power isn't to be fitted in the whole plane, just E+ and 8-12 F seats.

So most passengers simply lose comfort and IFE and that is it.

LarkSFO

Why is it my concern to worry about the 'poor souls in E-'? These people went to Orbitz, searched for the cheapest ticket to their destination, and found it on UA. I don't think they are expecting much more than the usual economy class flying experience. (If they are slightly savvy, they have the explorer card for the perks. And, if a little more experienced, may evaluate the buy up - E+ or F - options that are offered to improve their flight. But, most will just sit in the seat they bought.)

I don't disagree with you. (Actually, I'll take your word for it since I don't fly US much.)

If I were in PHX, CLT, PHL, then I am certain that US would be getting the majority of my business. But not because of IFE or 2 mm of extra padding on the Y seat; Because they fly where I want to go!

Out of SFO, neither US and AA has many direct destinations.

It has been argued ad nauseum elsewhere, so I will not continue here. But the fundamental equation is do you want to fly on the airline with the best schedule / destinations / convenience from your home airport?

Or are you willing to inconvenience yourself (connect mostly) in order to fly an airline that you believe offers a superior travel experience?

It is a subjective question, everybody has their own priorities which will guide their answer. If they are happy with their choice, good for them.

unavaca

If the "fake" E+ is important to you, then you'll love the p.s. retrofit. E+ goes to 37" of legroom.

catocony

Lark, are you assuming that everyone in E+ has status while everyone in E- doesn't? There are plenty of Silvers and Golds stuck in E- on just about every flight. On SFO-IAD flights, I've sat next to GS on A319/320 flghts in E+, and 4/5ths of the plane had status. When I was 1K, I had to sit in E- myself a few times. Look at the upgrade list next time you board an Airbus. If the upgrade list is pages long, not all of those people are in E+. If it's a choice between a middle seat in E+ or an aisle or window in E-, people will give up the legroom. Or, if you're flying standby, E+ may not be available at all.

So yeah, you might care about E- because you may sit there one day soon. United should definitely care about the bulk of the seats on their planes, since GSs and 1Ks don't just fall out of the sky. Unless you take a job where you're flying paid business or first all the time, if you're a beginning frequent flyer, you're in the back of the plane until you rack up some miles and segments.

Not everyone "back there" is a kettle. Providing a crappy product in E- will kill United in the long run more than skimping on meals in F.

LarkSFO

Fair points...

I do have the ability to plan my travel in advance (usually at least 4 or 5 days), and have not in the last two years been seated in E-. But, if I wanted to stand by for an earlier flight, or if I do have last minute travel, then I guess I would recognize that a seat in E- would be a real possibility.

United clearly disagrees with this statement, and I don't think you should expect any change in direction despite all the handwaving here on FT...

They've done the math. Probably even recognize that there is a slight risk in taking this path. But, bottom line they must believe that these changes will not scare off many flyers. We'll see...

(The corollary to a worse E- experience is that it makes E+ so much more valuable relatively. So, would not be surprised to see demand and $$ for E+ start to rise as these changes come in to production...)

Baze

All these post and still nothing since my last one, are these seats the same 18" wide or are they going the way of Boeing and being 17.3" wide. If narrower then this is a huge downgrade.

mgcsinc

As a tall person, as between real E+ and the ps E+, I'd much rather be in the former. Don't think my position on that is particularly unusual...

And yes, I'm happy about the refit.

unavaca

What's the difference between "real E+" and new ps E+? I can understand the comparison to the old ps E+, but the new ps E+ has more legroom than anything else in the fleet.

sanfran8080

Highly doubt it. Don't every fly on the A319's...if you di, don't expect an upgrade.

elCheapoDeluxe

There is another bright spot that nobody seems to be bringing up. With the overhead screens, the lavatory usage was highly clustered at the end of each program. As soon as credits rolled, a 30 minute line would line would form for the lav. I almost never watch the overhead movie, but I try to be mindful of when it is about to end so I can use the lav before the rush. With each person streaming (or reading or whatever else) the load will be more spread out.

CMK10

Funny to think that the EMB-175s UA is going to have flying for UAX will have the same amount of F seats as the A-320 (12) and MORE than the A-319

UA-NYC

Even funnier that the Y seats are likely to be more comfortable on them as well