ATXflyer

Or maybe they don't want to fly 2-4 hours on crappy regional jets/props that always seem to have problems or are late.

UA has outsourced 25 of its 33 flights from AUS to UAX. It really sucks.

nzpilot

My guess is that AAerSTL has it right calling SAN a major non-hub. Unsure how many gates they hold, but it's spread over 3 terminals tks to the CO/UA merger and commuter ops.

I stopped willingly flying UA over a yr ago & the extensive CRJ use was one of the top reasons. SAN/DEN is not good, but LAX/OKC is even worse, and the granddaddy of them all was ORD/MIA. All of this is dated, so there are probably better examples. Sadly....

Hadrian35

Pros: Frequency, efficiency, miles that are worth something, pre, assigned seats with premiums saved for elites.

Cons: Comfort level for maybe 2hrs and oh, hell, let's throw in the higher probability of wx delays

UAX will win every time for me if all i have to spend is 100 more to meet my schedule.

DaviddesJ

If this is important to you, why don't you just sign up for Global Entry and then you can have TSA Pre on any airline you fly?

ATXflyer

+1. Having that Trusted Traveler ID works great. I added it to my AA profile and I get the TSA Pre on my AA boarding passes from the get go.

Kacee

Um, because it only works if the airline participates in TSA Pre. Southwest does not.

TravellingMan

You have an interesting approach of justifying UA CRJ200 flights.

Assigned seats with premium saved for elites
I have sat in different seats on a CRJ, and there is no such thing as a premium seat on them. They all suck. Just because WN does not do assigned seats you do not have to knock them that hard. The boarding styles for both are now the same - make people line up under different signs. All you have to do is check in early and you can be assured a window or aisle seat on WN.

Frequency
On the routes I fly out of DEN, there are the same number of flights on WN and UA.

Efficiency
So far my WN flights are the least delayed of them all. With free check in bags, it is quick boarding on WN with quick turnaround time.

Miles that are worth something
I will give you that UA. But these days I feel more like buy the darn ticket with the least connections and enjoy the destination. For e.g., SFO-AKL, it was cheaper to buy a NZ ticket with no mileage earning possibilities than fly SFO-SYD-AKL on award ticket. Knowing that SFO-SYD is running into too many MX.

I used to justify flying UA/UAX all the time, but these days I get tired of sitting in RJs for hours.

Hadrian35

The efficiency I'm referring to is the fuel efficiency. I don't select a flight on this basis but it is something I care about if we go down the list of things that contribute to my personal decision making. I know UA doesn't give a wet toot about the environment, it is a cost thing for them but I couch my grumbling about the reliance on rjs as a overall plus if it curbs my enormous carbon footprint just a bit.

As for "premium" reserved seating. I want an aisle and i want it close to the door. It doesn't take 15 mins to empty a crj like it does a 757 but it's a tad quieter and a little more smooth up front as well and, when that door opens, I wan't off right now. We agree, the premium on a real mainliner, of any make, does make you wonder how a c200 seat is premium by any stretch. But riding in back does remind me when I have to do it!

I'm glad WN meets your schedule out of DEN, a declining market for UA just like my base in SEA but I think the decline is further along than it is in SEA because I see maybe a single connection midweek for my flights and never on Mon or Fri and it will be buried in the AM while EWR, ORD, IAD and IAH garner 2 or 4 connections each on any given day of the week. That's anecdotal of course and incidentally I like those flights because of my CPU likelihood. ; )

I fly to the South East, Gulf Coast and up and down the Eastern Seaboard from SEA which always means a connection and WN rarely agrees with my choice of schedule. I don't want to depart at 8am arriving at 10pm, I want 5am arriving at 6pm, I also don't want to layover in MCI, MDW, SAF or any other of, what I consider, podunk airports that WN flies in and out leaving me sometimes for 2+ hours. with no Club, no shopping, little dining and entire terminals that roll up the carpet on a Friday after 5pm.

The list goes on and on. It's personal. I don't like WN and no one is going to convince me I should. I laugh about the bags flying free and breeze through security because UA does all that for me and much much more.

The list is long... one more, this one is among the premium bennies; IRROPS. My god, UA knocks itself over trying to get me to where i need to be and typically have me double and triple booked before I even get to the counter. I've been delayed 3 or 4 times on an expensive fare with WN. "We can't put you on any other flights because there aren't any" was the answer I was got along with "we're not booking you on another carrier because they don't have any flight here but maybe two times a day." was some total of what I was told.

Don't misunderstand me, I hate a lot of the rjs, and I don't mince words when describing my experiences as anything short of awful and I get really resentful when I have to pot myself on filthy stone seat for over 2hrs, particularly when the nonfunctioning XMradio is still in my armrest, mocking me about how much better this could actually be if UAX just put a little effort into it. I just think I can tolerate these things in favor of the pluses. These things matter to me much more than the nasty, rock hard, often dirty crj200 flying out of the machine shed basement at IAH.

TravellingMan

Valid points. I will never consider WN if it means connecting. For the amount of flights out of DEN, UA used to be a no-brainer but it is making no sense to select them anymore.

I just want them to down gauge out of existence. Let me help them in that endeavor by not flying them

gaume

CLEAR works for SWA out of SFO and probably DEN, too. Still have to keep shoes on, but the lines are shorter than UA PRE-check...at least out of SFO.

Baze

Clear + Pre at UA SFO is great. Go to the new Clear lane at the Premier security area. They take you to the front of the Pre-Check line.