andyh64000

I disagree. My wild guess is that this will save United about $10M to $15M a year. Maybe a little more because the they will be serving fewer free drinks overall. Compare that to overall revenues and it just doesn't seem worth it to me for such a high profile change. That being said...I am sure this will help the person responsible for the P&L of the United Club (and person who likely made this decision) hit their EBITDA target and resulting bonus for 2013.

TWA Guy

I got to IAD early for a flight recently that was leaving from C12, went right to Vino Volo, didn't even contemplate going into the club.

exerda

That's one thing that absolutely kills me; the markups are higher than many airport bars and restaurants () and are often for smaller pours than at those already-pricey places.

denCSA

Just for comparison's sake, this is the premium spirits and wines menu at the AA Admiral's Club:



This menu is a couple months old, but relatively unchanged apart from switching out the wines every few months. Notice the wine prices are reasonable, but do go as high as $14 there too. Liquor is on a tiered basis and is just as expensive as what UA is subjecting its members to now.

Only difference is AA still gives out chits for premium drinks, which is a huge benefit.

amartin1979

And if post-merger United went this route, I would be happy. PMUA gave us two drink chits, which I would gladly trade in for a decent beer while waiting for my flights.

geo979

What, if any, data do you have to support your contention that this vocal segment is "vastly overrepresented on FT"?

Hill713

I am making sure to voice my displeasure for every flight survey I get sent. Maybe nobody reads it, but oh well.

kirkwoodj

^ Good idea. I have had a month off of traveling, and have not yet witnessed this fiasco first-hand, but starting back up next week, will include in my surveys!

Darlox

They do chits, but also food is available at the ACs. If I'm stopping in for lunch, I wouldn't mind as much paying a slight up-charge for a reasonably-ok meal experience in the club. (Oddly, ACs have given chits to me as a visiting AmEx Plat holder, but don't give them to their own paid members... go figure.) The food isn't terrible either... not as good as what you can get elsewhere in most airports, but decent eats combined with good free drinks (from the chits) make their in-club upsell a little easier to swallow than UA's attempt.

Point being, this is another instance of the UA me-too mentality when it comes to un-bundling. We're going to grab all of the customer-unfriendly stuff our competitors are doing to save costs, but we're not going to copy any of the customer-friendly stuff that goes along with them to try and make the change more palatable...

Duke787

Went to an AC last night for the first time before my LAX - JFK flight on AA and I was impressed with both the actual menu both for food and drinks. More importantly when I went up and initially requested a wine off the menu that cost money the bartender pointed out that the house wine was pretty similar and that I should give that a try and save my money.

Not that UC bartenders wouldn't do that but again it comes down to mentality and being customer-friendly. The AA bartender saw no need to nickel-and-dime me and instead directed me to the free product.

That and even with QF16 going out at the same time as AA30 (my flight) and a few others the lounge wasn't too crowded certainly not as crowded as the UC LAX T7 lounge gets.

And yes I know at some point the grass won't be greener on the other side but so far I have been impressed. I'm back on UA next week for a trip that was already planned before I switched so it will be interesting to compare (and compare the UC)

RandomBaritone

Simply put, UA has the means to test a change like this before implementing it. I don't deny there's a bean counting aspect, but with a global firm the size of UA, there are beans that need counting. The cost-benefit ratio of continuing to offer complimentary alcohol but lowering the quality level must have been overwhelming. QED.

Plus, while anecdotal, there's the fact that this is the most vocal, complaining bunch I've ever encountered.

Fredd

FWIW, we're no longer members but have been in a couple of clubs recently where we've heard this being discussed quite openly by the patrons.

Most recently we were in the new SEA club the day before yesterday for only a few minutes and happened to find a seat in the bar area. It was quite a topic of conversation with one patron asking the bartender if this was the situation at other clubs.

Again, this is strictly anecdotal and of course that conversation may well die down as members gradually accept (or not) the new policies.

goodeats21

Speaking of beans....

Before you give UA too much credit for being able to accurately test changes like this, you may want to read up a bit on the great Fresh Brew (Fresh Poo) coffee fiasco.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/archive/t-1309845.html

lensman

Beeradvocate gives Bud Light a 47/47
Beeradvocate gives Miller Genuine Draft a 55/53
Beeradvocate gives Miller Lite a 53/59

There is a difference at the bottom end. Bud Light is the ultimate beer for people who don't like beer. If McDonald's served beer, this would be the one.

The "Draft" in MGD is a marketing term but in its favor it is cold-filtered and not heat pasteurized which is helpful in having it actually have *some* flavor.

Miller Lite and MGD would be barely acceptable to me as bottom-tier free beers at United Clubs, though I'd prefer something from Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada. I guess those are destined to be regional/premium.

exerda

HAHAHHAHAHAHA. Seriously?

These are the same folks who have made such fundamental blunders as FreshPoo coffee, the attempt to shave a few RDM from every itinerary (remember the "miscalculation" that magically moved almost every airport pair closer together?), and, of course, the countless things they've done to drive away HVFs.