Kacee

Scotch and coke??? That is unforgivable.

Please, please do yourself a favor and book CX via ORD. Or AA via DFW on their brand new 77W.

golfingboy

I would do AA ATL-DFW-HKG for a couple of reasons... Best C hard product among US carriers and if you have EXP you can use SWUs to upgrade from any C fare.

Also, when flying a rather long international itinerary, I like to minimize the domestic sector as much as possible [i.e. doing something like FRA-EWR-PDX is brutal in my book, I'd rather do FRA-SFO-PDX]. ATL-DFW is 1.5 hours each way, so that works well.

I also find the Admirals Club at DFW to be less crowded than DL in ATL or UA in any of their hubs. Also, on international itineraries you get to use the First Class lounge, which gives you access to lounges with standards.

By moving over to AA, this also gives you the option of taking Cathay out of ORD [AA to ORD then connect to CX to HKG].

Red1775

Delta does not arrive in time for the last Ferry to the mainland and I prefer not to spend an extra night in country.

The AA could be an option I will look into, thanks.

Always Flyin

How many are REALLY leaving UA?

I have a better question: why isn't everyone leaving UA?

I flew UA from SAN to SFO today. An A320.

12-seats in F. I died where I started on the upgrade list: #1. I'm something like 1 for 8 this year as a 1K.

Upgrades are a joke these days.

Slim line seats. No power. No entertainment.

Had Wi-Fi, but no free entertainment offered through it.

My fault for thinking I would get an upgrade on this route.

I knew I should have taken VX and will next time.

I have less than 5,000 EQMs on UA thus far this year. I would normally be well over 100,000 by now.

Think UA cares I have defected? If they do, they sure haven't shown it.

CO_Nonrev_elite

But it's fun and liberating flying the competition. I flew LAX-JFK on Jetblue Mint today in the single seat 4F. Blew away the United experience in more or less every metric.

Price Better, Seat Better, food better, customer service better, employee attitude MUCH better.

I don't know if "Leaving United is the issue, I don't know if I have left, but I sure spend a lot more time on their competition than I used to.

unavaca

DYKWIA?

If you like UA, fly UA. If you don't, don't.

anc-ord772

Yup. UNITED gets my cheapest fare + instrument upgrade. DELTA gets my F fare.

Always Flyin

Yes, I know exactly who I am.

The content of your post reflects the same inherent arrogance and ignorance United shows in maintaining loyal customers.

After decades of flying UA and spending ~$40-50K a year on air travel, I now fly just about anyone other than UA. And I ensure as many as possible hear about it.

You don't want to read it? Don't.

elitetraveler

What do you do when frequent customers stop buying from you or your company?

LordTentacle

Called up to get a refund for some miles as booked in GF and flew in C due to a broken seat
(They did give me the correct ETC on the spot but refund never came through)
Person on the phone was nice, says no issue, will refund you the xx,xxx miles asap

This morning (3 days later) I get an email from refund services asking me to contact the MP department

I am so glad I will be done with this airline next year... my time is just worth more then this

cmculp

I don't think that's a fair response. The poster meant this as a typical former UA frequent flier, not as a specific individual UA should be catering to. If I as a business owner noted the loss of long term high value customers, I would make some attempt to recover their business. The absence of this is a legitimate observation.

artvandalay

[QUOTE=cmculp;23387065] If I as a business owner noted the loss of long term high value customers, I would make some attempt to recover their business. QUOTE]

"Recover?" It is the perception of so many of UA's most loyal customers--who choose openly to express their disappointment via this forum with what's happening to "their" airline--that the guy running this airline not only lacks appreciation for loyalty, but considers loyal customers a burden.

Sez_Who

Agreed but IMO, part of the problem is how HVC is measured. At FT, we see it as high status, more so for MMers. This is loyalty and value to the airline.

Unfortunately the airlines see it differently. All they care about today is $$$. They don’t care about our status, they don’t care about long-term commitment. It’s all about what are you doing for us today, not what you might have done yesterday.

Many seem to take this personally but really shouldn’t. It has always been a business relationship between airline and passenger, only now it is more in the forefront because FFers are getting skewered.

Personally don’t blame anyone for leaving UA, or AA or DL or WN or whatever but even if a thousand from FT left UA, it won’t have a material impact on their bottom line. Do what works best for you, not them, but just complaining about UA while continuing to give them your $$$ will get you nothing but excess stomach acid. Meanwhile they have your money and from their point of view, that’s what this is all about.

LaserSailor

Sage advice. All businesses care about margin, not revenue. Flying to Asia 6x in FC might make you think you are important to the airline, but you aren't.

Ive had top status on AA, DL US and UA over the years, and have left/joined as my travel plans dictated.I never expected nor received a "Why did you leave us?" note. To expect one just shows a naiveté about your importance, frankly.

Kacee

Overstatement. Airlines do want to incent long term loyalty. That's kind of the point of loyalty programs, particularly features such as MM status which expressly reward long-term loyalty. Similarly, it's commonly reported that one of the factors for GS qualification is a history of high-spend.

They just don't value or reward loyalty in the manner or to the degree that some of us might like