mgcsinc

Seeing my yellow handle in my bag got me thinking about how a relatively minor customer-friendly (or maybe that should be customer \_________/ friendly) change can make a big difference with not a whole lot of fuss. Although the yellow handle thing has its fair share of detractors ("I tried it once and my bag didn't come first so I put it in the trash."), there are some for whom it has become one of the best things about being a 1K.

So, I'd like to have a brainstorming session: What relatively simple/cheap/easy changes could United make to take some of the sting away from the devals, PQDs, route cuts, and other stuff that has folks looking for greener pastures? Bonus points for creativity! (I think the yellow handle idea was pretty creative, personally.)

Here are a couple to start:

.- A free drink for elites above a certain level sitting in Y (matching competitors' policies)

.- Defined or regularly-practiced in-flight compensation policies for delays (e.g., free drinks or DirecTV)

.- Re-enabling broad SDC abilities on saver economy award tickets (this ended with the elimination of near-guaranteed last-minute XN availability)

demkr

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-Free snack / adult bev for 1K and GS in Y
-Meal rotations in F/J for the first time since the merger.
-R class CPUs to be based on whether R class is available, No hidden inventories.
-When R class is available, the waitlist automatically runs.

demkr

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Ok... Im gonna tick off some Platinums here, but I'd say please make Group 1 GS/1K/F only.

mahasamatman

Another way to phrase all of these is "bring back the way PMUA operated". I agree, and would also like to see

boat9781

- free drink in Y for 1K (for GS, free drinkS)
- good exit row reserved for 1K & GS until checkin

hobo13

Don't we have half a dozen threads like this already?

Maybe a wiki is in order.

PV_Premier

GPUs becoming non-fare class restricted. Though i'm sure W fares are a boon of $$ for UA so i doubt that one qualifies as "cheap".

A refresh/enhancement of first class catering and drink offerings would not cost much and would make UA border on exciting again.

Sodas/waters/snacks at the gate for grossly delayed flights would also be a nice change and would not cost much, except that UA has so many grossly delayed flights that I could see how it could get expensive.

mgcsinc

Haha, I should have known this might risk turning into bring-back-that-old-policy bingo.

Although it's a bit hard to define, I was thinking of things that would be thought of as "the little things that go a long way" rather than core policy changes. So, I think eliminating CPUs or changing the GPU policy are a bit too big. Rotating menus and reserving exit rows are closer to what I was thinking.

It's possible - I don't remember a recent one being for this specific kind of idea. I was thinking that if there are enough ideas, we could do a poll from among the popular ones.

OnePassenger

I live in Kathmandu,Nepal - and in Q2 in 2013 I started flying Qatar's 5 Star Airline. I was blown away by the small things that make this just a most amazing experience in the air. Smiles, excellent food and drink choices, presented beautifully, as it would be in a fine dining restaurant. Not very expensive, probably, just done nicely and pleasing to the eye and heart.

UA inflight service trainers and shapers and managers - do yourselves and United and us a favour and take a QR flight in their Business Class and see and feel what I mean.

I made Qatar Privilege Club Platinum rather quickly (which is OneWorld Emerald). This year I made GS again on UA, and I decided giving my airline another year to shape up, or I will forgo my loyalty and move over to QR.

(To be honest: QR's customer service on the phone and via email and their incompetent reservation agents and their Privilege Club communication are the worst possible. Love UA's GS phone line and customer support - even if sometimes I have to HUCA)

hobo13

If you see this as entertaining, by all means. But if you actually think you are going to enact change, I hate to burst your bubble. Once you've been around here a few years, you see that the same simple ideas are proposed over and over again and nothing changes.... ok, it changes, for the worse.

United just doesn't care what you and I think.

lalalandMCI

Love it! CPUs are kind of crazy, and it seems that EVERYONE is on the list. I would even venture to say that Silver should not get upgrades, just early boarding and a free bag. But I am sure I am in a minority here...

The whole boarding process should be fixed, it takes too long, and almost half the plane is in Group 2. I also think they should follow the LH way of international upgrades, you pay the fare difference, Unless you have GPUs which only GS members should get.

Group 1 should be GS/1k/F or J
Group 2 should be Plat/G/S
Groups 3-5 should be everyone else... Do away with the early boarding for credit card holders.

Another Idea for flights with 3 cabins would be:

Group 1 GS/1k/F
Group 2 J
Group 3 Plat/G/S
Groups 4-6 everyone else.

sbm12

Publish all the rules. Enforce them consistently. And smile along the way.

All completely free.

Loren Pechtel

Luggage tags for carryons to keep people from putting too much stuff in the bins. Tagged bags get first priority.

I think they could use the same tags they use on checked luggage, just with different printing which would include the date & flight number in big letters.

If you're sitting in a normal seat you get one tag. If you're sitting in a seat with no underseat space you get two.

The cost is basically the tags--I would figure pennies per passenger. Once people learn they can't cheat anymore I don't think there would be much time lost to enforcement.

meFIRST

You have to understand that all United cares about is ROIC. Nothing else matters

The UA version if shares is not technically able to do that

Us and vs use a different version of shares

OnePassenger

The #1 problem is that 95% of United's front line staff are wild and on the loose, and make up the rules as they go THERE IS NO SUPERVISION!!! And my gosh --- when is the last time I saw an honest UA smile (Biased; living in Asia)