mahasamatman

You're crazy. Hey, you asked for it.

Renard

This is the same guy that goes on in public about over-entitled customers and now he's trashing their high yield products? They need to shut him up or at least keep him out of the public eye.

And boy am I tired of the airlines whining about taxes. Taxes stink. We all agree. Get over it.

united4

It's as if they're determined to create as sterile and uninspiring airline as they can. I wish these clowns would go kill General Motors and leave United alone.

jerseygirl

I've been reading this but have a question, what is Global First? Is this international first class? In a plane with first, business, E+ and economy?
Is it somehow related to global services which seems to be some sort of invitation only group which get more attention and service (having dinner orders taken first)

JOSECONLSCREW28

It's international F class currently found on the sUA 3-cabin aircraft.

meFIRST

^

Sterile and Uninspring with a touch of Osco bunco, blueberry yogurt, Pork chop, worse than cosco rigatoni / ravioli. And don't forget broken cashews.

I saw the alleged changes to the menu - its as is nothing changed

zigzagg900

+1

halls120

Rainey and UA have had ample opportunity to correct the record as to his "original, poorly thought out comments. "

That this hasn't happened supports the conclusion the label he used applies across the board.

TWA Fan 1

Well, as sogboulder correctly pointed out in an earlier post, he doesn't describe it as his "own" product, but rather as "United's" product while he makes it clear that "his airline" (he uses "we" to describe Continental) had a two-cabin product.

As has been mentioned earlier, the product is virtually the same as J because that's how they have made it.

I do think, however, that on the few markets where a true overseas F could command a substantial premium over J, that UA doesn't have the management acumen, the reputation, the built-in demand to pull off a truly profitable premium overseas F.

SwisherTown

If people are always getting only one service center then they are routing them for a particular reason. Are they looking at the area code, Mileage Plus number, phone number, ... ?

They have shown with Premier Qualifying Dollars, minimum spend and mileage reward levels which groups are more important. Once low annual spend 1Ks are unhappy about their loss of status and instruments. They cry about their loses the most here on FT IMO.
Global First is about a much higher level of service then BF if United as their competitors with a successful international product have. This is not nor was it possible for United. By wife's first experience with a Flight Attendant in International First preGF was the FA telling her that she wasn't going to put her bag in the overhead when all my wife had done was stop by her seat and answer her phone.
What was this?

fly18725

The statement was made to financiers and investors, who understood what Rainey was saying.

The fact that FT seeks out ANY comment made by UAL management and chooses to be offended speaks volumes about the fundamentally flawed relationship we have with a corporation.

denuaflier

Financial community does not live in vaccumm. Also, some of those same people are GF consumers. So one needs to watch what one says in a public forum.

fly18725

All of the finance community are airline elites, many on UAL. From my perspective, they understand what Rainey says and accept it, mostly because it's true.

International F is usually the most unprofitable cabin on a SF basis. There are a few markets in the world that justify it and most airlines maintain it for prestige purposes.

halls120

I'm not "seeking out" anything.

That Rainey made a statement to "financiers and investors" is irrelevant since it later went public.

denuaflier

My point exactly. These people pay serious money for GF. I had a guy standing in line with me on IAD - KWI (may have been DXB) Pre-merger who paid $32K for the round trip. That's why you keep it alive.

Personally, I would prefer more BF seats.