"Can United Continental Beat Its Bad Reputation?" - Investopedia
#61
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,324
At this rate, American and US Air will be fully integrated before United and Continental. Just the name United Continental Holdings is misleading. American Airlines Group only brings the word Group from US Airways Group. But its CLEARLY American Airlines rather than two separate airlines.
#63
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Boulder, CO and Waimea, HI
Programs: UAL 1K MM
Posts: 748
Even if they:
- Got rid of Smisek & crew
- Reverted MP to the more customer friendly program it once was, and fixed redemption issues
- Got rid of SHARES and replaced it with something more efficient
- Empowered staff to fix and accommodate things
- Had empowered customer service to resolve and handle issues
- Improved food/bev for high-level Premiers on board
- Restored better quality booze in the club
- Fixed the TODs/upgrade issue to have better delivery on upgrades
- Added PTVs to all (or most) of the planes
- Came up with a new logo and brand (the new United)
- Gave bonus miles to win people back.
- Got rid of Smisek & crew
- Reverted MP to the more customer friendly program it once was, and fixed redemption issues
- Got rid of SHARES and replaced it with something more efficient
- Empowered staff to fix and accommodate things
- Had empowered customer service to resolve and handle issues
- Improved food/bev for high-level Premiers on board
- Restored better quality booze in the club
- Fixed the TODs/upgrade issue to have better delivery on upgrades
- Added PTVs to all (or most) of the planes
- Came up with a new logo and brand (the new United)
- Gave bonus miles to win people back.
#64
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
Programs: United 1K, JAL Sapphire, SPG Lifetime Platinum, National Executive Elite, Hertz PC, Avis PC
Posts: 42,007
Part of the problem is the concept of customer valuation. UA (and other carriers) wants to have its cake and eat it too - instead of valuing a customer at the macro level (PQD spend, miles flown, influence, etc), they want to also value a customer at the micro level (what did you pay for THIS ticket TODAY).
This is why it's doubtful we will ever see generalized cost-impacted improvements to the inflight experience for Elite customers in the form of a free BOB item, a free drink, etc. and we're barely hanging on to non cost impacted benefits like free E+ access, Premier benefits, etc. and being screwed by the TOD upgrade process that was changed from what CO promised into a non-transparent we see today.
In UA's version of the industry, every benefit has a cost, whether it's an actual financial cost or an opportunity cost. Anything given to an Elite has a time-sensitive opportunity cost that applies at the micro customer valuation and should be offered for a fee to a Kettle before it is given to an Elite, or alongside Elites which dilutes their experience because according to UA management, Elites are annoying pests to be tolerated rather than embraced.
Of course UA isn't the only airline that does this - AA regularly sells Group 1 boarding access for a fee - but I feel it's time we get back to the basics and outlaw the practice of charging customers fees outside the price of the ticket because it's now the airlines that need to be forcibly weaned from their sense of entitlement which is spiraling more out of control with every year.
This is why it's doubtful we will ever see generalized cost-impacted improvements to the inflight experience for Elite customers in the form of a free BOB item, a free drink, etc. and we're barely hanging on to non cost impacted benefits like free E+ access, Premier benefits, etc. and being screwed by the TOD upgrade process that was changed from what CO promised into a non-transparent we see today.
In UA's version of the industry, every benefit has a cost, whether it's an actual financial cost or an opportunity cost. Anything given to an Elite has a time-sensitive opportunity cost that applies at the micro customer valuation and should be offered for a fee to a Kettle before it is given to an Elite, or alongside Elites which dilutes their experience because according to UA management, Elites are annoying pests to be tolerated rather than embraced.
Of course UA isn't the only airline that does this - AA regularly sells Group 1 boarding access for a fee - but I feel it's time we get back to the basics and outlaw the practice of charging customers fees outside the price of the ticket because it's now the airlines that need to be forcibly weaned from their sense of entitlement which is spiraling more out of control with every year.
#65
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: UA PP, AA, DL, BA, CX, SPG, HHonors
Posts: 2,002
Of course UA isn't the only airline that does this - AA regularly sells Group 1 boarding access for a fee - but I feel it's time we get back to the basics and outlaw the practice of charging customers fees outside the price of the ticket because it's now the airlines that need to be forcibly weaned from their sense of entitlement which is spiraling more out of control with every year.
AA Group 1 (where the credit card holders also go) come after all elites, but before the rest of the kettles.
For UA, anyone who purchases Premier Access or has the credit card goes to Group 2, which is lumped with Silvers and Golds
UA lumps their Platinum tier (75K) with 1Ks and First/Biz classes all into Group 1, which, depending on where you stand in the pecking order, could be love it or hate it.
#67
Join Date: Oct 2008
Programs: UA 1K, 1MM
Posts: 504
Part of the problem is the concept of customer valuation. UA (and other carriers) wants to have its cake and eat it too - instead of valuing a customer at the macro level (PQD spend, miles flown, influence, etc), they want to also value a customer at the micro level (what did you pay for THIS ticket TODAY).
This is why it's doubtful we will ever see generalized cost-impacted improvements to the inflight experience for Elite customers in the form of a free BOB item, a free drink, etc. and we're barely hanging on to non cost impacted benefits like free E+ access, Premier benefits, etc. and being screwed by the TOD upgrade process that was changed from what CO promised into a non-transparent we see today.
In UA's version of the industry, every benefit has a cost, whether it's an actual financial cost or an opportunity cost. Anything given to an Elite has a time-sensitive opportunity cost that applies at the micro customer valuation and should be offered for a fee to a Kettle before it is given to an Elite, or alongside Elites which dilutes their experience because according to UA management, Elites are annoying pests to be tolerated rather than embraced.
Of course UA isn't the only airline that does this - AA regularly sells Group 1 boarding access for a fee - but I feel it's time we get back to the basics and outlaw the practice of charging customers fees outside the price of the ticket because it's now the airlines that need to be forcibly weaned from their sense of entitlement which is spiraling more out of control with every year.
This is why it's doubtful we will ever see generalized cost-impacted improvements to the inflight experience for Elite customers in the form of a free BOB item, a free drink, etc. and we're barely hanging on to non cost impacted benefits like free E+ access, Premier benefits, etc. and being screwed by the TOD upgrade process that was changed from what CO promised into a non-transparent we see today.
In UA's version of the industry, every benefit has a cost, whether it's an actual financial cost or an opportunity cost. Anything given to an Elite has a time-sensitive opportunity cost that applies at the micro customer valuation and should be offered for a fee to a Kettle before it is given to an Elite, or alongside Elites which dilutes their experience because according to UA management, Elites are annoying pests to be tolerated rather than embraced.
Of course UA isn't the only airline that does this - AA regularly sells Group 1 boarding access for a fee - but I feel it's time we get back to the basics and outlaw the practice of charging customers fees outside the price of the ticket because it's now the airlines that need to be forcibly weaned from their sense of entitlement which is spiraling more out of control with every year.
Case in point, how many times have we caught UA lying about the reasoning behind a delay lately so they have to get out of compensation, knowing most customers don't have the ability to counter that and cost them more.
(I, for example, have caught them red-handed three times this year, and never gotten more than a "thanks we will submit this for internal review")
#68
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,067
I don't think that's the case. I think they just don't like Elites. They've practically said as much too.
We don't pay for call center fees, for bags, for E+, etc., and we get extra miles, possible upgrades, etc. UA sees that as revenue leakage when an Elite buys a ticket. They would much rather sell to a non-Elite who is more likely to pay for these extras, rather than give away perks that are given away free to Elites. The problem is that with those perks, that Elite brings with him a multiplier of repeat business, which is typically not present in the non-statused customer.
It's no different than how some companies view employees -- a company can view its employees as human assets who receive a competitive salary, a benefits package, and other perks, so that they can retain quality individuals and make their business prosper. Or, they can view employees as a costly liability that does work they could source elsewhere for less.
I think we know what UA's position is on that one as well.
We don't pay for call center fees, for bags, for E+, etc., and we get extra miles, possible upgrades, etc. UA sees that as revenue leakage when an Elite buys a ticket. They would much rather sell to a non-Elite who is more likely to pay for these extras, rather than give away perks that are given away free to Elites. The problem is that with those perks, that Elite brings with him a multiplier of repeat business, which is typically not present in the non-statused customer.
It's no different than how some companies view employees -- a company can view its employees as human assets who receive a competitive salary, a benefits package, and other perks, so that they can retain quality individuals and make their business prosper. Or, they can view employees as a costly liability that does work they could source elsewhere for less.
I think we know what UA's position is on that one as well.