elitetraveler

Isn't the current "diminishing returns" comment a slap at the golden age of "Gordo" where part of the turnaround was driven by staff incentives for being ranked at the top for on-time performance? It seems like he (and others) proved a direct correlation.

spin88

There is no doubt that United has done very poorly compared to DAL, DAL has earned either 8x or 2x the $$$ (depending on whether you want to exclude all of the billions spent on "specials" for intergration) of United since 2011, and United was supposed to lap Delta due to the merger synergies but even pricing in the mirage of a "capacity constrained" bump in United, United's stock price badly lags Delta. Even Jeff's mentor Hunter Keay has noted how United is at risk from the vastly superior operation Delta is running.

To see where United is loosing passenger $$$s. Well we don't have the internal metrics, but I bet that we can look at the areas that Delta is spending money and United is not, and that will tell you why people are flying Delta. OT performance, check. Happy employees, check. Better food/booze, check. Better wifi and IFE, check. Direct Isle access, check. Better IRROPS, check. Better treatment of elites, check.

Given how many folks (many UAL fliers for years, many HVFers) have said they are leaving United over its sub-par OT performance than the resulting horrible IRROPS recovery(sic), and Delta's focus on this area, only a "savvy" person (or a UA exec, same thing) would not see a link.

luckypierre

"Make Reliability a Reality," one of the four principles in his "Go-Forward Plan A" turnaround strategy.

I appreciate a previous poster finding the origin of the 80% remark and found it quite interesting that the context of the Barclay analyst's inquiry was how United would lure travelers that had left the airline back into the fold.

goalie

MODERATOR NOTE

The topic of this thread is about why there are so many mechanical issues with Untied flights. Discussion of stock price, corporate earnings for United and other airlines as well as other off topic discussions are not relevant to this thread

goalie
UA Forum Co-Moderator

goodeats21

It is one of my favorite quotes...along with Smiesek's statement to Congressional committee deliberating the merger about how all the front line employees will be much better off if the merger was approved. Classics.

And yes, I found it very ironic their 2nd prong of managing operations was customer service in the face of operational challenges. United is failing miserably on both.

Kacee

It's even deeper. The words they use have no meaning and they know it. It's cynical and dishonest.

Yesterday I got an e-mail from UA entitled "United is enhancing your travel experience." The first line was "United® is committed to making your travel experience with us more streamlined and enjoyable." As we know, all utter and complete bs, particularly in light of the current operational melt-down, and the people who conceived and wrote this garbage also know that full well.

They really do think we are stupid. Congress and consumers alike.

SFO_FT

Hi freshairborne. Thanks. As you can tell from the number of posts on this and other threads, the number of MX does seem to be much higher now than in the past. Any speculation as to why we pax might be perceiving this to be the case? (My guess is that it's not just perception, but reality for a majority of us.) As you might have seen upthread, 10 of my last 11 trips had MX delays -- mix of domestic and int'l, NB and WB aircraft. I can't be that unlucky!

KnightInWhiteSatin

Ding, ding, ding! On my travels I've spoken to a few employees I've come into contact with, and I get the impression that a certain work group will refuse an aircraft with a wart, to make a statement about their relationship with the company, with little concern over customers or other employees. And some work groups are more militant than others. Care to guess?
I was at Houston on Dec 24 when an aircraft was refused, it was going to Sao Paolo, causing families to miss Christmas day with their families.

KnightInWhiteSatin

+1. Funny thing is with all the operational challenges caused by issues you allude to , UA doesn't ensure that it staffs it airports beyond minimums to fix the resultant customer service failures, and is more amenable to permitting employees to compensate when things go wrong?

blueman2

Clearly the data shows an unusually high level of mechanical delays and cancellations. Whether this is caused by labor issues with Pilots or Mechanics is unknown. But I will say we, the flying public, place an incredible amount of trust in pilots and airline mechanics. They are both very respected groups and deserve our trust based on past performance. It would very sad if these groups abuse that trust by 'work to rule' slowdowns and then deny they are doing it. This breaks the trust I have in these groups and reduces the respect I have for them.

If they want to declare a legal work action, then do it. But what appears to be going on is wrong. This not only damages the flying public, it damages the respect the public has for these groups.

Again, IF this is caused by Pilot/Mechanic actions.

transportbiz

I think all these "off topic" comments can be for the most part related to United's operational performance (or lack there of). Even the most ardent of apologists feel strongly about OT performance. If the airline can't reliably get you where you want to be when you want to be there, it really doesn't have much reason to exist. Everything else United does wrong pales when you get down to this basic principal. Car companies can sell cars that breakdown often for a period of time, but eventually word gets out, and no one will buy that brand. In the case of airlines with corporate contracts, and large travel agencies...that can happen pretty fast.

embarcadero1

Delta would continue to look MUCH better than United, whose regional performance is among the worst anywhere in the world.

I'm no Delta fan, but United is hitting operational rock bottom. Even Aeroflot performed better than United.

clubord

Per the RLA, they cannot publically declare a legal work action. Not at this stage of their negotiations...

RealFan

I have flown over 100,000 miles on UA this year. The first 50K were a breeze and very enjoyable. However, the past two months have seen a change. Three of eight international segments were cancelled due to MX. As a GS, I was quickly rebooked on the next UA or OAL flight but the experience left a bitter taste in my mouth. I have moved all of my flying to AA for the time being (suffering lower upgrade percentages because I am a late booker) as I wait for some uptick in performance from United.

tuolumne

The "impression" you got from "speaking to a few employees" isn't grounded in reality and rings of management-minded sympathy talking points. To those of us with intimate knowledge of UAL, whether because of family/business ties and/or both, well, we know the disastrous labor relations brought on by this new management team, relations that only the most feverish anti-Union advocate can support.