![]() |
Originally Posted by sbm12
(Post 25623188)
... For the vast majority of customers (and revenue) the site is working just fine. Whether we like it or not....
Bottom line, there were a number of the old features that we liked, but UA is not listening because the company’s revenue is far more important than the customer. I am sure there are studies on the balance between making money and keeping your customers happy. Let’s see how UA fares in the next five years. |
Time to contact the United Execs and tell them what you think. I sent numerous emails yesterday and I got a call from the Corporate Office to discuss it. I made all of my points and encouraged them to read Flyer Talk (sent this link) to find out what some of their BEST CUSTOMERS think about it. I suggested they provide a link to the old site for their key customers. I relayed a story about Windows 8 and how people pushed back on it, which cost Steve Ballmer his job. This is no different. You can't change the look and feel on your best customers, you are inviting them to leave.
|
Originally Posted by semibizz
(Post 25624178)
Time to contact the United Execs and tell them what you think. I sent numerous emails yesterday and I got a call from the Corporate Office to discuss it. I made all of my points and encouraged them to read Flyer Talk (sent this link) to find out what some of their BEST CUSTOMERS think about it. I suggested they provide a link to the old site for their key customers. I relayed a story about Windows 8 and how people pushed back on it, which cost Steve Ballmer his job. This is no different. You can't change the look and feel on your best customers, you are inviting them to leave.
I like the new layout. Yes, it's a little buggy, but that will get worked out. The pmCO design was old, tired, and badly needed a refresh. It was optimized for desktop use, and like it or not, web design is evolving consistent with the reality that smartphones and tablets are becoming the driver or web design, not the desktop. |
Man, I'm slow, you're all likely there already, but it finally hit me, they've done the Windows Tiles thing -- trying to design a system so focused on being used on tablets/phones and PCs that it has dumbed down the look of the PC version. And while big tiles are easy to push on a screen, they make complicated info best displayed in a grid really awful. Tiles are great for limited option and limited info displays, but really annoying when trying to do something complex like buy flghts. I dare say most normal business travelers would agree as we don't just pick point a to b based on date and price, we piece together around meetings, connection meetings, colleagues traveling with us, etc etc. (For the record, I also find the latest Southwest site really a negative step for what used to be a really simple, easy to use interface.)
|
Originally Posted by abaheti
(Post 25624381)
Man, I'm slow, you're all likely there already, but it finally hit me, they've done the Windows Tiles thing -- trying to design a system so focused on being used on tablets/phones and PCs that it has dumbed down the look of the PC version. And while big tiles are easy to push on a screen, they make complicated info best displayed in a grid really awful. Tiles are great for limited option and limited info displays, but really annoying when trying to do something complex like buy flghts. I dare say most normal business travelers would agree as we don't just pick point a to b based on date and price, we piece together around meetings, connection meetings, colleagues traveling with us, etc etc. (For the record, I also find the latest Southwest site really a negative step for what used to be a really simple, easy to use interface.)
|
Originally Posted by Clincher
(Post 25624130)
You speak as though you have vested interest in UA as though you are emotionally tied up with the new design.
Originally Posted by Clincher
(Post 25624130)
the 'vast majority of customers' are represented here as regular UA.com users.
Originally Posted by halls120
(Post 25624378)
The HouCrew did exactly that when they selected the pmCO web site over the pmUA web site, and the world didn't end, did it? ;)
Had to go one way or the other and piss half the customers off. Hardly a surprise there. |
Originally Posted by semibizz
(Post 25624178)
Time to contact the United Execs and tell them what you think. I sent numerous emails yesterday and I got a call from the Corporate Office to discuss it. I made all of my points and encouraged them to read Flyer Talk (sent this link) to find out what some of their BEST CUSTOMERS think about it. I suggested they provide a link to the old site for their key customers. I relayed a story about Windows 8 and how people pushed back on it, which cost Steve Ballmer his job. This is no different. You can't change the look and feel on your best customers, you are inviting them to leave.
People need to act similarly and complain to UA execs. |
Originally Posted by sbm12
(Post 25624534)
That's why I keep pointing to facts rather than getting caught up in the specific aspects of the new site which affect me personally.
Today we don't know if the old site would continue to show different fares than the new one. At this point it doesn't matter - the new site is the de facto pricing regardless of what the old site provided. I just don't feel warm and fuzzy or at all trusting about it. |
Originally Posted by abaheti
(Post 25624073)
I just find the new really not clean/sharp/easy to view, and it I liked the prior way of seeing which were partner flights vs UA. I'm finding it painful to have to click and open every option, and when it opens it takes up so much real estate with big fonts etc so I can't really get a real view easily -- very romper roomy looking to me (I know that's a trend now on web sites, but for something like this it is annoying).
For the record, I HATE that websites are now designed for tablets and phones, making them inefficient for computers--like the new UA site. |
Originally Posted by linsj
(Post 25624968)
I agree. I got the new site for the first time today (didn't bother looking at the beta one), and it was ANNOYING and time consuming to look at all the connections to see where the stopover was and how long it was. (ORD-LIH is not a direct route.) When I saw the list was eight pages long, I quit at the end of page one. Fortunately, I didn't have to book today; I'm watching prices for this route but will watch less often now that it's such a pain to see flights.
For the record, I HATE that websites are now designed for tablets and phones, making them inefficient for computers--like the new UA site. |
Originally Posted by linsj
(Post 25624968)
I agree. I got the new site for the first time today (didn't bother looking at the beta one), and it was ANNOYING and time consuming to look at all the connections to see where the stopover was and how long it was. (ORD-LIH is not a direct route.) When I saw the list was eight pages long, I quit at the end of page one.
WAY more options than the old site to get to the booking you want. Tell me again why that's bad. :confused: |
I just vaguely remember the old pmUA site, but when it switched to continentals version, I don't recall disliking it this much, or having such a hard time booking flights. It was a change and one I didn't like, but I was able to book flights fairly easy, but now, this site is a disaster.
|
Originally Posted by minnyfly
(Post 25620984)
I think the majority of the industry is one-way pricing. Some people, like myself, prefer it. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what the majority of customers wanted.
I doubt it has anything to do with motives beyond that. If anything, round-trip pricing made it easier to hide the lowest fares. |
Originally Posted by asphaltman
(Post 25625260)
I just vaguely remember the old pmUA site, but when it switched to continentals version, I don't recall disliking it this much, or having such a hard time booking flights. It was a change and one I didn't like, but I was able to book flights fairly easy, but now, this site is a disaster.
I just find the new site incredibly frustrating to use. The several improvements in functionality are far outweighed by the bugs, inconveniences, and generally confused layout. It's also very very slow to load flight results. And it is not getting any better over time. |
Originally Posted by asphaltman
(Post 25625260)
I just vaguely remember the old pmUA site, but when it switched to continentals version, I don't recall disliking it this much, or having such a hard time booking flights. It was a change and one I didn't like, but I was able to book flights fairly easy, but now, this site is a disaster.
Originally Posted by Kacee
(Post 25625479)
Agree. I'm generally resistant to change. But my reaction to this site goes well beyond how I usually react to a changed interface (e.g., iOS, Netflix, etc.).
I just find the new site incredibly frustrating to use. The several improvements in functionality are far outweighed by the bugs, inconveniences, and generally confused layout. It's also very very slow to load flight results. And it is not getting any better over time. I probably will get used to it. But I actually learned to like the CO site, and I don't see that happening here without significant redesign. And having done comparisons on the old and new site side by side (my desktop at home was defaulting to the old site), it is absolutely slower to display results for flight searches and especially noticeable with managing reservations -- which was already significantly slower on the CO site than the pmUA site. It seems like we're moving backward in some respects. |
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 3:17 am. |
This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.