agpt

Any changes should add functionality, not remove it.

When a new site is rolled out, the default should be that all the functionality of the old site is retained. If the interface could be "streamlined", fine, but there should always be the option for some sort of "expert" mode to give added functionality.

I use a mouse and keyboard, not a touchscreen. I don't care about fancy tiles that grow and shrink in size when you click them. These only make the page load more slowly. I want a site that allows me to easily search many flight options, along the lines of ITA Matrix or Google Flights.

Though the old site was far from perfect, it was more functional than the new one, and I am sad to see it go. I have been unable to log in to the new site this morning. I called the web support, and I was told that my issue is not isolated.

From another standpoint: If a customer cannot log in to the site to book tickets, how will United get that revenue?

Lurker1999

Any workarounds to this yet or is this another transparent act by United to head towards dynamic award pricing?

ctownflyer

The removal of the Economy saver column seems like a transparent move towards removal of the award charts and a move to dynamic pricing. But then I wonder why business and first still have saver columns?

However for the life of me I can't understand why United would want to remove the ability to view a nonstop award calendar. And yet while I hope it's a bug it's yet to show up as something that's going to be fixed.

goodeats21

I found the same issue between the current UA site and the new one.

I logged into the new site to see if it would return better search results on flights and it turned out to display fewer results/less options.

I readily admit not spending a lot of time tweaking with it to see if I could get better results, but it was a pretty simple search and something I wouldn't expect to have to fiddle with.

agpt

I had used that previous feature as well. On the new site, you can get some of that functionality back by simply searching economy and then selecting the business cabin segments at a higher price.

This seems to work for all segments in each direction. If you want to do it on a per-segment basis, it seems possible using multi-city.

sbm12

So it actually provides the same info as the old site, without requiring the user to specify that they want the mixed cabin service, right? That's a good thing, isn't it??

agpt

The new site does add some functionality, as I noticed when I was finally able to log in. This is a step in the right direction; thanks United.

However, there are a few things (pointed out here and on other blogs) that could be added back in for expert users / frequent fliers / profitable customers.

It's probably good from United's perspective, because it makes the upsell easier. This is similar to the functionality that the mobile app provided for some time. It think it's a wash from the consumer side.

One thing that's missing is the PQM and actual flight miles on a per segment basis. It seems to show the total accrual, but it's not immediately obvious what <500 mile segments were rounded up, etc. That can make a difference, especially with the 1.5 multiplier for premium fares.

syrahnose

+1 I used this last week and found the exact same problems irritating for the time wasted. I spent too much time going back and forth between old and new sites.

syrahnose

+1, especially on long haul international where I'm needed 3 or more connections, often using a partner carrier for one.

RJNYC

Yes! Wouldn't this also make catering easier on their end?

Or they should go back to prioritizing those on full fare tickets first.

radiowell

I really like that feature on AA, EXCEPT... that I also very much like the SDC policy on UA.

Unless someone can figure this out, you have to give up one for the other (on AA, you must make your final order at T-24, AFAIK).

Given these choices, I would rather UA retain the current SDC policy.

1klife

Really liking the new UAL site. Would love to see the integration of mystatus.united.com with the new site, though.

chitownflyer

Thanks for posting this, but I get an error when I try using the my dates are flexible option. For example, my dates are flexible SFO-LHR Sep 23, 2015 8 day trip with Mileage Plus upgrade selected, the site will display a calendar of fares, but when one goes and clicks on a specific date, the following error message occurs on the following page, "No flight schedule could be retrieved using your search criteria. Please use the form below to start a new search."

I hope there is a way to get this through to United's IT Department, so it can be fixed.

sbm12

Which specific date did you try? I just did the exact same search and it worked fine.

Or this is one of the inconsistent bugs on the site.

kale73

Agree 100%. Those who wish to "oooh" and "aaaah" over color and design should book a flight to MXP and get a seat by the runway (def. 2).