"The Points Guy" takes the mickey out of United & Polaris
#61
Join Date: May 2006
Location: STL
Programs: UA Platinum, AA Platinum Pro, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 1,429
Dramatic much? While it seems that everyone seems to have a UA horror story, I can't seem to put much credibility into claims about UA is terrible, UA has the worst soft product, UA hate unicorns...because they are such generalized statements and really don't seem to be based on fact or even valid comparisons.
For example:
LAXORD UA vs AA soft product in Y...can you honestly say that UA is that much worse or even that much different? Both airlines offer wifi/streaming, BoB, and have similar aircraft configurations.
For example:
LAXORD UA vs AA soft product in Y...can you honestly say that UA is that much worse or even that much different? Both airlines offer wifi/streaming, BoB, and have similar aircraft configurations.
#62
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: DEN
Programs: UA 1MM, MP 1K, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold
Posts: 462
Interesting comments - nitpicking, really, because at the core, this review is saying the same things many people here have been saying for months. I actually looked carefully at the Polaris ad in a recent Hemispheres. You had to look very carefully past the copyright with almost a magnifying glass(or good readers) to see the caveat about it not be available at every location or on every aircraft.
Poor service and things not working are not an anomaly. Maybe occasional but they happen.
Poor service and things not working are not an anomaly. Maybe occasional but they happen.
#63
Join Date: May 2006
Location: MYF/CMA/SAN/YYZ/YKF
Programs: COdbaUA 1K MM, AA EXP, Bonbon Gold, GHA Titanium, Hertz PC, NEXUS and GE
Posts: 5,839
2. That almost certainly won't be true.
#64
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Location independent
Programs: AA PlatPro, Asiana Diamond, IHG Diamond, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 287
That experience was disastrous - from the disgusting neighbor (not UA's fault, but the FAs refused to deal with the situation), to the broken leg rests (that happens and from the feedback I'm getting, quite often), to the broken IFE and power (again, that happens), to the miserable service (UA's fault), to the disgusting food (broken ovens happen). I would very much rather have flown that same distance in JL Y (which I've done many times thanks to an error fare) or CX Y (which I've done less often) or LH Y (which I've done on the A380 upper deck Y). There was no way that I was getting to sleep with the constant coughing up of phlegm from the guy 5 inches away from me, so the lie-flat seat was no value.
Plus, I get it that some people want lie-flat at all costs. I'm not one of those people. I can sleep in a reclined Y seat just fine. So, there's literally no value to a crappy UA J seat with inedible food and horrible service over a functioning Y seat with decent food and good service.
#65
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: CVG, originally LAX/SNA
Programs: UA MileagePlus Premier Platinum, Hilton Honors Gold, SPG Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 77
#66
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,600
#67
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: DYKWIA, But I'm a "Diamond Guest" UA 1K/2MM
Posts: 2,258
There was another point that I missed here
Actually chewing tobacco is expressly prohibited. I've heard that announced many times.
You should only have to mention it to any FA once and they should address it immediately. Anything else constitutes a major failure and is manifestly "UA's fault," just as it would be if they allowed someone to smoke throughout the flight.
Actually chewing tobacco is expressly prohibited. I've heard that announced many times.
You should only have to mention it to any FA once and they should address it immediately. Anything else constitutes a major failure and is manifestly "UA's fault," just as it would be if they allowed someone to smoke throughout the flight.
#68
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: LHR, HKG
Programs: gate lice
Posts: 315
It's true that there's a lot of hyperbole, and that opinions on food are largely subjective, but much of what FlyerJT wrote wasn't wrong. Instead of nitpicking about him not mentioning the bedding and laughing at him for writing about the teddy bear, why aren't the more truthful bits being addressed?
Chewing tobacco is disgusting. It became UA's problem the moment the FA knew about it. It sucks to watch a movie and be interrupted every now and then. A broken legrest doesn't add to your experience.
And someone here attacked FlyerJT for not understanding UA's meal ordering system in biz. Well, that's not his fault. My first time in UA biz, the FA explained how I should select my first choice, and then my second choice, and answered other questions about the meal service. The fact that the FA didn't bother explaining how entrees are selected shows that he/she was impatient, and that service is inconsistent -- you might get a good FA one flight and a really bad FA the next.
The worst J experience isn't better than the best Y. Granted, what the reviewer experienced was probably an anomaly, but many negative factors that he experienced should've been in UA's control.
Chewing tobacco is disgusting. It became UA's problem the moment the FA knew about it. It sucks to watch a movie and be interrupted every now and then. A broken legrest doesn't add to your experience.
And someone here attacked FlyerJT for not understanding UA's meal ordering system in biz. Well, that's not his fault. My first time in UA biz, the FA explained how I should select my first choice, and then my second choice, and answered other questions about the meal service. The fact that the FA didn't bother explaining how entrees are selected shows that he/she was impatient, and that service is inconsistent -- you might get a good FA one flight and a really bad FA the next.
The worst J experience isn't better than the best Y. Granted, what the reviewer experienced was probably an anomaly, but many negative factors that he experienced should've been in UA's control.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Aug 11, 2017 at 12:22 am Reason: Discuss the issues, not the poster(s)
#69
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,324
I'm not flying that 2-4-2 J product again. However, the statement is carefully worded: "This was by far the worst business-class flight I’ve experienced. I can easily think of a few economy products that I would’ve rather flown instead: Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa come easily to mind."
That experience was disastrous - from the disgusting neighbor (not UA's fault, but the FAs refused to deal with the situation), to the broken leg rests (that happens and from the feedback I'm getting, quite often), to the broken IFE and power (again, that happens), to the miserable service (UA's fault), to the disgusting food (broken ovens happen). I would very much rather have flown that same distance in JL Y (which I've done many times thanks to an error fare) or CX Y (which I've done less often) or LH Y (which I've done on the A380 upper deck Y). There was no way that I was getting to sleep with the constant coughing up of phlegm from the guy 5 inches away from me, so the lie-flat seat was no value.
Plus, I get it that some people want lie-flat at all costs. I'm not one of those people. I can sleep in a reclined Y seat just fine. So, there's literally no value to a crappy UA J seat with inedible food and horrible service over a functioning Y seat with decent food and good service.
That experience was disastrous - from the disgusting neighbor (not UA's fault, but the FAs refused to deal with the situation), to the broken leg rests (that happens and from the feedback I'm getting, quite often), to the broken IFE and power (again, that happens), to the miserable service (UA's fault), to the disgusting food (broken ovens happen). I would very much rather have flown that same distance in JL Y (which I've done many times thanks to an error fare) or CX Y (which I've done less often) or LH Y (which I've done on the A380 upper deck Y). There was no way that I was getting to sleep with the constant coughing up of phlegm from the guy 5 inches away from me, so the lie-flat seat was no value.
Plus, I get it that some people want lie-flat at all costs. I'm not one of those people. I can sleep in a reclined Y seat just fine. So, there's literally no value to a crappy UA J seat with inedible food and horrible service over a functioning Y seat with decent food and good service.
You even dipped into your conversations with United's FAs, (galley talk YOU initiated), which was frankly incredible.
I showed this thread to my best friend who's an AA purser. Let's say they laughed out loud, and not at United or your broken footrest.
Last edited by tuolumne; Aug 10, 2017 at 9:33 am
#70
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: UA 1k
Posts: 146
TPG is allowing inexperienced flyers to post for them, trying to make headlines by bashing, which has ruined the site, in my opinion. It's the same as the old NY Times review of Guy Fieri's restaurant -- writers writing for clicks, rather than real info. At least the NY Times article was funny.
Last edited by nottarockstar; Aug 10, 2017 at 9:30 am Reason: typ
#71
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: LHR, HKG
Programs: gate lice
Posts: 315
UA's 2-4-2 product is a decade behind the competition, while they (somewhat dishonestly) market a superior product and charge similar prices. FlyerJT has every right to call UA out on that.
When you charge upwards of $4,000 for a round-trip flight -- you should offer some modicum of privacy and good storage at minimum. All-aisle access is a huge plus. The 2-4-2 product is way too close to strangers for comfort.
#72
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,324
You can't possibly be serious. Sure, it's better than 10-abreast economy.
UA's 2-4-2 product is a decade behind the competition, while they market a superior product and charge similar prices. FlyerJT has every right to call UA out on that.
When you charge upwards of $4,000 for a round-trip flight -- you should offer privacy and good storage at minimum. All-aisle access is a huge plus. The 2-4-2 product is way too close to strangers for comfort.
UA's 2-4-2 product is a decade behind the competition, while they market a superior product and charge similar prices. FlyerJT has every right to call UA out on that.
When you charge upwards of $4,000 for a round-trip flight -- you should offer privacy and good storage at minimum. All-aisle access is a huge plus. The 2-4-2 product is way too close to strangers for comfort.
United launched this product in 2006, and it was heralded as industry leading among it's US peers at that time, being the first lie flat of any US carrier in C (AMR/UAL had F suites in F for years before then).
A poll of FTers during integration-time even showed a near 50/50 parity preference between IPTE C and B/E Diamond seat. Remind me where the storage is in the latter seat, or in BA C for that matter. IPTE has amazing cushions, pleasing industrial design, large AVOD, collapsible armrests, and long bed length. I can't lie flat in SQ's C - I can in the middle seat of a United 3-class 777.
This 2-4-2- whining is just that - whining. I understand if you desire privacy, and the new product certainly addresses that. Go fly BA C, with it's "privacy", and you'll be crying for UAL IPTE.
I truly do not understand the hatred for IPTE F or C.
Last edited by tuolumne; Aug 10, 2017 at 9:42 am
#73
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Location independent
Programs: AA PlatPro, Asiana Diamond, IHG Diamond, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 287
Yep. Although I've flown 45 carriers, this was my first time in United international business class. So, how would I know about the meal ordering hierarchy? This review is meant to be a guide for those who aren't UA 1Ks and don't know the ins-and-outs of the airline - not 1Ks that clearly already know not only the product but the nuances UA's meal service.
#74
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Eurozone
Programs: LH SEN, HH Gold
Posts: 3,002
All of these service failures can (AND DO) occur in Lufthansa's Y--and the the Lufthansa Y seat NEVER gets any bigger or better.
On Lufthansa, I've experienced broken IFE, a broken seat, "hot" food that was served with an unthawed center, seat reservations that weren't honored, forced gate-checking of a carry-on within limits, even though one-third of the bins were unused and lots of other things that aren't coming to mind at the moment.
And, nice try, but it's disingenuous to compare these two things as if the Y product elsewhere is ALWAYS perfect, when of course both of them suffer from inconsistency from time to time.
If the point is "I'd rather pay $2500 and receive LH Y over UA C, it's a point I'd never concede.
If the point is "I'd rather pay $800 and receive LH Y over UA C", again, it's a point I'd never concede. If the point is "I'd rather tolerate LH Y for $800 than to spend $2500 and receive UA C, then I can get behind it.
Do you really think it's fair for a review to more or less live in a vacuum rather than to also accurately describe the usual experience as well as the immediately sampled experience?
Last edited by Grog; Aug 10, 2017 at 10:13 am
#75
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: UA *G 1MM LT United Club & Global Entry
Posts: 2,756
* Too much DYKWIA
* Too much feel-sorry-for-me attitude
* Too many first world problems
* Too much obligatory snark
* Too much whine with the cheezy
Effective for cutting through the internet travel blogger din I guess (and harvesting the ignorance of the casual traveler) but not much content wise for anyone with their own travel acumen. As for other airlines Y being preferred to UA J? Pick my description of that from the list above.
And FWIW check my posting history as I am not a UA loyalist or apologist.
SL