BThumme

I think UA's app handles irrops great. It's pretty flexible and kicks in after an hour or more delay (used to be an hour, maybe its 2 now?), and lets you move to a different starting or finishing airport nearby within the next two days wherever same class space is available, and that's just through the app, let alone the help I've gotten in the past rebooking with phone agents as a lowly silver/gold.

I don't have experience with delta, I've heard they do irrops good too. As a Michigan based flyer who has flight issues with the elements once a year during the winter, it's nice being able to change right on the app pretty much instantly.

I know I must sound like a UA employee, but I spend probably 15-20 minutes on the UA app a day, usually browsing through flight loads, seat maps, upgrades, on random and not-so random routes, Looking at where planes are coming from, etc. I'm probably a bit crazy for doing it but there's just so much information that it has, that makes it a great compliment to flying (but again, I would not book solely on the app). To me, it's just part of the overall experience with flying.

HeadInTheClouds

The more exposure I have to the “new and younger” crews UA has been hiring lately, the more I appreciate the grandmothers and the service nuances they instinctively have that is lost on the new gang.

BearX220

Deride if you want, but what the OP got is a rare example of retention marketing from UA -- an important business driver all but ignored since 2011. UA has knocked itself out creating ways to repel customers, but on the retention side, not so much.

How many thousands or millions of us former 1Ks, Plats, etc. have let our status drift down to GM, depleted our mileage banks to fumes, without a solitary inquiring word from UA?

OP is right that the actual customer experience is largely untethered to the aspirational brand promise, but the email is a start. Expectations are so low anyway.

windhund

I think the UA app is pretty good as well, especially compared to the other mobile apps I've used (AA, B6, WN).

My experience with FAs varies, yes, but I've found the quality of them doesn't correlate with their seniority in all cases. That said, I've had several great flights with more experienced FAs/pursers.

dll

Surely you've experienced the "premium" shorthaul/mid-haul cabins on so-called "premium" Euro carriers - LX, LH - right? J cabins in NA might not be amazing but they're significantly better than anything in Europe. I've come to really appreciate the US carrier premium cabin investments (even E+ and its equivalents), as EU carriers just don't hold a stick there.

spin88

I would add to the "not":

6. No PE
7. Requiring a W to play the GPU lottery vs. upsell game
8. poor IRROPS handeling
9. No food on routes I fly in F where AS/VX/DL have food
10. No/very rare CPUs give TODS and smaller FC cabins, while OALs will at times upgrade me.

And while I agree with the "pro" points one and two (3) I have been treated far better by VX/AS as a Gold, and DL as a Plat than United treated me as a 1K post Jeffie's take over. (4) I don't get the whole "SDC is a plus for United" I get SDC waver on DL (golds, Plts, Dimonds get free SDC) so no advantage there. Am I missing something? (6) The polaris seat is only on a few planes, and on most routes there are better seats on OALs, certainly not an advantage, especially since UA's sCO 763 seats and the non-bulk head B789 seats are some of the worst seats space wise, and (7) I get "free E+" on DL/AS/VX, and all toss in free booze and snacks, which UA only gives to 1Ks and GS.

I think you make a good point, DL's app is much better than in the past. What DL has is bag tracking. Great feature that UA lacks. But what UA has is "plane tracking" allowing you to see where your incoming flight is. Given how unreliable United is, its a great feature. I used it nearly every time I fly United. It is something I wish that Delta had. So given that I almost never check bags, I give the nod to United's app at this point.

that was a good use of a RPU. Why hate on the 739? Well the seats have little leg room for one, second they are narrow, third they have no IFE. I mostly pay for F, and the 739 is not a plane that I want to pay to fly in F on, or for that matter fly in any class...

+1. Interesting that they are trying this approach. Just sad that given how much they have chopped down the product quality (worst slim line seats, no in-seat IFE, tighter pitch, including in E+, and going with horrible HD seating with E+ seats that are .6 narrower than on a 737 on the 77W/77HD) and elite benefits (no upgrades, miles are worth far less, IRROPs handling sucks) that all they can talk about is their app. It would be like my getting an e-mail from Costco about how big their shopping carts are.

Tblack15

1 - agree with your ideas, but not with the generalization that seniority --> bad performance. There does need to be a shake up in terms of int'l cabin crews. I'd like to see a higher % of the crew speak the language of the destination country.

2 - sure.

3 - not my experience. How does one allocate this? Only when the costs are X dollars? Just as PEK may be cheaper.. NRT & HKG may be more expensive

LarryJ

Bag tracking was added in the most recent update to the United App.

ftweb

In general, I do like United. But I have to wonder how much of a benefit Star Alliance is now that I don't get PQMs for most flights (often in K), and can't even pick my seats on LH flights. I'm hate sitting all the way in back with the crying babies on a 747-800 because I have zero control over my seat assignment when purchasing a code share on ua.com. The fact that I don't even earn miles means the only real benefit is *G, which I guess means free checked bag and maybe sometimes a lounge (though I also have priority pass, so lounge is not a huge win).

dll

I wasn't aware this was such a problem w/UA-coded *A flights.

This has been an issue for me on AA, too. Seat booking only works easily on BA (and sometimes Qantas) when booked as an AA coded flight. Many other OneWorld carriers you have to call in and even then they can often not do seats (LATAM, Finnair particularly). I'm considering switching to UA, as an LAX-based flyer for three reasons:

1) The *A network, which I generally prefer to Oneworld (my only real EU option from LAX, aside from AA, is BA and that's ); and options to Asia are nice, although I do try to avoid OZ
2) The service I've had on UA, air and ground, has been substantially better in the last 3 months than AA; particularly on-board, AA have really downgraded their premium product, IMO, on domestic flights. The meals they're serving now are truly bottom-of-the-barrel
3) Mileage Plus which was always my favorite program.

I'm well only my way to million-miler status on AA, and only 1/4 of the way there on UA, so I may stick w/AA from LAX for now. AA's route network from LAX is really quite good. UA has nice facilities after their facelift.

I contemplated going back to DL but the issue I have there is the Skymiles program is and their LAX terminals right now are also majorly

Bowgie

I don't fly United because they don't have a credit card waiver on dollars spent to earn top tier status. On Delta, I can earn Diamond on 125,000 miles and $25,000 Amex spend.

Oh, wait.........

danielSuper

It's a world standard in privacy tracking and snooping your device. Also a battery hog.

I wonder how their mobile or desktop site can work just fine on a very same device with the exact same functionality. Yet their app need access to my personal photos, calendar, location history and other irrelevant info.

https://i.imgur.com/0og05C8.png

findark

$250,000 now.

BThumme

Photos/Camera - for scanning your passport/selecting a picture
Calendar - to add reservations to your calendar
Locations - to give you transit directions and or find close airports

I don't expect the united desktop site to have that nor need it.

WineCountryUA

Wow .... for most (other than a medium size business owner) this means no waiver.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...250-000-a.html
This eliminates a big DL advantage.