SFO-XIY (Xi'an, China) summer seasonal service discontinued {will not return in 2018}
#31
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,319
CA/CE soft product is better and prices are quite a bit lower. I am UA Plat. and get E+ seats, and even so I keep looking at CA/CE and likely will jump over at some point.
#32
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,227
MU has been consistently more expensive than UA on PVG-SFO in J and they are also more expensive than any of the US big 3 on PVG-LAX. Granted I always use Ctrip to purchase these flights but at least on that site the US airlines are usually much cheaper than MU.
#33
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 52
Perhaps get a BKK trip out SFO......
#35
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SJC / DPS
Programs: AS G75K, UA Silver
Posts: 1,757
I was doing my best to come up with new routes they could launch with a 787 out of SFO....didn't come up with much. Maybe BKK/SGN/PPT/CGK is all I could come up with. I don't think any of those are as far fetched as SFO-XIY was, albeit a bit longer.
#36
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 4
Hi all,
I booked this flight for summer 2018 with lifemiles; should I call united or call lifemiles to figure out what to do? And what can I expect to happen? Will United/lifemiles book al alternative route for me, even if there is no saver award space, or would they return my lifemiles and I will then have to figure out alternative arrangements? Thanks!
I booked this flight for summer 2018 with lifemiles; should I call united or call lifemiles to figure out what to do? And what can I expect to happen? Will United/lifemiles book al alternative route for me, even if there is no saver award space, or would they return my lifemiles and I will then have to figure out alternative arrangements? Thanks!
#37
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,406
Hi all,
I booked this flight for summer 2018 with lifemiles; should I call united or call lifemiles to figure out what to do? And what can I expect to happen? Will United/lifemiles book al alternative route for me, even if there is no saver award space, or would they return my lifemiles and I will then have to figure out alternative arrangements? Thanks!
I booked this flight for summer 2018 with lifemiles; should I call united or call lifemiles to figure out what to do? And what can I expect to happen? Will United/lifemiles book al alternative route for me, even if there is no saver award space, or would they return my lifemiles and I will then have to figure out alternative arrangements? Thanks!
#38
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,854
... I booked this flight for summer 2018 with lifemiles; should I call united or call lifemiles to figure out what to do? And what can I expect to happen? Will United/lifemiles book al alternative route for me, even if there is no saver award space, or would they return my lifemiles and I will then have to figure out alternative arrangements? Thanks!
#39
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2003
Programs: UA*Lifetime GS, Hyatt* Lifetime Globalist
Posts: 12,333
I agree the Chinese airlines offer better hard and soft products than the US legacy 3 carriers (particularly Hainan Airlines). I have several friends switched to Hainan from UA based out of the Boston area for their business travel.
i am told the UA Chinese American flight attendants speak terrible Chinese and Chinese passengers have problem understanding them.
i am told the UA Chinese American flight attendants speak terrible Chinese and Chinese passengers have problem understanding them.
#40
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: LAS HNL
Programs: DL DM, 5.7 MM, UA 3.1 MM, MARRIOTT PLATINUM, AVIS FIRST, Amex Black Card
Posts: 4,479
Told by who? UA and other USA carriers will put a FA or more on flts to China that speak fluent Cantonese and Mandarin. Some even speak Taiwanese. The FA's must pass a language test to get these "cherry" flts. These are usually junior FA's with language skills.
#41
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,969
#42
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,969
Believe it or not, the Chinese airlines generally offer a better in flight experience these days than UA. This is probably part of the reason why this strategy failed. As a PVG based flyer I now would rather take MU than any of the US carrier options to the states. US-China flying will be increasingly dominated by the mainland carriers as their service improves and the US carriers reduce passenger stickiness by devaluing their loyalty programs.
UA's food is worse, staffing level is lower and FAs generally are not as service-oriented (part of it is simply the culture - western services are just different). Ground service is another issue (Dr. Dao and Alice in SFO incidents: UA SFO Gate Agent humiliated a Taiwanese Student.) Then MileagePlus keeps getting worse. Not only it can't get Chinese passengers, it is also losing US-based passengers.
#43
Join Date: Feb 2006
Programs: UA, Starwood, Priority Club, Hertz, Starbucks Gold Card
Posts: 3,952
Chinese Americans typically speak with American English syntax, which sounds funny to native Chinese speakers. (The Chinese translations of the flight safety video is an equal hoot to read along.) And if they do not continue to learn Chinese past around the 8th grade, they also tend to not know idioms that help express ideas with fewer words. (In the reverse, those of us more acclimated to English would find "You are welcome to travel by our plane," which comes directly from Chinese syntax, to be comical or perhaps even confusing, knowing that "Welcome aboard" gets the same point across.) Native Cantonese speakers also tend to struggle mightily with Mandarin, in both accent and verbiage, further compounding the language problem with mainland Chinese customers.
Now that there are more Mainland Chinese immigrants in America, the bigger pool of native Mandarin-speaking applicants will eventually (hopefully) resolve this issue.
Americanized Chinese sounds like this version of English. Found the photo!
Last edited by sinoflyer; Dec 10, 2017 at 1:03 am Reason: added photo
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,227
UA, AA and DL have Bought into the strategy that customers will fly them even as they reduce their FFP benefits. I think the China market is going to be a situation over the next five years that shows, at least in this instance, they needed those strong FFPs to compete.
#45
formerly FrequentFlyKid
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Programs: United Global Services, Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador, National Executive Elite
Posts: 981
It has nothing to do with the brand; it has everything to do with the market for travel to XIY. If it was the brand but the demand was there, other airlines would be jumping to start service. One of the easiest ways to penetrate a market is when there is demand but lack of suitable alternatives. That’s not the case here.