United has its groove back
Aug 5, 2018, 8:17 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: SFO
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Posts: 838
United has its groove back
Over the past several months, I’ve noticed United is getting its groove back. The operation is running smooth, planes are pushing back on time. Padding the schedules has been reduced. Connectivity at the hubs has increased. Even the companies financials are showing improvement (though as a customer I care less about that, but worth noting).
It’s amazing to see how going back to the basics of running a great operation spills into other facets of the company.
Is anyone else seeing an improvement and, for as much as we give the airline a hard time, anything commendable you’ve seen that you’d like to share?
It’s amazing to see how going back to the basics of running a great operation spills into other facets of the company.
Is anyone else seeing an improvement and, for as much as we give the airline a hard time, anything commendable you’ve seen that you’d like to share?
Aug 5, 2018, 8:21 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,008
Operationally, things are better, but the padding of scheduled times is as prevalent as ever (if not worse in some cases). And let’s not start on the embarrassing offerings that are offered up as meals for non-TCON flights in domestic F. The reemergence of CR2s throughout the network is ridiculous. With this airline, it always seems to be progress made on some fronts and setbacks on others.
Aug 5, 2018, 8:28 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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I have had the exact opposite experience. I am flying 2-4 days a week at the moment and 99% of the trips are delayed, cancelled or misconnected. Case in point yesterday. PDX-DEN delayed 40 minutes due to late inbound crew. That made my connection 8 minutes. Land in DEN at the time my plane to NY is departing. They didn't hold it for me even though I'm a 1K in first class on the last flight of the day. The most the plane would have had to wait was 10 minutes. So I misconnected and was forced to overnight in DEN. Sure, that's just one example. But every single flight I'm on is delayed (usually late inbound).
To me this has been the Summer of Hell that they were advertising a few years back.
-RM
To me this has been the Summer of Hell that they were advertising a few years back.
-RM
Aug 5, 2018, 8:30 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Las Vegas
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Posts: 6,638
Operationally, they do seem to be doing better. The Polaris lounges are nice. However, unlike my experience on Delta, delays seem to really pile up whenever there is a late inbound aircraft. There is almost never a swap at any time throughout the day. Does anyone else notice this? Delta seems to swap way more than UA does.
On everything else, from aircraft to onboard soft product, to put it bluntly, United sucks. The 1K experience is terrible. Also, Whenever there is an improvement made in one area, such as the meals awhile back, and the Polaris product, it's clawed back almost instantaneously. As well as improvements in one area always means cutbacks in another. Upgrades are non-existent.
Take a look at Polaris in particular. I actually miss the old BusinessFirst meals. Polaris has the same food choices now for months and months on end. Regular looking salads (remember the big salad bowls with the croutons and real dressing as opposed to oil and vinegar?) are a thing of the past. Salad bowls are so tiny they might as well not even be there now. Delta's domestic wines are better than UA international. It's terrible. That's why I've switched most of my flying to Delta.
On everything else, from aircraft to onboard soft product, to put it bluntly, United sucks. The 1K experience is terrible. Also, Whenever there is an improvement made in one area, such as the meals awhile back, and the Polaris product, it's clawed back almost instantaneously. As well as improvements in one area always means cutbacks in another. Upgrades are non-existent.
Take a look at Polaris in particular. I actually miss the old BusinessFirst meals. Polaris has the same food choices now for months and months on end. Regular looking salads (remember the big salad bowls with the croutons and real dressing as opposed to oil and vinegar?) are a thing of the past. Salad bowls are so tiny they might as well not even be there now. Delta's domestic wines are better than UA international. It's terrible. That's why I've switched most of my flying to Delta.
Last edited by demkr; Aug 5, 2018 at 8:36 am
Aug 5, 2018, 8:31 am
#5
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 57,615
Aug 5, 2018, 8:49 am
#6
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: UA MileagePlus 2MM
Posts: 1,567
Over the past several months, I’ve noticed United is getting its groove back. The operation is running smooth, planes are pushing back on time. Padding the schedules has been reduced. Connectivity at the hubs has increased. Even the companies financials are showing improvement (though as a customer I care less about that, but worth noting).
It’s amazing to see how going back to the basics of running a great operation spills into other facets of the company.
Is anyone else seeing an improvement and, for as much as we give the airline a hard time, anything commendable you’ve seen that you’d like to share?
It’s amazing to see how going back to the basics of running a great operation spills into other facets of the company.
Is anyone else seeing an improvement and, for as much as we give the airline a hard time, anything commendable you’ve seen that you’d like to share?
UA is in its best shape, from a customer perspective, in more than 20 years.
I will say that I mainly fly Int'l, versus domestic. So could be a "Tale of 2 Airlines". I rarely eat food on domestic flights unless it is between the coasts. Operationally I've been fine, although the last week or so in EWR weather has been stormy and the pattern slows downs down departures.
It seems like AA is currently bringing up the rear of the US3.
Adam
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Aug 5, 2018 at 12:12 pm Reason: discuss the issue;not the poster(s)
Aug 5, 2018, 9:16 am
#7
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Morris County, NJ
Programs: UA 1K/*G, Avis Pres, Marriott Plat
Posts: 2,305
If we unwound the merger, right here, right now, the only upside for me was adding E+ to the CO fleet. Otherwise, we could split it back apart, put it back the way things were and I’d be happier in every other single metric.
So, it’s hard for me to say best in 20 years. Since the merger, maybe. But still down from my CO customer
experience, even at its lowest point post-Lorenzo.
Aug 5, 2018, 9:23 am
#8
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The onboard experience is getting worse with 10 across seats in E and E+ being introduced TATL The boarding experience is miserable. The power trips of FA/GA is boring now. The idiotic amounts of oversized carry-on being let through is a joke. Excepting Polaris lounges they are an absolute joke domestically. Perhaps there are better connections but I have had more delays/cancellations/EU261/vouchers in the last 2 years than I had in the previous 15. YMMV.
Aug 5, 2018, 9:42 am
#9
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: dark side of the moon
Programs: papa card, UA 1K
Posts: 707
due to D0 - not consumer friendly...
Any fool could make UA profitable with the economy in high gear.
Nice line for job interview at UA
Any fool could make UA profitable with the economy in high gear.
Nice line for job interview at UA
Aug 5, 2018, 10:07 am
#10
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: UA MileagePlus 2MM
Posts: 1,567
Maybe, if you come from the pmUA side of the house. For me, I’m still trying to claw my way back to my CO life.
If we unwound the merger, right here, right now, the only upside for me was adding E+ to the CO fleet. Otherwise, we could split it back apart, put it back the way things were and I’d be happier in every other single metric.
So, it’s hard for me to say best in 20 years. Since the merger, maybe. But still down from my CO customer
experience, even at its lowest point post-Lorenzo.
Apart from DL, which major int'l carrier is not going to 3-4-3 on the 777's? I know it was the next posters point but I suspect CO, if it had not merged with UA, would be doing the same?
Aug 5, 2018, 10:07 am
#11
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Houston/DC
Programs: UA 1K, 1MM
Posts: 564
Over the past several months, I’ve noticed United is getting its groove back. The operation is running smooth, planes are pushing back on time. Padding the schedules has been reduced. Connectivity at the hubs has increased. Even the companies financials are showing improvement (though as a customer I care less about that, but worth noting).
It’s amazing to see how going back to the basics of running a great operation spills into other facets of the company.
Is anyone else seeing an improvement and, for as much as we give the airline a hard time, anything commendable you’ve seen that you’d like to share?
It’s amazing to see how going back to the basics of running a great operation spills into other facets of the company.
Is anyone else seeing an improvement and, for as much as we give the airline a hard time, anything commendable you’ve seen that you’d like to share?
As a recent frequent flyer, my frame of reference does not go back to the pre-merger and "glory" days that many on here pine for. I think that helps me, as I can't compare what I am currently getting in benefits to those who compare airline travel today to that of 20-30 years ago. Additionally, my travel experience is augmented from what I have learned on this FT. I maximize my benefits & my CPU percentage is "enhanced" by the tricks I have learned here.
Aug 5, 2018, 10:14 am
#12
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Yeah I do come from the pmUA side of things - started flying UA in 1991 when I moved to Hong Kong for work. And I'm sure the first 8-10 years of my flying UA was a better operation than CO. Now that I live in NYC, the merger was gold for me, sorry you feel you have lost out.
Apart from DL, which major int'l carrier is not going to 3-4-3 on the 777's? I know it was the next posters point but I suspect CO, if it had not merged with UA, would be doing the same?
Apart from DL, which major int'l carrier is not going to 3-4-3 on the 777's? I know it was the next posters point but I suspect CO, if it had not merged with UA, would be doing the same?
Aug 5, 2018, 10:16 am
#13
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Join Date: Oct 2008
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This isn’t meant to be PMUA PMCO conversation. Both carriers brought good things to the table. Let’s move beyond that.
And to the poster above, “ermintrude”, operational efficiency is everything. D0 isn’t customer unfriendly. Quite the opposite. Pushing the plane back on time is something United can control. It ultimately reduces buffer time and makes the assets and United’s money (planes) work harder. That’s good for us over the long term.
There’s a trickle down effect from operational efficiency that is to the betterment of the customer and the employees. Operations matter most, everything else is gravy. And there’s more gravy when the operation runs good.
And to the poster above, “ermintrude”, operational efficiency is everything. D0 isn’t customer unfriendly. Quite the opposite. Pushing the plane back on time is something United can control. It ultimately reduces buffer time and makes the assets and United’s money (planes) work harder. That’s good for us over the long term.
There’s a trickle down effect from operational efficiency that is to the betterment of the customer and the employees. Operations matter most, everything else is gravy. And there’s more gravy when the operation runs good.
Aug 5, 2018, 10:24 am
#14
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: NYC
Programs: UA MileagePlus 2MM
Posts: 1,567
Guilty as charged m'lud! Yes, they all are, and I reserve the same vitriol for them too. Just because everyone is doing it, it doesn't make it either right, sensible, or adding up to an overall positive customer experience for me and certainly does not make me think that United has its groove back. Had they bucked this trend I would have given them credit. They haven't, so I shan't say anything positive about them nor any other airline that does this.
IMHO I think the aviation industry has declined because most passengers, looking to fly, purchase the least expensive ticket, and airlines have been in a race to the bottom to deliver that. Traveling only in Polaris or semi-Polaris class, things are going the other way. I don't think it's right, but it's clearly obvious.
Aug 5, 2018, 10:36 am
#15
Join Date: Mar 2015
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Posts: 9,008
And to the poster above, “ermintrude”, operational efficiency is everything. D0 isn’t customer unfriendly. Quite the opposite. Pushing the plane back on time is something United can control. It ultimately reduces buffer time and makes the assets and United’s money (planes) work harder. That’s good for us over the long term.