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United shows biggest improvement in ACSI airline index (heh, heh)

United shows biggest improvement in ACSI airline index (heh, heh)

Old May 1, 2019, 2:17 pm
  #1  
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United shows biggest improvement in ACSI airline index (heh, heh)

The American Consumer Satisfaction Index tracks hospitality and airline satisfaction, with the results here.

United improved more than any other airline. The catch: that's pretty easy to do when you're rock bottom! Even with the improvement, United is ranked below Allegiant (!) -- as well as Alaska, Southwest, Delta, American, JetBlue, and Air Bulgaria (OK, I made the last one up).
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Old May 1, 2019, 2:29 pm
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Originally Posted by porciuscato
The American Consumer Satisfaction Index tracks hospitality and airline satisfaction, with the results here.

United improved more than any other airline. The catch: that's pretty easy to do when you're rock bottom! Even with the improvement, United is ranked below Allegiant (!) -- as well as Alaska, Southwest, Delta, American, JetBlue, and Air Bulgaria (OK, I made the last one up).
This reminds me of the "Most Improved Camper" awards that I excelled in obtaining in the late 1960s. If you know that it's the improvement factor that will be measured for such achievement awards, then it's easier to win by under-performing at the outset. At least that was my experience.
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Old May 1, 2019, 3:38 pm
  #3  
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Originally Posted by porciuscato
The American Consumer Satisfaction Index tracks hospitality and airline satisfaction, with the results here.

United improved more than any other airline. The catch: that's pretty easy to do when you're rock bottom! Even with the improvement, United is ranked below Allegiant (!) -- as well as Alaska, Southwest, Delta, American, JetBlue, and Air Bulgaria (OK, I made the last one up).
And yet you are GS. What's the matter can't Allegiant, Alaska, Southwest, Delta, American or JetBlue get you where you need to go?
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Old May 1, 2019, 3:58 pm
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Originally Posted by porciuscato
The American Consumer Satisfaction Index tracks hospitality and airline satisfaction, with the results here.

United improved more than any other airline. The catch: that's pretty easy to do when you're rock bottom! Even with the improvement, United is ranked below Allegiant (!) -- as well as Alaska, Southwest, Delta, American, JetBlue, and Air Bulgaria (OK, I made the last one up).
1) Would you rather they not improved at all? Looks like pretty consistent forward improvement since 2015.

2) If your goal is UA #1 , you're going to be disappointed for a loooooooong time.
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Old May 1, 2019, 7:35 pm
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Hmm United behind Allegiant which had that big safety concern story last year??
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Old May 1, 2019, 7:39 pm
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Originally Posted by TomMM
And yet you are GS. What's the matter can't Allegiant, Alaska, Southwest, Delta, American or JetBlue get you where you need to go?
Unfortunately, United has a monopoly in my local market -- which speaks to the root of the problem: U.S. airlines have used govt. to give them oligopoly power:

https://www.economist.com/gulliver/2...flight-freedom

United is the worst of the bunch, throwing a big hissy fit when even a whiff of competition presents itself:

https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/a...or-insane.html

The result of our govt truckling to United, is that it gets away with screwing us all with bad service and fares that are 30-50% higher than what Europeans pay.
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Old May 1, 2019, 7:44 pm
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That's interesting because at least according to The Points Guy, their frequent flyer program is typically in the top few.
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Old May 1, 2019, 8:10 pm
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Originally Posted by atbPy
That's interesting because at least according to The Points Guy, their frequent flyer program is typically in the top few.
Let's be clear, the "The Points Guy" should more appropriately be known as "The Shill Guy," His site runs hotel ads only for Marriott; Marriott gives him special VIP treatment at academy awards. And surprise, surprise, he deletes negative articles on Marriott and runs ridiculous shill pieces like this:

https://thepointsguy.com/news/winnin...onvoy-program/

Read the comments. Hilarious. I would not be surprised if he had a similar relationship with United.
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Old May 1, 2019, 10:12 pm
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Originally Posted by DenverBrian
1) Would you rather they not improved at all? Looks like pretty consistent forward improvement since 2015.

2) If your goal is UA #1 , you're going to be disappointed for a loooooooong time.
The ACSI is interesting, and is a "satisfaction" question, ranked 1-10 asked to about 180K people a year. I actually got picked to fill it out one year. The question is a little different than the NPS ("would you recommend") which I think is a little better question since it asks you get out of your space and put your reputation on the line... I clearly noted the difference when I was asked to rate UA in 2011, and was "satisfied" - since I was GS and got treated well. Had you asked me the "how likely are you to recommend" question, my answer would have been very different. I think recommendation (or willingness to recommend, positive/negative word of mouth) is the key for a consumer business.

This said, UA has not done well since the SFH, and I think we can agree that their Y product is horrible, and has been for a while. The only counterbalancing factor has been that they treat (or now used to treat... ) elites well. UA did really crappy under Dear Leader (getting 60-62 from 2012-2015), and has gotten 68-70 from 2016-2019. During these spans DL - which is clearly the most customer focused of the US3 - got 65 in 2012, claiming to 71 in 2015. Now at 75.

I think what this reflects is that UA has clearly closed the gap some. It improved its OT and bumping, baggage issues to a great extent, and went from serving prison style food to hospital food. The coffee got better.

I am curious though what UA going with ultra tight configurations (10x on the 777) will due to the 2020 scores. No one comes off those flights thinking well of United (or American).
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Old May 2, 2019, 3:04 am
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Anecdotal, but the perception of this airline from those who don’t fly often is just atrocious. It’s why these surveys will never change unless the airline changes, and in a revolutionary way. The current regime has showed they are not leaders.

Comments from close friends and relatives who have no skin in the game and have flown UAL: The perception of worn out, uncomfortable thin seats, coupled with things such as no seat back IFE on most of the narrowbodies, hard to find power ports (leading some to believe they’re not there), “small bathroom”, old plane, inconsistent seats and service, meals that aren’t as good as other airlines.

It’s very hard for this airline to look good, when Delta has things like PTVs, strives to be as consistent as possible, and has far better marketing and is seen as way more hip. Never mind they have slimline seats and MD-80s that have no PTV’s, they’ve done a terrific job of pointing out their new aircraft that actually look new, cool, and have effectively made Delta appear to be a premium, innovative airline, something that United used to be. Leadership doesn’t have the answers, or refuses to act on it and is content with the status quo.

This airline is the perennial 7-9 football team that never will win anything, but doesn’t suck enough to lose business to the point they feel obliged to change.

Congratulations UAL, you’re the Miami Dolphins.
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Old May 2, 2019, 4:23 am
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Originally Posted by UAL757222
Anecdotal, but the perception of this airline from those who don’t fly often is just atrocious. It’s why these surveys will never change unless the airline changes, and in a revolutionary way. The current regime has showed they are not leaders.

Comments from close friends and relatives who have no skin in the game and have flown UAL: The perception of worn out, uncomfortable thin seats, coupled with things such as no seat back IFE on most of the narrowbodies, hard to find power ports (leading some to believe they’re not there), “small bathroom”, old plane, inconsistent seats and service, meals that aren’t as good as other airlines.

It’s very hard for this airline to look good, when Delta has things like PTVs, strives to be as consistent as possible, and has far better marketing and is seen as way more hip. Never mind they have slimline seats and MD-80s that have no PTV’s, they’ve done a terrific job of pointing out their new aircraft that actually look new, cool, and have effectively made Delta appear to be a premium, innovative airline, something that United used to be. Leadership doesn’t have the answers, or refuses to act on it and is content with the status quo.

This airline is the perennial 7-9 football team that never will win anything, but doesn’t suck enough to lose business to the point they feel obliged to change.

Congratulations UAL, you’re the Miami Dolphins.
Although I don’t necessarily agree with many things in your post, the football analogy was fantastic. I did get a good laugh at that...well done!
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Old May 2, 2019, 7:14 am
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Originally Posted by UAL757222
This airline is the perennial 7-9 football team that never will win anything, but doesn’t suck enough to lose business to the point they feel obliged to change.

Congratulations UAL, you’re the Miami Dolphins.
I agree with what you say 110%. Perception ultimately drives sales, and it takes a long time to turn around. When UA was an innovative airlines (taking the 777, adding lie flat seats in J with IPTE, adding E+, innovative terminal at ORD, cool marketing) it lapped DL and AA in public perception. No longer.

The only think I might say is that I don't think UA is a 7-9 football team, its more like a 5-11 team. And AA is not much better. It went from a 8-8 team (under Horton) to a 6-10 team under Parker. Delta has gone from a 8-8 team at the time that Jeff took over UA in 2011, to a 11-5 team today. They might, or might not make the play-offs.

Even Delta does not reach the level of service provided by the quality and service of the best asian carriers or the few remaining carriers still offering decent product (LH comes to mind) in Europe. However, I do think that the combination of product and service on DL is better (especially in Y) than most of the European carriers (AF/KLM/BA/Swiss) which have gone with ultra tight configurations along with service and soft-product cuts, and that is who their competition really is given how much TATL lift they have.
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Old May 2, 2019, 7:19 am
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I don't know the methodology, but would question whether the spread from UA (70) to AA (73) is statistically significant, especially with UA climbing and AA falling. I do know that from everything I hear, AA is a worse airline right now.
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Old May 2, 2019, 7:42 am
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Originally Posted by Kacee
I don't know the methodology, but would question whether the spread from UA (70) to AA (73) is statistically significant, especially with UA climbing and AA falling. I do know that from everything I hear, AA is a worse airline right now.
On our fronts agree.

Looking at the 25 year history looks like only in 97 and 02 did UA score higher than AA.

You can probably chalk up 02 to TWA indigestion.

I wonder if route footprint plays a role.

UA has always been more international financial center and business route heavy while AA has been more leisure heavy and Latam heavy. Got more so when it inherited the CLT and PHX hubs.

Harder to please fliers of UA routes and more complex operation.

I also sometimes think UA has long had the most “inequality” of experiences - you have to be on expert mode to fly UA well. If I were to rank by Gini coefficient...

UA
AA
DL
SW
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Old May 2, 2019, 9:00 am
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Originally Posted by cerealmarketer
I also sometimes think UA has long had the most “inequality” of experiences - you have to be on expert mode to fly UA well.
Agree. I almost never recommend UA to no-status friends who would be flying Y, but with status and knowing how everything works it is a completely different ballgame.
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