glbltvlr

We try to do Christmas in London, but that isn't going to happen this year. Hoping for a couple of weeks in late Spring.

cfischer

keep dreaming.

I am not flying on UA right now and if I needed to fly to Europe I would take a non-stop from Boston.

tvhead

Back in May (remember back then?), I booked a SFO-BKK RT, via HKG. Yes, it was an aspirational booking, but I had some hope it could happen. With the pace of infection in the US climbing rather than falling, it was clear by the end of June that this trip would not happen. I hung in there and just waited for United to pull the plug on my reservation. Ultimately, that happened through this set of events: First UA changed the SFO-HKG schedule from a late evening departure to noon. That in turn made my HKG layover become 17 hours. And then HK disallowed transit connections greater than 12 hours. Clearly, this was not to be. As I am already holding an ETC from a previous cancellation, I requested a refund. And UA was quick to provide it. The money was credited back to my card within 4 days. But I still wish I could have flown, mask and all.

Boraxo

No UA flights so far in 2020. Was scheduled to fly SFO-EZE in March but thankfully cancelled out (my employer has an $8k credit now). Business travel is pretty much kaput for the rest of the year, barring a COVID vaccine.

Considered some personal travel this summer on UA domestic flights but can't justify the risk, particularly as UA is packing its flights (v. maybe 20% loads that I encountered on WN). UA cancelled and refunded SFO-CDG (scheduled for August) months ago. I'm an optimist, so I have some award flights booked for December and next year, but clearly still a roll of the dice. Definitely would not tie up any new cash with UA or any other airline right now.

WineCountryUA

UA average load factors are in the 50-60% range -- and decreasing.

and WN states
So on average not much difference, of course, individual routes can vary from the averages

UVU Wolverine

I’ve been flying United weekly throughout this whole ordeal since late March. It just so happens that right before COVID-19 came along, my family and I decided to move to another state where the majority of our family are located. Since I work a week on/week off schedule, I planned to commute between states. Luckily, I’ve still been able to despite the lock downs etc.

I’m glad I stuck with United because Delta was the only other option for me, and they quit flying to my closest airport two months ago...

Weatherboy

My friends at Google said they are not allowed any business or personal air travel through to next summer. I wonder if some of UA's larger corporate customers, like Apple and Facebook, are going to extend their travel bans deeper into 2021 ...and what will that do to UA?

bocastephen

I can confirm this, although not the personal air travel part which they cannot control - and it's not just into 2021, the overall volume of business travel will be reduced dramatically permanently. Facebook is also moving to a distributed resource model with much of its workforce going remote, and thus moving away from the Bay Area (many of those folks can't get out of there fast enough). Not only is business travel permanently decimated, but the Bay Area real estate market is bracing for a nasty hit as more companies adopt distributed workforces and people start moving to other locales where even their reduced salaries will go much further.

United is going to be more exposed than other carriers because of their investment in the Bay Area where a lot of these changed will be occurring. Most of the people left working on site will be in lab environments where they are working with components, mockups, etc and need physical contact, but most everyone else is going virtual. If anything, coronavirus proved the obsolescence of office work as we know it.

Eventually we will be back to 100%, just with smaller planes, and/or reduced frequencies as capacity shrinks to the meet adjusted demand.

spin88

Short term, I would not underrate the corporate limiting personal part. My son is working for an aerospace start up this summer (first job ) - federal essential work, shut down exempt - but they just did a new policy you travel personally to a covid-19 hot spot, you don't show up in the office for 14 days. Just had to apply it as someone had to go to Texas, which is as we all know a hot bed of infection, and now out for 14 days...

Longer term, I expect that the lay-offs in high tech are going to take a bit out of the real estate market around here, particularly the condo market (larger single family houses are actually up in price, people who can afford it are looking for more space...). But I don't think once covid-19 is in the rear view mirror that people will keep working remotely long term. Being remote = Less interactions, less productivity, less creative collaberation, and less visibility (meaning less chance of promotion). Anyone who decides to stay remote when others go back is just putting their career off on a siding track, absent very unusual skill sets. And I say this as someone who is my own boss, and can and does work remotely. But there are times when to figure something out, I just need to go get in a room with someone and spend 3-4 hours figuring it out. Video call, call, sharing drafts, it is just not the same thing. And I can tell you, that had I worked remotely at my prior firms, I never would have gotten where I got to. As a former partner of mine said "90% of success is just showing up and being in the room."

RaSiDa

Love this part! If it were only that easy.

Chrisinhouston

Last year my wife was 1K and I was Platinum. She travels a lot for work and I am retired and often go along especially if there is driving involved in another country as she doesn't feel comfortable with that. Last year we spent time in Australia, Namibia, England, Amsterdam, Singapore as well as a bit closer with Seattle and Vancouver, BC. This year we haven't been much father than the local grocery store! I am 64 and asthmatic, she will be 70 soon and will retire at the end of the year so we are both just being cautious. We kind of want to enjoy the retirement we worked so hard for! Travel for pleasure is a big item we have planned for in retirement but it won't happen this year for sure and maybe not until mid 2021.

HNLbasedFlyer

Business travel being reduced isn't unique to the Bay Area. So, if that is the case - do I want hubs in places like San Francisco, Chicago, New York - places people want to go to for leisure travel and can scale up cargo operations - or, do I want my hubs in Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City? I think UA is best positioned of the majors based on location.

Boraxo

Agree 100%. UA is no more exposed than any other carrier. In fact bay area companies are doing very well so travel will pick up fast once it is 100% safe. All those remote employees will be flying in for meetings and people will be heading out to visit customers and vendors that are overdue for meetings. Also plenty of leisure $$$ just waiting to be spent on travel by well off tech employees (many of whom do not have roots in bay area). UA also well positioned for travel to Asia which may open up sooner than Europe.

Nobody I know is going to want to hub through NYC, ATL, DFW, PHX or other places where virus was (is) out of control. UA's nonstops will be highly prized.

nomad420

Still using UA to the East Coast and AS to Hawaii and up and west coast destinations. UA still runs (reduced schedule) direct flights into CLE from the west coast and I do business there so heading there again this week. But I will add that I am more than ever now flying whomever provides the best routing at a realistic price and more than occasionally it is not UA. Not worried about status as I am 1K until 1/2022 and have LT Gold status with them so I can always migrate back if and when things look better. Personally I am less concerned about "hubing" through area of supposed virus investations. They way I look at it no where is really safe these days so I do what I have to do.

oskidunker

Even though no one is flying. Hard to understand.