Should UA provide a premium travel option for leisure travelers: lounges, lieflats, …
#16
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But it provides an opportunity, especially in airports with a shuttered UC, to acquire new members/renew members, sell Chase credit cards, etc. And, for folks wanting a more elite experience, having some planes with better seating (semi/lie flats, actual in-flight food, etc.) that turistas similar to the longer haul 772s XXX-HNL are willing to pay for.
Also - in term of credit card, there is a reason why FAs are doing this...
It is hub-to-hub, just like UA used 744 and/or 772 for SFO-LAX in the past.
#17
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Back to lounge access for domestic premium product. OP is proposing a model similar to Alaska's. A first class passenger on paid tickets or award tickets has access to the Alaska operated lounge. Since the pandemic, Alaska still has Seattle terminal C and JFK lounges closed. May be due to lower traffic??
#18
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Anyone can fill an aircraft by selling seats cheap enough. But, that's a bad business model. Just ask the carriers who invested in the A380. Need cold hard data to demonstrate that by increasing capacity and adding to the hard & soft product, one can increase PRASM. If it doesn't increase PRASM, it's not worth the extra hot towels.
There is, of course, a luxury market, but history suggests that it is not that large in the leisure sector. The business sector may recover by 2024, but there is a lot of thinking that a good chunk of that is flying Air Zoom for a long time to come.
There is, of course, a luxury market, but history suggests that it is not that large in the leisure sector. The business sector may recover by 2024, but there is a lot of thinking that a good chunk of that is flying Air Zoom for a long time to come.
#19
Join Date: Jun 2012
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Definitely is a market for everything, but may not be big enough to scale/duplicate
eg, LAX private suite opened in 2017... For private planes, or those who want privacy but flying commercially
They said they're planning to expand to miami and jfk but no dates
UA offers discounted pricing for private suite:. Private Suite @ LAX for UA
Something cheaper? Better than UC (day passe/membership) but less expensive than private suites? Tough
eg, LAX private suite opened in 2017... For private planes, or those who want privacy but flying commercially
They said they're planning to expand to miami and jfk but no dates
UA offers discounted pricing for private suite:. Private Suite @ LAX for UA
Something cheaper? Better than UC (day passe/membership) but less expensive than private suites? Tough
#20
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You made the same point I was going to make.
Being a South Florida resident since early 80s, I have witnessed various stages of air travel change.
When UA purchased Pan Am's Latin American operations in Miami back in the early to mid 90s, there were a fleet of widebodies and multiple flights between MIA and UA hub cities.
As an example:
763 between JFK and MIA
741 (later 777) between SFO and MIA
777 between IAD-MIA, LAX-MIA, DEN-MIA, ORD-MIA
There were 727/757 flights between DCA-MIA, LGA/EWR-MIA, ATL-MIA, BOS-MIA
There were multiple flights between IAD, ORD, DEN, LAX and MIA.
RCC@ MIA was the best in the system with open bar and a full buffet (not the current crackers and cheese).
There were all mostly driven by international traffic not domestic leisure traffic between hubs and MIA.
Being a South Florida resident since early 80s, I have witnessed various stages of air travel change.
When UA purchased Pan Am's Latin American operations in Miami back in the early to mid 90s, there were a fleet of widebodies and multiple flights between MIA and UA hub cities.
As an example:
763 between JFK and MIA
741 (later 777) between SFO and MIA
777 between IAD-MIA, LAX-MIA, DEN-MIA, ORD-MIA
There were 727/757 flights between DCA-MIA, LGA/EWR-MIA, ATL-MIA, BOS-MIA
There were multiple flights between IAD, ORD, DEN, LAX and MIA.
RCC@ MIA was the best in the system with open bar and a full buffet (not the current crackers and cheese).
There were all mostly driven by international traffic not domestic leisure traffic between hubs and MIA.
#21
Join Date: Jun 2014
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Anyone can fill an aircraft by selling seats cheap enough. But, that's a bad business model. Just ask the carriers who invested in the A380. Need cold hard data to demonstrate that by increasing capacity and adding to the hard & soft product, one can increase PRASM. If it doesn't increase PRASM, it's not worth the extra hot towels.
There is, of course, a luxury market, but history suggests that it is not that large in the leisure sector. The business sector may recover by 2024, but there is a lot of thinking that a good chunk of that is flying Air Zoom for a long time to come.
There is, of course, a luxury market, but history suggests that it is not that large in the leisure sector. The business sector may recover by 2024, but there is a lot of thinking that a good chunk of that is flying Air Zoom for a long time to come.
#22
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But it provides an opportunity, especially in airports with a shuttered UC, to acquire new members/renew members, sell Chase credit cards, etc. And, for folks wanting a more elite experience, having some planes with better seating (semi/lie flats, actual in-flight food, etc.) that turistas similar to the longer haul 772s XXX-HNL are willing to pay for.
#23
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But it provides an opportunity, especially in airports with a shuttered UC, to acquire new members/renew members, sell Chase credit cards, etc. And, for folks wanting a more elite experience, having some planes with better seating (semi/lie flats, actual in-flight food, etc.) that turistas similar to the longer haul 772s XXX-HNL are willing to pay for.
#24
#25
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So this is one of the "benefits" of increased leisure travel levels?
#26
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Per se, no. However, if UA is really serious about handling the changes to domestic travel patterns, knowing who's flying and what they're spending, more effective marketing of existing UCs in traveled leisure destinations either via direct sales contacts as well as through Chase's United Club Infinite card are again addressing those UA travelers who want and desire a higher end experience. This is not to say that FAs couldn't also be provided with UC Infinite card applications and/or have an add to their app to get their card sales bounty.
David
David
#27
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IMO the whole "everyone will work from home going forward" mindset is completely overblown:
- The US commercial real estate market is worth about $16 trillion Not all of that is class A office space, certainly, but I don't see companies writing off 20 year commercial leases and multi-million dollar campuses just yet.
- The WSJ ran an article today about being leaving NYC but many wanting to return. https://www.wsj.com/articles/greener...share_linkedin
- Outside of knowledge work a lot of jobs can't be done remotely which will keep many people in their current location.
- Anecdotally, I work in a tech field and have been getting a lot of recruiters contacting me for jobs that are "remote during COVID" which certainly means they are expecting you to come into the office after COVID.
#28
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Per se, no. However, if UA is really serious about handling the changes to domestic travel patterns, knowing who's flying and what they're spending, more effective marketing of existing UCs in traveled leisure destinations either via direct sales contacts as well as through Chase's United Club Infinite card are again addressing those UA travelers who want and desire a higher end experience. This is not to say that FAs couldn't also be provided with UC Infinite card applications and/or have an add to their app to get their card sales bounty.
David
David
#29
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Dominant a/c on domestic routes to/from the Hawaiian Islands is now single-aisle (vs 1970s). A lot of that has to do with move to 2-engine over-the-water a/c, but not even long leisure routes to more expensive destinations don't warrant a lot of wide-bodies.
#30
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Per se, no. However, if UA is really serious about handling the changes to domestic travel patterns, knowing who's flying and what they're spending, more effective marketing of existing UCs in traveled leisure destinations either via direct sales contacts as well as through Chase's United Club Infinite card are again addressing those UA travelers who want and desire a higher end experience. This is not to say that FAs couldn't also be provided with UC Infinite card applications and/or have an add to their app to get their card sales bounty.
David
David
Lounges have not been a part of the US flying expectation since before de-regulation (1983) and I've never seen or even heard that there exists any reliable data to the contrary.