UAL - UNITED ......we stand? Only if we make it so.
 

There is rampant speculation, rumor, unfounded statements, dissension etc among the ranks of both companies customers, especially here on FlyerTalk.

We all need to face is there is NOTHING we can do at this point to stop it, it is going forward. There is no reason to keep bickering and whining about petty things. We must band together and ensure that we do see the best part of both move forward. Both programs have pluses and minuses, and there will be some compromises made at the corporate levels, we know that is a FACT.
However we need to stick together, companies do listen. Continental has a great rep on these boards that I have personally met and spoken with a number of times, Continental takes us seriously, United does as well. With CO management at UA(and UA as well, not trying to leave anyone out), there are many of us that have met and interacted with the executives of the company. United has increasingly had events with official reps as well, these are all good signs, that we have a voice.

Do not let our voice go unheard because all that the new mega carrier sees is griping and fighting amongst each other. We have internet enabled pitchforks, let us wield them at the appropriate time and place. That time and place is not gouging each other as fliers! We are all very similar despite what some may proclaim here.

Stand together, fly together, be United as one voice to the company 'UNITED' and let our voice be heard loud and clear when the time is right.

This is my new home, regardless of me liking it or not, and really, I don't mind it at all.

Well stated. ^

Amen, United We Stand...Tomorrow or rather today is the last day that we shall know Continental Airlines as and Friday we shall be together as the newly rebranded United Airlines. I for one am proud to be a part of this change and want to see the "Working Together" apply to the Frequent Flyer Community and FlyerTalk as a whole!

I look forward to meeting more people on here because we all are Family! and to start our day off I'd like to sing the We are Family song.

We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up ev'rybody and sing

Ev'ryone can see we're together
As we walk on by
(FLY!) and we fly just like birds of a feather
I won't tell no lie
(ALL!) all of the people around us they say
Can they be that close
Just let me state for the record
We're giving love in a family dose

Living life is fun and we've just begun
To get our share of the world's delights
(HIGH!) high hopes we have for the future
And our goal's in sight
(WE!) no we don't get depressed
Here's what we call our golden rule
Have faith in you and the things you do
You won't go wrong
This is our family Jewel

Well said. Glad to have you here with us. :) Aloha!

Well said.

Let's be able to acknowledge and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of both carriers so we can influence the true best be retained going forward.

Preach on! ^^^

Well if they are reading this, then let them know those pitch forks will be sharpened to razor precision if they decide to eliminate E+ from United.

As nice as that sounds, we all have very different reasons for flying UA or any other carrier, we all have different desires and dislikes about UA or any other airline, we all make travel decisions that have little to do with other flyers, even other FlyerTalkers, and most importantly, United/Continental will not make decisions based on what a handful of FTers think. This merger has created a giant, and like all giants, it is hungry and needs to be fed. The only priority of UA/CO for the coming years will be revenue and shareholder happiness, not customer happiness.

UA, BP, Halliburton, Microsoft, whoever. They are not here to make you happy, no matter how much you try to make nice with them. They exist to get our money. Period. All we can do is use our dollars to demonstrate our loyalty or not to the new UA. They know what flyers want. They know what shareholders want. In the grand scheme, we will always come in last.

Only those that are purely MR will come in last. I have taken one MR ever. I am a business traveler, there are many business travelers here that are not here only to get the lowest fares and game the system, just use it to the fullest.

This is not a matter of programs being better than one another, just maximizing any program. Everyone can benefit from having a united voice to make the largest issues known. Those that are in it ONLY for MR will probably be out the worst of all here, but I have a feeling that is a minority even among FT regulars

I have nothing against those that only MR for status, i just don't have time to do it myself ;)

Well said and I look forward to meeting many on the boards in the coming years. In fact just a few hours ago I got a list of fare breakdowns from a UA guy! Thanks!

You know I am glad you put microsoft in this list, because that is my cup of tea. In my circles I am known as a MS fanboy but you know they have some bad times too, and they do listen in the end.

Windows 7 fastest selling? you know why? Vista sucked, it wasn't worthy of being hoover suckage, oreck suckage, or even dirt devil suckage, it was total KIRBY suckage! A huge hunk of junk that was like a slow laboring kirby, it may last years if you managed to run it a while, but it was expensive to run requiring frequent reboots to clear out its terribleness, just like that kirby uses so many expensive bags to take out the junk.

People complained, people stopped buying it, it was junk. If United releases JUNK people will stop buying it, if they propose junk they will and should hear it from us loud and clear, that way they can fix their junk and make it valuable before it affects the masses of their loyal customers. Big companies do listen, there is no reason the new UA would ignore us, thinking they will is showing a weakness and defeat already. They stay in business due to us as customers, it is in their best interest to listen to us.

Right, but these are organizations with different people and different mentalities.

UA has a history of dealing with customers with options. CO's experience is more with a captive customer base living in their fortress hubs. Their two approaches couldn't be more different.

That said, both companies have listened in the past. UA through Customer Relations and 1K Voice, and CO through CO Insider. It will help once we learn the new organizational structure to figure out how to address issues (i.e., do we bombard 1K Voice or CO Insider, or both). :D

Hear Hear!!

The value of FT is the passing on knowledge and understanding of the programs we are involved in. And occasionally working as a group to the voice for the frequent flyer community.

The new reality is coming and working over each other does not contribute to this and potentially damages the community.

Both airlines and programs have their strong points and problem points and we should seek a strong new combined airlines with the best possible FF program. Yes, the purpose of a business to maximize the returns to the stockholders and not necessarily be a fountain of freebies for the elites. But as frequent travellers, we want an airline that wants our business and in return, rewards us for our business. However, we are all individuals and no one set of program features is going to work for all individuals, all the time.

I look forward to a strong, collegial, new combined FT community that will help us all stay on top of the new program as it rolls out over the next 12-18 months.

Yep! +1 to this voice of reason and unity.

Well said and welcome. Should be pretty exciting to see what happens...