There was already a thread about BoB on the 8-9 hour ORD-HNL-ORD flights. Where I reported customer dissatisfaction, anger, verbal comments, and disbelief at BoB. Not just among those seated in E+, but almost everyone in economy class. Many commented that it would be their last UA flight. Now we have this fun service enhancement rolling out at longhaul IAD flights.:D

I advise UA to get their form customer service letters updated to include BoB(not that many UA customer service letters match the complaint anyway:p) because it is likely to generate the greatest number of customer complaints.;)

UA should look at how BMI handles BoB, where it is given free to their BMI FFers, you just have to show your FF card to the FA. But this double-standard could make UA's non-eligable pax even more angry!:mad:

(I've misconnected, and had to take one of the last remaining Y-seats on the HNL service.:mad: No self-respecting FTer would fly that long in coach!:D)

Clearly, bookings are not looking good even with all the capacity reductions. Even WN is cutting around 200 flights starting in January. While fares have been drifting higher all year, they have not moved enough to deal with the huge increases in fuel. Remember that average fuel costs continue to increase (for all carriers) because of hedging, even if oil has fallen some over the past few months. The carriers are finding resistance points on fares that may take some time to overcome. In the meantime, they need to cut costs and increase "alternative" revenue. I expect that we will see more experimentation along these lines at UA and other carriers.

Let's just hope that UA can move on to the next enhancement(s) as quietly, subtly, and as smoothly as what we saw with these.

I'll bring some singles (and quarters) in anticipation of my next UA flight...

Will

All good points, and time will tell whether this experimentation works. But carriers like UA run the risk of driving demand down further: the more miserable the travel experience becomes, the more folks cancel discretionary leisure and business travel.

It isn't just this as the rush to add "fees"...Try and book a multi city trip on
UA website for European travel. IT CANNOT BE DONE so you must book over the phone AT AN EXTRA CHARGE and another charge for a partner airline for the European portion. So booking a trip from BOS to AMS, AMS to FRA, FRA to BOS cannot be done online (IT can be done on Delta and Northwest websites) Most of the time if I can get a trip over to Europe on UA I cannot get a trip back so have to be routed on another carrier usually on LH.
So United having its lousy website appears to be a plan to generate revenue by forcing phone reservations. And we all know that their phone centers are real iffy in customer service (there are sone good ones also)

If an other carriers website can book trips using partner airlines in USA and overseas then United should be able to book them also. Delta and Nortwest sites can book trips that include segments on Air France, Delta, Continental
and Northwest.

Also I find it interesting that many seem to say they "will bring their own food"
From home ?????? How ?????

Last time I checked the TSA will not let you bring food or beverages thru security

Interesting that on flights from Frankfurt to Berlin or Munich which are less than 45 minutes in the air I was served a sandwich, orange juice, apple
and energy bar in addition to drink at 3:00 in the afternoon. On a flight at
9:00am I was served an breakfast sandwich, banana, juice and coffee.
Last time I checked LH was making money and they are a publically traded company.

United's rush to a la carte pricing will be the ruination of them.

No liquids, food is fine.

Its easy to bring food from home. You put it in your carry on bag and eat it when you are ready. The only food you cannot bring is that which is in a liquid or gel form: http://www.tsa.dhs.gov/travelers/air...-items.shtm#10

Even then, I can avoid the hassle and purchase anything in the airport, and bring it along on the plane. I guarantee you, it is healthier than the aparently coveted "free" food on the plane. The food on the plane has ingredients designed to preserve for many hours without adequate refrigeration. The person I knew that worked for the airline catering company LSG SkyChefs, told me that those pre-packaged meals in the grocery store, with tons of fat, sodium, and preservatives looked extremely healthy compared to airline food.

He said that no one working there ever ate the food that was prepared there. :eek:

Granted, this has been beaten to death, but my whole problem with the 'bring the food from home' line is this:

Before flights taken overseas, I largely do not have time to do 'unnecessary' things before leaving for vacation and/or work. That said, in my head - unnecessary is preparing a meal that I could purchase, but would rather completely forget about until on the plane - when there are no options, and I can't do other things. Perhaps it's poor time management by me, or just the fact that I am busy. But, preparing a meal (one that tastes good at room temperature, which isn't many in my book) to pack in my carry-on bag, to eat on a plane, is NOT on the top of my priority list before a trans-atlantic flight.

In addition, no one seems to mention the fact that this logic is one-sided. Sure, even if someone has tons of time and prepares a meal before leaving on a trans-atlantic flight, they can eat it for [relatively] free on the plane. That said, unless they have a home or kitchen in their foreign place of travel, they will always have to purchase (albeit perhaps not at the airport) a meal for the return leg.

I understand that it isn't a horrible and life altering move that UA has made in making IAD-based trans-atlantic flights BoB only in Y. However, the premise and nonchalance with the move is unwelcomed. If the beancounters at UA did this, then they'll do it again on all trans-atlantic flights, on trans-pacific flights or something totally unexpected.

Just my two cents about the move - but people will probably still defend UA on this move.

-jeremy

And hence the reason I have just received my Miles & More MasterCard, have flown only non-UA flights since July, and have canceled my United Visa.

All flights going forward will be on non-UA *A airlines, credited to LH Miles & More, charged on M&M MC or SPG Amex.

...that is, until UA has a ticket that is 50 cents cheaper than the nearest competitor. My PoV is that UA will keep pushing this until the see a considerable drop-off in bookings compared to competitors.

Not sure it says nothing about the public at large, but you know, this post got me thinking...

I wonder what the ratio of international to domestic travel is for most Americans... I'll bet it's extremely low, which is to day, the vast majority of American air travelers fly domestically much more than internationally. This is surely why bringing BoB to TATL ex-IAD has not made anywhere near the kind of media splash that the bag fees created. It simply doesn't apply to most Americans. On the other hand, I think it's fair to assume based on the comments here on FT that it will be a pain for those who do fly on affected routes.

Maybe UA listened--a little?
 

In a followup to an extended correspondence over complaints about past degradations of service and my sense of anger at the new food plans, I got a reply from a UA Customer Relations person as follows:


"I want to be the first to tell you United has heard and listened, we are rolling back the new meal service initiative. Also United is going "Back to the Basics". We are going to become the most reliable airline by the end of 2009. We will have a clean workable product with courteous, caring and respectful employees"...

What UA's concept of "Basics" may be remains to be seen. Since most UA employees I have dealt with were already courteous, caring and respectful even though demoralized, I presume this might mean some management changes? :D:D Nah!

By the way Flyer 420's name was misspelled by the writer.:(:rolleyes:

Flyer 420
in Boulder

Thanks for posting this. ^ (And you're seriously not making this up just to tease some of us? :))

"Back to the Basics?" A more accurate slogan at this point might be "Forward to the Fundamentals." ;)

Cheers,
Fredd

No, I'm not making this up. The quote is in a letter from Jill Moffat, Customer Solutions Coordinator. Sent 8/29/08.


Flyer 420
in Boulder

Thanks again. ^ ^

"Customer Solutions Coordinator..." That's a heap of co-ordinating. ;)