An Email from United's New CEO

Oh yeah, if I was at work it'd be different. I was trying to lay low as just a pax. I did tell the flight attendants that if they had any issue or anything I could help with that I was happy to help. Other than that I wanted to just be another passenger...that went through KCM
 
Derg said:
You can't be a dick in this business any more because it's highly competitive and one nasty blurb on social media about your experience will cost you money.
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I'd have to disagree with that, mostly. Seems like more and more people just put up with it, bitch and complain, and the shuffling of passengers continues from one carrier to another. The passenger who was pissed at American, now fly's Delta, and the passenger who was pissed at Delta, now fly's American.

Besides, it's ultimately more efficient to be polite and courteous.
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But I do agree with this.
 
mshunter said:
I'd have to disagree with that, mostly. Seems like more and more people just put up with it, bitch and complain, and the shuffling of passengers continues from one carrier to another. The passenger who was pissed at American, now fly's Delta, and the passenger who was pissed at Delta, now fly's American.



But I do agree with this.
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I think they might be pissed but still chose the cheapest ticket on priceline
 
Derg said:
It's "Post-Merger Selective Memory".

We all have it.

Everything was awesomer before the merger, each side claims, right in the middle of a sentence about how amazingly better things are currently going.

Before the merger, we were both bankrupt and everyone would literally wake up, turn on the news hoping there wasn't a story about our respective employers dissolving.

Now we're stacking cheddar like a 1980's coke dealer and people are reveling about how great the past was.

Whatever. :)
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I think the South/North merger actually went fairly well considering the two groups. One of my many errors in trying to predict the airline industry was my assumption that the two groups were so disperate that a merger between those two airlines would never happen.
On the flip side we have as exhibit A the attempted merger at my airline. SkyWest is the evil empire that purchased XJT just so they could torment the XJT pilot group. XJT, apparently, was a very successful airline that, in spite of its bottom line and forecasts of airline analysts, was headed for bigger and better things until it had its knees cut out from under it by the acquisition. ACA and Comair? Who are they?
 
Blackhawk said:
On the flip side we have as exhibit A the attempted merger at my airline. SkyWest is the evil empire that purchased XJT just so they could torment the XJT pilot group. XJT, apparently, was a very successful airline that, in spite of its bottom line and forecasts of airline analysts, was headed for bigger and better things until it had its knees cut out from under it by the acquisition. ACA and Comair? Who are they?
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WHAT? XJT(legacy) was headed for BK. That's not success, or bigger better things.
 
Ding ding ding ding! Winner winner, chicken dinner!

From the paying side, we get what we deserve. We have shown your employers, hey, we will put up with a crappy product and crappy service as long as you save us two bucks.

I keep on saying that there is a niche to be filled by an airline with the guts to give people the Nordstrom experience instead of the Walmart experience but nobody seems to want to do it.

Ajax said:
I think they might be pissed but still chose the cheapest ticket on priceline
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tonyw said:
I keep on saying that there is a niche to be filled by an airline with the guts to give people the Nordstrom experience instead of the Walmart experience but nobody seems to want to do it.
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They'd be out of business in record time.
 
Are you telling me that you don't think the millions of people who pay $200 for a shirt at Nordstrom which they can get for $20 at Walmart won't pay more for a higher level of service?

Airlines are doing it now anyway. Hey, for just $89 more, you can sit in our section with up to 18 inches more leg room. Oh, and for another $29, you can board first.

There is a market of people who can't pay for a fractional or charter but who will pay for a better experience than the crap that airlines dish out now.

ATN_Pilot said:
They'd be out of business in record time.
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tonyw said:
Are you telling me that you don't think the millions of people who pay $200 for a shirt at Nordstrom which they can get for $20 at Walmart won't pay more for a higher level of service? Airlines are doing it now anyway. Hey, for just $89 more, you can sit in our section with up to 18 inches more leg room. Oh, and for another $29, you can board first. There is a market of people who can't pay for a fractional or charter but who will pay for a better experience than the crap that airlines dish out now.
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History proves otherwise. Ask Legend and Midwest.
 
tonyw said:
Ding ding ding ding! Winner winner, chicken dinner!

From the paying side, we get what we deserve. We have shown your employers, hey, we will put up with a crappy product and crappy service as long as you save us two bucks.

I keep on saying that there is a niche to be filled by an airline with the guts to give people the Nordstrom experience instead of the Walmart experience but nobody seems to want to do it.
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Isn't the Nordstrom experience akin to what Virgin America is attempting?
 
tonyw said:
Are you telling me that you don't think the millions of people who pay $200 for a shirt at Nordstrom which they can get for $20 at Walmart won't pay more for a higher level of service?
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There are 118 Nordstrom stores and over 11,000 Walmart stores. Just sayin'.
 
I was going to mention Midwest Express but ATN_Pilot beat me to it. They were a great airline with awesome service but the people did not care about the freshly baked cookies.
I love it when youngsters come to the board and claim they know how to fix aviation without studying the past.
 
wheelsup said:
They still are or at least just dissolving as their aircraft contracts expire.
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Where they lose money, yes. I know it's crazy talk not wanting to fly airplanes at a loss.
In other cases, however, they got airplanes. The 15 ERJs from American, for example. Initially we were underbid for them. AAL realized, however, that the winner could not man all the airplanes they bid on and awarded them to SkyWest. Since the ERJ is the realm of LXJT, they got the flying.
 
Blackhawk said:
I was going to mention Midwest Express but ATN_Pilot beat me to it. They were a great airline with awesome service but the people did not care about the freshly baked cookies.
I love it when youngsters come to the board and claim they know how to fix aviation without studying the past.
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In Tony's defense, he's no youngster. But he's also a customer and not someone who works or has worked for the airlines. He's that rare dude who is willing to pay more as a customer for a better experience. Unfortunately, guys like him are few and far between, and because of that, what he wants can't work from a business perspective.
 
ATN_Pilot said:
In Tony's defense, he's no youngster. But he's also a customer and not someone who works or has worked for the airlines. He's that rare dude who is willing to pay more as a customer for a better experience. Unfortunately, guys like him are few and far between, and because of that, what he wants can't work from a business perspective.
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I know those people are out there, but it is hard to make money off that nitch. The number who can afford to consistently fill a domestic airliner at a higher fee while not being able to afford a private/135 jet is small. I loved Midwest Express, but I knew the first time I JSed on them that their days were numbered.
 
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