Popularity Of New UA At Houston.

AVENSAB727 · Thu Jul 26, 2012 3:20 pm

I have noted that a lot of people at Houston Chronicle are blasting UA for supposed bad service. I have flown UA before and I have not seen any bad service at all. I think some people are just doing nothing but complaining.

TWA772LR · Thu Jul 26, 2012 3:31 pm

CO was loved in Houston. sUa had a horrible reputation in the industry throughout and followong BK. So through the eyes of the average Houstonian, the sight of you hometown airline going into a seemingly subpar airline doesn't sit well. And don't forget moving the HQ, taking away AKL and CDG, Smiseks "punishment" because of the HOU situation, and other reasons I can't think of right now. All of that would make new UA very unpopular in Houston.

I have also noticed new UA is extremely ORD centric; with tons of flights from IAH to ORD and ORD seems to be all over the hemispheres magazine. I know HQ is there, but these are just my views and opinions.

Rdh3e · Thu Jul 26, 2012 3:43 pm

Quoting TWA772LR (Reply 1):
All of that would make new UA very unpopular in Houston.

That's your biased opinion as an industry fanatic (why else would you be on here). Which is not necessarily the perception of the average customer. Also, you can't "take away" something you never had, so AKL is really a moot point.

Quoting TWA772LR (Reply 1):
I have also noticed new UA is extremely ORD centric

How so? ORD hasn't really received anything through the merger, it has actually been downsized also. I SFO/EWR/IAD and heck even DEN have been making strong gains since the merger, not ORD. Not to mention, if you were to list UA's politically challenged hubs, ORD would be immediately after IAH due to the spat over the next phases of the airport expansion which UA opposes.

sulley · Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:03 pm

Houstonians (and Texans for that matter) are extremely vocal and feel slighted whenever they lose a corporate HQ.

It's a bragging point around here, so it hurt their ego when UA remained headquartered in Chicago.

TWA772LR · Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:44 pm

Quoting RDH3E (Reply 2):

You, kind sir, have never been to Houston then.

phxa340 · Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:50 pm

I fly the new UA 50k + miles a year and still love em ... I really haven't noticed any changes except for the 737 taking over some former A320 routes. Its all about perception , those who are upset are usually a lot more vocal than the masses that are quiet yet satisfied.

FlyingSicilian · Thu Jul 26, 2012 4:59 pm

I'm a gold on the new UA and will hit plat this year. The Service I have experianced has gone WAY downhill since 3/3
Many people I know who travel much for biz say the same thing. I hope they turn it around but there has been a noticeable drop in services seen by many and this is biz class travel, not counting what I hear from coach flyers.

I stick with UA for corporate reasons usually and the fact they have non-stops. I always want a non-stop but if gets worse I could shift more flying. I've already shifted a little.

CO777DAL · Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:01 pm

In Houston the new United as as popular as a skunk in a hen-house.

Quoting RDH3E (Reply 2):
That's your biased opinion as an industry fanatic (why else would you be on here). Which is not necessarily the perception of the average customer.

Actually, I would consider the comments in the chronicle section as pretty good gauge as to what the average Houstonian thinks. It has been completely shocking the change in tone there. Look at comment section on Continental article before the merger the vast majority were positive towards Continental. Now after the merger it is a complete 180. The vast majority are negative towards the New United.

azstar · Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:01 pm

I think the CO employees in IAH are the most upset. Rather than be grateful they have a job and move on, many of them prefer to lament the loss of their "great airline" ad infinitum. I've got news for 'em. UA is no worse, or better, than CO was.And CO was not better, or worse, than UA was. And the "new UA" is no worse or better than the combination of the two.And for those who think "UA destroyed CO", I see more similarities with the old CO than the old UA.. CO computer system, CO frequent flier system, most of CO's old policies, CO CEO, and CO's nightmarish accompanied pet program. Just sayin..

[Edited 2012-07-26 10:09:53]

TeamintheSky · Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:21 pm

I do think that currently the UA hate at IAH (and Houston in general) is a bit overblown. I agree UA has culled and balked at what they are doing in Houston, which leaves a bad taste, but DL got (and still gets) the same kind of reaction from Minneapolis and Detroit (and not to mention Memphis) people. If CO was still around and had swallowed UA (but was still based in Houston), Chicago people would be complaining about every little cut while Houston people would be much more tolerant. As originally an Atlantian, having a major airline based at your airport is one of the biggest sources of civic pride, and it being taken away is devastating.

On the service side, my one flight ever with UA was horrible. But, in my view, people that base their opinion of an airline on one flight should be taken out back....(if you get the drift). I fly DL often and have had some bad experiences. However, one of my closest colleagues at my firm, who flies back to Houston from London monthly has noticed so much of a drop in service that she now flies BA direct or AA through Dallas. That is on top of being Gold or Plat on the new UA.

I hope the best for UA and feel for them during the tough transition. More so, I feel sympathy for the city of Houston because I would be distraught if DL moved to New York or some other city.

drerx7 · Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:44 pm

Quoting TeamInTheSky (Reply 9):
I do think that currently the UA hate at IAH (and Houston in general) is a bit overblown.

Well, unfortunately I have to disagree...

Quoting CO777DAL (Reply 7):
Actually, I would consider the comments in the chronicle section as pretty good gauge as to what the average Houstonian thinks. It has been completely shocking the change in tone there. Look at comment section on Continental article before the merger the vast majority were positive towards Continental. Now after the merger it is a complete 180. The vast majority are negative towards the New United.

Yep - spot on.

Quoting RDH3E (Reply 2):
That's your biased opinion as an industry fanatic (why else would you be on here). Which is not necessarily the perception of the average customer. Also, you can't "take away" something you never had, so AKL is really a moot point.

Well - actually you are making a moot point based on semantics. AKL was touted printed (still printed) in the Hemispheres magazine...c'mon man. I think that is what annoys me the most about debates here on a.net; people try and punch holes in arguments based on grammer and word play when it doesn't nullify or validify any points. Now the first part of your statment I normally would agree with and its a nice blanket statment to make; however, here in Houston...UA is looked at as that tennant that you want to evict but can't and no you shouldn't because they pay their rent on time so to speak.

kgaiflyer · Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:17 pm

Quoting TWA772LR (Reply 1):
I have also noticed new UA is extremely ORD centric; with tons of flights from IAH to ORD and ORD seems to be all over the hemispheres magazine. I know HQ is there, but these are just my views and opinions.

Meaning no disrespect to any CSA, employee, or ramper -- if I find a space between flights and want have a meal in the airport, then screw ORD.

IAH has it *all over* ORD in the "eats" department. Of course, that's *unless* you want a pre-made sandwich in a plastic box. ORD does that pretty well

yellowtail · Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:44 pm

I have a lot family / friends that live and work in Houston (some in the oil industry), and (anecdotally) the new UA is not liked. A few I know have moved over to DL, some to AA....even if 1 or 2% shifted loyalties because of the merger...that is a huge drop in an industry with razor thin margins.

Yes, most of them still do fly UA , but they are as not as loyal and as the poster below

Quoting TeamInTheSky (Reply 9):
However, one of my closest colleagues at my firm, who flies back to Houston from London monthly has noticed so much of a drop in service that she now flies BA direct or AA through Dallas. That is on top of being Gold or Plat on the new UA.

illustrated.

My brother regularly used to fly Trans Atlantic to CDG for his company...he/they would connect to the French African Service of AF there.....but since UA canned CDG..they now fly AF (in F &J) all the way from IAH....and UA in the process lost their corporate contract which went to Skyteam. That means for domestic travel (he does a lot of MOB too) it is now DL and not UA.

Texans are a proud bunch....and they are very very loyal as long as you are loyal to them. UA is finding that out the hard way.

Rdh3e · Thu Jul 26, 2012 6:48 pm

Quoting kgaiflyer (Reply 11):
IAH has it *all over* ORD in the "eats" department. Of course, that's *unless* you want a pre-made sandwich in a plastic box. ORD does that pretty well

The food court in C is not that bad! C'mon. It's got the Billy Goat serving good burgers and fries (and full breakfast menu which is AWESOME), then the panda express-like place, and the other stuff. It could be better, but its not like it's a food desert like some places.

sulley · Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:03 pm

Quoting RDH3E (Reply 13):
The food court in C is not that bad! C'mon. It's got the Billy Goat serving good burgers and fries (and full breakfast menu which is AWESOME), then the panda express-like place, and the other stuff. It could be better, but its not like it's a food desert like some places.

But the dining area of the food court has no AC ... yay

[Edited 2012-07-26 12:03:50]

kgaiflyer · Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:05 pm

Quoting RDH3E (Reply 13):
It could be better

My point exactly.

United787 · Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:06 pm

Quoting TWA772LR (Reply 1):
ORD seems to be all over the hemispheres magazine.

In what way? Have you noticed that the terminal maps dedicate a half page to IAH and EWR but only a 1/4 page to ORD, DEN etc.?

cargolex · Thu Jul 26, 2012 7:25 pm

Quoting RDH3E (Reply 2):
That's your biased opinion as an industry fanatic (why else would you be on here). Which is not necessarily the perception of the average customer.

I know alot of people in Houston who are completely unconnected with the aviation industry. They know that I do something that's aviation related and that I'm into airplanes, and almost all of them have gone out of their way to mention how much they hate the new UA. I've never prompted them for their opinion, they've offered it without being asked. Anecdotal evidence, yes, but telling of a larger issue.

I flew with UA just this week, but really I flew pre-merger CO routes with pre-merger CO crews on pre-merger CO planes (all 737s, via EWR). I usually fly Alaska, and this was the first time I'd flown with UA since shortly after the merger. I couldn't get what I wanted on Alaska, JetBlue, or American for this particular trip so I went with UA.

I'll say one thing about it - I've been through a couple of mergers as a professional, and after the merger, the ink is dry. You can kvetch for a little while if you feel you got the shaft, but after that, either tow the party line or get off the ship. At least one of my flights had the now-often-reported "On behalf of your Continental crew, thanks for flying the new United" speech. I wonder how many flights in an out of IAH hear this speech?

You can disagree with management all you want, but present a unified front to the customer even if you are unhappy. As with all customer-facing operations, undermining the airline in the eye of the customer is self-destructive even if you really have legit cause to be angry. That's been true time and time again, particularly in aviation, where one bad experience can sour a customer for ages.

UA doesn't seem to be a "bad" airline to me, either before or after the merger. I flew CO for a long time before switching to AS and thought they were not bad, if not fantastic, and that's one reason I give them a try before DL (the airline only of last resort for me) now. But I never thought CO was a fantastic airline with flawless service even when I was flying with them regularly.

blueflyer · Thu Jul 26, 2012 8:28 pm

It is a fact that if one looks at the past few years of Airline Quality Rating surveys from Wichita State, pmCO started from the top, pmUA started from the bottom, but they met in the middle on the last survey published before the merger became official.

As far as my personal opinion is concerned, I prefer the sCO BusinessFirst (new version of course) over the sUA BusinessFirst, United Club is United Club in EWR and ORD, I can't objectively tell a difference between ground crew (except for the uniforms) but the service I get from sUA flight attendants is very inconsistent, whereas sCO crews are far more consistent in their quality.

To be fair, my view may be skewed by the fact that one of my most frequent sUA routes is apparently very popular with lazy, high seniority crew members who tend to disappear as soon as lunch/dinner service is over.

Quoting cargolex (Reply 17):
They know that I do something that's aviation related and that I'm into airplanes, and almost all of them have gone out of their way to mention how much they hate the new UA.

But how many of them actually even fly?

Having a large company's headquarters in one's own city is more than just civic pride. Often it is a source of charitable donations, volunteering and other community "give backs" that disappear, or at the very least shrink, when the head office moves.

N505fx · Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:03 pm

Quoting CO777DAL (Reply 7):
Actually, I would consider the comments in the chronicle section as pretty good gauge as to what the average Houstonian thinks. It has been completely shocking the change in tone there. Look at comment section on Continental article before the merger the vast majority were positive towards Continental. Now after the merger it is a complete 180. The vast majority are negative towards the New United.

But the new UA is really just the old CO in a colder, less fat city. With this reaction, maybe someone in Houston can pen a novel called "First to Worst" the Jeff Smisek and Continental story.

Type-Rated · Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:09 pm

Quoting blueflyer (Reply 18):
o be fair, my view may be skewed by the fact that one of my most frequent sUA routes is apparently very popular with lazy, high seniority crew members who tend to disappear as soon as lunch/dinner service is over.

Ah, the old disappearing F/A trick again...

I hate that. Soon after takeoff they sling your tray at you and only reappear hours later as the plane is getting ready to land.
I think the F/A's do this for a reason:

1. To keep passengers in their seats
2. To give them more time in the galley to chat about company, family or union issues amongst themselves.

To me AA, UA & US are the absolute worst about this.

tpaewr · Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:37 pm

Quoting azstar (Reply 8):
Rather than be grateful they have a job and move on, many of them prefer to lament the loss of their "great airline" ad infinitum. I've got news for 'em. UA is no worse, or better, than CO was.And CO was not better, or worse, than UA was. And the "new UA" is no worse or better than the combination of the two.And for those who think "UA destroyed CO", I see more similarities with the old CO than the old UA.. CO computer system, CO frequent flier system, most of CO's old policies, CO CEO, and CO's nightmarish accompanied pet program. Just sayin..

When you worked for a company that for years was voted one of the best places to work, doubled in size since the mid-90s and had a over all good reputation it is jarring adjustment to find yourself working for one that has imploded in slow motion over the same time frame and from the "Summer of Hell" in 2000 to just a fews ago was voted one of the most DISLIKED companies in the USA.

We were proud to say we worked for Continental. There is little left to take pride in now, you'll see the impact of this in the product.

Rdh3e · Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:53 pm

Quoting tpaewr (Reply 21):
There is little left to take pride in now,

Say Whhhaaaaaatttt? Being the largest airline in the entire world doesn't do it for you? Seriously, the fact that you give up so easily is sad. We've had 4 bad-ish months, we're still making money, and we are barely even getting started on all of the 'fixes' to the system.

Don't get so down man! We're going places this industry has never gone before (UA and DL both) so there are bound to be some negatives that come with the positives.

kgaiflyer · Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:56 pm

Quoting type-rated (Reply 20):
To me AA, UA & US are the absolute worst about this.

No -- the absolute worst absolutely was Northwest -- followed closely by the ATA of old.

USAirways is hot and cold -- some crews are all over the plane and some are stuck in the front or back. I've never had a bad AA crew (maybe I'm lucky). I do remember being on a SEA-ORD UA red eye where everyone seemed pissed at everyone else (one FA stamped through the plane so loudly that there probably were heel marks in the aluminum floor).

If you absolutely want an FA at your beck-and-call, then you'll have to fly WN. Otherwise, I don't think any airline has the area covered.

azstar · Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:59 pm

Quoting tpaewr (Reply 21):
When you worked for a company that for years was voted one of the best places to work, doubled in size since the mid-90s and had a over all good reputation it is jarring adjustment to find yourself working for one that has imploded in slow motion over the same time frame and from the "Summer of Hell" in 2000 to just a fews ago was voted one of the most DISLIKED companies in the USA.

There is no question that the new UA is an operational nightmare. However, employee perception of CO and it's public perception were undoubtedly in a downward spiral, and that can only be attributed to the CO, now UA, CEO, Jeff Smisek. You are referring to the previous Gordon Bethune era. IMO they're going to need a new leader to get their house in order.

N505fx · Thu Jul 26, 2012 10:07 pm

Quoting blueflyer (Reply 18):
but the service I get from sUA flight attendants is very inconsistent, whereas sCO crews are far more consistent in their quality.

To be fair, my view may be skewed by the fact that one of my most frequent sUA routes is apparently very popular with lazy, high seniority crew members who tend to disappear as soon as lunch/dinner service is over.

I don't disagree with you in general, but I have experienced this on both carriers - granted I have been between Premier Exec and 1K for that last 9 years, so I have more UA exposure. Aside from 1 particularly nasty crew from EWR, my experience on CO has been pretty consistent, but never as good as when you get a good UA crew - and they usually are the older ones on the senior trunk lines or the int'l routes.

idlewildchild · Thu Jul 26, 2012 10:40 pm

I'm an 'elite' with UA having started with CO and honestly, I'm definately noticed a change for the negative, starting with trying to get through on the telephone, especially mileage plus if you need help using points. I literally couldn't get through for 3 weeks and when I've gotten through it's taken 3 agents, 1 in the Phillipines (fail), 1 in Utah (major fail and arrogant and rude) and 1 in India (excellent) to get a very simple transaction completed.

Sadly my experience is far from unique and quite the norm. The level of training and capacity of the 'outsourced' service providers is terrible. I've decided to, starting January 1, switch everything to Delta. I know they're not perfect but I've never had this level of problems with them when I was heavy sky team for 10 years, and now they basically own LGA and JFK, it's easier for me too. Cya UA, good luck working the kinks out.

BCEaglesCO757 · Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:03 pm

In defense of RDH3E, IAH....... despite ORD being the headquarters - is the largest hub in the system. Perhaps there are stories on Chicago in the inflight mags due to the HQ being there....much the way it was with IAH.

At CO we all joked that EWR was the REAL HQ before the merger. The seemed to get new flights to anywhere and everywhere all the time to us down here in Houston.

But perhaps it is perception that we are ORD centric. IAH is the largest hub in terms of daily flights. Was before the merger and has been since. It is also one of the higher yielding hubs.

Everyone of our hubs are located in great business and global cities. SFO,LAX,ORD,IAH,EWR,DEN,IAD. They all serve their own purpose. But IMO I wouldn't get rid of any of them. I wouldn't swap our hubs for any other airlines either.

IAH has it's place within the entire system. It just as important as the others. The ORD centric comments...I mean other than ORD I don't think any of the others come close to IAH in daily flights.

Just my point of view from within........ I'm also optimistic too so......

mm320cap · Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:23 pm

Quoting yellowtail (Reply 12):
IAH has it *all over* ORD in the "eats" department. Of course, that's *unless* you want a pre-made sandwich in a plastic box. ORD does that pretty well

Really?? Do you think so? (Not trying to be snarky.... I'm curious as to why you think that). As a sUA pilot, I'm much more familiar with the ORD food options. For my money, Berghoff (right by C28) is THE best food in the airport world. NEVER pass up a chance to get a sandwich there. On the B side, there is a fairly new spot called.... can't remember... might be Flouta? near about B12 that folks RAVE about. I don't cheat on Berghoff, so I haven't eaten there, but I'd give it a try if you don't have time to scoot over to C.

As I now fly a bunch out of IAH, I've been struggling to find good food areas there. I managed to locate an Einstein's bagels the other day, which made me happy. If you have good suggestions for IAH, I'm all ears!!

I have NO interest in commenting on the rest of the thread except to say that this summer has been a total operational disaster on many fronts, which has been horrific and distressing for all of us at sCO and sUA. Having not been through a merger of this size before, I can't say whether it is the "normal" amount of disaster in such an event, or just an extremely poorly managed merger to this point by Smisek and the decision makers. I have a guess.

BCEaglesCO757 · Thu Jul 26, 2012 11:45 pm

Quoting mm320cap (Reply 28):
this summer has been a total operational disaster on many fronts, which has been horrific and distressing for all of us at sCO and sUA. Having not been through a merger of this size before, I can't say whether it is the "normal" amount of disaster in such an event, or just an extremely poorly managed merger to this point by Smisek and the decision makers.

As a sCO guy....at times I have a hard time believing Smisek is an Bethune hire. Complete and total opposite of Bethune and seems he learned nothing in the years under him.

I'm of the opinion that this combined company can be great. But the people at the top at times......make me scratch my head to say the least.

tpaewr · Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:04 am

Quoting azstar (Reply 24):
However, employee perception of CO and it's public perception were undoubtedly in a downward spiral, and that can only be attributed to the CO, now UA, CEO, Jeff Smisek. You are referring to the previous Gordon Bethune era. IMO they're going to need a new leader to get their house in order.

I know that is a popular meme, but Smisek wasn't in power much more than the 1Q when the merger happened. Gordan left (pushed out of) CO in 2004. Yet in the years between then and now CO did well. Growing system wide by 20%. Adding 33% TATL, and more than doubling the size of the Trans Pac system. All the new a/c coming in now 787 and 737 are from sCO. We had every reason to continue to expect a growing, expanding, exicting future for CO.

This nascent concept of a "downward spiral" is nothing more than revisionist history. A quick examination of media from the time leading up to the merger will confirm this

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_1...ngst-will-united-ruin-continental/

http://www.cleveland.com/business/in...d-continental_treat_customers.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/...pgrading-first-class-perks-to.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/raywang/...gen-customer-experience/?partner=y

So, here we see up to the final hours in March 2012 lamenation about the fall of CO. Beyond a few cranky guys on FT, you won't find much weeping over the old UA.

Continental was a company you could be proud to work for.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/n...makes-most-disliked-companies.html

United......not so much
.

VC10er · Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:30 am

I had 2 million on the original UA. I had 500,000 on CO. Since my travel is always international business I always chose UA over CO because of 3 things: Mileage Plus and (GS) made flying UA better, back when business class was just a recliner on both the UA seat was ergonomic and went so far back in it's recline it was near flat where the CO recliner (while electric) had terrible recline and bad cushioning ergo: bad for sleep and cramped all day. Also, UA was a 3 class airline and with my upgrades (which were also good for LH) being comped up, or sometimes on very long hauls my company would allow me to by First. Also a better livery on UA IMHO, beat CO by a long shot.

CO always had better food. Today there are broken hearts on both sides. I miss my old UNITED and I know many miss their old Continental. The new entity lacks too much United and lacks too much Continental. It was supposed to be 1 + 1 = 2, rather it feels to fans of both as 1 + 1= 1.5.

I hope it all gets better. I wish they would hire me and give me a 3 billion dollar budget for customer experience. It's going to take years and a lot of money to make a widely loved airline.

tpaewr · Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:40 am

Quoting VC10er (Reply 31):
Mileage Plus and (GS) made flying UA better

I don't think there is a any question UA took amazing care of its "1%", but for everyone else, customer and employee alike CO was a much nicer place to be.

Having flown non-IPTE J I kinda don't follow your pref for UA, but I do understand the lure of the flat seat in F for sure!

Quoting VC10er (Reply 31):
The new entity lacks too much United and lacks too much Continental. It was supposed to be 1 + 1 = 2, rather it feels to fans of both as 1 + 1= 1.5.

I have to say that sounds fair and balanced, plus it rings true with my experiance. Some how ' the whole' ended up LESS than the sum of its parts!!!

XJetflyer · Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:40 am

As a native Houstonian I don't care for UA! Their cry baby attitude and the whole Hobby airport deal with Southwest Airlines left a really bad taste in my mouth and almost every other local living in the Houston area. UA has done much damage to their image and it will take a very long time if ever for them to come back with Houston flyers.

I flew UA after the merge / take over and I was very unhappy with my service compared to CO. Even though I was dealing with the same people from CO, I saw a huge difference in attitude and could just see a different policy in place.

I know nothing about UA and their business or customer service. All I know is I have jumped ship and give all the business I can to Southwest and that was hard for me to do.

People are cheering for anyone but UA in Houston. UA has a public relations nightmare in Houston right now.

spink · Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:55 am

Quoting mm320cap (Reply 28):
Really?? Do you think so? (Not trying to be snarky.... I'm curious as to why you think that). As a sUA pilot, I'm much more familiar with the ORD food options. For my money, Berghoff (right by C28) is THE best food in the airport world. NEVER pass up a chance to get a sandwich there. On the B side, there is a fairly new spot called.... can't remember... might be Flouta? near about B12 that folks RAVE about. I don't cheat on Berghoff, so I haven't eaten there, but I'd give it a try if you don't have time to scoot over to C.

While Berghoff is excellent, I think part of the issue at ORD is a general lack of options outside of Berghoff and the inevitable mile long line at Berghoff. At IAH, there is a pretty good BBQ place in terminal B. Haven't really found anything great in the other terminals. And for UA hubs and food, none of them hold a candle to SFO.

Quoting mm320cap (Reply 28):
I have NO interest in commenting on the rest of the thread except to say that this summer has been a total operational disaster on many fronts, which has been horrific and distressing for all of us at sCO and sUA. Having not been through a merger of this size before, I can't say whether it is the "normal" amount of disaster in such an event, or just an extremely poorly managed merger to this point by Smisek and the decision makers. I have a guess.

I think a large part of the operational issue ATM is likely the split unions/aircraft. They've rationalized the aircraft around the routes but because of the lack of interoperability between pmCO/UA aircraft/personnel, when there is an issue, it is harder to fix in an efficient quick method. With everything fully merged, any plane/crew could sub in for any other plane crew, but it becomes hardware with the union related split.

spink · Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:15 am

Quoting XJetflyer (Reply 33):
As a native Houstonian I don't care for UA! Their cry baby attitude and the whole Hobby airport deal with Southwest Airlines left a really bad taste in my mouth and almost every other local living in the Houston area. UA has done much damage to their image and it will take a very long time if ever for them to come back with Houston flyers.

CO would of had the same reaction to it.

Quote:
I flew UA after the merge / take over and I was very unhappy with my service compared to CO. Even though I was dealing with the same people from CO, I saw a huge difference in attitude and could just see a different policy in place.

I've flown UA and CO pre-merger and honestly, besides the operational issues, there is no real difference. Flying in economy still sucks, no having status is still bad. And I've flown on sCO/UA flights since and really haven't noticed any real difference. I think peoples perceptions have changed in ways that don't match the reality outside of the operational issues which are normal for a period of time with any merger.

Quote:

People are cheering for anyone but UA in Houston. UA has a public relations nightmare in Houston right now.

Given the choice of Chicago or Houston, they made the right choice.

kgaiflyer · Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:44 am

Quoting mm320cap (Reply 28):
Really?? Do you think so? (Not trying to be snarky.... I'm curious as to why you think that). As a sUA pilot, I'm much more familiar with the ORD food options.

That was actually my comment.

And yes -- I actually think that. At IAH there is the food court in Terminal B (I *love* Harlon's BarBQ), the food courts (plural) in Terminal C (love the hot breakfast at Bubba's Bayou Grill); and the food courts (plural) in Terminal E (Pappadeaux without question and always The Market).

At ORD Berghoffs is okay. But I usually wind up at the Salad Works or Zoot's Cafe in the food court or with a 'heart attack burger' at Johnny Rockets if lines at Berghoffs are around the block -- which they pretty much are all day long.

freakyrat · Fri Jul 27, 2012 1:58 am

Actually I flew the new UA from DFW-IAH-AMS two weeks ago. Their was a minor glitch in the flight where the Captain lost his PFD so we had to divert to Newark and get it fixed. We arrived in AMS two hours late but safely. On the way back I upgraded to Business First. The service was superb and in fact it exceeded the service of the foreign carriers flying the route. Things happen all the time and this flight along with about 20 others had to divert to AUS due to thunderstorms that refused to move off IAH. Getting back into IAH and clearing Customs and being rebooked on another flight to DFW was really a snap. In fact the United (former CO) employee at the desk got me rebooked on the last flight back up to DFW, got my bag rechecked, and gave me directions to a less busy TSA checkpoint so that I would make my flight home.

While I was still in the Netherlands I along with my fellow passenger received emails offering compensation for the maintenance diversion on the flight over to AMS. I took the bonus miles so that I actually have my account up to the same amount of miles before I left and my upgrade on the way home only ended up costing me $425.00. Life Is Good.

drerx7 · Fri Jul 27, 2012 2:03 am

Quoting XJetflyer (Reply 33):
People are cheering for anyone but UA in Houston. UA has a public relations nightmare in Houston right now.

Unfortunately its true.

Quoting spink (Reply 35):
CO would of had the same reaction to it.

Absolutely NOT. They would have been pissed definitely, but CO would not have made a PR mess like this - they couldn't afford to with only IAH, EWR, and CLE in the U.S. network.

Quoting spink (Reply 35):
And I've flown on sCO/UA flights since and really haven't noticed any real difference.

Well, I have as well and I have noticed a difference...however, it has been inconsistent. I just came off of a few legs on sCO flights and they actually were pretty good. Much better than some other recent trips post merger.

Quoting spink (Reply 35):
Given the choice of Chicago or Houston, they made the right choice.

Well...I'd agree for the simple fact that it would have cost the airline a mint to try and break the leases at WIllis. That is the ONLY reason why I agree. We could argue all night vis a vis Houston vs. Chicago in terms of business climate. The cost of living issue is enough to make Chicago the underdog...but I digress...

Squid · Fri Jul 27, 2012 2:13 am

My opinion of the major airlines is basically six of one, half dozen of the other. Yes Continental really did stand out from the others in the late 90's and into the early 2000's, but they too were slowly eliminating services, and/or selling others just like the others towards the end. They were the last airline to eliminate meals in coach, reduce many first-class meals flights to snacks, eliminate pillows and blanket (those were dirty anyway), and many other things. These days, they are almost indecipherable. They all have blue seats, blue carpet, blue uniforms, bare-bones service and charge for everything. I don't really understand what people are complaining about. In my opinion is a loss of pride that Houstonians are lamenting. Gordon Bethune really did an amazing job at turning that ship around, because up until 1992/1993, Houston was not bragging about Continental.

mm320cap · Fri Jul 27, 2012 2:17 am

Quoting spink (Reply 34):
I think a large part of the operational issue ATM is likely the split unions/aircraft. They've rationalized the aircraft around the routes but because of the lack of interoperability between pmCO/UA aircraft/personnel, when there is an issue, it is harder to fix in an efficient quick method. With everything fully merged, any plane/crew could sub in for any other plane crew, but it becomes hardware with the union related split.

I'd say you are on the right track here. I waited 57 minutes a few weeks ago for the Maintenance Release Document to show up on the printer. I was 3 minutes from having to open the door and deplane under the new rules. The reason? What I was told by a supervisor was that there was only 1 person who could sign off the A320 in IAH. If true, that is a SIGNIFICANT miscalculation. Try explaining all that to your passengers. Talk about embarrassing.

mm320cap · Fri Jul 27, 2012 2:19 am

Quoting spink (Reply 34):
I think a large part of the operational issue ATM is likely the split unions/aircraft. They've rationalized the aircraft around the routes but because of the lack of interoperability between pmCO/UA aircraft/personnel, when there is an issue, it is harder to fix in an efficient quick method. With everything fully merged, any plane/crew could sub in for any other plane crew, but it becomes hardware with the union related split.

I'd say you are on the right track here. I waited 57 minutes a few weeks ago for the Maintenance Release Document to show up on the printer. I was 3 minutes from having to open the door and deplane under the new rules. The reason? What I was told by a supervisor was that there was only 1 person who could sign off the A320 in IAH. If true, that is a SIGNIFICANT miscalculation. Try explaining all that to your passengers. Talk about embarrassing.

Quoting freakyrat (Reply 37):
That was actually my comment.

And yes -- I actually think that. At IAH there is the food court in Terminal B (I *love* Harlon's BarBQ), the food courts (plural) in Terminal C (love the hot breakfast at Bubba's Bayou Grill); and the food courts (plural) in Terminal E (Pappadeaux without question and always The Market).

At ORD Berghoffs is okay. But I usually wind up at the Salad Works or Zoot's Cafe in the food court or with a 'heart attack burger' at Johnny Rockets if lines at Berghoffs are around the block -- which they pretty much are all day long.

Good to know! Thanks for the food tips. I love some good BBQ, so I'll definitely hunt down Harlon's. Berghoff indeed usually has a long line, but I will not be deterred!!

rising · Fri Jul 27, 2012 3:43 am

Quoting VC10er (Reply 31):
I hope it all gets better. I wish they would hire me and give me a 3 billion dollar budget for customer experience. It's going to take years and a lot of money to make a widely loved airline.

No worries VC10er. Tens of thousands of customers fly United, and other airlines for that matter, without a hitch everyday. As the saying goes, if it bleeds it leads. All we hear about are the mishaps. If a plane lands in Honolulu without incident, as the majority do, it will not make a thread on here or a story in the paper.

The truth is great trips happen, everyday. I always enjoy reading the daily tweets or Facebook posts from people who talk about how the pilot did something special for their child or a flight attendant personally delivers a lost item to a customer. It reminds me of why we all love this business.

Like you, I have flown United for years and have had my share of good trips and bad. But that's the case with anything. I have had rude Flight Attendants even on Southwest. People are human. It's life.

Do I love all the changes at United? No. But it's important to not let the bad noise drown out all of the good things going on- the new Airbus cabins they are installing come to mind

TWA772LR · Fri Jul 27, 2012 4:01 am

Quoting rising (Reply 42):

Amen brotha!!!

CO777DAL · Fri Jul 27, 2012 5:36 am

Quoting mm320cap (Reply 28):
As I now fly a bunch out of IAH, I've been struggling to find good food areas there. I managed to locate an Einstein's bagels the other day, which made me happy. If you have good suggestions for IAH, I'm all ears!!

Here are my favorites at Houston Intercontinental

Papadeaux Seafood Kitchen Terminal E
Fuddruckers Terminal A
Harlons BBQ Terminal B
Chili’s To Go Terminal B & A
Subway Two Terminal C
Bubba Bayou Grill Terminal C
Panda Express Terminal E
Pappasito’s Cantina Terminal E
Popeye’s Terminal C
Ruby’s Dinner Terminal E
Wendy’s Terminal E

There is also this big restaurant area with many types of food in Terminal C South. These are the ones I eat at. There are a whole lot more places to eat.

N505fx · Fri Jul 27, 2012 5:56 am

Quoting tpaewr (Reply 30):
United......not so much

in your biased opinion. In my biased opinion, United knew how to run a better airline operationally, Continental knew how to talk about running a better airline. Maybe thats why we see a reversion back to UA style operations after it fell apart the last 4 months letting CO people and process run it.

N505fx · Fri Jul 27, 2012 6:00 am

Quoting XJetflyer (Reply 33):
UA has done much damage to their image and it will take a very long time if ever for them to come back with Houston flyers.

The problem with your statement is that it is CO brass running the show. It was Smisuck who made the IAH decision, and that poor service your were receiving was probably with "Proud Legacy Continental Crew"

SkyTeamTriStar · Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:46 am

In another post on here, Ive stated that the new CEO at UA has no people skills. This isn't coming from my mouth...its coming from a former CO F/O friend of mine. Plus, just look at those ego-driven video's thats being posted on the hub.united.com from Jeff. Yikes. They're in trouble. UA is dead last in so many rankings....especially employee morale. All of this has stemmed from somewhere!

102IAHexpress · Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:28 pm

Quoting AVENSAB727 (Thread starter):
I have flown UA before and I have not seen any bad service at all. I think some people are just doing nothing but complaining.

?huh

I think everyone is aware of how bad it is right now, even Smisek himself.

United CEO apologizes for service woes:

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