Comments on: United Airlines Does It Again and Delta Dining Stands Out

By: Suleiman

Suleiman — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:33:56 +0000

AT ALL COST, YOU SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM UNITED AIRLINES. I have flown overseas once or twice a year during the last thirty years. In my international travel experiences, I have never encountered the level of disregard and callousness to point of incompetence until I flew United Airlines this year. The service is very poor, the cabin staff (stewards, stewardesses, et.al) all appear as if they have just walked out of a dog’s kennel, very untidy, and half a sleep. The quality of food is horrendous and to request anything aboard the airline is more humiliating than begging on a corner street. Beware also of switching your seats if you found more spacious, sparsely occupied sections in the airlines, as you will be charged an additional fee (as it had happened to me). If you refuse to pay, the flight attendant, as I had experienced first hand, will call the airline security to arrest you and charge you with theft.

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:36:19 +0000

For retirees like me, who takes 3 or 4 international trips a years, the co-pay policy for upgrades is not necessarily bad. Right now and in the past, I have to buy upgradeable economy class tickets (H class) to get upgrade to business class, which cost at least a few hundred dollars more than the lowest economy fare. Then I have to hope that I can get an upgrade – if not, I would have wasted the money to purchase an upgradeable ticket. The new policy allows me to purchase the lowest economy fare, but still with a chance to upgrade.

If you use miles mainly for upgrades to business class in international travel, each United mile is worth somewhere between 5 and 10 cents. For example, the price difference between economy and business class for a LAX-LHR round trip ticket is about $5000. So the 60000 miles need to upgrade is worth more than 8 cents a mile.

For international travel, Star Alliance still offers by far the best connections. I also find United’s service very good, and better than most US airlines. United has always treated me well, even though I travel in business class only through upgrades using miles.

By: Joe

Joe — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:36:31 +0000

Why is there no poll on this co-pay thing? Why are there not enough frequent fliers being more articulate with United?
I am flying about a dozen trips a year overseas. And due to company policy (like many others) all business class travel is suspended. So I have to use my miles for a 14 hour flight to make the trip more effective.
Nobody is paying me the out of pocket expenses of $ 1,000 + $ 10,000 a year. So this will be a personal and unaffordable expense.
United makes their customer recognition program a big joke.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:08:43 +0000

The new soon to be instated policy of co-payment for upgrade has indeed rendered mileage plus useless.

As many business traveler, my employer is not willing to pay for additional upgrade fees separated from the ticket fee. UA is certainly not providing suc stellar business or first services that it woudl be worth spending much of my personal money.

As a Global Service / 1K customer I have notified UA that the day they put that policy into effect I will not use United Airlines ever again. I encourage all UA customers to send similar notices… May be they’ll reconsider the implications of their miguided plans…

Boycott United Airlines!