In the spirit of positive reinforcement, in this post I’d like to share the things that I think United Airlines does well. In separate posts, I’m taking a look at the things that American Airlines and Delta Air Lines do well, as well as my least favorite things about the “big three” US carriers.
Among US airlines, there’s no denying that United is the carrier that has been gaining the most momentum and trending upward in the past couple of years, and that’s exciting to see. However, as you’d expect, much of that is still a work in progress. In no particular order, below are the things I like about United…
In this post:
Global route network & ultra long haul flying
Everyone will have different opinions about which airline has the best route network based on where they live and where they like to travel. However, United has by far the most global and interesting route network of any US airline. Not only does the airline serve so many destinations across six continents, but United also isn’t afraid to experiment with new new types of flying, which American and Delta shy away from.
It really is incredible to see how United’s route network has evolved over the years. From extensive service to Africa, to ultra long haul flights to Asia, to seasonal flights to secondary cities in Europe, United never ceases to impress me with its route network. Hell, seasonal flights to Greenland and Mongolia? You can’t help but want to fly United simply for the places the airline can take you. The airline flies to significantly more countries than its competitors.
Scott Kirby’s focused leadership
I’m not here to suck up to any airline CEO, but I do have to give United CEO Scott Kirby credit for being the most focused and competitive CEO in the US airline industry. Frankly that’s a sentence I never thought I would have written a decade ago, when he was number two at American Airlines (and US Airways before that, and America West before that).
Personally I think Kirby is a breath of fresh air, and one of the most effective US airline industry CEOs we’ve seen in quite some time. He actually has a vision, he communicates clearly, and he’s leading the airline in the right direction, in my opinion, even if the company still has a ways to go. Oh, he’s also good at lobbying, or something. 😉
Some people might say “wait, how can you give Scott Kirby credit, but not Ed Bastian?” No disrespect to Bastian, he seems like a smart and nice guy, and is a fine leader. However, I don’t view him as having changed Delta in any sort of a transformative way. I very much think previous CEO Richard Anderson set that tone, and if we’re going to give someone in Delta’s current management team credit for being the mastermind, it’s Glen Hauenstein.
Bigger business class cabins
Among the “big three” US carriers, United has the most consistently large business class cabins on wide body jets. This is great for upgrades and award availability.
Just as an example, United’s standard Boeing 787-9s have 48 business class seats, while American’s standard 787-9s have 30 business class seats, and Delta’s standard Airbus A350-900s (the most comparable plane) have 32 business class seats.
Now, American and Delta are starting to follow United’s lead with having larger premium cabins, including on some of these planes, but it’s an area where United has consistently beat the competition. United has the highest average number of premium seats on wide body international flights.
Polaris business class seats & bedding
In addition to the sheer size of United’s business class cabins, the airline has an incredibly consistent business class hard product. At this point United has finished reconfiguring Boeing 787s, 777s, and 767s, with the current Polaris business class seats. You just won’t find this product on select 777s (intended primarily for domestic routes) and on 757s (which are narrow bodies, but operate some long haul flights).
The Polaris business class seats are quite good, and they’re especially impressive on the Boeing 767, where you have a 1-1-1 layout (compare that to Delta’s 767s, which have a much worse business class product). All of this says nothing of United soon introducing a new Polaris business class seat.
On top of that, United has excellent bedding in Polaris business class, which I think is another competitive advantage over American and Delta. I’d argue it’s the best business class bedding in the world. Unfortunately the rest of the Polaris soft product improvements are more or less a thing of the past.
Huge Economy Plus cabins
First class upgrades can be really tough to come by nowadays. So I’d argue that on balance, the most valuable elite “upgrade” perk is to the extra legroom section. Each of the “big three” US airlines have such a product, and United’s version of that is branded as Economy Plus.
The reality is that on average, United has far larger extra legroom economy cabins than competitors, and I think that’s valuable, since it maximizes your odds of snagging one of these as an elite member.
To compare aircraft types flown by all of the “big three” US carriers, on Boeing 737-800s and 737 MAX 8s, United has 54 of these seats, Delta has 36, and American has 24. On Airbus A321neos, United has 57 of these seats, Delta has 42, and American has 35.
Cutting edge narrow body aircraft cabins
While American has spent the past few years ripping seat back TVs off its narrow body jets, United is going in the opposite direction. The airline is in the process of modernizing its narrow body cabins, with 10″ personal televisions at all seats, high speed Wi-Fi, AC and USB power, and even bluetooth audio. These cabins are awesome!
Admittedly United is playing catch up with Delta here, though United has a bit of a recency advantage. So while more Delta planes have seat back TVs, more United planes have cutting edge tech (like bluetooth audio).
United app, website, & tech
United does a great job with technology. The United app is excellent, in terms of the amount of information it has about flight status, seat maps, upgrade lists, etc. It’s simply in a completely different league than American’s app, and it’s also superior to Delta’s app.
Similarly, I find that united.com is pretty good in terms of being able to self-service reservations.
The network of Polaris Lounges
United Polaris Lounges are generally very good, among the better ones you’ll find at US airlines. The lounges have a la carte dining, a solid selection of drinks, and good amenities.
Now, I think Polaris Lounges are a significant step up from American Flagship Lounges, but not quite as good as Delta One Lounges. So why do I view Polaris Lounges as a competitive advantage? Well, the airline actually has these lounges at its six biggest long haul hubs, which include Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington.
That’s a contrast to Delta, which has great lounges, but they’re not available at some of the biggest hubs. So United deserves credit for consistency there.
Million Miler lifetime elite status
While I don’t think United MileagePlus as such is a competitive advantage, the United Million Miler program is the best lifetime elite status program of any major US airline. There are four thresholds:
- Lifetime Premier Gold at 1MM
- Lifetime Premier Platinum at 2MM
- Lifetime Premier 1K at 3MM
- Lifetime Global Services at 4MM
That’s great in and of itself, but the icing on the cake is that you can also appoint a companion to have that status. This is an awesome program that really incentivizes staying loyal to the airline in the long run.
United MileagePlus miles pooling program
I don’t see MileagePlus as a competitive advantage, with the exception of a couple of points. The first is the lifetime elite status program (mentioned above), while the second is the fact that United allows miles pooling, whereby up to five people can pool their miles.
This is such an underrated feature for families in particular, since it makes rewards rack up much faster. Sure, maybe not everyone in your family flies frequently, but there’s actually value to the miles of less frequent flyers if they can be pooled with those who fly more often.
Generous same day flight changes
United has one of the best same day flight change policies of any airline, which can be useful if your plans change last minute, or if you’re just trying to find the cheapest fare with the hope of changing your flight later.
MileagePlus elite members can make the change for free (non-elite members have to pay $75), and you can even change your connecting city when making such a change. You can also change to a flight within 24 hours, so you can fly on a different calendar day.
I’d say United’s policy is slightly better than Delta’s, and significantly better than American’s.
The value of the Star Alliance
While I prefer oneworld Emerald status to Star Alliance Gold status, Star Alliance is the world’s largest airline alliance, and has the most global coverage. So being able to earn and redeem miles on the alliance that’s the largest is a big draw to United.
Inflight cold brew (yes, seriously!)
I’m a huge fan of coffee, especially when traveling. Most people would probably agree that airplane coffee typically sucks. That’s why I think United deserves a lot of credit for serving cold brew onboard flights. It’s complimentary in premium cabins, and available for purchase in economy.
This is such a nice alternative to the other coffee drinks available on planes, and I just wish other airlines would catch up. Honestly, this probably ranks in the top three things that I like about flying United over competitors.
Bottom line
United Airlines has a lot of things going for it, ranging from the size of its business class cabins, to its global route network, to its solid tech. The airline is headed in the right direction, and I’m excited to see what the airline looks like a few years down the road.
I’m curious to hear what OMAAT readers think — what do you think United Airlines does well?
I just wish the mattress pad had a flap to hold the dang thing in place like Qantas' does. Coffee-wise I do like the cold brew route. In an ideal world, there'd be espresso but given they're a USA-based carrier I imagine by day 2 those machines would magically be "broken" after the FAs get tired of people whining they can't get their "double-tall oat milk half-calf extra hot mocha Valencia with two equals and...
I just wish the mattress pad had a flap to hold the dang thing in place like Qantas' does. Coffee-wise I do like the cold brew route. In an ideal world, there'd be espresso but given they're a USA-based carrier I imagine by day 2 those machines would magically be "broken" after the FAs get tired of people whining they can't get their "double-tall oat milk half-calf extra hot mocha Valencia with two equals and light whip". Maybe when there's finally an airplane-certified Nespresso Vertuo machine and the FAs can just say "there are only 5 options listed here in your menu"...
NZ and QF both do a nice french press on the cart but it's lukewarm by the time they get to you.
Speaking of United, I would really like to see you review their Island Hopper!
How would you compare the refurbished Polaris lounge in Chicago to Delta One lounges? Assuming UA can redo all of their lounges like that, would it bring their lounges closer to Delta One lounges? The lounge in DEN looks like it will have a better design as well.
Way better. Because United is in star alliance and not stupid skyteam.
Tim had a golden opportunity to say nothing on this thread and leave his haters seething and floundering in the silence. But he couldn’t help himself.
Likewise Uncle …. birds of a feather? …. :-)
I don't hate you, AB..... :)
I've said before that I would walk away from my commentary about United execs when they can get through an earnings call without comparing themselves to another airline - and that hasn't and won't happen.
Ok but…why does UA have to do that for you to not comment? What is your stake in what UA says in their earnings reports about other airlines?
Tim, you’re a total cunt. I talk about my competitors all the time with clients. Analysts would wonder why they didn’t give competitive analysis on earnings calls if they only talked about themselves.
You are Chump #1 on the travel blogosphere.
Miles pooling is evil and has this nice little tidbit hiding in the FAQ: “Pooled miles can be used to book United or United Express award tickets only.”
No partner awards. My grandmother has Alzheimer’s and can no longer travel, and we pooled with her 400k miles without seeing the fine print, heavily reducing the value of ALL of our miles.
Also, funny the impact a (on the ground mediocre) $3 can of illy can...
Miles pooling is evil and has this nice little tidbit hiding in the FAQ: “Pooled miles can be used to book United or United Express award tickets only.”
No partner awards. My grandmother has Alzheimer’s and can no longer travel, and we pooled with her 400k miles without seeing the fine print, heavily reducing the value of ALL of our miles.
Also, funny the impact a (on the ground mediocre) $3 can of illy can have in the sky. I fully agree. But “can” the miles pooling.
Unfortunately the Polaris lounges have degraded in quality, at least SFO. Paper plates and single use cutlery at the buffet where they used to have porcelain and silverware. The restaurant still has a nice service, however the dishes got simpler.
United earned a lifetime of good vibes from me all the way back in 2001. By my own fault, and not theirs, I missed a flight to Paris which was booked in economy. The agent rebooked me from another airport, paid my taxi to get there, and when I arrived at the new airport... they were out of economy seats. The 2nd gate agent apologized that I missed my first flight (again, my fault) and...
United earned a lifetime of good vibes from me all the way back in 2001. By my own fault, and not theirs, I missed a flight to Paris which was booked in economy. The agent rebooked me from another airport, paid my taxi to get there, and when I arrived at the new airport... they were out of economy seats. The 2nd gate agent apologized that I missed my first flight (again, my fault) and gave me a comp upgrade to business class.
It was my first international business class seat of my life. 24 years, later they must have done something right because I've been fortunate to sit in countless more.
CSAs can make or break the whole trip. Never piss one off unnecessarily!
Oh I agree. I had a somewhat similar experience with Delta traveling on a family emergency, they upgraded me outbound and return and the FA on the outbound expressed concern for the reason for my travel. Customer for life !
This reeks of Sponsored Content. You're hypocritical in your posts too. Curiously, with all your Kirby glazing, you forgot to mention how terrible he is to labor (that you claim to support). Fired employees during Covid, and now the whole FA debacle. And look at the way he flips politically. Dude is a snake, and you know it.
This article is waayyy more positive than the DAL or UAL articles. I guess some people can't pass up the Kirbybux.
Another bitter FA! Get another job.
Not an FA moron!
But the whole point of this, and the similar posts about AA and DL, is what he feels those airlines are doing well. Not that they are perfect or can’t improve in some way. In this post alone he points out that DL’s top lounges are better than UA’s top lounges, and that AA’s oneworld alliance benefits, like lounge access, are better than UA’s StarAlliance benefits, even if SA has a better worldwide network than OW. He clearly isn’t Tim Dunning UA here.
Aaron,
While I do agree with your sentiment, look at his "bottom line" on each of the articles.
UAL- complete fan boy, so much excitement!
DAL- a back-handed compliment
AAL- just a backhand
Obviously, he's free to write whatever he wants. But this one is so glaringly different, I'm sure it's a bought "article".
Thats all subject to interpretation.
Perhaps you would be more comfortable visiting another blog......
“United has excellent bedding in Polaris business class, which I think is another competitive advantage over American and Delta.”
Have you tried to new Missoni bedding on Delta One? I just flew Delta One from Europe and the new bedding is fantastic including a very nice pillow, large and comfortable blanket and a mattress pad that can also be used as lower back pillow.
I appreciate that United doesn't cost cut on its LHR arrivals lounge and matches AA/BA with a closing time at 2pm
VS/DL decided to cutback on its Revivals lounge hours post pandemic from 1:30pm to 12:30pm. Making it difficult to use for 11am arrivals with even the slightest bit of delay.
So far as I’m aware, MileagePlus is one of three major programs (Avianca LifeMiles and Aeroplan are the other two) that does not pass surcharges on to the passenger. That alone is a major (and underrated) competitive advantage, even if the miles aren’t worth as much as they were just a few years ago.
United has the world's most arrogant CEO who really has done very little that he didn't learn from that airline that he loves to think United is equal to (but isn't since Delta sets the high bar for compensation and benefits).
The cold brew is probably UA's greatest benefit.
When an airline adds a city that is served by 24 times in an entire year, it is all about fluff and marketing.
And...
United has the world's most arrogant CEO who really has done very little that he didn't learn from that airline that he loves to think United is equal to (but isn't since Delta sets the high bar for compensation and benefits).
The cold brew is probably UA's greatest benefit.
When an airline adds a city that is served by 24 times in an entire year, it is all about fluff and marketing.
And some people will be convinced of how awesome it is.
Once you set foot on a domestic configured 737 to those cities, you'll realize how much fluff it is given that you could get there on internationally configured widebodies if you flew other airlines.
Loser.
I swear this is just a burner account for Ed…
why would Ed come on here, burner account or not? Scott Kirby has done more to help DL grow in NYC than any other single person.
Scott Kirby is the best non-employee on DL's payroll.
Lol
You don’t disappoint, tim
How did Scott hurt you? Did he not invite you to be his best friend?
Your obsession with him is hilarious.
You really should take your wife and “friend” out for dinner more often. You’re usually ranting to everyone on here during most meal hours.
Tim you’re an angry incel and it shows
tell me what other airline CEO INCESSANTLY tells the world that every other airline's business plan is failed - except for Delta which United tries to bundle itself with.
I said years ago and will repeat it again: when ALL of United's execs can get through an earnings call without talking about or comparing themselves to ANY OTHER AIRLINE - either in a positive or negative light, I'll lay off my United commentary.
There is...
tell me what other airline CEO INCESSANTLY tells the world that every other airline's business plan is failed - except for Delta which United tries to bundle itself with.
I said years ago and will repeat it again: when ALL of United's execs can get through an earnings call without talking about or comparing themselves to ANY OTHER AIRLINE - either in a positive or negative light, I'll lay off my United commentary.
There is no chance I will be changing my online commentary any time soon.
Get a handle on your emotions, Timmy
You dumber than usual and extremely jealous of Scott
Not to mention mad that he’s proved delta can’t lead on margin even with a massive non-union advantage and monopoly hubs like delta has
You should probably find a shrink to chat with
No, I am not jealous.
I am committed to telling the truth.
Scott Kirby has made some enormously negative consequential decisions at multiple airlines and yet he DESPERATELY wants everyone to believe that he is the smartest person in the room. If you want to google something, see how many other people in the airline industry say that about Scott Kirby.
Just answer the question of what other airline CEO trash talks competitors as much...
No, I am not jealous.
I am committed to telling the truth.
Scott Kirby has made some enormously negative consequential decisions at multiple airlines and yet he DESPERATELY wants everyone to believe that he is the smartest person in the room. If you want to google something, see how many other people in the airline industry say that about Scott Kirby.
Just answer the question of what other airline CEO trash talks competitors as much as Scott Kirby and UA execs do - even while trying to convince everyone that they are just like DL.
If I'm wrong, it should be easy to find other CEOs that do what UA execs led by Kirby do.
You and others can't stand when I tell the truth and esp. about UA's execs.
It is not I that need a shrink. It is someone that incessantly needs to tell the world how great he is and how much of a failure every other airline is.
again, I'll stop when Kirby and the entire UA exec crew can get through an earnings call without comparing UA to ANY OTHER AIRLINE.
THEY CAN"T DO IT!
No, I am not jealous.
I am committed to telling the truth.
Scott Kirby has made some enormously negative consequential decisions at multiple airlines and yet he DESPERATELY wants everyone to believe that he is the smartest person in the room. If you want to google something, see how many other people in the airline industry say that about Scott Kirby.
Just answer the question of what other airline CEO trash talks competitors as much...
No, I am not jealous.
I am committed to telling the truth.
Scott Kirby has made some enormously negative consequential decisions at multiple airlines and yet he DESPERATELY wants everyone to believe that he is the smartest person in the room. If you want to google something, see how many other people in the airline industry say that about Scott Kirby.
Just answer the question of what other airline CEO trash talks competitors as much as Scott Kirby and UA execs do - even while trying to convince everyone that they are just like DL.
If I'm wrong, it should be easy to find other CEOs that do what UA execs led by Kirby do.
You and others can't stand when I tell the truth and esp. about UA's execs.
It is not I that need a shrink. It is someone that incessantly needs to tell the world how great he is and how much of a failure every other airline is.
again, I'll stop when Kirby and the entire UA exec crew can get through an earnings call without comparing UA to ANY OTHER AIRLINE.
THEY CAN"T DO IT!
“ I am committed to telling the truth”
Are you though? Lol
Scott Kirby is crazy rich because of the amazing decisions he’s made for investors
Little else
Find your talking points somewhere else
You just sound like a sad little jealous and your mother should send you to bed.
well, yes, I am telling the truth.
Kirby has made money for UA by copying strategies, not for 'fessing up to his poor strategic decisions at AA and US.
He is smart and learns.
But let's get past this non-sense about how great he is while excusing what he has done in the past.
Other leaders simply have not led their companies to near as big of swings because they didn't do...
well, yes, I am telling the truth.
Kirby has made money for UA by copying strategies, not for 'fessing up to his poor strategic decisions at AA and US.
He is smart and learns.
But let's get past this non-sense about how great he is while excusing what he has done in the past.
Other leaders simply have not led their companies to near as big of swings because they didn't do some of the dumbest things in the industry.
Just because it was other execs at UA that made stupid decisions doesn't mean that Kirby didn't make some equally bad if not worse decisions in his career.
Switching companies might put money in Wall Street pockets but it doesn't wipe away your track record.
“Copying strategies”?
Ben just pointed out in this post how DL and AA are following UA in increasing the size of premium cabins, just in time for UA to further increase the size of Polaris cabins.
Of course, Economy Plus, one of the biggest game changers of the US3, was also created by United, though UA, as mentioned has the largest E+ cabins too.
DL is also trying to copy UA by increasing...
“Copying strategies”?
Ben just pointed out in this post how DL and AA are following UA in increasing the size of premium cabins, just in time for UA to further increase the size of Polaris cabins.
Of course, Economy Plus, one of the biggest game changers of the US3, was also created by United, though UA, as mentioned has the largest E+ cabins too.
DL is also trying to copy UA by increasing the number of international destinations, though they still lag UA considerably. They’re also copying UA by adding more widebodies, but, with hundreds less widebodies on order, they will also lag UA.
Copying UA by adding flights to MEL and HKG (though at a fraction of the size)? Check and check. Trying to build a west coast power hub like UA’s in SFO? Check.
Copying UA’s Polaris lounges? Check.
One of Kirby's first UA earnings call had him saying that he was rolling UA's hubs and how well that had worked. DL CREATED the hub concept at ATL 80 years ago and has mastered the art of which hubs are banked and which are omnidirectional etc.
DL copied B6 but expanded seatback AVOD and WiFi to a global level. Yes, United copied DL on those strategies.
NW and then DL was the largest carrier...
One of Kirby's first UA earnings call had him saying that he was rolling UA's hubs and how well that had worked. DL CREATED the hub concept at ATL 80 years ago and has mastered the art of which hubs are banked and which are omnidirectional etc.
DL copied B6 but expanded seatback AVOD and WiFi to a global level. Yes, United copied DL on those strategies.
NW and then DL was the largest carrier on the Pacific before UA was; DL had an extensive network of flights to India, the Middle East and Eastern Europe before UA ever did.
UA is copying DL's massive domestic presence. UA realized that domestic presence is part of why Amex gave DL such a good deal; flying to Mongolia contributes nothing to the value of a domestic credit card partnership.
the only thing that DL copied anyone doing is business class lounges and there are plenty of other airlines that did it including Air France.
and you still can't figure out that UA can't actually get airplanes DELIVERED. and Boeing has no incentive to deliver to UA given that it has ordered years worth of deliveries already. Airbus has delivered more widebodies to DL than any other US has received new widebodies over the last two years. and UA copied running to Airbus to bail them out of Boeing's inability to deliver Maxs. Airbus say "no can do" while a few leasing companies have a couple dozen which they are happy to rent to UA.
yes, most of UA's strategies that Kirby has employed are copies of what DL has done.
This maybe the single dumbest post you've ever made on this site. Its an orgasm of incredible nonsense really
Tim’s wife and friend, if you are reading this, please start setting up specific times of the day for Tim to use the computer. If he behaves, he gets 15 min bonuses. It should work ! Also, convince him to take down all the Scott Kirby articles that he has covering the walls of his playroom. His obsession is getting out of control. Thanks !
you mean, "please don't hurt my ego by reminding us all of "the dark side" of UA's execs including Scott Kirby"
playing nice according to you is not speaking the truth which is something that cannot be negotiated or restricted.
13>10
When the AA executives were saying that "only price matters", United was smart enough to say "wait that's really dumb".
and you do realize who was responsible for pricing and network at AA and US for years, don't you?
Why did it take Scott Kirby so long to figure out that strategy doesn't matter?
Oh tim
It’s funny that your tiny brain assumes what was right for US was right for AA and UA. Are you really this bad at business strategy?
Scott never applied US to AA. He’s the reason seat back TVs at AA stayed… until he left.
Scott Kirby had full responsibility for his actions at US and AA. He changed because he realized his strategies were failures.
and he copied DL.
and Kirby also was the US architect for the DL-US DCA-LGA slot swap which handed DL the largest position at LGA which they have since built on to become the largest airline at JFK and now is 33% larger in NYC flights than UA, the 2nd largest carrier.
UA...
Scott Kirby had full responsibility for his actions at US and AA. He changed because he realized his strategies were failures.
and he copied DL.
and Kirby also was the US architect for the DL-US DCA-LGA slot swap which handed DL the largest position at LGA which they have since built on to become the largest airline at JFK and now is 33% larger in NYC flights than UA, the 2nd largest carrier.
UA had his hands all over the first gift to DL from US and he is at the helm of UA further solidifying DL's lead over UA in NYC.
Kirby is not the genius you want to think he is.
He learned from a lot of painful mistakes that cost the companies he led lots of money.
And he is still doing it at UA.
He changed because he’s smarter than you and realized US was not AA was not UA
You’re just an idiot. Scott is smart enough to shift strategy while you blather on a comment board
I had no part in the LGA/DCA slot decision, max.
And I am smarter than you because I know EXACTLY what the issue is while you try to confuse and deflect.
Scott Kirby is PRECISELY what has made DL as large as DL is in NYC now - and Kirby did it TWICE!
We're your fired from Delta?
No, he was never hired. Just an obsessed fanboy that posts on SeekingAlpha like he’s an expert in the industry.
did you graduate from 5th grade?
I’m Tim’s wife and I endorse this message.
13 reasons over only 10 for the worlds most perfect airline?! Trigger warning in 3…2….1….