In the spirit of positive reinforcement, in this post I wanted to share an updated list of the things that I think United Airlines does well (forgetting for a moment the FAA’s increased oversight of the airline). The airline has quite a few things going for it already, and is headed in the right thing when it comes to passenger experience.
In separate posts, I’m taking an updated 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.
In no particular order, below are 12 things I like about United Airlines…
In this post:
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 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 ultra long haul flights, 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.
Scott Kirby
Scott Kirby is United Airlines’ CEO, and if you ask me, he’s doing an amazing job. 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. Kirby thinks United will be most successful if it improves its product, and that’s something I like.
Refreshing the narrow body fleet
While American Airlines is just finishing the process of ripping seat back TVs off its narrow body jets, United Airlines is going 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.
The catch is that as of now, only a small percentage of United’s domestic fleet has these features. This is an area where I appreciate the company’s vision, rather than the current reality of how things are.
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 787-9s have 48 business class seats, while American’s 787-9s have 30 business class seats, and Delta’s A350-900s (the most comparable plane) have 32 business class seats. While American is in the process of introducing more premium 787s, and while Delta is adding business class seats to some A350s, United is still poised to have the highest ratio of premium seats on its wide body jets.
Polaris business class seats & bedding
In addition to the sheer size of United’s business class cabins, the airline is finally at a spot where it has a pretty consistent business class hard product. At this point United has finished reconfiguring Boeing 787s, 777s, 787s, and 767s, with the new 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).
On top of that, United has excellent bedding in Polaris business class, which I think is another competitive advantage over American and Delta. Unfortunately the rest of the Polaris soft product improvements are more or less a thing of the past.
United Airlines app & website
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.
Polaris Lounges
United Polaris Lounges are in my opinion the best international business class lounges offered by any US airline. The lounges are spectacular, with incredible attention paid to design. The lounges also have a la carte dining, custom made espresso drinks, and more. They’re available in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington, so it’s also nice how many hubs have these lounges.
The only downside is that United has strict access requirements, as you can only use them when flying Star Alliance first or business class — no status level will get you into these lounges.
Million Miler status
While I don’t think United MileagePlus as such is a competitive advantage, the United Million Miler program is by far 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 better than the Delta Million Miler program, and infinitely better than the American Million Miler program, which is abysmal.
MileagePlus miles are easy to earn
United MileagePlus is transfer partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards, meaning that United miles are easy to come by, thanks to instant transfers. Now, you might not actually want to redeem your Chase Ultimate Rewards points this way, but it’s nice to have the flexibility.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
This is an advantage over American AAdvantage, since the program doesn’t partner with major transferrable points currencies. Meanwhile Delta SkyMiles partners with Amex Membership Rewards, though you do have to pay a federal excise tax when transferring points, and I can’t imagine why you’d want to transfer Amex points to Delta.
- Earn 2x miles on United purchases
- Free Checked Bag
- Two United Club Passes Annually
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95
- Earn 4x miles on United purchases
- United Club℠ Access
- Earn PQPs Towards Status
- $525
- Earn 2x MileagePlus miles on United purchases
- Earn 2x MileagePlus miles on gas station purchases
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
- $0
- 3x miles on United
- 2x miles on dining
- Free first and second checked bags
- $250
- Earn 2x miles on United purchases
- Annual Travel Credit
- Anniversary Bonus Miles
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $99
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.
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.
No fuel surcharges on MileagePlus awards
While United MileagePlus redemption rates are steep in many cases, MileagePlus is the only one of the “big three” frequent flyer programs to not have fuel surcharges on any partner award tickets. Both American AAdvantage and Delta SkyMiles have these on select partner redemptions, so I appreciate the precedent United has set with this.
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 how the company evolves.
Unfortunately noticeably absent from my list are a few major things that make the flying experience better — customer service, high speed Wi-Fi, and the current state of the domestic flying experience.
I’m curious to hear what OMAAT readers think — what do you think United Airlines does well?
I also like how in the wake of the March incidents, Kirby didn’t scapegoat Boeing for those. Yes, he called out Boeing before that for loose bolts and rightfully so, but that’s different than scapegoating Boeing for the incidents that don’t reasonably point to Boeing.
the media did repeatedly highlight that these were (mostly) Boeing jets and I am certain that behind the scenes, Boeing made certain the FAA knew what was likely carrier-caused - if there was any doubt.
given that a number of the incidents (which go back before March) involved 757s 767s and 777s and others involved A320 family aircraft, no one with any industry knowledge would have believed it if UA had tried to blame Boeing - and UA knew that as well.
... i agree, UNITED is doing a good job on the mentioned things.
BUT, . . . most of the App features you like so much are "old" CONTINENTAL features, like flight status, actual seat availability, plane rotations and and and so NOT all the good things come from UNITED.
For me personally, i wish UNITED would be CONTINENTAL and most of there Crews had that CONTINENTAL spirit!
HUGE difference to be...
... i agree, UNITED is doing a good job on the mentioned things.
BUT, . . . most of the App features you like so much are "old" CONTINENTAL features, like flight status, actual seat availability, plane rotations and and and so NOT all the good things come from UNITED.
For me personally, i wish UNITED would be CONTINENTAL and most of there Crews had that CONTINENTAL spirit!
HUGE difference to be seen very often on ex CO EWR, IAD staff compared to UA LAX, SFO, DEN staff.
I guess same could be said about ex HP guys at PHX compared to AA staff at JFK or ORD, i'd prefer the people that still have that "what we serve is you" spirit! ;-) LOL
You say Kirby is focused on improving the product. Then why has he not fixed the awful catering? He's had years to do this.
BA appointed Do & Co to be their primary caterer, and the product improved immediately.
Why hasn't United done the same?
In 2003 I swore I’d never fly United again. Is was a flight from LAX to Sydney in economy and it was atrocious.
Years later I went to the US for a wedding and couldn’t resist their business fare and it was okay. Not great but good for the price. It undid my disable of the airline.
Relatively recently I flew Polaris over the Pacific and thought the experience was very good. It’d no ANA...
In 2003 I swore I’d never fly United again. Is was a flight from LAX to Sydney in economy and it was atrocious.
Years later I went to the US for a wedding and couldn’t resist their business fare and it was okay. Not great but good for the price. It undid my disable of the airline.
Relatively recently I flew Polaris over the Pacific and thought the experience was very good. It’d no ANA or or SQ (for example) but it’s better than fine.
I’ll say this for US carriers, too: they tend to to have a great variety of juices and soft drinks which i appreciate very much.
Muñoz did a great job turning United around, IMO.
Family pooling!
You make some valid assertions. Others, like Kirby being an asset, not so much. In fact, thanks in large part to Kirby's being a soulless bean counter that many of the things you mentioned were on the potential chopping block or devalued. How was United on giving refunds when Covid began? Who decided to worsen the Polaris experience upon taking over as CEO? Who eviscerated employee bonuses? The list goes on...
Despite United taking many...
You make some valid assertions. Others, like Kirby being an asset, not so much. In fact, thanks in large part to Kirby's being a soulless bean counter that many of the things you mentioned were on the potential chopping block or devalued. How was United on giving refunds when Covid began? Who decided to worsen the Polaris experience upon taking over as CEO? Who eviscerated employee bonuses? The list goes on...
Despite United taking many more wrong steps than right ones under Kirby I do have to give the guy props for actual leadership. Sure, he mostly leads in the wrong direction but any leadership is better than the management at American.
Does this somewhat subjective love list mean that you'll be rejoining the ranks of regular United passengers again?
and the real question to ask is how much experience has Ben had flying UA or any US airline other than AA where he has status.
Gary regularly flies WN and probably has a more objective ability to look at the US carriers domestic operations.
Ben regularly gets on foreign carriers in premium cabins but that is not the way most of his readers or Americans fly.
Ben has a niche in...
and the real question to ask is how much experience has Ben had flying UA or any US airline other than AA where he has status.
Gary regularly flies WN and probably has a more objective ability to look at the US carriers domestic operations.
Ben regularly gets on foreign carriers in premium cabins but that is not the way most of his readers or Americans fly.
Ben has a niche in writing about premium cabin service on foreign airlines but his ability to provide an objective assessment of the US airline industry is much smaller than many of his readers.
It's interesting that there's nothing in the piece about safety or transportation. Isn't an airline's main job to safely transport people and goods from one place to another? Or is it providing lounges and tiny TV sets?
Aren't all airlines in the U.S. safe to fly these days?
well there is something in the piece - Ben noted the safety audit of UA but says "let's not focus on that" despite the fact that the FAA has never audited a US airline and at the same time prohibited them from adding cities AND fully controlling their pilot training and certification processes.
Structurally, United has the best potential in terms of hubs. SFO DEN ORD IAH EWR IAD is a strong hand to have, stronger than DL or AA. Maybe DFW instead of IAH and having ATL would be ideal for them but you can't have everything.
United also has the best sounding name.
UA's hubs are in large metro areas but also some of the most competitive - and explains why UA will have a much harder time growing its domestic revenue.
and you can argue whether it is better to be in a smaller player (percentage of total market) in a large market or a large player (percentage of market) in a medium sized market.
AA, DL, and WN all do a better job of...
UA's hubs are in large metro areas but also some of the most competitive - and explains why UA will have a much harder time growing its domestic revenue.
and you can argue whether it is better to be in a smaller player (percentage of total market) in a large market or a large player (percentage of market) in a medium sized market.
AA, DL, and WN all do a better job of "dominating" their markets than UA does and that is part of why they do better domestically than UA.
and while UA has a strong international operation from many of its hubs, it really does not provide any structural advantages to those markets; other carriers can and are entering those markets. UA's international advantage is because of size but there are far less barriers for other airlines to enter UA's international markets than for UA to enter other airlines' domestic markets.
so, no, structurally, UA does not have a hub advantage.
#triggered
the only people that are triggered are those that can't stand to read other people's opinions, esp. if they include facts that upset status quo thinking
If UAL's network was industry leading, they would be delivering industry leading revenue - but they aren't.
"AA, DL, and WN all do a better job of "dominating" their markets than UA does and that is part of why they do better domestically than UA.
and while UA has a strong international operation from many of its hubs, it really does not provide any structural advantages to those markets; other carriers can and are entering those markets."
ORD is probably the only exception here and is in a similar situation to...
"AA, DL, and WN all do a better job of "dominating" their markets than UA does and that is part of why they do better domestically than UA.
and while UA has a strong international operation from many of its hubs, it really does not provide any structural advantages to those markets; other carriers can and are entering those markets."
ORD is probably the only exception here and is in a similar situation to JFK/LGA. DL is also very poor there. DEN and IAH, EWR and IAD to a lesser extent, are all very UA dominated.
SEA and ATL DL have, sure. Not as geographically advantaged. DTW doesn't even really matter anymore.
WN has no comparisons these days.
You have to concede that UA's superior hub cities make it easier to grow customer loyalty though? You can't beat nonstops from places like ORD, SFO, LAX, IAH, and IAD. (EWR gets a lol though).
DL has less culturally relevant hubs and all of its stakes in relevant cities are contested. ATL could be a minor exception, but ultimately, MSP, DTW, and SLC are not exactly "prime" cities with bustling populations. And all of its...
You have to concede that UA's superior hub cities make it easier to grow customer loyalty though? You can't beat nonstops from places like ORD, SFO, LAX, IAH, and IAD. (EWR gets a lol though).
DL has less culturally relevant hubs and all of its stakes in relevant cities are contested. ATL could be a minor exception, but ultimately, MSP, DTW, and SLC are not exactly "prime" cities with bustling populations. And all of its other hubs like LGA, LAX, BOS, JFK, and SEA, they compete with one or more strong contenders and are not truly dominant.
Keep in mind @yoloswag420 that most people live in these big cities like San Francisco or Houston, not smaller places like Salt Lake or Minneappolis.
Denver and Houston also have a lot and I mean a lot of growth ahead of them.
Why would UA be able to grow its customer loyalty in a market where it has less share?
Delta gets the most revenue from its loyalty and credit card programs and has specifically said that is happening because they are growing their presence in large, competitive coastal markets - which is exactly what UA says is its strength.
UA is trying to grow its network in medium and smaller markets where AA, DL...
Why would UA be able to grow its customer loyalty in a market where it has less share?
Delta gets the most revenue from its loyalty and credit card programs and has specifically said that is happening because they are growing their presence in large, competitive coastal markets - which is exactly what UA says is its strength.
UA is trying to grow its network in medium and smaller markets where AA, DL and WN are all much larger - and in some cases B6 as well.
And in your smear of DTW, MSP and SLC, you forget that DL is the largest airline in NYC and LAX in terms of number of flights and LOCAL passengers carried. CF just published an article today about AA's revenue weakness and notes that DL gets the highest revenue in the NYC-LAX; he actually noted that AA has the highest average fare but DL carries the most local passengers in the market (which includes EWR). NYC-LAX is the highest revenue market in the country. You conveniently cherrypick comparisons which make UA look good and forget major, major markets where UA is not the largest.
Even in Texas, the DFW market is far larger than Houston and AA is a larger revenue airline in Texas than UA.
In the Midwest, the dual DTW and MSP hubs combine to generate more revenue in the Midwest than UA does at ORD.
DL gets more local revenue from BOS than UA does from IAD - which is a fairly small part of the Baltimore/Washington metro area.
DL, not UA is the largest carrier at LAX and LAX is a larger market than SFO.
and the biggest factor is that people like A220 not only don't understand US demographics but they don't understand how poorly UA does outside of the top 10 metros where, in fact, less than 25% of Americans live. And UA's size in the top 10 metros is highly competitive while there are hundreds of MSAs in the US where UA is the number 4 or smaller carrier.
Even if UA was number 1 in all of the top 10 metros - which it is not - it still could not be the largest airline; UA along with everyone of the big 4 is a nationwide airline and UA does very poorly in market share outside of its hubs - and isn't even the largest in a number of its metro areas.
The biggest negative about UA is its insufferable fan club that has no idea or is unwilling to accept basic facts about how strong or weak UA actually is.
Fortunately, Scott Kirby and the UA exec team does understand those facts - they just can't build a realistic and achievable plan that will address those weaknesses faster than its peers.
“CF just published an article today about AA's revenue weakness and notes that DL gets the highest revenue in the NYC-LAX; he actually noted that AA has the highest average fare but DL carries the most local passengers in the market (which includes EWR)”
CF never mentioned anything in that article about DL's total revenue on NYC-LAX nor carrying the most local passengers in the market. The only thing you correctly cited from CF is...
“CF just published an article today about AA's revenue weakness and notes that DL gets the highest revenue in the NYC-LAX; he actually noted that AA has the highest average fare but DL carries the most local passengers in the market (which includes EWR)”
CF never mentioned anything in that article about DL's total revenue on NYC-LAX nor carrying the most local passengers in the market. The only thing you correctly cited from CF is AA having the highest average fare.
In fact, CF in a separate article claims that United is #1 in NYC at 25.5% market share using DOT O&D data pulled from Cirium.
You constantly distort truths. In the AA sister article by OMAAT, you claim less than 20 767s fly internationally when that number is over 30.
You claim that a third of DL wide bodies have doors, when that number is currently less than 30%.
You complain about how other people can’t accept basic facts, yet claim that Ben was banned from flying United even when he still flies and has multiple reviews of them.
Did you forget that you were banned from airlinersnet and airlineforumscom under multiple handles? That you were 86ed at Delta during Leadership 7.5? Brett put a character limit on so you stop treating a the comment section like a monologue section.
The AA, UA, and even DL fan groups along with website authors all seem to share a similar disdain for your presence. It’s hilarious how you think it’s “facts” that garnishes you so much resentment, yet CF which is heavily data driven their analysis receives a tiny fraction of that?
Scott Kirby has been promoted up the chain with more success than you and clearly that’s a source of tension and embarrassment for you.
first, CF noted RASM CHANGE. I and others know the number of passengers that fly each airline on NYC-LAX. DL IS the largest revenue carrier.
DL has about 50 out of 150 international widebodies that have doors. My number is correct.
CF does not have access to international O&D data.
My disdain for Scott Kirby is because he incessantly is focused on promoting himself and whatever he touches. There is a reason he was...
first, CF noted RASM CHANGE. I and others know the number of passengers that fly each airline on NYC-LAX. DL IS the largest revenue carrier.
DL has about 50 out of 150 international widebodies that have doors. My number is correct.
CF does not have access to international O&D data.
My disdain for Scott Kirby is because he incessantly is focused on promoting himself and whatever he touches. There is a reason he was pushed out of AA and he took all of the people with him that think just like him. If anyone is as good as they say they are, people will notice.
And part of the hot water UA is in because he has trash-talked enough high-ranking people that they decided to give him a run for his money.
you have no idea what I do so have no idea not only how I define success and whether I have achieved it.
and one more thing, Mktg, No one has yet to publish O&D market shares for domestic and international AFTER UA had to reduce the size of its EWR operation last fall - because the data is not even available.
Delta consistently operates 18% more flights from ALL 3 NYC airports than UA and that has most definitely had an impact on UA's ability to compete for local traffic.
And given that DL is...
and one more thing, Mktg, No one has yet to publish O&D market shares for domestic and international AFTER UA had to reduce the size of its EWR operation last fall - because the data is not even available.
Delta consistently operates 18% more flights from ALL 3 NYC airports than UA and that has most definitely had an impact on UA's ability to compete for local traffic.
And given that DL is now operating 2 more widebodies to S. America than UA - even for part of the year - DL has overtaken UA in the NYC to Latin America market.
You and others love to cling to the past but the simple fact is that DL has taken a "slow but sure" growth strategy in NYC and they are slowly chipping away at the lead that UA gained in NYC from the CO merger.
And when you combine DL's growth at BOS which is a larger LOCAL market for DL than IAD is for UA, UA's size in the entire NE is being challenged. As DL adds JFK-Asia flights - and they are coming - the int'l lead UA has had will fall even more.
and DL is doing a better job of building its presence in coastal markets - where UA has traditionally been strong - than UA has done in building in those interior US markets that you and others look down on but where AA, DL and WN carry the majority of traffic that they are not going to let go of.
You don't like those facts regardless of where they come from so disparage the messenger but they are indeed facts.
one final thing.
I get that NYC is so strategically important for everyone - it is UA's largest market by local market revenue but ATL holds that title for DL.
Given that DL is gaining there and in BOS and LAX - and stable in SEA - it isn't hard to see that changes in NYC matter for the rest of the system.
don't forget that US airlines and the FAA have agreed...
one final thing.
I get that NYC is so strategically important for everyone - it is UA's largest market by local market revenue but ATL holds that title for DL.
Given that DL is gaining there and in BOS and LAX - and stable in SEA - it isn't hard to see that changes in NYC matter for the rest of the system.
don't forget that US airlines and the FAA have agreed to limit capacity at LGA, JFK and DCA because of ATC constraints.
EWR is not slot-controlled and is not being limited because of ATC capacity but because the airport simply cannot handle any more movements.
And when you consider that JFK is the only airport in NYC that could see growth - it has the most runway capacity - DL will be in a very advantageous position at JFK and LGA when it can add back 10% more flights.
again, you cling to old data about NYC that shows that UA is larger but right now, not then, DL is operating 18% more flights out of NYC's 3 airports.
DL hasn't restarted flights from JFK to Asia but those will come. Like 2025 and beyond.
And slots will be added back to both LGA and JFK which could result in DL ending up with 25% more flights from NYC than UA - or more.
UA's decision to leave JFK was as huge of a strategic error - even though it wasn't Kirby's - as Kirby's decision to give away 1/4 of the LGA slots to DL for $60 million.
UA is simply in a no-growth scenario for NYC and Kirby knows it.
UA can and will upgauge but so can everyone else including DL. And when you cut off some of those small cities from EWR in order to flow connections over IAD to make those routes work, some longhaul international flights won't work from EWR any more, esp. with the high revenue that is needed to make A321XLR flights work because they already have much higher costs per passenger. You can't fill them up w/ leisure passengers to make them profitable.
He sees that DL is slowly building NYC and can see what DL has done on the coasts and sees the freight train coming for UA at NYC which is part of why he is doubling down on trying to take a larger piece of the domestic market.
Kirby understands well what is happening in the industry. My criticism of him is that he thinks he can fix all of UA's problems in a fraction of the time that they were created and that every other party will bend over backwards to make UA's plans work. Both of those things are simply not reality.
“again, you cling to old data about NYC that shows that UA is larger but right now, not then, DL is operating 18% more flights out of NYC's 3 airports.”
Lucky you for you, the data that shows UA and DL the largest carrier in NYC by local market share is the most recent full year data available for O&D. What’s even more hilarious is that UA as an operating carrier has seen more growth...
“again, you cling to old data about NYC that shows that UA is larger but right now, not then, DL is operating 18% more flights out of NYC's 3 airports.”
Lucky you for you, the data that shows UA and DL the largest carrier in NYC by local market share is the most recent full year data available for O&D. What’s even more hilarious is that UA as an operating carrier has seen more growth for flights since 2022 out of NYC at 17% vs. DL 12%.
“DL has about 50 out of 150 international widebodies that have doors. My number is correct”
As of writing, DL has 46 aircraft with doors out of 162 that have carry passengers. 28% is not a third of DLs WB fleet ya idiot.
Not of that changes that DL has a smaller operation at EWR than UA at LGA, nor that DL at JFK, LGA, and EWR combined is still significantly smaller than UA at EWR. Also, DL loss several corporate contracts, including but not limited to the entertainment industry, when terminating LAX-LHR since being largest in LA means nothing to corporate customers if you can’t serve the most important corporate market across the Atlantic. DL now has the honor of serving less translatlantic destinations from LA than Saudia, Norse, or Lufthansa.
Clearly you’re projecting your insecurities of being relegated to the comment section while Scott Kirby is relegated to CEO of the largest airline in NYC.
When the data doesn’t lie, Tim forever cries! All hail the Hanger Queen, Tim Dunn!
I'm surprised that the fact that United has by-far the largest Economy Plus cabin hasn't been mentioned as a major perk. As a lowly UA Gold member, I am consistently able to get my partner and I seated in the extra-legroom seats that would otherwise cost hundreds of dollars if I were to pay for outright (especially on long-haul flights, I'm only in the pointy-end of the plane on occasionally). For a tall guy like...
I'm surprised that the fact that United has by-far the largest Economy Plus cabin hasn't been mentioned as a major perk. As a lowly UA Gold member, I am consistently able to get my partner and I seated in the extra-legroom seats that would otherwise cost hundreds of dollars if I were to pay for outright (especially on long-haul flights, I'm only in the pointy-end of the plane on occasionally). For a tall guy like me, that is a huge advantage. AA and DL by comparison have puny little extra legroom seat sections that are almost always full by the time you book your flights anyway. AA and DL say that they offer booze for free in that section, but honestly if I want a drink, I don't mind paying a few bucks for it.
Ding ding ding - nailed it
i agree 100% Angus!
EconomyPlus was not listed and a VERY good point. ;-)
Well, you mention points where they do well, but it’s really tough to think about things United does well when flights can’t even take off, operationally speaking United is a disaster, fleet and crew management are horrendous, staff are just not motivated. And if we talk about pax experienceon board, man is so frustrating.
And, sad to see that people love the app because it is great to deal with IROPs. After being loyal, one day I promised myself never to fly UA again, and have not missed them at all
One of your best articles Ben - thank you. I look forward to your take on AA and UA, along with your lists of the negatives for each too.
One of your best articles Ben - thank you. I look forward to your take on AA and UA, along with your lists of the negatives for each too.
Sorry - I meant AA and DL
Thanks as always for your wonderful content. The strongest feature of UA for me is the powerful app - IROPs are so much easier with real time changes, especially at hubs. Too bad they nerfed MileagePlus.
UA also serves horrible food in flight when compared to DL or AA. Then again all three serve crappy food when compared to ME or Asian airlines.
I also prefer the Flagship lounge over Polaris’s.
AA food is also pretty bad? In fact, I'd say their catering floor is possibly lower than United's, albeit their food has the potential to be better than UA's.
I'd say it goes DL >>> AA (good day) > UA > AA (bad day)
Depends! It's a hit or miss with AA.
I have had good breakfasts from MCO to DFW, MCO to LAX, and horrible ones from MCO to CLT and ORD. I have also had okay dinners from DFW to MCO, one so bad that 60% of the first-class passengers didn't even bother to order.
Thank you. It's really nice to see a positive article. I haven't flown United in years. I live in Europe and my choices are much better for business class here. However, your article will have me take a different look the next time United is a possibility.
lol I'm genuinely curious when Ben flew United last :)
“The only downside is that United has strict access requirements, as you can only use them when flying Star Alliance first or business class — no status level will get you into these lounges.”
I have accessed the Polaris lounge a couple of times (EWR, ORD) using my 2 free lounge passes I get every year having the Chase UA Explorer card. Of course, you have to fly by UA or Star alliance flights on the same day.
This seems highly suspect - if so that Lounge agent probably got a real talking to.
As Lucky mentions access to Polaris is extremely, intentionally, exclusive
Most likely scenario is that OP is confused and accessed the United Club. Even w/ the passes/memberships people still get denied access to the United Clubs, let alone a Polaris lounge.
So exclusive and yet I have been in the Polaris lounge at EWR and it had almost no seats available!
Should've expanded that Star Alliance Gold gets you domestic lounge access as long as they are not United Clubs. That's a very big boon compared to OWS and SkyTeam Elite+ that don't get you domestic lounge access when earned via domestic carriers.
From a frequent flier perspective let's not forget expert mode showing fare class level availability and (related to the app comment) transparent standby / upgrade lists for any flight.
Both help with planning and options and make UA 'easier' to deal with, saving many phone calls / chats.
Also the huge economy plus sections - much easier to use your lifetime elite benefit as well as 'current' elite benefit, or be a last...
From a frequent flier perspective let's not forget expert mode showing fare class level availability and (related to the app comment) transparent standby / upgrade lists for any flight.
Both help with planning and options and make UA 'easier' to deal with, saving many phone calls / chats.
Also the huge economy plus sections - much easier to use your lifetime elite benefit as well as 'current' elite benefit, or be a last minute flier.
instant upgrade from 'M' fares into GS inventory helpful for 1Ks on biz travel who can't expense first class fares but can handle a mid tier coach fare.
Upgrade program for long haul is best in the biz for 1K. instrument upgrades are harder to use across the big 3, but UA gives out more 'currency' than the others and if you are flexible that plus the long haul network = great value from instrument based comp upgrades.
i just flew UA from LAX to Kona in First and the food both ways was terrible. For a 6 hour flight they use the only plane in the fleet that can go that distance with no seat back entertainment and the wifi is spotty at best flying over the ocean.
So are you now allowed to fly United?
The app while great with providing info is extremely old-fashioned versus popular apps. I chat with the senior developer on Twitter often
"The only downside is that United has strict access requirements"
I don't see that as a downside, to be honest.
Curious why you started w/ UA in this "series" and not AA or any airline that is #1 in some metric other than ASMs.
A true analysis of Scott Kirby (since he wants to be seen as the face of United) and UA as a whole should be done side by side - positives and negatives - and should be about more than subjective assessments but should include a number of objective measurements.
Scott...
Curious why you started w/ UA in this "series" and not AA or any airline that is #1 in some metric other than ASMs.
A true analysis of Scott Kirby (since he wants to be seen as the face of United) and UA as a whole should be done side by side - positives and negatives - and should be about more than subjective assessments but should include a number of objective measurements.
Scott Kirby's progress to date and the measurement of his and UA"s success to date is related to his being a career airline exec - does he have any work experience outside of the airline industry - and how badly UA was mismanaged for years.
The UA/CO merger made a disproportionately larger international airline because CO was 50% international revenue at one time. The flip side is that CO was very weak domestically and had little share outside of its hubs; UA is still struggling w/ trying to correct that.
And Kirby's "strength" is that he recognized all of UA's shortcomings and set out to correct them all in a matter of a couple weeks.
The reality is that UA has really not achieved much of the transformation that Kirby set out to do:
1. It is still the least domestic carrier of the big 4 - and at least 6th in the industry in Florida. No other big 4 carrier is as disproportionately down the list in any major market (and don't say DL in Texas because it is still 4 out of the big 4 in total capacity because of hubs but #2 in the local market at a number of Texas airports)
2. Scott Kirby ordered hundreds of planes which there was no reasonable expectation could be delivered on time which is why they have a single digit percentage of their existing fleet converted to their new cabins.
3. Growth became too big of a goal which is why they are under an FAA audit which includes no ability to add new cities and a limitation on the ability to self-certify line check pilots.
4. UA might have the most consistent premium cabin product but it is not industry-leading and they haven't even announced a program to get that done. AA and DL have or will have suites with doors long before UA does.
5. what honestly does having the most expansive international route system translate into? Please let me know what corporate customer or revenue advantage UA has because it has more international revenue? They don't. Like ASMs, the number of destinations - foreign or domestic - doesn't correlate to anything meaningful other than for airline geeks - of which Scott Kirby is one.
And most significantly, as much as some want to pretend it doesn't matter, UA has not fixed its earnings rank relative to its competitors. In fact, UA's earnings relative to DL, the industry leader in profitability and revenues, is wider than it was pre-covid - and the gap will continue to grow.
There is nothing wrong w/ touting any company's strengths but there needs to be an objective and meaningful comparison of weaknesses and a side by side assessment of what those strengths really mean not just compared to that airline but also to its competitors.
Scott Kirby has talked alot but hasn't really moved UA competitively any more than any other airline. AA is financially weak but arguably has a far superior domestic route system, DL has the best balance across the board: of domestic vs. international, finances vs. spending, customer service, strategic foresight, and the ability to execute its strategies, while WN has the best balance sheet and the best ability to disrupt the industry without "getting in trouble" with the feds for it.
Let's see how well UA looks in a few years esp. relative to what UA and Kirby said they would do relative to what other airlines are saying they will do.
What a surprise this article riled you up lol
So much nonsense in your post
What does this even mean?
“is still the least domestic carrier of the big 4 - and at least 6th in the industry in Florida. No other big 4 carrier is as disproportionately down the list in any major market (and don't say DL in Texas because it is still 4 out of the big 4 in...
What a surprise this article riled you up lol
So much nonsense in your post
What does this even mean?
“is still the least domestic carrier of the big 4 - and at least 6th in the industry in Florida. No other big 4 carrier is as disproportionately down the list in any major market (and don't say DL in Texas because it is still 4 out of the big 4 in total capacity because of hubs but #2 in the local market at a number of Texas airports)”
Because I’ll tell you. Delta is still a distant #4 in texas as much as you seem to hate talking about delta’s network deficiencies. Let’s call a spade a spade. Delta is a DISTANT 4th in texas. They’re still #3 in austin with no plan to serve more p2p vs AA even.
Finding Love Field and dfw as some kind reference where delta is a VERY distant #3 in the dfw area as a way to prop up your tragic argument is just that, tragic. Delta ran away from dfw with its tail between its legs. They haven’t been able to make any route work from love field work aside from Atlanta and who knows how long that will last after delta fled from other love field markets after barely a few months even trying. Really says something for how bad delta’s loyalty is in DFW area when their love field plans went so horribly wrong.
Go troll somewhere else
Scott Kirby has many faults but the absolute irony of a fired has-been from delta wannabe commenter criticizing him is honestly hilarious to anyone that isn’t Tim Dunn.
United has a long way to grow to build domestic capacity, for sure, but criticizing them for Boeing’s faults is all kinds of stupid and begs the question why delta has so many MAX-10s on order…
I was COUNTING the number of minutes until you showed up.
All ANYONE needs to know is that YOU posted that we should be in AWE of United's performance - which simply says that it is YOU that are so emotionally attached to UA that you can't stand for anyone to objectively assess how well United, a company does.
I am not trolling. I am asking for and providing an honest assessment of...
I was COUNTING the number of minutes until you showed up.
All ANYONE needs to know is that YOU posted that we should be in AWE of United's performance - which simply says that it is YOU that are so emotionally attached to UA that you can't stand for anyone to objectively assess how well United, a company does.
I am not trolling. I am asking for and providing an honest assessment of what strengths really mean. As much as some want to tout someone or something's strengths, there is a downside. and it is absolutely fair to ask for an honest assessment of pros and cons.
Delta has fewer MAXs on order than any of the big 4 and perhaps any other US airline. UA intentionally doubled down on MAX and 787 orders and built their growth plans around those models even though the MAX 10 was not certified and the 787 has been facing delivery delays almost the entire time it has been in service. And, btw, the same criticism can be leveled at WN and its commitment to Boeing. The MAX 7 is far more delayed than the MAX 10 and WN had the MAX 7 on order before the 2 MAX 8 crashes. Knowing how well your suppliers can meet your needs IS part of what responsible companies do. Kirby simply built an unachievable and unrealistic plan and they will pay the price for years for it.
Flattered that you spent so many minutes pining for me and counting down for me
A full hour!?
Now go be a troll elsewhere
The irony of a has been delta troll trying to second guess Scott Kirby is not lost on anyone
The guy isn’t god but he’s done a lot more to build shareholder value than you ever will.
and the amount of CONNECTING capacity at an airport is meaningless. A passenger that is flying from DCA to SAN and connecting in any one of ATL, DFW or IAH does nothing for DL, AA or UA's local market position but they do provide an economic impact to those cities.
DL is the 2nd largest carrier at DFW and Love Field, Houston Hobby, and probably will be at Austin by the time AA's pulldown...
and the amount of CONNECTING capacity at an airport is meaningless. A passenger that is flying from DCA to SAN and connecting in any one of ATL, DFW or IAH does nothing for DL, AA or UA's local market position but they do provide an economic impact to those cities.
DL is the 2nd largest carrier at DFW and Love Field, Houston Hobby, and probably will be at Austin by the time AA's pulldown takes place. DL is pretty close to #2 if not there at IAH.
It is far more consequential to networks that UA is as small as it is in Florida and that AA is as small as it is in the mountain states.
What a stupid response btw lol
Are you suggesting that if we ignore connecting traffic and focus on texas originating, delta somehow moves out of its distant 4th place position in texas?
Yeah. I thought not. More hot air and nonsense from you.
Tim has to be the highest maintenance person on this blog
and, Ben, I would love to see a side by side of app and website functionality for the big 3 at least in order to make an assessment of which is best.
UA has MORE information because it allows standby lists to be seen by anyone rather than just passengers that are affected by it and also leaves seat maps on the website after departure. Those are POLICY decisions which provide no greater customer...
and, Ben, I would love to see a side by side of app and website functionality for the big 3 at least in order to make an assessment of which is best.
UA has MORE information because it allows standby lists to be seen by anyone rather than just passengers that are affected by it and also leaves seat maps on the website after departure. Those are POLICY decisions which provide no greater customer service but do allow a whole lot of people who don't need to know be aware of details about UA's flights. How is that an advantage?
I distinctly remember you touting when UA started having bag tracking through the app - until someone reminded you that DL had that capability years before UA provided it.
and as for Scott Kirby being able to articulate his vision -he also has said things that have hurt United. Going head to head with a government official or agency very publicly rarely works well. UA not only didn't get any relief from trying to blame the FAA for ATC staffing but ended up having to cut flights at EWR.
So far, UA has not announced any more aircraft from Airbus and Boeing very much did point the figure at United behind the scenes for some of the incidents that the media was quick to pin on Boeing - which is why UA is having not just a safety audit but restrictions imposed which have never been placed on any of the largest airlines as part of a "routine" FAA review.
and UA will lose money this quarter while its order book doesn't get any smaller but its revenues will; other airlines will be able to return capacity after the P&W GTF groundings before UA sees a return to its pre-Alaska accident Boeing delivery plan. and UA's fleet will continue to be the oldest among large US airlines and will get older and more expensive to maintain as UA holds onto aircraft in order to try to hold onto its growth plan.
There are two sides to every coin.
I have to admit that while it is very deranged behavior for everyone on this site to think exclusively about you Timmy. But this is exactly the kind of visceral reaction that causes such a hivemind about you.
This UA post is pretty innocuous. Is it not ok for other US carriers to be praised? UA has done a really good job w/ its international growth and should be commended imo, even if I don't fly them often.
thank you for recognizing that the internet reaction to me is over the board.
As for whether this article is innocuous, it is an opinion piece backed up by no substantive side by side comparisons - which is exactly what should be the case whenever there is any assessment of "best" - regardless of the industry or metric.
and the real question is how much Ben or any author that writes these types of...
thank you for recognizing that the internet reaction to me is over the board.
As for whether this article is innocuous, it is an opinion piece backed up by no substantive side by side comparisons - which is exactly what should be the case whenever there is any assessment of "best" - regardless of the industry or metric.
and the real question is how much Ben or any author that writes these types of articles has actually flown the carrier.
I would love to see, along w/ Ben's assessment, his flight record on UA over the past 24 hours - alongside other carriers.
The fact that his riders know he was banned from flying UA and brought it up legitimately raises the question of how much personal experience he has with UA. Given that UA is so small in Florida and Ben has status on AA, it is not likely that he can write an objective assessment of the industry - and the same is true of any single author site.
and, specific to international, UA became the largest international carrier with the CO merger. Kirby and the current exec team has only built on that - while only now getting around to building the domestic system but is still #4 in the entire US in domestic passengers. No airline is everything to everybody. As much as some love to tout its int'l presence, they seem to get quiet or defensive when their domestic presence is discussed.
And it still comes down to how any of this matters. I don't know of a single customer that chooses an airline based on the size of its network - domestic or international - but whether that airline flies where they need to go. for every customer that thinks that UA's network is an advantage, far more think others do better - and that is confirmed by passengers served and/or revenue.
My post is simply about perspective - but when people make comments based on emotion and internet fables that are devoid of or contrary to facts, there is every reason to raise a counterpoint.
No one says "I fly UA because they have a large international network", but rather because UA happens to have a large international network, they can offer more direct service, thereby providing more options for an easier experience for customers.
For example, if I wanted to fly SFO to TPE, an AA flyer would need to connect in TYO or HKG, but a UA flyer can book across various nonstop routes. If you couple that...
No one says "I fly UA because they have a large international network", but rather because UA happens to have a large international network, they can offer more direct service, thereby providing more options for an easier experience for customers.
For example, if I wanted to fly SFO to TPE, an AA flyer would need to connect in TYO or HKG, but a UA flyer can book across various nonstop routes. If you couple that w/ status and credit cards to encourage loyalty, then that's how a large international network can drive customer traffic.
correct.. and if a passenger intends to fly to TPE, they will make their decision based on TPE.
I know of very few companies that really care about dozens, let alone scores of international cities. They look at where they fly which does not include a list of secondary and tertiary cities across multiple continents.
and if having a massive network was an advantage, it would show up in revenue and the percent...
correct.. and if a passenger intends to fly to TPE, they will make their decision based on TPE.
I know of very few companies that really care about dozens, let alone scores of international cities. They look at where they fly which does not include a list of secondary and tertiary cities across multiple continents.
and if having a massive network was an advantage, it would show up in revenue and the percent of corporate business that a carrier gets.
UA is a leader in NEITHER of those categories largely because UA has such a small domestic network relative to its peers. Every US airline including UA is more domestic than international - UA does not even get more than 50% of its revenue from international. Having a larger domestic network translates into the ability to get more US corporate contracts and better credit card revenues.
As for the app, yes, I have used it. I don't see a countdown to boarding to be useful - but I don't need to see a countdown for much of anything.
And other airlines, including Delta Sync does that other stuff and is connected to seatback AVOD that actually exists on the majority of DL's aircraft.
The "advantage" UA's app has is the amount of info, much of it irrelevant to the average traveler; who cares or should care about being able to see the standby or upgrade list on a flight you don't fly or a seat map after departure.
I'm happy to have you weigh in and I welcome others but I have yet to see any real advantage that UA's technology provides. Like the Connection Saver which they touted, other airlines have similar systems and UA simply upgraded a system they already had; they didn't just figure out how many passengers were connecting from one flight to another. They talked endlessly about functionality that other airlines just have and use regularly.
Good lord the copium by atl100million (banned from a.net) is strong today.
This is pathetic, even for you Tim Dunn. Just when I was starting to like you too
''I would love to see, along w/ Ben's assessment, his flight record on UA over the past 24 hours - alongside other carriers.'' Not sure how what airline he has, or has not, traveled on within the last 24 hours is relevant.
¨The fact that his riders know he was banned from flying UA and brought it up legitimately raises the question of how much personal experience he has with UA.¨ Ben was not...
''I would love to see, along w/ Ben's assessment, his flight record on UA over the past 24 hours - alongside other carriers.'' Not sure how what airline he has, or has not, traveled on within the last 24 hours is relevant.
¨The fact that his riders know he was banned from flying UA and brought it up legitimately raises the question of how much personal experience he has with UA.¨ Ben was not banned from flying UA IIRC. He was banned from the loyalty program but can still fly and credit to other SA programs like Aeroplan, Kris, Lufthansa, etc. UA may of even removed his ban after so many years.
Have you even used UA's app? It's objectively pretty sophisticated and years ahead of all other competition. It integrates w/ the iPhone dynamic island and even tells you the exact seconds until boarding. It even automatically updates once you board and provides things like your flight information, inflight entertainment, and automatic wifi setup, etc.
Tim, the best response to any criticism is to simply bring up United's food.
Agreed that United does all of those things well, however CATERING is a major opportunity for United and I’d argue the worst in the industry. While United has other things to worry about about the moment (safety), their executive team needs to prioritize on board catering as it’s beyond dreadful and hasn’t improved despite what the company says.
Ding ding catering is abysmal and 'easy' to fix with the budget / will
At least they got biz intl class wines fixed and top of class among the US 3
I agree that catering is something UA needs to seriously improve on. It's very inconsistent. I fly a lot of overseas trip from SFO and the food out of SFO for the most part is okay, I can't complain. However, the food have been average to bad on my flights into SFO whether it's from SYD, TPE or HKG. What gives UA?
Not counting the international planes that already new interiors, 30% of the domestic narrowbody fleet has new interiors, with approximately 12-15 going through retrofit at a time.
Shouldn’t be too much longer before you have a better chance of getting a new interior instead of an old one.
While I generally agree, the Polaris lounge at ORD sucks. It’s small and the buffet is a joke.
bUt tHe fOoD iN pOlArIs…
(UA is my fav for all these & more, and their food has never been bad ime)
Polaris food is bad though? The lounge food is so inconsistent and on the plane, it's actually abyssmal.
Would like to see similar posts for all U.S. airlines.
Most of these apply mainly to very frequent fliers or business class travelers. As a less frequent casual traveler, I would only give them credit for united.com being good, same-day flight changes, and the ability to reduce the cost of a flight by paying with a combination of miles and money. On the other hand, it would be nice if they were better at checking the safety of their planes before they are used, especially at SFO.
United actually does not let non-elites pay $75 for same-day change any more, they can only do free same-day standby.
I'm curious, was that a recent change? Last October, our son was able to change to a later flight without a charge.
I would also argue that their *newer* lounges are getting more premium as well, as evident at ORD, EWR, and DEN. These new lounges are impressive.
Denver's is awful. No seating, completely packed. Chopped up into two dozen smaller rooms over two floors. Give us seats like the old lounge and make the food better. Or stop letting in day passes during crowded times.
Agreed! But the new regular UA lounge in Denver is fantastic.
We have had the opportunity to fly Polaris cabins recently, including a few days ago. The food had improved and the selection of highly-rated wines was impressive. The SFO lounge is very nice and huge.
DEN is treated like a bastard child. Mo Polaris lounge and the Club lounges are vastly overpacked.
For the size of hub that DEN is, It has never got the infrastructure build up from United.
Never have an issue finding a spot in Denver since the two new lounges opened. Often get a seat at the bar, too.