Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
Support MFO
Donate through PayPal
United to offer up to $10,000 to customers who voluntarily give up seats on overbooked flights
Let's see. 300 people on a flight, acting in unison, can clear $30/person, plus $1K for the person who waits 2 hrs for the next flight.
United has a full page ad in the NYTimes (p. A7), probably elsewhere.
United also promised (in the ad) not to call the cops to remove customers. I guess they'll now be holding back a couple of seats for their private bouncers. Also, remember that they still allow removal for "safety or security" which includes removing passengers for being disruptive. Who but United decides what that means?
United's likely being sincere, but as their own ad says: "Actions Speak Louder Than Words". It's not enough to put words on the page. They have a culture problem, and they need to ensure that their new rules are followed in spirit as much as in the letter.
I'll confess not being very objective on this whole matter. A bit of an aviation nut since childhood when I'd bicycle a mile or two out to the local airport to watch small planes land and take off. And I vividly recall my first commercial flight out of Detroit Metro in 1974 on an Eastern DC-8. Today I still gaze out the window, and love watching the ailerons, flaps, air-brakes/spoilers, etc. deploy on landing. Landing at 4400 ft. (now 4800 ft.) EYW on a 737 is a special treat.
So, what's really important?
Fares. And they've gone nowhere but up since I started flying 40+ years ago. Easily doubled or tripled. And, that's before all the added fees for checked bags, early boarding, "prime" seats, etc. which didn't exist back than. Generally, a pretty decent "free" in-flight dinner was served to everyone back than. Today, you're lucky if you get a bag of peanuts!
Convenience. Space in overheads is much more limited today. Check-in and security take longer. Economy seats/leg-room today are probably a bit less. Until I paid $85 for TSA pre-check, security (especially out of NYC) often bore a resemblance to being physically mauled. The overheads are "hogged" today by those who choose not to pay extra fees for checked bags (or risk losing them). In the 70s and 80s they were mostly used for smaller bags.
On-time arrival. No comparison. In the 70s flights were often delayed for last minute mechanical or operational issues. My guess would be 25-35% were late (not counting weather delays). If you wanted to get from Detroit to Tampa by 8:00 PM, better schedule a 4:00 PM arrival. Much better today.
Overbooking. Didn't exist in 1974. Long-haul domestic flights were sometimes 50% or less full.
Airline profits During much of the 70s, 80s and 90s airlines lost money. Recently, they've been profitable. This probably coincided with the mergers of several large carriers.
Competition. Perhaps a half-dozen or more "majors" in the 70 and 80s. Not many left today. The 3 remaining pretty much monopolize the market. Throw in Southwest and Jet Blue (limited segments) and you've got 5. (Alaskan is growing and may provide some badly needed competition.) Most mid-sized Michigan airports are limited to Delta, United and/or American. I find their fares on the same routes rediculously similar. Resembles price-fixing - whether it is or isn't.
Professionalism and Courtesy - I find this better today. In the 70s and 80s I was accustomed to being deceived and outright lied to by reservation and gate agents. Not perfect today - but much better. Generally, agents "level" with you and try to work out some type of mutually acceptable agreement. A lot has to do with our ability to get up to date information on our electronic devices. (Hard to believe that in the 70s and 80s you booked over the telephone and than waited days or weeks for your paper ticket to come in the mail).
Safety - No comparison. Fatal accidents were all too common in the 70s and 80s, wiping out hundreds of lives at a time, Yes - mile-per-mile flying was safer than driving - but horrific accidents were a fairly regular occurrence. A year with none was exceedingly rare.
What I see from the linked United PR blurb is an effort to come to grips with the wrath of the travelling public. Yes - the chances of being the recipient of the $10,000 payout are probably only slightly better than those of winning the state lottery. But - nice gesture. BTW: Southwest which led in bumped passengers in recent years announced today they will no longer overbook flights.
Comments
United has a full page ad in the NYTimes (p. A7), probably elsewhere.
United also promised (in the ad) not to call the cops to remove customers. I guess they'll now be holding back a couple of seats for their private bouncers. Also, remember that they still allow removal for "safety or security" which includes removing passengers for being disruptive. Who but United decides what that means?
United's likely being sincere, but as their own ad says: "Actions Speak Louder Than Words". It's not enough to put words on the page. They have a culture problem, and they need to ensure that their new rules are followed in spirit as much as in the letter.
Here's United's report on their "incident" and their new promises:
https://hub.united.com/united-review-action-report-2380196105.html
I'll confess not being very objective on this whole matter. A bit of an aviation nut since childhood when I'd bicycle a mile or two out to the local airport to watch small planes land and take off. And I vividly recall my first commercial flight out of Detroit Metro in 1974 on an Eastern DC-8. Today I still gaze out the window, and love watching the ailerons, flaps, air-brakes/spoilers, etc. deploy on landing. Landing at 4400 ft. (now 4800 ft.) EYW on a 737 is a special treat.
So, what's really important?
Fares. And they've gone nowhere but up since I started flying 40+ years ago. Easily doubled or tripled. And, that's before all the added fees for checked bags, early boarding, "prime" seats, etc. which didn't exist back than. Generally, a pretty decent "free" in-flight dinner was served to everyone back than. Today, you're lucky if you get a bag of peanuts!
Convenience. Space in overheads is much more limited today. Check-in and security take longer. Economy seats/leg-room today are probably a bit less. Until I paid $85 for TSA pre-check, security (especially out of NYC) often bore a resemblance to being physically mauled. The overheads are "hogged" today by those who choose not to pay extra fees for checked bags (or risk losing them). In the 70s and 80s they were mostly used for smaller bags.
On-time arrival. No comparison. In the 70s flights were often delayed for last minute mechanical or operational issues. My guess would be 25-35% were late (not counting weather delays). If you wanted to get from Detroit to Tampa by 8:00 PM, better schedule a 4:00 PM arrival. Much better today.
Overbooking. Didn't exist in 1974. Long-haul domestic flights were sometimes 50% or less full.
Airline profits During much of the 70s, 80s and 90s airlines lost money. Recently, they've been profitable. This probably coincided with the mergers of several large carriers.
Competition. Perhaps a half-dozen or more "majors" in the 70 and 80s. Not many left today. The 3 remaining pretty much monopolize the market. Throw in Southwest and Jet Blue (limited segments) and you've got 5. (Alaskan is growing and may provide some badly needed competition.) Most mid-sized Michigan airports are limited to Delta, United and/or American. I find their fares on the same routes rediculously similar. Resembles price-fixing - whether it is or isn't.
Professionalism and Courtesy - I find this better today. In the 70s and 80s I was accustomed to being deceived and outright lied to by reservation and gate agents. Not perfect today - but much better. Generally, agents "level" with you and try to work out some type of mutually acceptable agreement. A lot has to do with our ability to get up to date information on our electronic devices. (Hard to believe that in the 70s and 80s you booked over the telephone and than waited days or weeks for your paper ticket to come in the mail).
Safety - No comparison. Fatal accidents were all too common in the 70s and 80s, wiping out hundreds of lives at a time, Yes - mile-per-mile flying was safer than driving - but horrific accidents were a fairly regular occurrence. A year with none was exceedingly rare.
What I see from the linked United PR blurb is an effort to come to grips with the wrath of the travelling public. Yes - the chances of being the recipient of the $10,000 payout are probably only slightly better than those of winning the state lottery. But - nice gesture. BTW: Southwest which led in bumped passengers in recent years announced today they will no longer overbook flights.