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I look at that list and think it should say "United" and leave Continental out, since given that Continental really ended up running the show it is more of a continuation of that than it is of United. And yet, I'm sure there are some longtime Continental customers who would disagree. So maybe they should both be in the list. I'd probably say I miss the old United since that is where I have most memories, but that said I haven't flown in about 2 years at this point, and 3 years since I last flew United so I can't tell really how bad it is right now.
More than any particular airline though I miss what air travel was like even just 13 years ago, let alone the older days that people sometimes are longing for. Hell I'd even take 3 years ago sometimes. Instead, I stay on the ground for now, until something comes up that is compelling enough that I decide to fly....
Growing up in NJ I never liked Continental: angry EWR based employees, small planes, a crowded and inefficient terminal C, lots of delays, inferior res system (SHARES), 737s on Transcons, stingy IRROPS policies, and really overrated customer service. They also always seems to have major baggage problems and bumping people off planes back in the 1990s. They might have seem like a golden egg but when you look past the awards they really were, in all honesty, a very cheap airline.
Since they more or less infected UA I think this will my last year with them. Once they get rid of the 757s I'm totally gone. I hate those IFE-less 737-900 and how they are ripping screens out of the otherwise comfortable Airbusses.
when i was trapped in mexico in a hurricane shelter with hundreds of other people, continental chartered 3 buses that took people with continental tickets to an airport that got us back to america. there were people still stuck in that shelter a week later. i wouldnt expect that kind of thing from united. from united i just expect old planes and mediocre service. we had an issue last flight and i filed a small claims suit against united. my wife insists we never use them but out of newark i cant really just say ill never use them.
Well you should know that CO basically took over UA and kept the name -- so technically your beef is with CO driven policy, employees, and mangement (you are trying to sue CO.)
In the mid and late 1990's, I took several trips to EWR from LAX and all but one on CO (all on 757's) and they were always my favorite. To me, the crews on both ends as well as inflight were always top notch.
In the mid and late 1990's, I took several trips to EWR from LAX and all but one on CO (all on 757's) and they were always my favorite. To me, the crews on both ends as well as inflight were always top notch.
In the '90s CO was horrible. The bulk of my childhood flying was with them and all I remember were delays and old planes. They got a newer fleet by the '00s but that didn't really make much of a difference. It was the backend systems that were a main cause of delays, reservation mishaps, and baggage mishandling (see current day United.) Not to mention if you were outside of Houston or New Jersey, CO was pretty irrelevant from a network standpoint.
By the time I regularly started flying to CA from EWR, Continental was mostly 737s with pretty awful (although free) meals. To me it was detached crews, delays, and lack of seat comfort that drove me away to airlines like AA, UA, and DL.
The early 90's, yes. I agree that CO was a basket case. They were cleaning up the mess and licking their wounds from the Lorenzo era and the hodgepodge of airlines that were all cobbled into them. But within a few years of Bethune coming onboard, they really got their act together and received worldwide recognition not just for overall service, but for how far they had come: on the brink of a "good riddance" collapse to being considered a World Class airline.
Now since the United merger, I realize that they are yet again something completely different, but from about '95-'01, CO was considered by many-myself included-a well liked and highly respected company.
The early 90's, yes. I agree that CO was a basket case. They were cleaning up the mess and licking their wounds from the Lorenzo era and the hodgepodge of airlines that were all cobbled into them. But within a few years of Bethune coming onboard, they really got their act together and received worldwide recognition not just for overall service, but for how far they had come: on the brink of a "good riddance" collapse to being considered a World Class airline.
Now since the United merger, I realize that they are yet again something completely different, but from about '95-'01, CO was considered by many-myself included-a well liked and highly respected company.
...By who? CO didn't have a very good network between '95-'01. Just IAH and EWR.
They basically just touted awards to win over their hub cative customer base -- that didn't make them a world respected carrier (they weren't.) All airlines recieve awards (you see the same spin on UA's website about awards they've won this year.) This airline only had 2 hubs and a lot of 757s flying to Europe. Hardly of any kind of world class recognition. And these same CO policies are now ramming UA into the ground.
Well you should know that CO basically took over UA and kept the name -- so technically your beef is with CO driven policy, employees, and mangement (you are trying to sue CO.)
im not entirely sure that the issue I had with united is one I wouldn't have with many airlines. so I don't really hold that against them. the woman working for united that I dealt with in person could have been better, the manager I spoke to on the phone was decent enough but I don't really have much experience with problems so I don't have much to compare. I do know that continental came in and "rescued" us. I believe I didn't have any problems with continental in the past. but I don't really fly enough or have had enough "problems" to be any kind of authority. my wife complains that all the united planes are old. its hard for me to remember planes with continental to compare.
Everything I remember from that time-as well as my own experiences-all point(ed) to a great airline.
United was the absolute WORST for me. Maybe others loved them, but I despised them. America West was another one that took a dive service wise. Up until about 1997, I enjoyed flying them. But by 1999, I would've rather endured an appendectomy with a rusty beer can sans anesthetics before boarding another HP plane.
I miss TWA. My mother worked there for nearly 20 years. My grandmother and great grandmother were also frequent fliers on this plane. Until I turned 18, I never flew another airline but TWA. TWA brings me a lot of awesome memories. TWA was the main reason I got to travel so much as a kid.
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I'd probably say I miss the old United since that is where I have most memories, but that said I haven't flown in about 2 years at this point, and 3 years since I last flew United so I can't tell really how bad it is right now.
