United #5 most disliked company in America - Southwest not on Top15 list (Houston: bankruptcy, medical)

[MikeyAusmus]

Originally Posted by JimBaker488

C'mon Dopo, this one is a big fat softball the size of a blimp that can easily be knocked out of the park - it's
well known, and well established for some time by now that Southwest always wins these kinds of polls because the kind of people who are accustomed to flying SouthWest flites utilizing the "cattle-car" approach have the lowest expectations in the industry. All they want is cheap, cheap, cheap fares and they don't care if they have to sit on someone elses lap if they can save a few bucks. And you'll be seeing more and more of that "type" of passenger when you open-up that Hobby-Juareza flite and the cartel guys come into Houston for their visits. Concurrently you'll be seeing fewer and fewer of those long skinny routes like IAH-Rio that the more affluent customers travel.
Next Question ?

Ok... uh... so can you address the original topic about United??... why they suck so hard?? Southwest does an excellent job of keeping their customers happy! Southwest goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure their customers have a pleasant experience. United doesn't know the meaning of customer service. United should have studied Continental's customer service model because Continental had truely great customer service UNTIL United took over. Once United took over that's when everything about Continental changed for the worse. (I am fairly confident that over 95% of people reading this post would agree with me on this point!).

There isn't anything different about what United and Southwest offer domestically EXCEPT customer service! Oh and the fact that Southwest doesn't fly puddle jumpers. Southwest doesn't have seat assignment which is awesome! So your "cattle call" theory is pretty much moot. People like having the freedom to sit whereever they please. United charges MORE to have an aisle seat or emergency door seat because they have extra leg room... wow, way to shine there United...

And you want to talk about low expectations... you are describing United!!! United has the most cancelled flights, delayed flights and overbooked flights of any airline... probably on the planet! Southwest doesn't have those issues. Continental didn't have those issues... so why does United have these? Why can't they get their act together after all this time? I will tell you why United sucks so hard... it is the management of that airline! Everything wrong with that airline is a direct reflection of management for ALLOWING this to happen.

United truely deserves the #1 spot for most DISLIKED company in the USA!!

[SouthernBoy205]

Originally Posted by justme02

Without trying to fan any flames, United just cut several destinations from Houston effective October 9. They are:

Waco
Beaumont
Victoria
Toluca, Mexico
Paris

Paris really stings. It's been around since 1996 on Continental. However, UA should not take any flak on that one just because the flight was bleeding money.

Was that airline the only one at the airport that had flights to Paris?

[MikeyAusmus]

Originally Posted by SouthernBoy205

Was that airline the only one at the airport that had flights to Paris?

Air France still offers direct service from IAH to CDG. I don't think that will change any time soon and possibly United couldn't compete with Air France in this market. I mean if you were flying from Houston to Paris which would be your first choice... United or Air France? I would go with Air France any day of the week!

[SouthernBoy205]

That's a no brainer. LOL.

[dcoolbro]

Originally Posted by MikeyAusmus

Air France still offers direct service from IAH to CDG. I don't think that will change any time soon and possibly United couldn't compete with Air France in this market. I mean if you were flying from Houston to Paris which would be your first choice... United or Air France? I would go with Air France any day of the week!

Yep I plan to book a flight to Paris for my birthday in October and Air France is my first choice. Since United is cancelling the flight, it looks like it will be my only choice. It's very hard for a carrier like United to compete on a thin route like Paris to Houston with a carrier that has superior service.

[JimBaker488]

Originally Posted by SouthernBoy205

Was that airline the only one at the airport that had flights to Paris?

No, but United is the only carrier offering nonstop service between Houston and places like Tokyo and Rio.
What's your plan B if they drop a route to one of those citys ? Right, you don't have one do you ?

[MIBS98]

First of all, on an average US airline flight to Tokyo, less than half of the passengers are actually staying in Tokyo. Most are connecting to another Asian city. Most Asian cities can actually be flown to non-stop from other US cities. So, plan B for most people would be fly to the West Coast and connect non-stop to their final destination. For people who try that option, they'll quickly find that it should have been Plan A all along as in 9 times out of 10 they will be connecting to a significantly better airline.

As for me, as I have said all along, my business focus is Asia. I never flew the Continental (now United) flight to Tokyo. Never will do it. Why would I go and do something stupid like that when I can fly to LAX/SFO/SEA and connect to one of: Singapore Air, Korean Air, Asiana, Cathay, Air China, Thai Airways, etc. and arrive at my final destination happy, well fed, well rested rather than pissed off and frustrated. All for less money, I might add.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by JimBaker488

No, but United is the only carrier offering nonstop service between Houston and places like Tokyo and Rio.
What's your plan B if they drop a route to one of those citys ? Right, you don't have one do you ?

Can you get me five cheap flights to Caracas?

[MikeyAusmus]

Originally Posted by JimBaker488

No, but United is the only carrier offering nonstop service between Houston and places like Tokyo and Rio.
What's your plan B if they drop a route to one of those citys ? Right, you don't have one do you ?

Guy, there are other airlines out there that Houstonians can use to get to Tokyo or Rio de Janiero. Boo friggidy hoo if United wants to cut those flights. If United terminates these routes it doesn't mean Houstonians are stranded in Houston helpless. American Airlines will be more than happy to sell us a ticket through a connecting city such as Miami to get to Rio de Janiero for example. It's what Houstonians do to get to cities such as Sydney, Auckland, Beijing, Sao Paulo, Santiago, etc. Clearly, United's threats are not taken seriously (at least in Houston) because other competing airlines are going to pick up the slack from United.

Hopefully United will cancel their Tokyo route so it lures JAL to come to Houston!!!

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by MikeyAusmus

American Airlines will be more than happy to sell us a ticket through a connecting city such as Miami to get to Rio de Janiero for example.

No direct flight????