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In case I needed another reason to not fly United, they've come up with a new one.
Now, I've never had anything in particular against United, but negative things have been slowly piling up over the years. The last time I flew them was for my trip to Australia 5 years ago (has it been that long??) I might have forgiven them for not having seatback TV's and thus subjecting me to 3x showings of the Scooby Doo movie on the single screen available in cattle class, but to add insult to the Doo injury, they began their bankruptcy process while I was on the 7-month trip, leaving me to fret over whether or not I really had a ticket home. Since then, they've had strikes and problems managing luggage, and I've found myself going out of my way to not book flights with them anymore. They are often lately the cheapest option to pop up on Travelocity or any of the usual online booking sites, but the savings just doesn't make the inevitable layover in a third city worth it.
Earlier this year, they started adding a $25 charge for checking a second bag. I'm not sure if they've updated that now to include the first checked bag or not, but it sounds like finding space in the overhead bins (already at a premium on overseas flights where people seem to be hauling back all kinds of random crap. There are always several full families of people claiming to not speak the English and don't understand why they might have to check a few of the dozens of bags they have between them) will be more of a nightmare than it already is. I know other American carriers have followed their lead on this.
And of course, before all of this, there was the decision to charge for alcoholic beverages in Economy class. Anyone who flies American carriers exclusively will not find this an odd concept any longer, as it's been the norm for many years now. However, overseas carriers do not do this. Many people aren't bothered by it, but I admit, I still like the idea of free-flowing alcohol in steerage class. If you've ever needed a drink, that's the place. (yes, I know drinking alcohol dehydrates you, and in an already dry environment it's not the most ideal thing to have. You're also in a metal canister suspended over the middle of an ocean and I think there should be a two-drink minimum, personally.)
Now they've taken the meals away, and a few people have responded that this is a good thing, and that they didn't like the airline food to begin with. This is fair enough; there aren't many people who fly just for the tasty grub. It's when these same people then say that they'll be able to bring along their own food from home that I start to wonder. Security is already enough of a pain to get through without having to argue for your packed meal(s) as well. If you forgo the home packing option and pick up some takeout in the terminal, which I believe will be the option most harried travelers will opt for, you're essentially paying what you 'saved' by purchasing a ticket with United in the first place. I don't even want to think of the unique aroma which will be created by the smell of tale McFries, Chinese food, and whatever else is portable.
ah whatever, I'm just ranting. :)
Another article can be found here, in case you're interested in more details. I especially like the comment from a reader at the bottom: "Will they be installing pay toilets next?"
Also, on an entirely unrelated note: cows point north! Some Germans have researched this, so it must be true.
Now, I've never had anything in particular against United, but negative things have been slowly piling up over the years. The last time I flew them was for my trip to Australia 5 years ago (has it been that long??) I might have forgiven them for not having seatback TV's and thus subjecting me to 3x showings of the Scooby Doo movie on the single screen available in cattle class, but to add insult to the Doo injury, they began their bankruptcy process while I was on the 7-month trip, leaving me to fret over whether or not I really had a ticket home. Since then, they've had strikes and problems managing luggage, and I've found myself going out of my way to not book flights with them anymore. They are often lately the cheapest option to pop up on Travelocity or any of the usual online booking sites, but the savings just doesn't make the inevitable layover in a third city worth it.
Earlier this year, they started adding a $25 charge for checking a second bag. I'm not sure if they've updated that now to include the first checked bag or not, but it sounds like finding space in the overhead bins (already at a premium on overseas flights where people seem to be hauling back all kinds of random crap. There are always several full families of people claiming to not speak the English and don't understand why they might have to check a few of the dozens of bags they have between them) will be more of a nightmare than it already is. I know other American carriers have followed their lead on this.
And of course, before all of this, there was the decision to charge for alcoholic beverages in Economy class. Anyone who flies American carriers exclusively will not find this an odd concept any longer, as it's been the norm for many years now. However, overseas carriers do not do this. Many people aren't bothered by it, but I admit, I still like the idea of free-flowing alcohol in steerage class. If you've ever needed a drink, that's the place. (yes, I know drinking alcohol dehydrates you, and in an already dry environment it's not the most ideal thing to have. You're also in a metal canister suspended over the middle of an ocean and I think there should be a two-drink minimum, personally.)
Now they've taken the meals away, and a few people have responded that this is a good thing, and that they didn't like the airline food to begin with. This is fair enough; there aren't many people who fly just for the tasty grub. It's when these same people then say that they'll be able to bring along their own food from home that I start to wonder. Security is already enough of a pain to get through without having to argue for your packed meal(s) as well. If you forgo the home packing option and pick up some takeout in the terminal, which I believe will be the option most harried travelers will opt for, you're essentially paying what you 'saved' by purchasing a ticket with United in the first place. I don't even want to think of the unique aroma which will be created by the smell of tale McFries, Chinese food, and whatever else is portable.
ah whatever, I'm just ranting. :)
Another article can be found here, in case you're interested in more details. I especially like the comment from a reader at the bottom: "Will they be installing pay toilets next?"
Also, on an entirely unrelated note: cows point north! Some Germans have researched this, so it must be true.