United CEO agrees with me! :)
Friday, January 14, 2011
I blogged about my last experience with United on the Aust-USA sector a few months ago because it was so bad. Nice to see that President and CEO of United Airlines, Jeff Smisek agrees with me in a recent article in Australian Business Traveller.
"...the product on the 747 that United flies to Australia is not an acceptable level of product" “And I know that, I recognise that. But United on its own didn’t have the money to invest in that product. Now (with the United-Continental merger) it does, and we will.” “You have to invest, because the price of not investing is that you lose business"
Great news. I look forward to hearing more.
In the meantime if you are flying between Australia and USA or vice versa, choose any of the following:
- Air New Zealand first (they are also Star Alliance)
- Qantas is not as nice as Air NZ but a million times better than United. Fares are usually competitive. Feel free to spend more however! You will be glad you did for Air NZ or Qantas
- V Australia also do the route - while I have not flown them, they are reputed to be excellent and again would have to be far far better than United. I am going to sample V Australia next month.
- If you want to go via Tahiti, Air Tahiti Nui according to my sister are great
- Air Pacific takes you via Fiji. Acceptable if not aging product, Fiji politics aside
Delta also do the route but my no fly policy still applies to Delta!
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After dissapointing QF WP benefit changes, spate of engine issues and Air NZ matching me to GE I'm flying Air NZ to the US this year. If their trans-tasman is anything to go by this product will be better than the QF's non 380 offering. And I don't really want to fly the QF 380 from LAX right now...
Now if Air NZ could get a Flounge in AKD...
Might see you on an ANZ flight.
I am on Virgin next.