Anyone coming to Florida? Book today!
- Thread starter tadjr
- Start date
I booked $73 roundrip topTampa. Dates were WIDE open no restrictions on them. Just out of curiosity, why do they do this so cheap? Considering I'm a US1 I'll probably fly in 1st class. And that's a "party trip." So there will be a few more empty little bottles upon touchdown. I almost feel guilty. I also noticed the A320 that flies between DC/Reagen and Tampa in October has a 1st class section. Was this not a former shuttle plane or are they reconfiguring them?
MarkMyWords
Veteran
- Aug 20, 2002
- 1,900
- 1
Henry,
This fall they will be converting all (ex)shuttle aircraft to the mainline seat configuration. This will end up introducing first class service on all shuttle routes too. This will give us greater flexibility in aircraft utilization and offer a premium product to our most frequent fliers on the shuttle routes.
This fall they will be converting all (ex)shuttle aircraft to the mainline seat configuration. This will end up introducing first class service on all shuttle routes too. This will give us greater flexibility in aircraft utilization and offer a premium product to our most frequent fliers on the shuttle routes.
ClueByFour
Veteran
- Aug 20, 2002
- 3,566
- 37
The shuttle reconfig is only a win if you happen to get the upgrade.
Y in a shuttle configured airbus beats Y in a non-shuttle airbus hands down, and is very close to F in a 733 or 734 (newer, cleaner, almost as much pitch, and laptop power. Probably almost as wide, too).
OTOH, if you don't snag an upgrade and end up in the back of one of those old 737s, you will wish you had taken the train.
With the "old" shuttle airbus product, you were always going to have a fairly decent product no matter where/what/who you were. That is no longer the case. I don't see this as a win, but I'm just a customer....
Y in a shuttle configured airbus beats Y in a non-shuttle airbus hands down, and is very close to F in a 733 or 734 (newer, cleaner, almost as much pitch, and laptop power. Probably almost as wide, too).
OTOH, if you don't snag an upgrade and end up in the back of one of those old 737s, you will wish you had taken the train.
With the "old" shuttle airbus product, you were always going to have a fairly decent product no matter where/what/who you were. That is no longer the case. I don't see this as a win, but I'm just a customer....
MarkMyWords
Veteran
- Aug 20, 2002
- 1,900
- 1
Clue -
What is your issue with US? If we make you that miserable why do you even bother? Seems that no matter what we do, we can't satisfy you. Would you prefer a 737 on the BOS-DCA route or on the PIT-LAX route again? The 737 is still a staple in our fleet and they have to be flown somewhere. I would think frequent travelers, especially our top level frequent travelers, would appreciate having the ability to upgrade if they wanted to.
What is your issue with US? If we make you that miserable why do you even bother? Seems that no matter what we do, we can't satisfy you. Would you prefer a 737 on the BOS-DCA route or on the PIT-LAX route again? The 737 is still a staple in our fleet and they have to be flown somewhere. I would think frequent travelers, especially our top level frequent travelers, would appreciate having the ability to upgrade if they wanted to.
drifterreno
Veteran
- Aug 21, 2002
- 611
- 3
Hi Tadjr--thanks for the info--son is getting married in Clearwater in October--called other son in Den and told him and the one getting married and told him to tell rest of the family. I'll be flying into Tpa on or about Oct 6--are you still working there?? I've lost track--I'm now at HP and it is very interesting and a lot of fun.
ClueByFour
Veteran
- Aug 20, 2002
- 3,566
- 37
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On 8/6/2003 10:22:23 AM MarkMyWords wrote:
Clue -
What is your issue with US? If we make you that miserable why do you even bother? Seems that no matter what we do, we can't satisfy you. Would you prefer a 737 on the BOS-DCA route or on the PIT-LAX route again? The 737 is still a staple in our fleet and they have to be flown somewhere. I would think frequent travelers, especially our top level frequent travelers, would appreciate having the ability to upgrade if they wanted to.
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On 8/6/2003 10:22:23 AM MarkMyWords wrote:
Clue -
What is your issue with US? If we make you that miserable why do you even bother? Seems that no matter what we do, we can't satisfy you. Would you prefer a 737 on the BOS-DCA route or on the PIT-LAX route again? The 737 is still a staple in our fleet and they have to be flown somewhere. I would think frequent travelers, especially our top level frequent travelers, would appreciate having the ability to upgrade if they wanted to.
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I _am_ one of your top level frequent travelers. It's been an off year. Only around 55K status to date, although that will be closer to 60k after this weekend. A good junk of that is transatlantic non-cockroach Y and even a few paid J trips.
That said, especially on the Shuttle routes, you won't always get the upgrade. It's supposed to be, or used to be a preimium product. The 733s and 734s, as they currently stand, do not provide a premium product in the back. It's that simple. Reconfigure them with new seats, laptop juice, and airbus style overheads and you have me as a convert.
As for the remark about PIT-LAX on a 733, I've been there and done that. It was dumb when it was done, especially when UA and AA and TWA were running 757s and widebodies to the coast.
US does not make me miserable. The current crop of bozos in Crystal City make me miserable because they lack any sense of operational or marketing acumen. They are taking all of the painful concessions from the employees and squandering it away with moves like moving the shuttle to a sub-par platform, not performing adequate mainenance on the baggage belt in PHL and then hosing the situation that followed up to a far-thee-well, expressing stations that board 20k folks/month, driving pure connecting traffic thru one of the worst connection facilities in the nation when a perfectly good one goes to waste (the PIT-PHL issue), and so forth. The list goes on and on.
US frontline folks are the best in the business. After that, it's the same crop of morons with a new face. Someone in CCY has to figure out that you can be a financial guru and still not be able to turn a profit. Half of leading a profitable enterprise is operational excellence. The folks in charge of such things at US don't have any, and think that "best practice" is the pinnacle of the little league season.....
