More New Ted Routes & Destinations

[biztraveller29]

Our (large) company will be moving its significant paid F class business away from United if it switches the ORD-SJU and IAD-SJU flights to TED. I am assuming United knows its profitability on these flights and has done the analysis, but it seems to me paid F travellers are the types it wants to keep, rather than filling the seats with $200 TED round trips....

Bad news for us, I guess. We will ask United to not implement those particular schedule changes, but we'll see if it happens....

 

[BigRed1]

Biztraveller:

I sincerely hope you will remain with United's service to SJU, as we need the loyal customers like yourself. I assume that if United Airlines were selling 12(A320) or 24(B757) first class seats on most flights, they would keep that class of service up and running. Unfortunately, as you know, if you are paying actual money for First Class, you are very much appreciated, but very much in the minority. The majority of people sitting up front are on frequent flyer miles heading down to catch their cruise to the Carribean. SJU is largely a vacation destination, and that is the market TED is most affective.

United, for many reasons, has had a hard time competing after the economic bubble burst. UAL always catered largely to the business travellers schedules and destinations. UAL was disportionately harmed after 9/11 because of its over reliance on the higher yielding business revenue. As the consumer has been enjoying historically low ticket prices via the internet and those young new start up airlines, United has begun entering new sun destination service to diversify its portfolio, and unfortunately for you, has had to offer fares the value oriented leisure traveller demands. With jet fuel prices up 300% from its historical average, and ticket prices at all time lows, people are going to get what they pay for...And that is not a First Class seat to the Carribean.

I know TED is not perfect, but we do have one of the best coach cabins in the industry with our Ecomony Plus seating, and there are a lot of those seats available to our best customers like yourself and fellow co-workers. If TED enters this market, you will likely see lower overall prices, and that is worth something I hope, to offset your previously available First Class seat.

Heck, at least we still have pillows and blankets, and movies. And of course, the historically world class professional aircrews that cannot be surpassed when it comes to your safety and well-being. We've been doing it for 80 years now, and if the goverment trusts us to train the Airforce 1 crews and handle their dispatching, flight planning duties and maintenence, that says a lot.

Thank you again for flying with us, and I hope that if you choose to take your business elswhere when flying that route, you'll still come back to visit us for your other travelling needs. We are trying hard to improve our business so we can continue to fight the fight for another 80 years. We may not be able to please all the people all the time, but I hope you know we are all trying. We really are. Regards.

 

[biztraveller29]

BigRed1 --
Trust me, United has a lot of fans in our company. However, our service standard to our major manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico is First/Business Class, and this is why we won't be booking people on United if the proposed schedule changes go through.

I have enjoyed Ted to Denver (in fact I will be flying Ted in a couple of weeks to there), and I know many people that don't mind it.

The simple fact remains, though, that United is going down a path where its service offering is going to conflict with our business requirements. And since other airlines (specifically AA and DL) will most likely continue to offer an F/C cabin to SJU, the agents will book on airlines that correspond to our policy.

As I said, I'm sure United has done the analysis, and you are correct that if the cabin was going out full in paid F every day, it would not be changed to Ted. It is a shame, because even though United's schedule to SJU has been very limited (especially from the West Coast), I and many others always braved the fast ORD connection to take United, and your service has always been exemplary.

Trade-offs have to be made, but as Ted increases its presence, be aware you are driving away corporate clients into the arms of competitors. It's unfortunate, but it is a fact.

We are a significant client for United, so hopefully these particular changes to SJU will not be made. But I have to think that given this public announcement, the decision has been finalized.