why is United so cheap?

[NEDude]

The problem with accountants is their process can only deal in known factors. For example, cutting the number of bananas from 5 per flight to 2 will save us XXX dollars. Or outsourcing our ground handling to ABC ground services will save us XXX dollars. Unfortunately the cost of disgruntled passengers or future delays caused by inexperienced, minimum wage ground handlers at ABC ground services is an unknown factor and thus disregarded. The true costs may only be known a few years down the road. CEOs and other executives deal only in the next quarterly report, so for the most part they are not too concerned about long term success, only short term financial reports.

 

[Andy]

That right there is UALs problem, bean counters running an airline from a cubicle. That may have been necessary during the merger, but now they need some visionary career aviation types to build the brand.

Bean counters run every major airline. Visionaries who don't listen to bean counters put airlines into Chap 11 or 7.

 

[Andy]

Pardon me for revisiting the original post, but I want to add some food for thought.

The other day on a quick turn,

This was not a first flight of the day. Chances are, most F passengers have already eaten breakfast.

As an elite customer with Marriott (lifetime Plat), Hyatt (Diamond), and Starwood (Platinum), I get free breakfast at hotels. Just like most of the F passengers.

Most passengers in F spend a ton of nights on the road; they're not only top tier frequent flyer customers, they're also top tier hotel customers. They're road warriors who know to not expect much more than a breakfast box on an RJ so almost all of them will have eaten at the hotel before they fly. There's not going to be a huge demand for bananas.

There's half a dozen First class seats- why does UAL think that 2 pieces of fruit are enough? It's embarrassing.

Fruit is a perishable item. If it's not eaten on a flight, it's very, very likely to be thrown out at the next station. That's a lot of waste, both in terms of costs and in environmental terms.

Bananas are different than peanuts/pretzels where unused items can be served on another flight.


Relief Tube, my advice to you is that if you want a banana on a quick turn, ask the FA prior to the first flight landing if there's any left over bananas. Those are going to get thrown away and the FA will probably have zero concern about giving it to you.

 

[wms]

Bean counters run every major airline. Visionaries who don't listen to bean counters put airlines into Chap 11 or 7.

Bean counters took delta through bk and the merger. RA turned it back into a customer-focused airline. He has a vision for the airline beyond revenue and it's far exceeding UAL and AA in every way. I've worked both systems and spend a lot of time in the AA system and there is no comparison when it comes to operational efficiency and customer service.

Even the two-class RJs operate the same standard as mainline on DAL. When I flew RJs for UAX I was embarrassed at the treatment the passengers got. Not just what we were able to offer them on board which is nothing but beverages, but the treatment they receive on F in ORD and A in IAD is disgraceful.

 

[Flopgut]

Andy: The banana is not the perishable commodity, so much as the flight is. We aren't in the fruit bisiness, this is the flying business. When the doors close, the beacon is on and it's time to push, we only get the $ we were able to get for the flight. The airline spends whatever it takes to get from a to b and we don't keep any of that cost. We have to get better $ for selling the seats on the flight, and if what differentiates us from swa or others is the fruit or other accoutrements then we better have it on board. RA at Delta understands what business they are actually in. He doesn't step over the thousands the flight can generate to pick up the pennies the f-ing banana cost.

 

[Flopgut]

Bananas: How the United Fruit Company Shaped the World (author Chapman) is a great book btw.

 

[Andy]

So it sounds like everyone here is recommending catering every regional flight with a full complement of food to win over more passengers. Lose money on every flight, but make up for it in volume.

 

[wms]

It's been working for successful airlines, because you can charge for it. Managers in most industries are learning that value is more important than cheap to most consumers. Managers come up with the ideas, bean counters either figure out how to pay for it or tell the managers it's unaffordable.

 

[bladeusa]

Byob..

 

[SpauldingSmails]

So it sounds like everyone here is recommending catering every regional flight with a full complement of food to win over more passengers. Lose money on every flight, but make up for it in volume.

Well, if we are to believe that a $10 basket of crap on a flight is going to make or break an airline - we're going to have a hell of a time trying to get a raise now, aren't we?

 

[Andy]

Well, if we are to believe that a $10 basket of crap on a flight is going to make or break an airline - we're going to have a hell of a time trying to get a raise now, aren't we?

There's already a basket of crap that costs at least $10 on all United flights with F, including regionals. What's being advocated is to have $30 baskets of crap on regionals. So instead of throwing out an average of $3 worth of crap at the end of a flight, you guys want the airline to throw away $20 worth of crap at the end of each regional flight.

 

[RT8VA]

I am going to have to go with Andy on this one, as a commuter I don't honestly see much of a difference between airlines other than I avoid the E-145 because it is uncomfortable. Having a vending machine worth of crap that we throw out after a flight just so some one has an extra snack seems like a waste to me. It's basically statistics and the fact that we aren't ever going to lose a customer over a banana. If we had a full plate up there every one on here would be complaining about how we piss away money on too much food, ie you will find a board full of people here that know how to run every thing better with out thinking about the consequences down the road of every decision that is made.

 

[Bringupthebird]

Of course there's the awkward reality that someone who earns over twice what the FA makes is swiping a banana from her basket, a crime she might likely lose her job over if she got caught doing it.

I agree with BYOB.