Buy United Airlines Stock ASAP

[Creamo]

Laz, like people that stand on escalators without baggage… Airtravel is not a Pirate Ride at Disney World, walk up the whoopee thing already. Air travel isn’t a “Exciting adventure”. Its to get you to Chicago in 3 hours 49 minutes, rather than 3 fukin days in a GTO with 5 fuel stops, bad truck stop meatloaf, and flat tires n’ speeding tickets.

The coffee and bistro bag on a airline is a gift for Christ’s sake. I do ride coach and when people complain about the meal I just wonder if they are full of  Franco-American SpaghettiOs and were looking to start their vacation at the jetbridge. Hello? It starts in Cancun or wherever, the people that get you there safely may not be on your mind, but I’m almost sure we cater to 99% of other travelers.

I hate to travel. Who would  not just have to “put up with it?

[funkedup]

I'm with Lazs on this one, at least partially.  I'll drive for all trips where the total driving trip time is less than about twice the total flying trip time.  Which for me is about a 600 mile radius.
I'd much rather spend 2x hours driving than x hours dicking around in an airport or crouching in a tiny seat breathing recycled CO2.

Beyond that I'll drive if I have nothing else to do, but will consider flying.

[Dago]

Hey Crapgame,

My wifes father retired from United last year after 47 yrs as a pilot

Mathematically that is impossible, unless he started with them as a 13 year old pilot.  Mandatory retirement by FAA reg is 60 yrs old.

Probably just a typo.


dago

[SaburoS]

Creamo,
All differences aside,
Good luck man, I hope UA survives.

[beet1e]

Hey, it's Sunday, last night's dinner was excellent,  I'm in a good mood and I agree with Lazs. :D

One thing I should point out here is that your internal flights don't offer anything like the quality of service that is served up on international flights by the same airline. On my epic trips around the US, I very often fly United Airlines because I might be stopping at four cities, and I need to choose an airline that serves all the places I intend to visit. I pay for the transatlantic sectors, and the airline practically gives away the internal sectors - literally in some cases. The transatlantic sectors tend to be much more relaxed, with seasoned travellers. The internal sectors seem to be flown by people who are pissed off that they couldn't get the seat they wanted, or got bounced from an earlier flight that was cancelled. The mood is much more stressed, with Americans not being accustomed to all the security checks - something we have had to deal with in Europe for many years. Of course, it's not always like that...

One thing I used to enjoy was ordering an alcoholic beverage on the flight (assuming I wasn't driving at the other end) and a headset. The Americans would have to pay $4 for each of those, but when it was my turn I would ask for my drink and headset very politely. I could tell that the flight attendants were unaccustomed to hearing the words Please and Thank you. They would ask me if I had flown in from Europe on the same airline, and because I had, I would get drinks and headsets free of charge.  I remember all the Yanks sitting around me, staring at me with quivering bottom lips - LOL!!!  :D:D

[Toad]

Oh, you paid for the headset and the "free" internal flight.

A tribute to the UAL marketing department that you didn't notice.

[Cobra]

LOL Beet1e,

You must be the atypical Euro passenger then.

I do alot of international travel, Europe, India, and Asia-Pacific......rudeness is a human condition, and the Euros are NOT immune to it (I've got plenty of Brit and French passenger stories to go around, one in Pakistan was a particularly ugly scene).

Plus, Please and Thank You is spoken frequently here.

I do agree on one thing....the Domestic (US) airlines' International travel is much better than the domestic travel.  But I've flown British Midland (and others) internally in Europe, and it's the same as domestically here.

For my money, best International travel is Singapore Airlines.

Cobra

[beet1e]

Mr. Toad! I should have given an example. A few years ago I flew into LAX, spent a couple of weeks in CA, flew on from SFO to DEN, then after a few days continued to EWR to see the girlie, then flew home to LHR. I can't remember what the fare was that I paid, but the SFO-DEN sector was added at a cost of $55, and for the DEN-EWR sector there was no additional charge! I didn't pay for headset or drink.

Cobra said

For my money, best International travel is Singapore Airlines.

Agreed! But for British Midland, you should do as I do and fly Diamond Club Class. Your waiting area is in the Diamond Club Class lounge, where you can get free coffee and newspapers. The cloakrooms are plush with the sinks set in a wooden vanity with gold taps (faucets! ). You get seated in the front three rows (B737) and a curtain is drawn across, shielding you from the proletarian rabble flying economy. You get served a nice breakfast and champagne is offered - although I decline that (too early).

Check out http://www.easyjet.co.uk and http://www.ryanair.com -pretty good airlines. I was on an easyJet flight down to Nice some years ago, and the airline owner Stelios was aboard en route to his weekend retreat. We met, shook hands and chatted for a while. I can never spell Stelios's last name - he is Greek, and it probably has 25 letters!

[lazs2]

yep funked but... I will drive if the time is less than about a factor of five... I also factor in the time getting to and from the airport and the "get there an hour early" crap.  

creamo... most of us don't travel on airlines much... the ones you see dazed and confused are probly that way cause last time they flew (6 months ago) everything was totaly different.. and.. it will be totally different 6 months from now when they fly again unless... they either say screw it and don't take that nesxt trip or... just drive instead.

u can pretend that travel by air is a good thing all you want but like you say.... travel is no fun... I say... it is guarenteed to be no fun if you fly... the best you can do is have it less painful than the last time... relief is the best it gets... with other forms of travel.... you never know... It might be lousy and it might be great... a lot of fun.
lazs

[beet1e]

I hadn't realised the situation facing UAL was as dire as it is. There was a big article in today's Guardian, Mr. Toad's favourite UK broadsheet newspaper. (I couldn't get the Telegraph) It said that $7m a day is being lost and a $1.8bn loan had been refused. (?)

[Curval]

Glug, glug....

UAL is going under.

[midnight Target]

Was it Eastern Airlines that hired a former astronaut to run the show?

Frank Borman?

Anyone flown Eastern lately?

And who is this Creamo fella anyway?

[miko2d]

I still haven't found the original article. I saw the one that referred to the "top captain" rate of being around $300,000 - so I assume the original value of $350,000 did not mean average pilot's salary for UAL.

 I also found that UAL employs way more mechanics per aircraft than some competing airlines. They lover the headcount mostly due to outsourcing and using foreign facilities.

 The good thing about outsorsing and especialy foreign facilities is that when you have overcapacity and cut flights, you have no problem cutting expenses without much fuss.
 Much easier than laying off some unionised salaried mechanics, especially if they are also owners.

Further, the mechanics are the ones that have currently forced this issue, are they not? They voted down pay cuts/concessions. So, again, you have a split employee group problem.

 Over half of them would have to be fired - closer to 2/3 if UAL switched to outsourcing of the remaining plane service. What did they have to lose voting concessions down? They would have been out of a job anyway.

 miko

[Curval]

Originally posted by miko2d
[B Over half of them would have to be fired - closer to 2/3 if UAL switched to outsourcing of the remaining plane service. What did they have to lose voting concessions down? They would have been out of a job anyway.[/B]

Oh well, there is always work as a card dealer at the Vegas casinos.

[Rude]

Originally posted by Eagler
It is amazing that a carrier the size of United would be trading at the level it did today.

No more amazing than Worldcom trading at $.02 a share