>>>>Finally, as for on board ammenities, UA has said that food service will be provided. (SWA and JBlu have no catering) I don't know any details about Live TV. I do know that UA will be introducing inflight internet access throughout the system, and I'm sure that entertainment will be competitive.
Add to all of this the other benefits such as Easy Check-in, Advanced seat assginment, a leading frequent flyer program, and access to the worlds best route system, and I believe most customers will find our LCO to be a far superior product than the competition. <<<
Sounds like a repeat of the stuff that was said when United Shuttle, CAL-LITE, and METRO-JET were started. "Overall our product is superior, assigned seating, 'wordwide service', food, blah, blah, blah.
The average guy doesn't care about "the world's best route sytem" and FF program...he wants consistent service from friendly people at low fares. I know many business people who have sworn off UAL for the rest of their lives due to the "Summer of Discontent" and UAL is still paying for it. "Wordwide service" and other egotistical rantings etc doesn't make up for the fundamental basics of friendly CONSISTENT service and not ripping off the last minute business traveler with fares 10 times higher than the leisure traveler. Others will be irritated at the product differentation with one 800 mile route on the UAL "mainline" always being 5 times more expensive than the same distance traveled on a UAL "Starfish" route instead of the same ticket cost per mile, or a cost consistency for the whole airline....no reputation for consistent low fares overall -- just on "some" routes. Meanwhile the other UAL 'mainline' routes will gradually be invaded by more LCCs anyway.
Oh.......and for the UAL and USAirways pilots who always lectured me on the "guaranteed, "safe" pensions" at their airlines, now you understand what I meant when I said I prefered to have a DC plan run by the union OUTSIDE of the airline's control or ownership.