United’s Flea Market Execution
December 26, 2008 – 8:17 amI’m all for airlines actually trying to make money. The nickel-and-diming doesn’t really bother me from a strategy perspective. But, poorly executing the strategy is troublesome.
Last week I purchased and flew a segment on United. In both the purchase and check-in stages the experience was less than satisfactory. When I was buying the ticket online, I was presented with the option to upgrade to First Class on my 1 hour flight for $80. I had no interest in this and declined the option. However, the “Decline” button on the web-page wasn’t loading properly so the page froze. I was purchasing a held ticket and midnight passed as a result of the first class offer. I could no longer access the itinerary so I had to call in and speak to a few people. The issue was resolved but I had to spend a half hour on the phone from midnight to 12:30 talking to United reps.
Then, when I checked in at the airport, I was provided the same option for upgrading to First Class. I again declined this, after which the machine wanted to know if an economy plus upgrade was more suitable. The chances of receiving an E+ seat were already very high as all the economy seats had been assigned, so I again declined. Then, United was curious if I was interested in the Miles accelerator option. I declined and finally got my boarding pass.
Sure, I only had to answer a few questions. But, as a paying passenger, I knew I just wanted my boarding pass. At least allow me to pre-program my Mileage Plus account so that the machine is aware that I am not interested in those offers.
