The results? Improved, but nothing special (not that I expected anything special).
Since moving most of my domestic travel to Southwest I've been happy with two things: 1. The timeliness of the flights (I've only had one flight moderately delayed in 2016 and that was due to a mechanical issue, for which the FA's gave us free liquor) and 2. The friendliness of the customer service.
I also enjoy being able to check up to two bags free and, in most cases, the cost for Southwest is competitive, or slightly cheaper, than United.
The downsides.
1. I hate. HATE, Hate, hate. flying out of Houston-Hobby. For my money it is 1/4 of the experience of IAH. It's a pain to get to, and they don't have adequate facilities to move people to/from their vehicles to the main airport.
2. Boarding. It's been called the Southwest Cattle Call and that's pretty accurate. If you pay for early boarding, which I always do, then it's not as bad. The only rough bit being sitting with the angry face waiting for someone to come and take the middle seat next to you. I've found the sweet-spot to be either right before, or right after, the coveted exit-row seats. Southwest's economy (they don't have econ + or any product like that) doesn't feel as tight as regular economy on the so-called legacy carriers. And their seats are infinitely more comfortable.
On to United.
My first flight was a non-stop, Embraer 170. The company purchased my economy seat, but I bought up to Econ Plus on my own for around $30. It was money well spent. This was a flight equipped with United's "Personal Devices" complimentary TV/Movie service, and even though it was a 2 hour flight I watched some TV on my Samsung Tablet and it worked well. Contrast this to Southwest's "free" wi-fi (which isn't really) and I thought United had the upper hand here with their current product.
The leg-room in Econ Plus for United on these E-170's is more than adequate, and it's worth the upcharge to sit in them if they're available.
Here's the thing. On Southwest, you buy up to board early and pretty much ensure you're going to be able to place your bad in the overhead bin. On United you buy up for legroom. If you want to board early there's an additional charge. Since the leg-room on SW's normal economy is satisfactory, for all but the tallest of fliers, I give Southwest the advantage, still, on economy product.
There is no comparison for first class because Southwest does not offer it. Although I will say that First on United Express flights feels very not-worth-it due to the fact that you're only getting a slightly wider seat, some free alcohol and etc. No meal service, other perks on short flights such as this.
For once, the service on this United flight was friendly and warm. I didn't feel like I was an inconvenience to the FA's just by existing. I've flown enough that I rarely have requests. I bring my own snacks, and a bottle of water on board, and I only get up, when the seat-belt sign goes off, to use the restroom. If I'm hungry I bring my own meal that I've purchased from the airport (another reason why I prefer IAH to HOU, food choice).
All-in all the flight was uneventful. We were a little late taking off because a piece of ground equipment malfunctioned behind the plane, but we made it up in the air. Projected turbulence, which never happened, prevented the FA's from unlocking the snack trolleys, but they compensated and served every one by tray as they do in Business/First.
Before we get to the return leg, a moment about United's new coach "snacks".
One area where Southwest knocks United into a cocked hat (still) is in the economy snack area. On Southwest flights I not only receive the customary peanuts, but they have also taken to offering customers packages of Wheat-Thins branded flavored crackers. The crackers, in addition to the peanuts, are a small, but decent sized snack for a short-haul domestic flight. Unlike United however, Southwest doesn't offer anything by the way of optional food purchases. For me this is not a problem because, again, if I'm hungry I buy food in the airport before boarding. It is something to be mindful of however.
On the return trip I had the mythical "Stroopwafel". The flavor was good but I'm not a fan of the chewy texture.
About that return trip. On it I had the worst of United as far as hard product goes. The Bombardier CRJ-700 with (horrors!) Slimline seats. A picture:
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| There exists no world where these are comfortable |
To be clear, I don't blame United for that, they did inform passengers SEVERAL times that their rollerboards would not fit in the overhead bins. But a majority of passengers were too selfish to heed that. Ultimately, I ended up with another person's rollerboard shoved under the seat in front of me, in the interest of getting the plane off the ground because he didn't want to gate-check. Sitting at the exit row this was OK for me, primarily because I have plenty of leg-room there. The FA gave me an extra snack by way of saying thanks. The idiot with the bag didn't say a word. (Part of the reason your flight experience sucks in economy is your own fault I've found).
Despite the hiccup on the home-leg, I was very pleased in how United performed. For one, the out-leg arrived on-time and the home-leg arrived early, something the FA jokingly reminded us to "keep in mind the next time we run late". The FA's were friendly, responsive, and genuinely seemed to enjoy their jobs. They even showed some personality from time to time.
All-in-all it was a marked improvement from the "Jeffed-up" days when Smisek was in charge.
One final thought: There are a lot of issues that get blamed on the airline but are really the fault of the passengers. It's your responsibility to not try and and fit luggage befitting the Grapes of Wrath into the overhead bin and then get angry when it doesn't. If you're on a CRJ-700, gate-check your damn rollerboard. And don't fit it in sideways because that takes away from the bin-space for others.
There is nothing the airlines can do to overcome the selfish attitude toward flying that many passengers have. Little things like boarding out of turn, refusing to clear the aisle while boarding, refusing to turn off your computer, or having too much luggage to carry on all slow the boarding process, lead to delaying the flight, and ruin the flying experience of those around you.
Boorish behavior is not limited to any one airline. It's a contagion that seems to be spreading and is doing none of us any good.
And there's very little the airlines can do to prevent it, despite what some of the more anti-business travel columnists like to say.
