Who besides me misses Continental? 
Continental is still here, under the United name. Indeed, once can argue that the merged United is really more Continental, since Continental’s CEO became the merged United’s CEO.
Not from the perspective of the passenger, by any measure.
^^Exactly. From the pax perspective, it is a gigantic cluster:
http://loyaltylobby.com/2012/02/05/bloomberg-businessweek-article-about-united-continental-merger/
I thought you were a commercial pilot. Many many years ago, airlines used to offer free standby first class to pilots and even their families. Sounds like all that is gone?
Re: #24
The key is “standby”. Airline employees can only pick up the free flights where seats are available, which may not necessarily be in first class or anywhere on popular times and routes.
“I thought you were a commercial pilot. Many many years ago, airlines used to offer free standby first class to pilots and even their families. Sounds like all that is gone?”
@hehegebe, ucalumnus is correct. You still see plenty of employees traveling on standby, and sometimes getting in first class. But it’s iffy, unreliable, and you might be stranded in a terminal somewhere, not for me.
My schedule is such that I often fly trips that are not out of my base, and the company will pay any related travel costs to get me there or to my home (with some restrictions). Occasionally I might jumpseat, but I hate the whole “begging for a ride thing”, except for with my own company. I need to get to wherever I’m going, so I don’t chance it with maybes, even if I have to use airmiles or pay for my own ticket.
“Basic Economy” is also referred to as “Last Class”.
I think Delta and Southwest are the best. American and United have gone downhill.
I don’t see why this is such a big deal. If United raises its other prices as opposed to having a bargain basement fare, then I won’t be happy. But as I understand this, they are offering a lower-price option, so if you want to pay less you can, knowing that you can’t bring on a large carryon. If you want to bring on a carryon, then pay the original price. I see this as a way for some people to fly for less money, and a way to open up the overhead space for those of us who hate checking bags. That’s a win-win as far as I can see.
I’ve flown many airlines, and I’ve had problems with all of them. One of my absolute worst experiences was with Jet Blue. I don’t think United is that much worse than all the others. Getting TSA precheck made a huge difference in flying - now that was worth every penny.
I have a friend who works for United, and she and her family fly all the time. She posts all the details on Facebook – somehow, no matter how booked the planes are and no matter what the weather, they always manage to get there and come home on the days they want. I was pretty impressed when the 5 of them flew to Europe and back this summer using her United benefits.
As an airline employee, she probably knows or can easily find out which flights are the least full and therefore the lowest risk of not getting on when using employee standby.
if I want to fly out of my regional airport my choices are United, US Air/American or if I’m going to the Pacific NW Alaska/Horizon. I find they are all basically the same. Sometimes on time, sometimes delayed. What I appreciate about United was when so many other airlines dropped out local airport they stuck around.
That’s because your friend can view the passenger loads on each of the United airplanes and then pick accomodating planes accordingly.
No airline is going to board a non-revenue standby passenger before a paying customer.
“No airline is going to board a non-revenue standby passenger before a paying customer.”
They certainly shouldn’t be. I would suspect the friend is not planning on flying her family on oversold flights, but is looking hard at what would be good destinations, times of day, and times of the year to go there. You can’t just pick any day, any flight, and your family will always make it. There’s a lot of planning going into it.
The thought of “basic economy” fills me with dread. What more are they removing? The seat cushions. And travelling at the holidays is sheer misery. I’ve never seen people try to sneak more bags, packages etc., than they are now. United out of O’Hare is simply a joke.
The problem with this pricing is that it’s really not a bargain. The price of this ‘new’ fare class is essentially what the price used to be for a standard seat. The airlines are despicable.
I recently flew on an American Airlines regional. The plane had one seat down side and two seats on the other. To say i was claustrophobic would be the understatement of the year!
I like United, I like airports, TSA never hassled me, I like hotels, I like McDonalds around the world. I am within 2~3 years of million mile on United, so even after retirement I will never be less than gold status. Premium economy is tolerable, so if basic economy is just another choice and it suits you then fine.
Hate flying, love Southwest.
DH has been on the road almost 100% of the time for 17 years, so we’ve enjoyed club and upgrade privileges for years (American mostly), though the only non-business travel we’ve done has been back and forth to boarding school and college events as DH’s job hasn’t been conducive to vacations. He is retiring next year. Once his points and status expire, it’s Southwest for us.
This is Delta but this passenger wanted her bin space!
I have flown in such a plane (not American Eagle, some other airline). Yes, it was small, but if you sit on the one seat side, your seat is an aisle and a window.