By David Armstrong
Just before take-off on United Airlines, passengers see a video of Jeff Smisek, chief executive officer of United Continental Holdings Inc., extolling United’s commitment to customer service.
When pre-flight drinks are rolled out, the message is reinforced; paper napkins arrive with these words imprinted: “Planes change. Values don’t. Your priorities will always be ours.”
This is how United Airlines' new livery looks on one of its Boeing 747-400s following United's merger with Continental Airlines to form the world's largest airline. United is now under the ownership of United Continental Holdings, Inc.
Smisek told CNNMoney.com last April, “We’re a business-oriented airline. We love all our customers – we just love some more than others, and those are the business travelers.”
Following the retirement of Continental Airlines’ respected CEO Larry Kellner at the end of 2009, Smisek moved up from chief operating officer to take over Kellner’s job. Continental then merged in October 2010 with United Airlines – to form the world’s largest airline by passenger traffic – and Smisek became the CEO of the merged airlines.
I pondered Smisek’s words as I trundled to the United Club lounge (the renamed Red Carpet Club), located just past security in San Francisco International Airport’s International Terminal, on February 5 to catch United flight 863 from San Francisco to Sydney.
United’s First Class lounge, directly beneath United Club, is lovely, but the business-class lounge looks as though it hasn’t been touched-up since it opened in December 2000.
United Airlines has renamed its business-class lounges 'United Club'; the carrier formerly called them 'Red Carpet Club' lounges. Before boarding the aircraft for a flight in United BusinessFirst from San Francisco to Sydney, www.AirlinesAndDestinations.com's reviewer found the customer service desk at the United Club Lounge in San Francisco International Airport's international terminal to be unstaffed
The escalator to the second-floor lounge from the first-floor entrance was out of order, so I took an elevator to the lounge, where the large customer service desk was unstaffed.
There were no hot meals or gourmet morsels. There were complimentary crackers and packaged cheese, a coffee machine, soft drinks, juice and water.
I skimmed a magazine in a commendably quiet, phone-free, muted-TV zone and then took a look around. There were no free-use desktop PCs, as are found in many lounges run by global airlines, but travelers beavered away with their own electronic devices on free Wi-Fi.
Then came an announcement. Our scheduled 22:33 departure would be delayed until midnight because the first officer needed to be replaced and the replacement was “coming from a distance”.
A United Airlines Boeing 747-400 bearing the carrier's new livery, adopted following its merger with Continental Airlines, is photographed at San Francisco International Airport
No explanation was forthcoming about what prompted a replacement. I wondered why United, which uses SFO as one of its six global hubs, didn’t have a pilot available nearby to step in.
One of my favorite British slang words came to mind: shambolic – meaning a shambles, chaos, messy, often used in a context implying neglectfulness. Shambolic seemed the perfect word.
Since I now had time to kill, I thought I’d have a glass of wine. Travelers didn’t pour drinks themselves but were served by a bartender. I spied a bottle of Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay, a good California wine, in the lounge bar and asked for a glass.
“Ten dollars,” the bartender said. Beers were free, he explained, but premium wines and most spirits cost extra. I remembered that the fare for my round-trip flight was $10,034.
A United Airlines Boeing 747-400 wearing the airline's post-merger livery is photographed at San Francisco International Airport. The livery is essentially that of merger partner Continental Airlines but all United and Continental aircraft have been painted with 'United' titles because, following the merger of the two carriers' operating certificates, United Airlines is the surviving name
One red and one white wine were available free. “Uhm, I think I’ll have a glass of …” I began, but before I could finish, the taciturn bartender poured a glass of red.
“What is it” I asked. “Cabernet,” he replied. “Who makes it?” I asked. He pointed to a bottle behind the bar: Twisted. I took one sip.
At 11:00 p.m., the lounge closed. Weary premium customers shuffled to the departure gate. The plane – including, of course, coveted business-class travelers, some of whom probably paid the full $10,000 fare – boarded one hour later. I took my comfortable window seat in the upper deck of our Boeing 747-400.
For our review of United’s BusinessFirst in-flight service, see Page 2
Related to this story:
- United Airlines Plans Daily Newark-Istanbul Service
- All Continental and United Airport Lounges Are Renamed ‘United Club’
- Continental and United Plan New Routes from Hub Cities
- Continental and United Increase Their Joint U.S.-Mexico Network
- Partners Reveal New Look for Post-Merger United Airlines
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Now what is the old United First called or is it Bis First as well?
It is now called United Global First. We did a news item on the changes on February 17:
http://www.airlinesanddestinations.com/airlines/united-re-brands-premium-class-cabins-and-upgrades-in-flight-food-and-amenities/
Recently flew MEL/SYD/LAX award ticket economy plus. Except for the leg room, this was a totally bad experience. Dated economy class cabin with no individual video which is the standard on every other airline on this route. Overly bright LCD screen at front of cabin made sleeping almost impossible even with an eye shade. Unfriendly and disinterested crew. Only water served MEL to SYD
Compared to LAX/AKL on NZ1 – brand new 777, friendly crew – even in economy class.