Fuck United

What the fuck has happened to the airlines and their customer service over the last 4 years. I'm done paying a premium to fly airlines like American and United, to only get treated like shit and getting service that is substandard compared to the discount airlines like Southwest and JetBlue. And this is coming from a guy who is a Premier member for United. What really is the difference between Southwest and United/American nowadays. Is it worth paying a little more for a movie and a couple extra inches of leg room on United and then getting delayed constantly, or would you rather be on time and just go with Southwest. And with all of the concessions that the labor unions have made on pensions and salary for United, Delta, and American, their employees are so unhappy with their jobs and it translates into crappy customer service. I must of encountered 20-25 United and Delta employees yesterday from Flight Attendants to CSAs to the Premier Customer Service Reservation Line, with only 2 people having a decent attitude. And these two people that I'm excluding from this group were not outstanding, but werejust doing their jobs. And its not like it gets better on Continental or American, they all suck...well except for a few discount airlines. How the fuck is this possible? How can the low cost provider be the best in customer service? The CSA and Flight Attendants at Southwest are outstanding and are so accommodating. As BSG always says, they actually brings things to the table. They are so efficient and checking people in, they are always on time, and when they fuck up they don't try to pass the buck and blame you, but they just resolve the issue with a smile. The way that Southwest drives this attitude to their employees is through one major program...Profit Sharing. If the company does well, then the employees share in the profits. Farmers Insurance Company does this and it basically equates to a 15-17% bonus each year, which has seen for over 75 years. This blows away 401K or any other type of matching program that everyone has. The company gives you 15-17% of your salary each year in either a deferred account or cash without you having to contribute any of your own money. This is a way that Southwest and Farmers drives ownership to someone who gets paid $35,000 to serve you drinks or to transport your luggage.

While we sit by and watch United, American, and Continental file of Chapter 8 and continue to run a business model that does not work, companies like JetBlue and Southwest continue to operate in the Black and expand. And in todays travel world where United and others continue to cut back on the items that made them different from Southwest like food, movies, and a supposedly better overall experience, I just don't see why I continue to reward companies that provides such shitty products and service.

Oh and just to recap my day yesterday, I woke up at 3:30am EST and didn't get home until 7:00pm PST. Thanks United for fucking up my New Years Eve plans!!!! The shit that went down yesterday was absolutely outrageous. And if United would of treated me with any type of decency yesterday instead of making me feel like it was my fault that the flight crew didn't show up or that they had to change planes or that the Premier Reservation desk fucked up, then I wouldn't be like this right now.