United Airlines News

With Surprise and Delight, passengers now have something to look forward to.

United CEO Oscar Munoz Munoz is saying all the right things and needs to reassure MileagePlus members before more of them bolt to other airlines. But after years of poor performance, members of United's loyalty program and other customers will want to see concrete results, not just the verbiage.

United’s tracks moving forward could run along the lines of the Amtrak model; not aspiring to compete with global airlines on design, passenger comfort, and perks. If the kinks are taken out of the system, staff unity is achieved, fares are competitive, and United becomes more efficient, U.S. passengers might not mind.

That Smisek would go, effective immediately, based on the curious Federal case of the Chairman's Flight and not the botched United-Continental merger speaks volumes about the state of U.S. aviation.

Now that airlines are making money again, they're fighting for business from corporate travel agents.

Who's more important to the airlines: shareholders or passengers? Take one guess.

Passengers do choose what airline to fly based on network advantage. Fares too. But it is good to see any airline work to turn around a blemished image by focusing on the customer. Friendly never hurts.

Travel brands that have separate Twitter accounts to handle customer inquiries should take a step back and reassess their strategy to determine whether it's the most effective use of their resources.

Lippy Cow lip balm sounds interesting. Maybe United could offer little kits on sale to its Economy passengers. They get knackered too and could use a little milk of human kindness.