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Good news: United raises fares

April 1, 2006

This may seem counter-intuitive, but United Airlines’ move to raise ticket prices by anywhere from $2 to $50, depending on the route and type of fare, might have a positive effect on customer service.

Why? Fares are too low for airlines to cover their costs. When an airline can’t make any money, it starts to cut amenities and services. Typically, its customers must endure substandard customer service. Higher ticket prices might reverse that trend (then again, they might not).

Let’s see if this fare increase sticks.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

5 comments

  • Susan

    United airlines customer service is still substandard at best. I’ve noticed that every time I call I am serviced by someone with a hard accent. It sounds like an Indiana accent. I am okay with the multi-cultural work environment; however, I feel that its important to understand the person that’s providing me with customer service. How frustrating it is to repeat the same concerns and have absolutely no resolution. When language is an issue than service can not be provided to the customer.

  • Sally

    I think you meant an Indian (East Indian) accent ~ not an Indiana accent.
    I agree. I spent hours one night last week trying to find out about the changes to two of my itineraries United had made ~ without notifiying me. One time I got disconnected after spending about 15 minutes trying to properly communicate with the agent. When I called back and talked to a different agent, I inquired why I was not called back when disconnected. I was informed that the agents cannot make outgoing calls. I also inquired as to why I had not been notified by e-mail or phone about my two different itinerary changes. I was told my e-mail mail box was full and their e-mails were returned. This could not be, as my mail box was never full ~ and I received everyone else’s
    e-mail. We had great difficulty understanding each other. I kept correcting my confirmation numbers and e-mail address ~ and the different agents kept repeating it incorrectly. I said “N as in Nancy” and “zero” ~ these were read back to me as “M as in Mary” and “one”. Totally frustrated, and with nothing resolved, three hours later I hung up ~ and gave up!

  • Sharon Miller

    I have no problem with the modest fare increases that United Airlines has recently put into place, especially if UAL provides the same level of service (friendly, helpful employees) I experienced several months ago on a Boston/Anchorage itinerary. I would be willing to pay more than the modest increases for a consistently reliable airline that I could depend on. Airlines can’t operate at a loss forever, and if they continue to do so, we will all be driving, “Amtracking” or “cruising”, for they will cease to exist.

    More amenities and services would be most welcome, but priority one FOR ME would be that UAL strictly adhere to aircraft maintenance schedules and perform aircraft repairs in a timely manner, not that they don’t; I am simply stating my opinion.

    UAL should consider possibly initiating another modest increase in the future to cover the costs associated with returning some of the lost amenities that many of us miss.

    As for the issue regarding speaking to an sub-contracted agent in another country, I avoid that hassle by booking all of my flights with my travel agent. My agent emails me a new itinerary whenever there is a schedule change – one less thing to concern myself with. The trick is to find a GOOD travel agent, a person who will keep you informed and will be there to back you if you encounter problems while you are traveling. The twenty dollars I pay my agent is money well spent; I actually think he deserves more than he charges me! AND, he has always priced out lower than any fares that I could find on the Internet – a bonus!

    I will be going “visiting” around the U.S. soon, and I booked my flights with UAL. I will “launch” in Boston and then go on to Chicago, Seattle, Anchorage, Bethel, San Francisco, and back to Boston. I am hoping for another pleasang flying experience.

  • S O’Neill

    My experiences over the past year have been similar to Sally’s efforts and poor results in telephone communications.
    I am calling from Thailand, though, and the language barrier is Thai-English, English-Thai. The disconnects are sooo frustrating! In spite of repeated requests to be contacted via email to conclude a conversation in the event of a disconnect, I’ve yet to receive a single email.
    As to a good travel agent in Thailand, I’m sure I could locate a very good good travel agency, however it would require my physical presence in Bangkok, three hours of travel time by bus or mini-van.
    Is it worth it? Maybe. It’s my next step if I can’t get satisfactory results from my own efforts.
    I’ve typically like to “play” with my own travel plans on the internet.
    Price differences internet vs. a good travel agent – I’m in the market to find out for my next BKK to DEN (Denver) trip.

  • Ernst Schuetz

    I had a long fight with United, but recently I got the problem solved to my safisfaction.

    It seems they are in the process of improving their customer service.

    ES

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