When I travel, it is usually (90%) due to work-related events. For a long time, my preferred airline was United Airlines, as I lived within 7 miles of SFO (Ya know, the place with the huge aircraft that takes off like clockwork at 23:00 Pacific Time every night).

In fact, I was on a United 777 on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 when it got turned around. After that, United seems to have been turned around.

Now I live in the Boston area. When I tried to fly to London on United, I got a rude shock — all London flights go via Dulles or JFK. Flew British Airways instead.

I have a United Credit Card to collect Mileage Plus Points. I have lots of points. It is my primary form of payment for most things. I also have a Delta Credit Card to collect their points. And with Logan now opening the mysterious Terminal A (I have tried to start the rumour that it has been a secret NSA listening post due to its length construction) for Delta, I will likely start to rely on Delta more exclusively.

But it’s not just because Delta is here. It is because United isn’t the kind of airline that made me an enthusiast in the past. It was a joy to get on a United flight…now it is a chore.

A couple of comments on this. [here and here]

United, I want to be a customer. I want to be happy to fly on your planes again.

How are you going to make me a happy customer? How is United going to make me an evangelist?

I doubt that an organization as narrowly focused as United can even begin to address these questions.