Yesterday, I wrote about United’s plans to introduce a new livery next month. Today, I argue that there are far more pressing priorities than fuselage paint jobs.
The new livery will likely incorporate the new purple and blue hues that characterize United’s current color scheme. That’s understandable, especially as United moves away from gold. I also want to stipulate that United will not be pulling aircraft out of service to repaint but will simply be updating aircraft as they undergo maintenance as well as take new deliveries with the new, as yet unidentified livery.
But here’s what I see. I see Polaris meals that look like this:
photo: @hankintheair
I see FAs unhappy that the elimination of one galley position means more hustle and bustle that delays meal service and presents customers with a product that is frankly visually unappealing.
> Read More: United Airlines Flight Attendants Protest Staffing Cuts, Warn Of Poor Service Onboard
And that leads me to argue that United is simply being foolish to spend unnecessary dollars on repainting aircraft while it deteriorates the onboard product.
United certainly recognizes the importance of investing in its premium product. After all, why else would it invest in ripping out economy class seats on select Boeing 767 aircraft in order to install more premium seats? United knows that premium seats drive profits.
> Read More: United Dramatically Enlarges Business Class Cabin On 767-300
So why is it cutting back on the soft product? Wine flights…gone. Extra pillow…gone. Nicely plating food…gone. Bloody Mary cart…gone. Pajamas…missing in action on many flights, with flight attendants blaming a “supply” issue.
Maybe, just maybe, United can get away with it. But if it wants to create a world-class product, this is not the way to do it. The new livery just becomes lipstick on a pig.
CONCLUSION
I love flying United and remain loyal to the carrier. That’s not going to change (and maybe that’s the answer right there). But I wish United would not be penny-wise, pound-foolish. The little things add up to make a huge difference. Customers will not be impressed with a new livery if the soft product is merely a shadow of what it used to be. Polaris is about more than the seat or the paintjob…it is about a stellar soft product that United has consciously determined it can cut back on.
Let’s hope United realizes this before it is too late. Or maybe I’m wrong and consumers don’t care what kind of plate their meal is served on or how visually appealing their entree is. Time will tell. But I’m arguing that a new livery won’t mask the premium cabin cutbacks. Therefore, I’d rather invest the livery money into the soft product…even if it means full cashews instead of broken ones.
@ Matthew — OMG, that piece of fish (if that’s what it is?) looks disgusting. I could not eat from that tray. Why don’t you just switch to Delta for domestic travel? They really are better. Then, just use your miles to fly the best airlines internationally. Honestly, the FCQ and I rarely fly Untied these days and don’t really miss it.
Agree with every point … the PJs are one thing; the catering trims and complete absence of wine in some flights is a question of fundamentals and basics. I just booked LH F to OTP because it was $177 more than Polaris. It’s not $177 better …
LH F for $177 more than UA J is perhaps the biggest no-brainer in the history of aviation, and that has nothing to do with this latest cutback.
The post-2/1 Polaris main courses are garbage and embarrassing for United after spending so much time touting the product, the Trotter Project link, etc. This is one cut too deep and I hope frequent flyers are complaining early and often about this cheapskate move, because I certainly am. Did Jeff Smisek sneak his way back into the Willis Tower?
I certainly am as well. Getting thoughtful responses now and again, but ultimately they are committed to the path.
It’s not a flying restaurant.
While I don’t disagree that a fresh coat of paint isn’t really required now, as there is nothing wrong with the current scheme, I’m strongly in the camp of those seeking cheaper tickets for J, rather than a better meal.
Dine in the Polaris lounge. That’s why they put it there.
Maybe when IAD gets one. I just flew BA TATL. It was much cheaper than UA when buying PE and upgrading with miles. They serve a buffet in the BA lounge at IAD, and it was great, plus they will make you a BA burger. And I still tried the onboard dining out of curiosity. It was excellent from Do & Co (their logo was on a chocolate). Put UA to shame, which wasn’t the case in the recent past. And I could have bought up to F and used the Concorde rooms for $687.
At this point, UA only gets my money when they are much cheaper.
Just flew United Polaris for the first time and it was the worst business class product I’ve ever tried. Swiss Air, Delta, Tap and Jet Blue Mint all were more luxurious. Disappointing but I can’t say I’m surprised after having so many poor economy experiences with them. Too bad for me they basically control my local airport.
Speaking of more pressing priorities… is there any news of a SHARES replacement? Are we going to limp along with this broken system until something disastrous happens?
Having flown in the last year the new Polaris hard product as well as Biz on Swiss and Turkish….I think the Polaris hard product seats are the best hands down. Service and food not so great. But I’d rather have a comfortable seat (not a stone slab SWISS) on a long-haul flight.
I think they will eventually learn from their mistakes and fix the soft product & service.
AS more seats are dedicated to Premium Service cabins – they will get more feedback.
That fish presentation reminds me of Air Koryo !
The thing about livery is you don’t see the paint job when you’re on the plane. Frequently enough you don’t even know what the livery is by the time you board as sometimes you don’t get a glimpse before going down the jet way. Soft product, good or bad, is what the passenger notices and remembers.
Don’t paint jobs have a specific lifetime after which they either need to be redone or changed completely? Perhaps this isn’t just a cosmetic thing, maybe the paint on a large portion of the fleet is in need of a new coat and they figure why not just change it now?
A sensible point. Maybe United really isn’t shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic, or at least this may be unrelated.
You could be right, but I was under the impression this would be a touch-up rather than a whole new livery.
While I strongly agree with your point regarding Polaris, I disagree with your point regarding the livery. In fact, I think the livery “evolution” should be a part of a comprehensive rebranding. It is my opinion that United was left rudderless after the merger and during the Smisek years- they lacked identity and this is never good for an organization in transformation. They became neither United with Continental influence, nor Continental with United Influences. They became generic. Then came Polaris and I started thinking “now they are getting it”. Truth be told, I kind of wished that Polaris would become the new brand for the whole Company as Polaris was the true north. Polaris was aspirational and I started to see the transformation in identity that was abesent after the merger. But they relented when they should have broadened their efforts. While I still find United operating above the generic state they existed in after the merger, I’m concerned about where the bottom will be. Now, I know no one ever chose a flight based on the livery of a plane, but when part of an overall strategy, the livery and branding in general influence consumer behavior. There was a sense of commitment and excitement that was palpable when Polaris debuted. That can be and should be done in all of their products, whatever they choose to name them, but the effort must be comprehensive and if it exists as part of this effort, then I think that the livery update should be initiated and will be welcomed.
Fair and well-reasoned point.
To your point, the employees actually benefit most from the rebranding and a refreshed livery. It gives them something to be excited about and proud of. And this rubs off, hopefully, on the customer.
Actually I think most employees would rather have a better computer system, one that is more reliable and lets them service their customers with more efficiency.
I have heard this many times: the livery isn’t to sell the airline to the customers. It is to sell the airline to the employees, who see it every day.
Is it true? Ask someone who’s worked a long time at an airline.
As a Million Miler and a branding guy I think that United is in need of lots of things but they all begin with brand. United stood for something once upon a time – and the corporate mash-up of United and the pseudo-globe on the tail said nothing about what the carrier stood for. Polaris is the latest misfire – i’m not really sure whether it’s the new first and the new high end economy is a throwback to what business class was before it became absurdly expensive. They should have aimed to leapfrog the other carriers – and instead basically matched the middle of the pack. Now if they deliver a powerful new livery that sets the course across all their markets that reboots the carrier I’m all for it. I spent a lot of my life with my butt in one of their seats to cross the million mile finish line.
@Mfb123 makes a very solid point and certainly United needs a makeover in the eyes of the public. Creating a new look can be a part of the reboot the brand needs to return to a place among the worlds best. And United certainly has needed such a reboot.
But Matthew is also right about Polaris. Polaris was arguably the first and most visible move United made to return itself to the top rank of global carriers. United very much needs to get Polaris right. And as Matthew properly notes it seems incongruous to spend money on a new livery when much more important priorities are being cut for cost reasons. The meal in the picture simply doesn’t belong in any business class let alone what is supposed to be a top flight international product. United very much needs to get Polaris right given how lucrative that cabin is. Trying to do it on the cheap will in the end be penny wise and pound foolish.
Mfb123 makes valid points. United should consider rehiring Pentagram.
Never flown in real Polaris seats. Just 8 across 777, 787-8 or ex CO widebodies. But I fly over 1/2 my flights on E145 and CRJ200. UA should incentivize Express to be more punctual, get rid of CRJ200 entirely and put a forward Lav in CRJ700 and CRJ550. I don’t care about the livery. As for Polaris investment, complete the retrofits and if Express was on-time I could eat in Polaris lounge
can’t enter a Polaris lounge without a Polaris ticket tho.
These are exactly the points that flight attendants are trying to make. The same day the announcement was made about Polaris cutbacks, they announced the newest rah-rah event, called Backstage 2019. Sending nearly 25,000 flight attendants to Chicago for two days. There isn’t an opportunity to convey opinions about the deterioration of service at this event. Instead, many flight attendants come away with the same message: “We know what we are doing. Do more with less. If you don’t get onboard, you can leave. ”
So with that attitude, customers should NOT be surprised when they encounter crew that just done give a damn. And going the extra mile for you? forget it. No one in management is going the extra mile for them or even cares about their opinion.
United Business (Polaris) Edinburgh to Newark used to be reasonably priced. Not now, it’s increased at least 200% since my last flight which means even although I have the inconvenience of flying to NYC via Heathrow, it’s back to BA where I can fly First for half the cost of a United flight
LMAO, who orders fish on a flight??
Actually an in-flight chef on Turkish Airlines once told me that fish actually tastes better at 30,000 feet…and I have to agree with him. I’ve lucked out overtime I ordered fish….
BUT….That presentation looks horrible. Almost like they caught it and flung it on the plate!
That’s what happens when they eliminate the extra FA and they throw each piece of the entree onto a plate !
If they can only increase the service product – Polaris will Shine. The hard product rocks.
I also like fish on a plane. I find it is most difficult to mess up.