United believes that Southwest cannot match the quality of United’s service to Hawaii. But that’s not really the point.
United CEO Oscar Munoz just returned from a multi-stop Asia Pacific trip that included Seoul, Tokyo, and Hawaii (including Honolulu and select out-stations). Writing to all employees about his trip, Munoz downplayed Southwest without ever mentioning it by name:
If you thought that recent media fanfare over new low-cost carriers trying to expand in the market might have flagged their spirits, let me be the one to tell you firsthand: our Hawaii employees have never been more confident in our ability to outcompete any new kids on the block. United continues to offer the most flights, most seats and most capacity of any carrier between the mainland and the islands.
Beyond that, from our onboard meals, to premium cabin offerings and extra legroom options, to inflight entertainment – none of our competitors, including low-cost carriers, can match the quality of United’s overall service to Hawaii.
On the one hand, all of this can be dismissed as simply the sort of spin that a CEO must say to his frontline employees (or publicly). I’m not sure anyone is going to choose United over Southwest due to onboard meals, especially when United does not provide any complimentary meals on the 10-hour flight from Washington Dulles to Honolulu or the 11-hour flight from Newark to Honolulu (United is trialing free sandwiches from Chicago and Houston).
On the other hand, United simply serves a far larger market than Southwest. Southwest does not even offer redeye flights, and therefore is targeting point-to-point (direct) traffic from key West Coast cities to the Hawaiian islands. United caters to passengers across the United States and Canada and even beyond. In that sense, there is no comparison between the two.
> Read More: Southwest’s Hawaii Experiment Is Missing One Essential Ingredient
CONCLUSION
Fly Southwest and you’ll get free checked bags and a little snack box, but I don’t think that’s the point. In the case of leisure-markets like Hawaii, I think most consumers will choose the airline that offers the best connections at the best price. United tends do well in this category from cities across the nation. Thus, its primary “threat” remains Delta and American, not Southwest (or even Hawaiian).
> Read More: United’s Diametrically Different Hawaii Strategy Than Southwest
> Read More: United CEO Bemoans Honolulu Airport
images: Southwest Airlines
Although I am a someone seasoned flier, I have not paid attention to Hawaii. I might want to go there in about 3 years for the first trip in years. When I go, I will consider Southwest along with United. I usually fly economy class. United’s economy class does not strike me as being better.
In my personal circumstance, I would probably consider Alaska, Delta, and (for the novelty and reportedly decent service) Hawaiian as first tier choices, American, Southwest, and United second tier.
That was my thought, too. Passengers already expect different levels of service from legacy carriers than they do from LCCs, so comparing them is an apples-to-oranges scenario. That notwithstanding, though, UA consistently delivers a substandard product where they partially complete anway, *and* WN provides full-service offerings (mentioned in the article) that the legacy carriers don’t. Oscar’s either confused or just legitimately doesn’t know his own product.
If you’re flying economy between the mainland and Hawaii (and the vast majority of fliers d0), Southwest offers a far more comfortable and desirable product than United, American or Delta. More legroom, free checked bag, snack box – these things all exceed what the big 3 offer you. Personally, I’d plan an overnight stopover in CA to get an economy seat with a 32-33 inch pitch versus 10 or 11 hours suffering with a 30 inch pitch.
And don’t even bring up the boarding process because WN’s alpha-numeric boarding pass system is far more organized than the Big 3’s group numbers and boarding area besieged by gate lice! When half of the passengers on a flight get “priority boarding”, nobody really does.
UA must be smoking something from the up country in Maui. First they have to have service to brag about, UA’s service is legendary I give you that, consistency horrible. Legacy FA’s that for the most part don’t really give a damn but then that’s been the problem all along. I have friends in Hawaii that never fly UA and some have said it’s embarrassing when UA toys to purport to the airline of the islands.
In the forty years I have been going back and forth for business and pleasure I have only done on R/T on UA over 18 years ago. I did have to fly UA to GUM after they took over CO on that route did it once then switched to DL
…where they paritally compete anyway…*
Curses! That was a correction on my comment to Derek…
United is not exactly known for good, let alone great service. Also, I thought Alaska flew the most flights to Hawaii from the mainland?
Will they buy back the Seaside Hotel?
United can afford not to worry because they’re not just United, especially from the other side of the Pacific. They’re also ANA, not to mention United has a special place with East Asians that neither Delta nor American possess.
Plus, if US3 were to consolidate, WN could be a good suitor as part of a potential UA multi brand strategy, and fill up gaps in the UA USA network.