On October 12, 2010 I wrote a post entitled, “Why I’m Optimistic about Jeff Smisek Leading United Airlines.” Based upon an inflight anecdote in which Smisek engaged both crew and customers, I posited that “he appears to be laying the foundation to substantially lift employee morale.” Three years later, I wish my foresight had been better.
People tell me that Smisek gets angry when anyone calls him Mr. Smisek. He is to be called Jeff, because he is one of the team. But talk is cheap and for all the bluster about teamwork and great customer service, United has slipped tremendously since the merger. There is no need for me to lay out the many failures during Jeff’s tenure at United–Rohan does it nicely.
What stands out to me is not so much the poor management decisions or spin surrounding them, but that Jeff blew the golden opportunity to be the next William Patterson or Gordon Bethune. Some complain that Smisek is a Harvard lawyer with no real airline experience. I say, so what? Patterson was a loan officer in Hawaii before moving to United. He did not have prior experience either.
But he had vision, as did Bethune. Smisek has no discernible vision for this airline other than to cut expenses and increase the bottom line. Money may be at the root of all business decisions, but he is going about it the wrong way. A successful business is the result of a successful product or service, not a desire to make money. In demonizing loyalty, turning its back on Star Alliance, and cutting service to laughable levels, United has demonstrated why it has fallen out of grace as Delta and even bankrupt American Airlines have moved in the opposite direction.
I am not calling for the resignation of Jeff Smisek. Though he and his Continental team have been a monumental disappointment thus far, I am still hopeful that he will grow into the job, maturing to a position in which he can lead with bold vision rather than squeamish reluctance to embrace the ideas of his predecessors–that focusing on money does not make money.
So maybe I am still optimistic.
Stay tuned for more on this topic.
I wouldn’t be so quick to deify Pat Patterson, we largely have the entire US airline industry’s culture of “flight attendants are here primarily for your safety” to lay at his feet.
He was the original airline industry driver of deferring to unions on scheduling and work issues, my sense is out of a genuinely-held belief that workers are closer to their own needs than management could possibly be. In other words, out of a misguided benificence rather than capitulation or inattention. Nonetheless, I’m not sure that his legacy is what we’d want for Smisek today.
Then again, I’m not sure that Smisek emulating Jim Goodwin even would be much worse.
You have been writing a lot the last few days, but I feel like you are writing more and more to fill space with empty thoughts. This is just one of many “empty” articles you’ve wrote recently, another one your Thanksgiving post. I do not see the point of this other than to say you disagree with the fact that Jeff should step down like Rohan did in the much more articulated article earlier.
Simply put, SMI/J needs to GTFU. From the day I saw his sorry-ass mug shot with a used car salesman look, I know this day is coming.
@Mike: Just what do you want from this blog? I write a non-travel related Thanksgiving article every year–check back the last four years. The same for Christmas and Memorial Day. I would hardly call my latest trip report “empty” for it has taken several hours to write. And so what if the point of this post was to say that though Rohan makes very good points, I am not calling for Jeff to step down? I find your comments incredibly rude and ignorant, but you are entitled to your opinion.
@Gary: Noted. Just curious, where did you learn about him? I would be interested in a biography. Do you think the success of United during his tenure was just the product of the greater post-war economic boom?
Isn’t $mi$mek’s first priority to his shareholders and the Board who is supposed to look after the interests of the shareholders as a whole? I mean, the majority of his management decisions have been focused on delivering value to shareholders and he’s been doing that with drastic cost reductions and exploring areas where he could potentially increase the revenue base. I don’t think many on FT or in the FF space like him, but you have to remember that his number one priority is to make United a profitable enterprise…
@Ben L, but my point is that this is a fool’s game. Drumming up a temporary increase in revenue while driving away high value customers and those at the margins will result in much less revenue and much angrier shareholders later on. He is being penny wise, pound foolish.
My point was, you have gone a while without writing and it now seems as though you are overcompensating. You might write holiday posts often, but this year your Thanksgiving post was a joke, but then again this is just my opinion (and as I read some of your other readers). Also what about your $10 back Amex post, another blogger on her already wrote about it and all you did was basically copy the T&Cs. What type of Blog post is that? Maybe you just have more free time now than you have in the past, but more substance in your post would be ideal!
Also, my comment may be “rude and ignorant” but if that’s so than you’re a very self conceded blogger who has a hard time with criticism
@Mike: Many come directly to my blog and not to the other bloggers on this site, so I felt it necessary to mention the AMEX promotion. If you don’t like those posts, you do not have to read them. But there was nothing more to say–save $10 by using your AMEX card today. There. It needed mentioning, it did not need elaboration. More is not always better and a lengthy post is not necessarily a good post. You will see much more frequent shorter posts going forward, because attention spans are short and most readers only care about the gist, not the details, for deals like credit cards and mileage offers.
Telling me my posts are “empty” when I provide free content that takes hours to write and assemble is rude and ignorant, and that is not self-conceit. Where else have you seen a trip report to the Caucasus lately? Or a way to expedite points transfers between US Airways accounts? Or even about the Delta flight that was cancelled to accommodate a sports team?
People have very different views of what “substance” is.
Don’t get worked up over the naysayers, Matthew.
Your content is good, this post is good, and please keep up the good work.
You are very much caught up on your trip reports, I never said these were empty. Clearly you think highly of yourself. If you were a humble traveler such comments would never be typed from your fingers. Instead, travel on and continue being arrogant. Clearly you think you are better than others.
Hi Matthew, I for one am very much enjoying your most recent trip report and looking forward to your next installment. Seems like a region I would like to visit in the near future.
I would recommend some introspection on humility for Mike.
I am a 22-year UA FA and think Rohan has the better final argument and Jeff must go now. How much more time must he be given? My airline is a wreck.
Oh, how we long for the good ol’ days of Glenn Tilton… [/sarc]
Please don’t feed the trolls.
Looks like Jeff $misek himself isn’t so optmistic about his own “leadership” team anymore
@UA-NYC:
Indeed. It looks like it’s 3 down, 1 to go…
Pete McDonald – COO – Retiring
Leon Kinloch – SVP Pricing & Revenue Management – AXED
Martin Hand – SVP Customer Experience – AXED
Matt – Please continue to do the good work. I do enjoy your BLOG. This is not a paid subscription content. I am sure Mike can just opt out of http://www.upgrd.com/matthew if he doesn’t like it..
Looking forward for your next article!
I can’t speak to Smisek as a leader, but I will say this. I sent him an email – to his public email – asking some questions as a student. He replied and he replied kindly. I give credit to any major corporate execs who answer questions from a random student.