We rarely have anything nice to say about US airlines, and deservedly so since they suck something awful, but today we report on one little gem in a sea (or sky) of turds. United Airlines offers a special flight called Premium Service (PS) that is limited to routes between Los Angeles/San Francisco and JFK. We agree with United when they state:
"There is something about New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco that calls for a sophisticated touch. That means refining our service to better provide a better experience for bicoastal business travelers, whom we hold in the highest regards."
Amen. We hope and wish that a level of sophistication will one day return to air travel, however, its doubtful with the bargain basement travelers that are partially to blame for the sad state of American air travel by demanding lower ticket prices at the expense of comfort and service. Ok, a slight digression on cheap bastard travelers:
United should just fly two types of flights: PS and BLS (Blue Light Specials). For BLS, I say eliminate seats all together. Have those crap passengers just stand the entire flight and pack them 12 across, like freaking concentration camp prisoners on trains to Auschwitz. Don't bother serving drinks, have the flight attendants use a hose to douse them every couple of hours. For food, randomly throw peanuts, not packs of peanuts mind you, but actual peanuts like they do in a zoo with monkeys. Each row will get one plastic bag to share when nature calls. United could charge $50 for a cross country flight but would still generate sufficient revenue by making it up in volume of passengers.
But I digress...
Back to PS flights. What makes them special? Well first, the plane is reconfigured so that half the plane is set aside for First and Business Class cabins with the remaining section reserved for 72 Economy Plus seats which come with 5 inches of additional room compared to normal coach. That adds up to only 120 passengers on a 757 which is a great passenger to space ratio. The First Class cabin comes with the only lie-flat seats on domestic flights.
I've flown Business Class on PS flights a number of times, and I can tell you that the best part of the PS experience is the quality of service. It is mind-boggling that the people serving the passengers on PS are from the same company that sucketh all mighty on normal United flights. During my first PS flight a couple years ago, I had plans to work the entire time. Those plans were thrown off the plane as I was coddled by the very attentive crew throughout the flight. From multiple drink service, to lunch, to personal dvd players, and finally dessert service prior to landing, I was treated like *gasp* a luxury traveler. Business Class on a PS flight is head and shoulders better than First Class on a normal United flight or any other US airline for that matter. In fact, every time I fly to New York, I make the two-hour drive up to Los Angeles from San Diego just so that I can fly PS.
Before the latest fiasco with high oil prices, United had plans to expand their PS service to other routes (United, if you're reading this: San Diego to Dulles please) but those plans have been shelved for the moment. The surprising thing is - well actually not surprising to us at G Luxe but apparently it is to the geniuses at United - is that PS flights actually generate MORE revenue than normal flights. Read this good Wall Street Journal article if you want more details behind the math. To us, its simple common sense: certain passengers are willing to pay more to not be treated like cattle. Higher ticket prices equal higher revenue. Higher revenue with same cost structure equal higher profit. Seems like motherfucking Econ 101 to us.
Go to unitedps.com to book a Premium Service flight. And don't worry, this will likely be the last nice thing we write about any US airline.
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