So United Airlines, Continental Airlines and eight other Star Alliance members are asking the government for antitrust immunity. So what?
First, the good news. If approved, the carriers will be able to offer more joint fares, reciprocal mileage accrual which will count towards “elite” status and entrance to each other’s airline clubs. All nice things.
United also claims customers will benefit from a coordinated process for reservations and ticketing, check-in, flight connections and baggage transfer.
Well, maybe.
Code-share flights — the term when a flight is marketed by one airline and flown by another — are an inexact science. Despite advance warnings, I have had clients at San Francisco Airport calling frantically because they read “United” on their ticket, didn’t read further, and didn’t realize that Air Canada — the airline actually flying them — leaves from a different terminal.
And who do you call when your luggage is lost? Or when there are problems and you need customer service? Plus, as anyone who has tried to redeem mileage for an upgrade knows, trying to redeem miles on a “partner” carrier can range from difficult to impossible.
Just one example. If you want to use United miles to upgrade on a Lufthansa flight, which is allowed, you must book the ticket first, and pay for it. Then go to United who will request the upgrade from Lufthansa, who will get back to you in two to seven days. Yes, not hours, days.
And if the upgrade is sold out, not only can you not waitlist, but also you will pay any applicable penalty to change your ticket and try for a different flight.
In addition, being able to have miles from different airlines count towards elite status means more competition for those upgrades. And more people with bonus miles chasing those tickets to Paris and Hawaii.
And in an era when airlines are cutting service, it may be very tempting for example, for United to cancel flights when Continental or Air Canada or another Star carrier has some service. So you might be waiting a little longer for that connection, or for the next plane if you miss a flight.
Don’t get me wrong. Even with these annoyances, having the airlines go out of business would be more annoying.
But the bottom line reason for this alliance is not customer service — it’s the bottom line.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
