http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/news_817/rss http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/news_817/rss http://gethuman.com/images/gethuman-hands50.gif http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_24025.html Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:48:06 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_23919.html Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:03:42 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_23827.html Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:01:30 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_23582.html Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:07:57 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_23118.html Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:56:09 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_23061.html Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:17:33 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_22934.html Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:06:53 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_22697.html Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:55:43 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_22646.html Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:09:04 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_22355.html Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:37:51 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_22345.html Fri, 09 Dec 2011 04:54:13 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_21877.html Sun, 20 Nov 2011 14:58:56 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_21753.html Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:37:19 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_21486.html Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:42:14 +0000 http://gethuman.com/United_Airlines/customer-review_21271.html Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:26:34 +0000 http://gethuman.com/blog/United_Airlines__Who_s_Excited_For_More_Fees________139.html Tue, 04 May 2010 14:22:38 +0000 United Airlines has agreed to purchase Continental Airlines for the bargain basement price of $3 billion, thus creating the world's largest airline. Once again the upper management of both companies (along with the now heavily paid investment bankers) are touting the benefits that will be passed on to consumers in the forms of lower fares, better customer service and an overall better customer experience. Riiiiight.

In an industry where companies are continually struggling to deal with escalating oil and gas prices, and where demand from consumers has forced airlines to charge for once complimentary services such as food, extra leg room and headsets, how is this merger going to allow them to decrease prices? As stated in a previous post , less competition allows companies to charge higher prices, not lower. It doesn't take a P.H.D. in economics to recognize that. Tell me you are merging to gain additional routes that were not currently offered, tell me you are merging because it's cheaper to buy used planes from an existing carrier than it is to buy new planes, but please don't tell me that you are somehow going to change basic economics and will miraculously begin to offer lower fares in an industry where margins are already micro-thin. United Airlines has already begun charging customers for luggage on top of the price paid for the flight, so this deal is realistically just another way for them to collect more fees, all while making it look like they are going to be passing on the savings to you, the consumer. As our friend Flava Flav once said, "Don't believe the hype." Customers should brace themselves for longer wait times, fewer customer service represnetatives, and higher fares. Unfortunately it's just what happens in the wild world of Mergers and Acquisitions.

For more on the United Airlines merger, Click here. ]]>