Changes Afoot at United
For a while it was a bit sad being a loyal customer of United. The management seemed to have only one objective: to sell the airline to someone else. And so everything about the experience just got older and older. Being based in Cincinnati for a while, I got to fly Delta a lot. They seemed to come out with new services like seat-back screens in domestic economy, buy on board menus with Todd English menu items, and they even gave out eyeshades and earplugs on international flights. Overall, I also felt Delta staff on the ground and crew in the air were uniformly more professional-acting and courteous than United's.
Recently though, there seem to be a lot of changes at United. Some are big, like the horizontal flat beds in business class (here's a picture). Also, they're renovating a lot of the lounges. On my outbound connection in ORD I visited the Red Carpet Club by gate B18; I was really surprised by how nice and bright it looked inside.
On my return, I was able to go to the Red Carpet Club by gate B6, which just reopened a few days before. I was instantly struck again by how bright it looked inside! I think a lot of paint and new furniture made a big difference
The serving area looks consistent with the RCC by B18, and the snacks are now served unpackaged. The downside is that you have to be sure everyone uses the tongs, and you can't really sneak food out for a mid-flight snack. But the area looks a lot less cluttered now.
There are even smaller changes like new upholstery on some planes, and for the first time I noticed new headphones in first class (not sure if these are in economy). They aren't noise-cancelling, but the larger ear cup and cushion help block out a lot of noise. Big improvement over the old foam-covered ones!
