The Real Problem with the new United Livery

I could start by saying, "I don't like it," and though it would be true, it has very little to do with the real problem facing the new United Livery.

According the United's Hub Website:
With an extensive route network of 355 destinations, we’re passionate about everything the globe represents. We proudly portray our global reach and intention to span all cultures through this latest iteration of our livery — from the globe on the tail all the way through our shared purpose emblazoned near the nose: “Connecting people. Uniting the world.”

That's great and all, but the same could be said for this livery design (minus the shared purpose):

Oscar said that this is "an evolution, not a revolution."  He was right.  They modified the same 1990's design that Continental had for many years prior to the merger.

Let's look at the word "revolution." In the dictionary we find this: a forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favor of a new system.  Further defined as this: a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized or in people's ideas about it.

It's funny to me that Oscar chose to say that it's not a revolution, when that is exactly what it needed.  Here's why: The Culture surrounding United needs a dramatic and wide-reaching change.

Let's all go back a few years to the merger (hence why I included that first announced merger livery design). United people despised the Globe and Continental people hated the Tulip. Even though they said that they hated one brand or the other, it was actually a much deeper issue.  People hate change, myself included. And each company's culture was very unique -- unique to the point that they clashed. The Tulip and the Globe are simply the objects that many people have associated with a frustration from the past.

Last night, as the new livery was leaked, we began to see a resurgence of "bring back the tulip!" and "this will destroy Continental's legacy!" This new livery has sparked a new culture war from the UA/CO merger days. 

Sure, it's easy to say, "but if you did something new, everyone would hate it."  Which is true.  It's also the point.  It would be something that everyone would have in common.  People on both sides would agree, "I wish it wasn't that."  And, as we saw with the American livery, people learned to love it. 

The Globe and the Tulip are just symbols, but they are symbols of frustration.  United, in my opinion, had the opportunity to change the symbol and really do something amazing.  Instead we got a Euro White and Blue abomination.  (Okay, to be fair, it's not that bad, but I did have a lot higher hopes and was throughly disappointed.)

Oscar has to find a way to ACTUALLY unite the world, and it starts by dramatically changing people's view of United.  I read another blog today that "United shouldn't waste their time with paint, but should actually invest in their product."  And the problem is, United IS investing in their product.  From the new Polaris brand, to free inflight TV, to better food options, to all of the things that they keep doing to make their product better. 

But, the lingering symbols and frustration drive people to focus on the negative and their memories.  So, instead of seeing a beautiful new livery, we see a fresh coat of paint on a doctor-beating, guitar-destroying pig. 

In the end, I only have two actual issues with the new livery: 1. I hate the winglets (I wish they had a design), and 2. the globe looks unfinished to me.  But, more than that, I believe that this livery just continues to push the rough merger back in to the light.  I'm done.  I'll become United's biggest fan again.

But, hey, I'm just some guy who likes to look at airplanes, so what do I know?

FBS College Football: The Power Five Undefeated Teams after Week 5

For those of you who don't know me all that well, I love football.  I'm also very biased on who the best college football team is.  I know that this has very little to do with flying, but I hope you enjoy.

After five weeks of college football, I wanted to share my thoughts on the Power 5 teams that remain undefeated, and talk about when they could probably lose.  Enjoy.

²Clemson is the front-runner to win the ACC. Their remaining schedule only has a few games of note. On November 4th, they play NC State, and on November 11th they play Florida State. Honestly, I really don’t think they have anything left that’s worthy of a real football game. Maybe Wake Forest this weekend. My guess is that Miami wins the Costal Division and then loses to Clemson in the ACC Championship game. Clemson makes it to the final four.

¹³Miami appears to be the strongest team in the ACC Costal Division, and are the only other undefeated team in the ACC. Although I just picked them to play in the ACC Championship, I give them two more chances to lose. They may lose to Virginia Tech on November 4th but I would put money they lose to Notre Dame on November 11th. If they make it any further without a loss, they will lose to Clemson.

If you look at the Power Five Conferences that have divisions, three of the four have a division that has power and a division that should be in the group of five. That is most-evident in the B1G.

Although ⁹Wisconsin is currently undefeated and is ranked #9, they won’t stay that way. Their schedule is weak. They have beat Utah State, Lane Kiffin’s Florida Atlantic, the Mormans, and Nortwestern (you know, Chicago’s BIG TEN team). Anyway, the only real game they have is against Michigan on November 18th. Then they’ll get to play again in the BIG TEN Championship game. Yippee.

Ah.. ⁷Michigan. Yep. They’ll be fine until October 21st when they play Penn State, and then on November 25th a very angry Urban Meyer will bring his stupid optical-nuts to the Big House and Michigan will suffer the same fate it continues to suffer under Jim Hardboiled Egg.

I did a bit of research. The Nittany Lions refer to a group of lions that once roamed Mount Nittany. Nittany is derived from the Algonquian (a group of Native Americans) word Nit-A-Nee, which means “single mountain”, and yet, Mount Nittany actually refers to a mountain-ridge, not just a single mountain. Anyway, ⁴Penn State is overrated. Saquon Barkley is overrated (and should not win the Heisman). Penn State loses to Michigan on October 21st and falls to Ohio State the next week on October 28th.

Oh, and now a stupid picture of Lane Kiffin:

I don’t have a real reason for sharing that. I just found it while I was looking up the stuff for Wisconsin. He looks stupid. He is failing without the Cheater, Nick Saban.

Here’s how FAU is doing:

2-3

Good job, Lane. Remember that time you got left on the tarmac and asked to not board the plane…

Moving on.

Do you even know what a Ute is? Mostly, they are named after the Ute tribe, so something many would consider racist. However, I prefer the “Ute” used in Australia or New Zealand. A Ute is an abbreviation for “Coupé Utility” or… one of these:

That right there is a Holden (owned by General Motors) Ute. Their tagline for the Ute? “Developed for Doing.” The top of the line Ute comes with a 6.2 Litre V8 Engine. You know, for when you want to pretend you’re cool while driving the dumbest looking car in the world. Anywho, the Ute SSV Redline with an automatic transmission will run you AUD$61,721 or about $48,319 here in the states. I have about as much respect for the ²⁰Utah Utes as I do for whatever idiot buys that hunk of junk car. They have to beat Standford, USC, Oregon, UCLA, Washington State, Washington, and Colorado before they can claim being undefeated. They’re toast.

God love Mike Leach. The last time they beat a top 5 team was in 1992. The last time they beat USC was in 2002. So, after beating USC he was asked about the party going on at the stadium. His response? “It’s like Woodstock, except everybody’s got their clothes on.” God love that man. ¹¹Washington State still has their real games ahead, because let’s be honest… the only team they’ve beat… almost lost to Texas.

That leaves us with the one team that most of the “experts” believe is the only team from the PAC-12 that has a chance to make it to the Playoff: ⁶Washington. Their schedule is favorable. They’ve got two teams ahead of them who have both lost to San Diego State. They get Utah at home, and the only real challenge is Washington State. The only chance I see them getting all the way to the final four is if they beat USC in the Championship, but still…

⁵Georgia. They will lose to Alabama. The rest of the SEC sucks. The only other team they play who has a chance at them: Auburn. (Note that Georgia will play two ranked teams before meeting Bama in the SEC Championship, Auburn and Florida.) ROLLLL TIDE! Let’s look at ¹Alabama’s really hard schedule; Florida State… uh huh. Fresno State, Colorado State, Vandy, Ole Miss, A&M, Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU (who did they just lose to? Oh, that’s right… Troy. I bet they’re glad they got rid of Les.), Mississippi State, The mighty Mercer Bears from the FCS [as a side note, Mercer is 2-3 overall having lost to #10 Wofford 27-28, ¹⁵Auburn 10-24, and unranked ETSU 23-26(OT)], and finishing off with Auburn. So Bama will play two ranked teams, one at a neutral site, the other at Auburn, and is ranked #1. Yep. Roll Tide.

That leaves the BIG 12…

⁸TCU has one real win in my mind. So far they beat JK State, Arkansas (who is a real powerhouse this year), SMU, and Oklahoma State. Now, OSU is a “Big Win” because it was a road game against the number 6 team. But does that surprise us at all? For an OU fan… not really. I’ve said it a bunch before… it’s the Poke Choke. But how does the rest of their season look? They have West Virginia at home, play at Kansas State, KU at home, at Iowa State (Saturday game), Texas at Home, at Oklahoma, at Texas Tech, and Baylor at home. If they win out, sure. Send them to the Playoff. But… will they?

At the start of the Season the FPI predicted that Ohio State had the best chance of going undefeated. Who was number two? OU. Who has the best shot now? Clemson. In fact, in the most recent FPI Ranking, it’s Clemson, Bama, then OU. Keep on doubting, ESPN, I dare you. You’re just adding fuel to Baker’s fire. ³Oklahoma will go all the way.

Here’s something from tonight I want to share:

That’s Heather Dinich. She’s the main reporter for the CFP Committee. Tonight her top four:

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma
4. TCU

Remember, she knows that committee better than anyone else. Buy, hey, I'm just some guy who likes to look at airplanes, so what do I know?

TPG Growth is destroying my passion for Taco Bueno

It's been about ten months since TPG Growth (a division of TPG) acquired Taco Bueno from Palladium Equity Partners, and it's been the worst ten months since CKE Restaurants owed the Texas-based TexMex Quick Service Restaurant.  As an avid lover of Bueno, and a former employee, I know the standards with which the food was made, and I know how the food is being prepared now.  And it's not just me, it's everyone I know who is making the same comments.

Just prior to the sale to TPG Growth, Taco Bueno was voted the Best Mexican Restaurant in America.  And that brings the biggest rub.  You see, TPG Growth owns or has stake in a few other QSRs (Quick Service Restaurants); Burger King and Papa John's Pizza.  These two fast food chains are not known for their quality of food, but for their speed in getting "food" delivered to you.

If TPG Growth leads Taco Bueno down similar paths of Burger King and Papa John's, the implication is that Taco Bueno might grow very quickly, but all of the made-fresh-in-store food will be replaced with pre-cooked, microwaved junk.

Original Red is available on Taco Bueno's Fresh Salsa Bar.

You can already see it starting with their Original Red Salsa.  This salsa has been made daily in store since the beginning of time.  (well, maybe since 1964 when Taco Bueno started.)  The salsa is pretty basic and should be consistent.  Within weeks of TPG Growth taking over, the Original Red began to change.  After several months it has seemed to settle in to a standard flavor, but it isn't the Original Red I grew up with.  It's very spicy now, which is turning a lot of people off.

And it's not just the Salsa.  The chips, which I think are still fried in stores, have changed.  They have become thicker and less crispy.  I think Taco Bueno has changed cheese vendors four or five times since the acquisition.  I'm sure this is just the beginning, and I expect that there are other things that have already changed that I just don't know about.

The previous leadership of Taco Bueno really cared about what the customers wanted.  In fact, there was at least once when I was invited to the annual manager's meeting to talk along side a few other Buenoheads to the managers.  The then CEO, Ed Lambert, really wanted to invest in his customers and his product.  (I have a lot of respect for Ed, as he took a lot of time to listen and lead his teams.  His employees also had a good deal of respect for him.)

It seems now that TPG Growth just wants to turn the once great Taco Bueno into a mass production facility.  As Bueno changes, I find myself eating at Qdoba and Taco Bell a lot more.  TPG Growth, get back to the basics.  Revive the passion of your Buenoheads.

But, hey, I'm just some guy who likes to look at airplanes, so what do I know?

It is worth noting that TPG Growth does have some stake in Azul Airlines as well.

A New United Brand.

The new spirit of United is upon us, and with it, I believe that United may release a new Brand Identity.  I know there are a lot of nay sayers out there, so let's start with the "Why?".

Why change now?
Right after the merger (and really ever since) there have been two camps; "Bring Back The Tulip!" and "Continental Was Better!".  The United brand got a strong face lift as the new website and app came around, but people still equate the current brand with Jeff Smisek and the "terrible" merger.  The current logo and livery reflect two distinct brands being crammed together without care about the parities associated with each brand.

Let's look at two different mergers. American Airlines rebranded hours before their merger announcement with US Airways.  The rebranding allowed for a whole new airline, that almost lost its new tail.  On the flip side is the Alaska Airlines / Virgin America merger where we all expect the two different brands to remain.

Oscar Munoz is too late to do either of those preemptive moves, and now needs to separate the New Spirit of United from Jeff's United.

The New Spirit of United is bringing with it the updated United Clubs, a rebranding of United BusinessFirst to United Polaris First, updated (sort of) Crew Uniforms, and new (short term) ways for MileagePlus members to earn miles and status.  What's missing?  United.com has already seen a number of updates, as well as the apps and most MileagePlus print materials.  Hemispheres has a new, cleaner look.  Terminals are getting updated.  But the planes are still living in the early 1990s.

Oscar can bring United into the 21st century and put a face to the New Spirit of United with one, not-so-easy, move.

But, Mike...
I know that a lot you have your guns loaded and are ready to make comments.  So let's talk about them.  The first thing I expect to hear is that United has invested too much in the current brand.  I totally agree, but I don't expect things like type face to change.  Further down I'll talk about what it will look like.

Next you will most likely come up with "But it's too expensive".  Yes.  This would be quite the investment.  But so is changing out the BusinessFirst seats, redoing the United Clubs, serving food and wifi on regional aircraft, and retrofitting the domestic United First cabins.  Oscar is spending money to make United Flyer Friendly again.  The livery has been a point of a lot of contention.  I know a lot of Global Services and Premier 1Ks who have left United because of the way Jeff ran things, and Oscar needs to do everything he can to set himself apart.

It's important to note that United is currently hiring brand designers as well.  (Click here to see the full ad.)

What would it look like?
I'm not a super designer, but I feel like there are a few key things that the brand needs as well as some hints that are slowly being dropped.  A key thing, in my mind, is that the Globe has to change.  Because of its design we often see the globe shoved into a square.  It lacks the ability to be use in special ways.  Take the new American logo.  It can be manipulated in a number of graphic elements.

The color scheme will also need to change.  United has stuck to a clear set of colors within their mobile and web platforms.  Those were picked much sooner after the merger.  They are bright and vivid.  However, we're seeing a much more cold set of colors arrive in the new architecture of the terminals, clubs, and cabins.  Either way, none of them match the 25 year-old livery that the fleet currently wears.  One of the key colors I expect to see go is the gold.  The gold has transitioned into a yellow that is found in some key places, Global Services, the walls at Ohare, and legal information.  It is a strong accent color that the gold can't hold up with.  Even the gold trim in the escalator areas of the Terminalink (or whatever it is called now) at Houston was repainted black a while ago.  I fully expect a strong set of blues that help United stand out in a world of bright liveries.

I know that many of you will have strong opinions on this matter, and I don't want this to turn into some wild "bring back the tulip" party, because I don't see that happening.  Remember, these are just my thoughts.

But, hey, I'm just some guy who likes to look at airplanes, so what do I know?

Oh, and I'll just leave this here:

Flight Review: United Airlines SFO to OGG on a B737-800SFP

I've been traveling to Hawaii for many years, but recently I took my very first flight to the islands on a United Airlines sCO (a former Continental plane using Continental crew) Boeing 737-800SFP (Short Field Performance).

Our plane taking off from SFO.  View more of my photos on my Instagram.

The flight used N76514 -- equipped with split scimitar winglets.  The flight time was 4 hours and 50 minutes.  It was a windy day in San Francisco and we took off with a high angle of attack to get over the clouds quickly.  That departure provided a really awesome view on our way out of the city.  And it wasn't long before we said aloha of the main land.

United's Upgraded Meals
One of my favorite parts of the flight was experiencing United's new approach to food.  In years past when I would be on a 757 from DEN to LIH, we would get the equivalent of a gas station burrito.  But now we got to experience an amazing three course meal.  Let's start with the salad:

Now, I'm not a true foodie, but I love food, so here it goes... The salad was a Kale base with some noodles.  The flavors were very rich, and I didn't even use the salad dressing.  One of the things I loved about the salad was its presentation.  The little details go a long way.  Also, note the AMAZING pretzel roll.

Next was the main course:

If you notice the chuck missing, I got too excited to eat this before taking the picture.  The flavor of this roast was so vivid in my mouth.  The dirty rice rivaled that of my favorite restaurant (Jazmo'z Bourbon Street Cafe).  And the veggies weren't a frozen, watered-down mess.  This was the kind of meal I would expect in New York City.

Dessert was the best part:

I Love the Ice-Cream Sundae cart on long flights, but this sorbet was to die for!  The bitterness of the lemon-lime was a wonderful pairing with the sweetness of the roast.

The one negative thing
One of the big cons to the trip was being on a sCO aircraft that has Thales InFlyt product (formally LiveTV owned by JetBlue).  This service currently only works over the contiguous 48 states, so there's no DirectTV or wifi on the five-hour flight.  I know that United is working on getting that corrected for the wifi (eventually DirectTV will be replaced with Personal Device Entertainment on all UA fleet).  I would have preferred to be connected to the interwebs the whole flight, but it allowed me to get caught up on some movies on my iPad (if you fly a 737 to the Islands, be sure to bring your own entertainment).

United's Flyer Friendly Service
The crew was amazing. The Flight Service Coordinator, Dan, went above and beyond to make sure the flight was everything I wanted it to be.  As Oscar talks about the new spirit of United, I believe that spirit has been there in a lot of people for a long time.  The spirit was just being squished from the top.

Overall, this was a wonderful trip and there's nothing better than seeing this:

But, hey, I'm just some guy who likes to look at airplanes, so what do I know?

Why United Airlines should hub Orlando - Untapped Potential

United's Route Map - February 2016

I hate the word potential. The way I see it, it’s defined as, “hey, you could do this… but you you’re not good enough.” I believe that Orlando’s MCO airport has a lot of untapped potential. The airport is about to add an entire new South Terminal. One that makes more sense, with bigger halls, taller ceilings, and, I’m sure, just as much Mickey. The airport is opening up to new International routes, and expanding its broad spectrum of airlines. People love Orlando. (To be clear, I have no idea why. It’s hot, the traffic is bad, I hate I-4 and International Drive, and I did live there, so I can say that.)

I hate the word potential. But I love the word opportunity. Opportunity implies that I have the ability, I just have to seize the moment. United has opportunity. Look at route structures of the Big 4 (UA, AA, DL, WN), three of the four have great coverage of the southeast. United has Houston. But don’t forget, AA and WN also have a large presence in Texas as well.

Outside of the star alliance, the only other carrier I fly than @united is Silver Airways. These saab340B+s make for a pretty decent ride, a little loud, but still comfortable. I am hoping to fly Azul some time soon, but not sure when that will happen.

A photo posted by Mike Morgan (@mike_j_morgan) on Oct 22, 2015 at 4:46pm PDT

I travel to Florida far too often. Once I’m here I’m stuck on the beautifully quiet (snark) SAAB 340B+. Now, I don’t mind the 340, nor do I mind Silver Airways. But picture this; you’re in Jacksonville. You want a weekend away on the beautiful island of Key West (it’s an island, right?). You hop on an E175 operated by Mesa Airlines. It’s a 20 minute hop to MCO. You enjoy a quick snack at the new Orlando airport, and then hop on another E175. You enjoy your first class flight with wifi all the way to Paradise.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Just wait, it gets better. Your boss calls you on Saturday and tells you that he needs you to help close the big deal in London on Monday. You’ve got dress clothes, and with a quick call to United, you’ve got a flight from Key West to Orlando on Sunday night and a second leg from Orlando to LHR on a 787. Pretty sweet gig, isn’t it?

The reality is that United’s route structure is great with the exception of the southeast (one could argue that the northwest struggles as well with the removal of the base at SEA, but that’s for a later post). I believe that a big part of the reason that UA and CO didn’t care about the southeast was US Airways. Codeshare flights out of CLT covered a lot of the southeast. And since the merger, there’s been no hope for the region.

The second issue came when Silver stopped being a United Express carrier and is now its own cute little airline (one with a lot of big dreams, but looks more and more like Spirit every day… I mean, have you seen their Twitter feed?).

Are we nuts? Yes we are: #SilverTakesItAllOff with fares up to 100% one way*! https://t.co/rGdQs1uNsq pic.twitter.com/ckGXQkrsyW

— Silver Airways (@SilverAirways) November 17, 2015

Silver isn't a bad airline, in fact, I enjoy flying them, but I lost benefits like TSA Precheck, free bags, and the ability to earn PQS and PQM (United passengers who book on United with a valid 016 ticket can still earn PDQ).

An MCO hub would also help strengthen the relationship with Azul as Azul continues to bring more flights to Florida.

All in all, I believe that United should really consider a hub in Orlando.

But, hey, I'm just some guy who likes to look at airplanes, so what do I know?

TPG Growth purchases Taco Bueno from Palladium Equity Partners

Taco Bueno has was purchased by TPG Growth, a division of TPG.  TPG Growth has investments in a large number of sectors, which includes ownership in David's Bridal, Burger King, Petco, Airbnb, XOJET, Azul, and formally with Continental.  As you can see from the last two, TPG Growth has a close connection with United Airlines, so it's just another reason to be excited about this change.

I will miss the leadership from Palladium Equity, but I am excited to see what TPG Growth brings to the table.  With experience in the QSR sector, and the knowledge of a variety of markets, I hope to see nationwide growth from this investment.

Details about the purchase were not disclosed.

But, hey, I'm just some guy who likes to look at airplanes, so what do I know?