Well, it's interesting now that the truth starts to come out for public airing and showing - from outside sources. I've been fielding comments for at least a solid year and a half or longer when I travel on UAL, of how it's gone to heck since CAL merged in - this is from passengers. I ride UAL as an offline pilot (from a international carrier) and for some reason passengers vent to me so I have to hear it all.

No matter how many turds step up to cover for the the king turd, the old Arabic statement of "The Fish Rots from the Head" turns out to be true. You can't cover up rot and basic ineptitude. For long. United is a lousy product since the Continetalization of a once very strong global product and the failure of the operational plan has shown it's cards. Change will occur - either by downsizing and going away a la USAir or TWA or significant optimization (not nickel and dime but structural) has to happen for success. It's not going to be easy to guide this ship out of the shoals CAL managers have driven it upon.

UAL needs a real airline man and a team of the right people in the right job. In other words, a MAJOR house cleaning and an IV drip. Now.