United Airlines has legally merged with Continental Airlines and is a member of Star Alliance Global Network.
UAL Corporation Operations Center
(Mailing address)
PO Box 66100
Chicago, IL 60666
(Physical address)
1200 E. Algonquin Rd.
Elk Grove Township, IL 60007
Toll-free number: (800) 864-8331
Switchboard phone: (847) 700-4000
United Airlines World Headquarters
77 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Telephone: (312) 997-8000
United Airlines Customer Relations
Customer Relations
WHQPW
United Airlines
PO Box 66100
Chicago, IL 60666
Note: Please see this United Airlines page for specific instructions on how to handle your lost/damaged baggage and missing property claims: Baggage Tracing/Claim Information.
United Airlines Baggage Claim and Lost and Found
Central Baggage Service – HDQLZ
P.O. Box 66140
Chicago, IL 60666-0140
Telephone: (800) 221-6903
How to get through to an operator:
Dial (312) 997-8000. Press 0.
Overview
The merger with Continental Airlines has left its mark on United’s customer service reputation. It’s too soon to tell if the new company will more closely resemble the old United or the old Continental. We shall see.
If you have a customer complaint, please read this before contacting the company.
Customer service resources
Contract of carriage (PDF download)
Follow Them
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Primary email
Primary contact
Anne Seeley
Director, customer care
P.O. Box 66100
Chicago, IL 60666
(832) 235-1802
Secondary contact (*)
Scott O’Leary,
Managing director, customer solutions
P.O. Box 66100
Chicago, IL 60666
(847) 700-4000
Chief executive (*)
Jeffery A. Smisek
P.O. Box 66100
Chicago, IL 60666
President and Chief Executive Officer, United Continental Holdings, Inc.
(847) 700-4000
jeffery.smisek@united.com
What others have to say about United Airlines
Aviation Consumer Protection Division Air Travel Consumer Report
This information has been collected from publicly-available resources and is believed to be accurate at the time of the last update. If any of this information is inaccurate, please e-mail me.
* Executives should only be contacted when your letter or email has not been acknowledged within six to eight weeks.
119 Responses to “United Airlines”
Tyson
I booked a flight for my new wife and I (on our honeymoon) with a 1 hour layover in San Franciso. Since that time the flight was canceled and I now have almost a 4 hour layover!! What kind of service is this?? I paid for a ticket and all I get is a sorry?? Are you kidding me? Who wants to sit in an airport for 4 hours on their honeymoon? Sorry isn’t compensation for a 4 hour wait!!
WAI HAI
To be fair, 4 hours aren’t that much. If that’s the worst you’ve had, you’ve been pretty lucky. If you can’t even take that, never take Delta – you’ll be frustrated beyond your wildest imagination!
Melly
Sorry I have to agree with Wai Hai. 4 hours isn’t too bad. I had a 12 hour overnight layover on my most recent flight. While we got a hotel stay we had to pay out of pocket for food and lost money on a day’s car rental (luckily the rental place didn’t charge us that night due to the situation)
Melly
I mean luckily the condo rental owner didn’t charge us for that night). When I emailed United, they wouldn’t even compensate us for the extra costs incurred.
Joe
Unfortunately, I have come to a point that I favor drive over fly, just not worth it. With all the delays and cancels, its quicker to drive and not have to worry about ridiculous rules and pat downs
R Golden
I have been corresponding with United customer relations to express my displeasure with service and major inconvenience experienced related to my travel to a conference in Los Angeles on July 19. My original 645am flight (#7361) was canceled without notification. I traveled from my home in Rochester, NY at 4am to arrive at the airport within the 1 hour required check in timeframe only to find that the flight had been canceled due to mechanical failure the night before. Some passengers were notified but I was not. There were only two ticket counter agents serving customers, which caused the process to take over one and half hours. I was told the only option was an 1145am USAIR flight from SYR to PHL to connect to a 6:22pm to LAX arrival at 9:30pm well after my original 12:25pm planned arrival time and missing my entire days agenda which would mean a longer night and more work for me the next morning. I was told that I could try to standby for the 2pm and 4pm LAX flights when I arrived at PHL. However when I arrived at the gate for the 2pm flight at 1:15pm (after delays at gate and sprinting from the arrival to departure gate) I found that I was unable to get on the flight even though there were plenty seats available it was a USAIR flight but United still retained the PHL – LAX leg of my flight and they could not switch it for me United would have to. I had been sent to the nearby Usair customer service counter where they were unable to reach United by phone in time for the 2pm flight departure. I was given the 800 number to call United myself to try for the 4pm. The outcome with the phone representative and PHL United supervisor were the same they were unable to change the ticket. So I was stuck in PHL until 6pm (now 10 hours into my travel day). When we boarded flight 849 (late), I thought my nightmare was finally ending or at least pausing until my arrival to Los Angeles when my real work would begin. However, the flight was delayed on the runway for another 2 and half hours so that I finally arrived in LAX, stiff, sore, and sleep deprived at 11pm (2am EST) where I had to take a taxi $70 since the conference shuttles were over at 5pm. I arrived at Westin Pasadena at 12:20am (3:20 EST) checking in and settling into my room after a full 24 hour travel day. Needless to say jet lag alone is enough to cause stress and throw the average person off when traveling from East to West coast for business. But after my ordeal with 8am meeting start time all week and presentations and performances at night, I remained exhausted and stressed in a way I have never experienced. I was forced to change my return to Sunday and cut out on the Mon-Wed planning committee agenda. And incidentally, I was charged another $170 for this change.
Total Cost Incurred, lost or wasted include:
- Paid $120 more for Monday departure than Tuesday departure for ticket to arrive for Monday agenda.
- $50 shuttle to SYR (only booked because of the early arrival time to LAX)
- $70 taxi LAX to Westin Pasedena (no conference shuttle available after 9pm)
- $30 dinner on my own (missed group meal with conference)
- $500 lost income for Tuesday night performance (too exhausted to perform)
- $170 united change fee for Sunday departure
- $25 super shuttle ride to LAX (no carpools available Sunday night)
What did United offer me for my 24 hour travel debale? An apology and $250 voucher towards future travel. WTF? The ticket its was $640! And my losses total and additional $965! Not to mention my time, energy and frustration. Oh did I mention I was traveling with a group of 6 teen agers as well?
Leland Snead
The day of our arrival in Xining, PRC, I found an email from expedia, the booking agent for my round trip travel via United Airline and it’s companion Air China. The email said there was an itinerary change and gave me a reference to see what it was. It was a flight cancelation of the Air China leg from Xining to Beijing. This was no great problem to me. However, I was traveling with my wife who booked her flight directly with UAL using points from her UAL Mileage Plus. Outbound from the US to PRC it went well. UAL and Air China were cooperative to see that we traveled together. When Air China dropped their previously scheduled flight it was necessary for UAL, the ticketing source for my wife’s travel to also reschedule her. As of this date, Friday, September 10 at 2:45 AM United still shows my wife I still booked on the cancelled Air China flight. Repeated phone calls to UAL every day for a week has resulted in a run around and deep frustration for my wife. It was call back in 12 hours or check your email in the morning for the change or call Air China, etc., etc. Air China claims they have seats available for my wife on the Air China flight they put me on, but to make the change for her UAL has to make the reschedule. This they have not done in a way to have my wife and I travel together. Such a messy way for United to run a business. Looking out for their customers? No way.
Morganne
I had my luggage broken into and some items stolen under United’s care. I mailed a Missing Property Questionnaire and received a letter back stating United couldn’t investigate because I didn’t follow the instructions, which was not true at all. I then emailed the people above a copy of the letter I had prepared to send to the DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division. The next morning I received an email stating that United was going to send me a check for the amount of money I estimated would replace the lost items. Not all interactions are negative ones, I guess!
Ramirezzacapa
Morganne just experienced the same you did. So disgusted with United. My luggage was broken into and several earrings stolen along with bracelet, ring, a lot of it was costume jewerly except for one pair of emarlds that was packed by mistake. Just reading your email makes me think i can get a resolution.
Bosoxer4eva
Please read my post above regarding United Airlines this week. While I can put no true monetary value on my stolen item, it was sentimental beyond belief. I truly feel violated.
Sudhakar Kaki
This is best website…Pls keep up the good work!
Tracey Meeker
I have been billed twice for one round trip ticket.. When i call United there is no customer contact. I am told you can only fax or mail a letter to Chicago, and I have done both, still no word from anyone. What kind of service is that ? also United has my money and I have no recourse of action other than to wait for them to call me or mail me a letter. ???? They have their money and than some, cause they billed me in error. They use my money to invest and in the meantime my credit card bill shows i owe the monies. What a racket
Tracey Meeker
the above complaint was toward United Air
David D.
Just an update for everyone, barbara.a.higgins@united.com is no longer a valid email. Here is the new email for everyone who is trying to reach the Vice president, customer contact centers:
marisol.otero@united.com I just emailed my complaint to United and Ms. Higgins email came back with a auto reply stating that she was no longer with United (I wonder why?? Hmm..) Good luck to everyone! I know I am still trying to get my stolen item issue resolved!!
Melly
I just tried to email Helen Chellin (Manager, customer relations) and Marisol Otero (Vice president, customer contact centers) and I got a failed delivery response….trying to get another contact name.
kim
Just tried writing to all 3 people.. Will update if I get a reply. I had a very unpleasant experience with United regarding the bulk head row which is medically neccesary for me being given to paying passengers and them not moving me into it. I was told the paying passengers who paid for the $69 upgrade fee are more important than someone who medically needs that row. Really????
David D.
Hello Morganne,
I was wondering exactly what you did to get compensated. I am having the same problem with United. I had items stolen out of my luggage and all I hear is that my case has been concluded and a letter was mailed to me. It has been almost a month and I still haven’t received the letter. If you can please email at dwdees@hotmail.com and explain to me what I have to do it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you sooooo much!!
Darshana Nadkarni
My daughter and I, had booked a red eye United flight from SFO. We were going to attend a family reunion party at Raleigh, NC and our flight was to go from SFO to Raleigh with a connection in DC. We boarded the flight on time and then sat in the flight for over 1 hour as our plane waited for the pilot. We presumed there must be some emergency. At a certain point it seemed clear that we would miss our connection in DC and then reach Raleigh AFTER the reunion party. So we got asked and were allowed to get off the flight. As we were walking out we saw the piolet walking towards the plane screaming that she made it in record time of four hours from Reno to SFO. If they knew for 4 hours that there was no pilot and the pilot was driving down from Reno then why did they not tell us, why did they board us?? If they had contacted and told us we would not have driven to SFO, paid to park the car and boarded the flight! This trip was booked on my miles and I tried to contact United to get my miles reimbursed. They never responded to my multiple and courteous emails!!!!
gerardo g salazar
you have the worst customer service and the worst call back service and trying to resolve amatter !2 months and no response!!ualakuod ref#10937109c complaint id 7918887 call me i will explain! h 1847 949 4264 cell 1224 456 9939 it has been hell with you people!! very unhappy customer !!
Eunice Porter
Hello, my mother flight was screwed up and you guys gave her an refund for a E-Certificate of 250. Now Im trying to use it for my 2 sisters for thanksgiving, but you guys won’t allow me to. In not one email do it say useable for one ticket, so I need answers and resolutions on how to fix this matter asap! Thanks so much
Nelson Heinrich
I have some questions to the president of United Airlines.
How can a company send luggage on an international flight without its accompanying passengers?
Then said luggage is delivered to the address on arrival in new country without autorization from owner of
luggage, who did not make the trip?
When luggage arrived at home of passenger’s family in Brazil, they opened up luggage and discovered
many valuable items were missing.
Three months have passed and after reporting items stolen various times, there is still no reimbursement
for items and the luggage is still in Brazil.
Where is the satisfaction of your customers?
Where is your quality policy?
Mike Trenk
Hello all, this is great information I have found i am having a problem getting my problem resolved for over a month now. And a heads up to all is why I write more than anything. My girlfriend and I booked a flight from boston to D.C. aug.9th for the weekend of Oct.1-3 for a good friends wedding. A week before we were supposed to fly we had checked our confirmation email before, but had misplaced it we had called to have it resent. They had told us that we had booked a flight from Aug. 23-30 and we were no shows, our tickets unrefundable and flights to D.C. were now a thousand dollars!! I tried to rationalize that there must have been some mistake, we got the tickets through United operated by US Airways… they told us to call us airways i did they said to call united and back and forth. I tried to make them realize that buying a ticket aug. 9th for 179 round trip could have only been for Oct. no way if we bought a ticket on the 9th that we could have flown less than two weeks for so little. To no avail, finally after being on the phone for over 8 hours!! A supervisor agreed to put it through as a refund.BUT!! a week later we get an email saying we need to explain ourself as to why we should get a refund, I have 3 weeks later no response each time I call I get no answer no idea what’s going on with the refund, we are just out 2 tickets at 180 a piece.. HERE IS WHERE I URGE ALL TO CALL IF YOU HAVE A FUTURE FLIGHT!! My girlfriends sister had a flight with United in November, had the email everything seemed right she called just to verify. SAME THING THEY HAD THE WRONG DATES IN THE SYSTEM. Instead of NOVEMBER they had her and her husband flying in June, so it wasn’t past like my problem. She had her email and was able to confirm, but she is telling her friends as am i and know the world. THERE IS A COVER UP, there is a computer glitch they don’t want to share, I just heard of a third person this happening to yesterday, so double check there is something crazy going on. I will be calling these numbers and emailing trying to get my money back on my credit card. As for me and my friends wedding we had to drive from boston to D.C. 8 hrs on a friday night after work, got into d.c. the next morning in time for the wedding just to drive back and back to work by monday. THANKS UNITED!!!
Cliff Loveland
EMAIL RECENTLY SENT TO UNITED AIRLINES: On July 14, 2010, I made a round-trip airline reservation (XXXX) on United Airlines to fly from Sacramento, California to Miami, Florida in early March 2011. My wife, Sandi, and I had decided to take a Caribbean cruise to celebrate her birthday. But, recently we encountered some financial problems and decided that we couldn’t afford the trip. We consider ourselves to be responsible people and avoid spending money we don’t have, so we contacted our travel agent who cancelled the cruise, hotels and transportation … there was no cost to do so. On November 8th, I called the United’s Mileage Plus number and cancelled the flight reservation, which was paid for with 50,000 air miles (#000000). After talking to several airline representatives, I was told, repeatedly, that we would have to forfeit the $176 we paid for extra legroom, the $20 we paid to make the reservations and have to pay another $150 to get our miles reinstated. That’s a total of $346 for a flight we are NOT going to take.
Truthfully, I can see a reasonable administrative cost, but $346 is absurd. This isn’t a last minute thing; the flight is 5 months away (March 2011). You, United, will have plenty of time to rebook the seats. So, I don’t see the logic of being charged the $346 for canceling a vacation we simply can’t afford.
I am, therefore, requesting that my mileage (50,000 miles) be reinstated and the bulk of the $176 paid for the extra legroom be refunded after a reasonable administrative cost is extracted. Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Respectfully yours,
Can this trip be saved? Wrong middle name on my airline ticket | Tales Told From The Road
[...] a notation in your reservation in writing, not by phone. He could have contacted Travelocity and United to get something by [...]
KAREN L.
Frustrated after a few months of getting no response from United? TRY FOUR YEARS! After being a loyal and happy United Mileage Plus customer since 1989, I said “Yes” when, in 2006, United offered membership in their elite (and now defunct) UNITED AIIRLINES AMENITI LuxuryTravel Club. The so-called deals were so over-priced, it undoubtedly became the cause of their demise. But United charged my credit card twice for the $350 membership fee, and after calling, writing, and emailing for four years: I STILL HAVE YET TO RECEIVE A REFUND!
Sad For All Of You
I’ve been traveling on United for decades. I now have the most lowered of expectations. Let’s get a clue here, people:
1) In my opinion, United cares not one whit for you, or your business.
2) Customer service is mostly an oxymoron but I’ll tell you this: if you have a crappy attitude, it will be immediately reflected back at you by United personnel, each and every time. Be nice. It sometimes pays.
3) Don’t schedule tightly. This isn’t the old days when things ran on time. Hub airports are crowded, schedules complex, lines are LONG, and baggage movements take a while. Allocate a long day, starting in the morning, to travel to a distant destination, especially if there are more than one leg– or international travel.
4) Sue. Don’t wait, take your claim to your local small claims court. Document everything and keep every receipt. Don’t let them get away with poor service. They only learn by punishment.
5) File FAA complaints. This is a faceless corporation that really doesn’t care about anything but how much Wall Street loves them, not you.
6) Read the contract of carriage. It’s what you agreed to. Know it and act accordingly. Don’t complain when they hold the rules in front of you. Own up to your responsibility to act on your best judgment, having READ the rules. Do it today– read them instead of wasting time on Facebook.
I am not a lawyer and these are my own opinions. YMMV, do what you will.
Ryan
We got to the gate a minute after it says the plane will depart even though there are people still getting settled in the cabin. We were told for 25 minutes that we can’t get on from another flight. Then we had sat in the airplane for 45 minutes and the crew keeps telling us that we are going to get deicied and that we are going to leave and neither of those two things have happened.
United aillines | TexasAnalytical
[...] United AirlinesUnited Airlines has emerged from bankruptcy protection as a different airline. Smaller, more efficient – and when it comes to customer service, somewhat better. … What others have to say about United Airlines… [...]
paul smith
DEAR SIR,
AM PAUL SMITH FROM UNITED STATE OF AMERICA I WANT TO MAKE AN ENQUIRER FOR AIRLINE TICKET RESERVATION FOR ONE OF OUR COMPANY STAFFS THAT ARE TRAVELING FROM GHANA TO KENYA THIS IS THE TRAVELING DATE.
27/03/2011 AND RETURN IS 03 /04/2011 AND IF YOU WILL LIKE TO DISCUSS WITH ME +12148289823 I WANT YOU TO GIVE ME THE PRICE PER PERSON ON EMIRATE AIRLINE AND ETHIOPIA AIRLINE.
REGARDS
PAUL SMITH.
Thebaays3
Hello, I am trying to change my flights to a week later. I have been told that it will cost from 257. to 486. Going to and leaving from the same place. I dont understand why. End of July to the 1st week in August. How can the prices vary so much? Then I was told by another agent to hold on and they were supposedly speaking with their manger. thebaays3@sc.rr.com
QueenB
I am having my first experience with United Airlines. I have always flown Delta, but this one was going to be more convenient for me. I have been sitting at the Chicago airport now for 23 hours and still no hope in sight for when I am getting out of here!! Customer Service counter is extremely understaffed and some were even borderline rude. I did receive an apology by phone from their automated system, that to me was cold and offending. Someday I will eventually get out of this airport, well, actually I am checking on other flights (WITH DELTA) so there is hope!!
Lori
I am writing to you to express my complete dissatisfaction with United Airlines. I recently returned from a trip to Mexico. (may 20-28th) I left from Honolulu Hawaii on May 20. I was to take the redeye out of Honolulu at 11:15 and connect in San Francisco to Puerto Vallarta. In Honolulu the flight was delayed, with this being said we were booked on another flight through Alaska once we arrived in SFO. The booking agent put us on a flight knowing that we only had a 45 minute layover and had to change carriers. We found that it was customary when traveling International that one must board 1 hour to flight time. With this being said, we were confused as to why we were placed on a flight knowing we would not make the connection. We had to go and wait in a line AGAIN with United for hours to be placed on yet another flight through US Air with a connection through Phoenix. We arrived in Puerto Vallarta but our bags did not.(FOR SEVEN DAYS) We not only arrived at 11 pm at night on the 21st (after traveling 28 hours) and paying for a day at an all inclusive resort that we did not get to enjoy. Our bags did not arrive until the 27th at 10pm at night when we were leaving on the 28th at noon. I was without my prenatal vitamins and belongings for 7 days. Instead of enjoying my last trip before I become a mother, I spent my leisure time checking in and calling about my bags. This was my boyfriends first vacation in 5 years as he has been deployed and redeployed as a US Army Medic to and from Iraq and he too was treated awful and disrespectfully. We were unable to enjoy the all inclusive restaurants due to a dress code and not having our possessions. I was told daily that “your bags will be in tomorrow” We finally received our bags 6 days later. I think this is totally unacceptable. I asked a United Representative “Do you not care?” His response was “I used to care about 6 years ago”. I think this is a terrible way to treat customers and that is the voice and face of your representation.
Lori Dougherty
SS
Thank you for this information – I have written an email to United about my parents situation – they are currently stranded trying to get home to Australia
JAY C. OAKMAN
Copy of email that I sent today, to ; and ; regarding United Airlines’ recent computer systems failure, and lessons, hopefully, learned…
“United Airlines’ recent computer systems failure created a major challenge for your new merged airline, and lessons, hopefully, were learned…
Hopefully, for the future, your IT Support Staff will build in some systems redundancy in the event of a system-wide failure… A remote (from your mainframe or server farm) system should be available, in the event that your system is hacked, the OS is corrupted, or site is hit by a tornado, hurricane, flood, fire, etc… Also, if they haven’t already done so, they should have an uninterruptible power supply, in the event of a local power failure…
We were in your SFO RCC (Red Carpet Club) during the computer meltdown, and thought you might want some feedback… First, it’s extremely clean, friendly, and highly professional… Many disgruntled passengers were overheard, commenting, “…well if we have to wait, the (RCC) makes it much more bearable,” and “…thank god for this (RCC)…”Many others told us that they always appreciated, and depended, greatly, on the extremely helpful RCC-United Customer Service Staff…The SFO RCC made a lot of points with the crowd when they started pouring free drinks for everyone… Then they lost points when the Customer Service Staff left, unexpectedly, in the middle of the crisis… I’m sure that they thought that they could do nothing; however, they could have done a lot of sympathizing and “hand holding,” until the computers came back up…Now, a suggestion for easing the pain for any/ all of the disgruntled, frustrated, inconvenienced United passengers, who formally complain… For anyone that is already a loyal RCC member, extend their membership free, for the next year… For non-(but potential) members, give them several “Courtesy RCC Membership” one-day vouchers, to be used during the next year… They’ll be happier, might actually choose United more often, to use the RCC; and, more importantly, will probably join, and “talk up” the RCC, once they see how nice it is…
United/Continental will have plenty of challenges, merging two great airlines, as it is; without having disaffected customers… These suggestions, plus merging the two mileage programs, should go a long way toward attracting and retaining loyal passenger-customers…
Just a few thoughts; hopefully, like chicken soup, they can’t hurt, and may help…Sincerely,
COMMANDER JAY C. OAKMAN, US COAST GUARD (ret) &
E. Catherine Allen-Oakman45 ORA WAY, SUITE# 304A (HM OFFICE)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131-2557email@: strategicqualityadvice@yahoo.com (Jay)
and, catherineallenoakman@yahoo.com (Cathy)
Patigoingfrey
I am so upset with United. I traveled with my family on a shared flight with Lufthansa from Prague to Harrisburg Pa thru Frankfort and IAD. 3 of the 4 bags arrived. This occurred on the 30th of June. Thus far i can get no answers and since its a shared flight United does not seem to talk to Lufthansa. I have called daily and sometimes for an hour or more.
What can i do? When i contact Lufthansa they say talk to United, when i talk to United they give me the run around.
I normally travel United and take air trips monthly international and domestic.
Any thoughts? they are now telling me to file a claim…
my contents are very important to me.
pls email me any ideas: thanks
Patigoingfrey@aol.com
Mike
Copy of an email I just sent to United (Smisek and Cellin)
I have had one of the most miserable travel experiences of
my life with your airline.
I made reservations way back in February, and yet I got
bumped from my flight from Dulles to Madrid on July 6. The flight was terribly
oversold, and several people, including myself got bumped. This basically
ruined my entire vacation. I was supposed to meet several people today in
Pamplona. And since I was a no show in Madrid for my Iberia connection to
Pamplona, they canceled my return as well, leaving me with no way to get back
from Pamplona to Madrid for my return flight on July 11th.
Your people at the gate in Dulles were completely uncaring
and basically said we were on our own. We had to run from gate D21 to the
customer service counter at C20. Quite a jog with bags. Upon getting there, I
found 25 people in line ahead of me, and only two customer service reps
working. On several occasions, one of them would leave for 15 minutes at a
time, leaving only one person to handle the long line of people, which
eventually ballooned to about 40. Many United staff walked by, yet no one
called for additional people to help out at the customer service counter.
I waited in line for two hours before I finally got to talk
to the rep. Basically, there was nothing they could do, and the couldn’t “touch”
my Iberia connection. They really didn’t seem to care about anyone’s
predicament, and were less than helpful. Where has your “helpful” customer
service people gone who used to bend over backwards to take care of stranded
passengers? Are we all just dollar signs to you?
I ended up rebooked on the same United flight an entire day
later. Although I got a check for $600, it doesn’t cover the lost day of my
vacation (which I would rather have than the money), the lost prepaid hotel
charges for missing my first day check-in (approx. $380), and the cost of a new
ticket on Iberia (which after trading in my old ticket and paying the
penalties, cost me an additional $985!).
Your overbooking policy is a crime, and your customer
service is abysmal. You should be ashamed of your company and the way it operates.
I was a charter member of the Mileage Plus program in the early 1980s, and have
flown United for years, and this is by far the worst airline experience I have
ever had. You need to review your overbooking policies and retrain your people
on why your airline even exists, to service your customers! I thought you
should know.
Tomarval
I have been a mileage plus with united for many years using its credit card. Tried to use the mileage program again but was not available. Also, we have not been able to use it in the past. I use the Visa United card exclusively, but we get nothing in return. We are using other airlines to travel with their perks. What you got to say? Your Mileage Program is a farce. Tom
Wes graham
I need the contact information for Jesse Soto, in Global Services in Chicago I have misplaced his business card. Help please provide his email or the phone number for Global Services at Chicago O’Hare. Thanks my email is wesgraham@remax.net
Geckert
July 19th my 91 year old mother left Missoula Mt on flight 5507 to Denver to contiue on to Tampa Fl.In Denver she was assisted as requested to her gate, however the gate was changed and no one came for her to take her to the new location. Mother is legally blind, hard of hearing and can not walk far. She was left sitting until a customer asked her if she was in trrouble and notifed an agent who then felt terriable that she did not make her plane. This caused an over two hour delay. Needless to say this error made for a very long day for someone with these disablities. There should be some compensation to her for that inconvience. Her name is Geraldine Mitton. She will be returning to Missoula on Aug. 3rd. I do hope she is better taken care of on her return flight. Daughter Nadine Eckert
Jade
United forced us to check our carry on bag at the gate due to overcrowding on the plane, and they lost our carry on bag. It did not make it to our final destination. This happened 14 days ago. They claim they have located the bag and it’s in Germany, yet they cannot seem to actually get it to me. I call every day, and every day I get the same old story. Twice I’ve been hung up on, which just further irritated me. I’m to the point I’m ready to call the consumer reporter at our major TV station to see if he can get anywhere with them. All I know is I will never fly United again.
Contactravi2000
Hi guys this is my experience with United still no way to find the solution. Copying part of my e-mail
H iNigel P. Hunter, Thanks for your reply that was so kind of you, you mentioned that you guys sent me a e-mail on 11/May, be honest with you since the time of my first e-mail which i made on 04 May i never ever received an reply from you. Neither in my in-box or trash/spam folder. However my main concern is this, we both (myself and my partner) are resident of australia and we are not the frequent flyers to USA,let me say this our first trip to USA was US airlines with unforgettable bad returning experience. And a sleepless night on the flight with burnt mouth with out the dinner, and my pain for the next to day just worth of $75 gift certificate which we can claim only with US airlines and with in a year. I beleive you read my doctor certificate, if not i am sending the copy in this e-mail. The severity of the of burns/wounds were so bad which i couldn’t sleep on your flight to sydney, on the next morning with that jet lag wasting my time to go the doctor and waiting in the Q to see a doctor ( no appointment system in australia like us to see a doctor) and having just fruit juice whole day and day n half. Is this is way the customer service will show the sympathy on their customers? This is not good enough, i was comepletely disappointed after reading your e-mail, i was out of town for 4 weeks, i was not able to reply you on time. Bottom line, i was expecting at least one leg room will be reimburse as a refund, but pleasenot as a voucher which we can only claim on us flights in a limited time, as i told you that was i our first trip ever to US and we dont have any plans to go to US/CANADA in near by future, please considering this please provide us a good service to make us satisfy, and to fly with you again. I also work for a cust service, and i know we can’t satisfy everyone with thier wantings, but a person who needed emergency/first aid treatement on the flight was not contacted by any staff member and no incident report forms on the flight who has suffered from the wounds for copule of days shouble be treated well. Is that possible can some contact me on my mob:+614xx xxxxxx rather communitcating on e-mail system, in that way at least i can express my self what i went through. I highly appreciate in adv for a phone call.
Contactravi2000
This is the reply i have received from James, who is working as customer serv rep for united.
Thank you for contacting United Airlines Customer Relations. I’m sorry about your recent dining experience on United and please accept my apologies that we did not serve you better. Our goal is to provide an excellent travel experience for our guests, and we know that the food you enjoy on board is part of this. I apologize for your disappointment in not meeting our mutual expectations on this occasion. Further, I am sorry we were not as responsive to you as we should have been after bringing your concerns to our attention. We take reports of food-related complaints very seriously and investigate each and every instance. I have also shared your comments with our catering team for review as they work to ensure each dining experience on United represents our high-quality standards.Permit me to simply say I am sorry for your experience. I offer the included certificates for you and your wife in hopes that you use it and give us the opportunity to regain your confidence and support. We look forward to serving you.At the conclusion of this email, please fill out the survey where you can rate your experience with the Customer Care department. We value your feedback and hope that you are satisfied with our service.
Tangboshi8618
i fogot my phone and grass on the UA850 today。 seat 10B。 departs 4:10pm. 01/08/11
Darlene Blodgett
July 30th 2011 I was on flight ua287 seat 28e Chicago/vancover when the
passenger from 28d from Germany had been cancelled from his flight the night before. He made arrangements and confirmed them to be sure he was on this flight as he had a 7pm meeting that day. ticketing agent gets on the plane to tell him they have no confirmation of his seat. naturally the man gets upset but not beligerent. when He refused to leave I thought it was poor the stews said they would bring in marshals. I was happy to see a classy service rep make a ticket for him and kudoos to the passenger who gave up his seat for this man so he wouldnt be double-bumped. I have noticed a lot of seat flight and seat changes since you are merging with
other airlines and this causes a lot of confusion and problems for passengers this could be improved.
Mitchel Yock
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Mark A
Your corporate website states, in part, “[m]ost importantly,
the actions we take and decisions we make matter. More is expected of us, and
we rise to that expectation with commitment and a true sense of responsibility.” I completely agree that in this age of
cut-rate and low cost airlines, more is expected of a mainstream and
established airline like United. This
note is offered to United as documentation of many areas where I feel United,
or specifically, certain staff members of united, are shirking their
responsibilities and failing to display the commitment that United dreams of. Bluntly, in my recent experience, the United
Staff at BTV (Burlington, VT) do not “rise to that expectation with commitment
and a true sense of responsibility.” In fact, I suspect that they run their only
little fiefdom, ignorant of the responsibility United corporate touts.
Please note, even though I could rightfully demand
reimbursement or other forms of remuneration, I am not asking for
anything. No credits, cash, or
miles. I would rather that United
investigate and correct my allegations. United
had safely gotten my family, friends, and colleagues, safely to and from our
destinations. If that is the level of
service that United Airlines aspires too, then you have achieved that and
customer service is irrelevant. However,
if United aspires to commitment, responsibility, and wants to provide a solid
customer experience, then pleas take note of the following and consider taking
the opportunity to enhance the customer experience at BTV.
Very specifically, BTV employees a female supervisor (and I
apologize for not knowing her name, but with the small staff at BTV, there
can’t be too many female supervisors who a slightly shorter than average with
dark hair). During numerous encounters
with this supervisor (at the check-in counter), other BTV employees (of United),
customers, and agents of neighboring airlines (US Air and Jet Blue) have
commiserated with me regarding this individual.
They regularly use a derogatory term generally applied to female dogs to
describe her and her attitude.
Following are descriptions of “recent” interactions with
her:
·
I purchased “Premier Travel Plus” on September
25 (receipt #0164060308111) for my October 2 flight, BTV-IAD-BRU, Conf. #
XSXPZY, Ticket number 0168677585545.
Aside from the added leg room from the plus seats, and the use of the
United club at IAD, one very significant reason I wanted the service was for
the free second bag on international travel.
I had close to an 11 hour layover at IAD and another 5 hour layover at
BRU (for onward travel to VNO). I needed
two pieces of luggage to bring certain home repair items to VNO and did not
want to overweight one piece of luggage or have to have any carry-on (due to
the long lay-overs). When I arrived at
the check-in, the supervisor told me the second bag would be $100. I showed her the receipt and told her I was
entitled to two bags for international based on the Premier Travel Plus. She acknowledged that she saw the Premier
Service on the computer, but absolutely refused to look up the terms of the
program or take the second bag. Again,
she acknowledged that I had purchased the service, but refused to check the
second bag for free. Luckily, the second
bag, though fairly large, was accepted at the gate as a carry-on. Unfortunately, I now had the potential of
lugging this baggage through long layovers and international terminals. The supervisor’s refusal to provide a service
that I had paid for and her refusal to even look up the service benefits is
completely unacceptable. As a side note,
after pulling the bag behind me at IAD for five hours , I left the secure area
of the airport and went to the check-in counter again… the IAD representative immediately recognized
the Premier Service and promptly and respectfully checked the bag, apologizing
for the poor service at BTV.
·
On the same itinerary noted above, for my return
trip, on Oct 17, I had a roughly 6 hour layover at ORD (AMS-ORD-BTV). In what I consider extraordinary service, it
only took me 18 minutes to clear passport control, pick up my bag (which was
already on the carousel by the time I cleared passport control… which is the
extraordinary part), clear customs, and re-check my bag. Unfortunately, that’s where the good service
ended. At BTV, my baggage did not
arrive. I as told, at roughly 1030PM, to
go to the UA ticket counter and talk to the rep there for the claim forms. I, with four other clients, waited 45 minutes
at an unmanned desk, in a deserted airport, after 23 straight hours of travel,
for someone… anyone, to even acknowledge that we were lined up and waiting, let
along set up our claims. After knocking
in the doors, looking for a live person, and even getting a baggage handler to
try to find someone… NO ONE showed up.
At 1115PM I completed a lost luggage form, wrote on the top that I got
tired of waiting for someone, and left it on the ticket desk.
At approximately midnight, already home,
some 45 miles away, I receive a phone call telling me that my luggage was at
the airport and that I abandoned it there.
Since I left it, I would need to get it as they would not deliver
it. Getting nowhere with the agent, I
ended the call and resolved to call in the morning. Tuesday morning, being unable to get a number
for BTV, I called the claim service and found out that the BTV staff never
recorded/entered the lost luggage claim
I filed. I also found out that my
luggage had arrived on an earlier flight.
I was on the 730PM flight, but my luggage was put on the 415PM
flight. When that flight arrived, the
BTV staff took and stored my bag for my arrival. However… there was NO ONE at BTV when my
flight arrived to give me my bag. What
is a reasonable time to wait in a deserted airport by an empty counter with no
sign of life? 45 minutes was my
limit. I did not abandon my bag, UA
failed to give it to… or to have someone there to give it to me.
The claim agent filed the claim and, after
what I explained, (see above) agreed that UA would deliver the bag to me. He told me that he sent a priority message to
BTV directing them the deliver the bag.
Roughly four hours, I had not heard from BTV and decided to call the
claim line rise to that expectation with commitment and a true sense of
responsibility.”Manager’s phone (802-863-2206) and NEVER had the courtesy of a
return call. Much worse, I called a
second number… A woman answered the
phone, “United Airlines”. I simply said,
“Hello, this is Mark Andrysiak, I am calling to follow-up on a lost bag.” At that point, the woman HUNG UP on me
without a word. Three subsequent calls
to the number (802-863-6035) went unanswered.
It appears that the staff at BTV NEVER
attempted to set up the delivery of my bag.
In my view, someone there had a temper tantrum and was adamant that I must pick up my bag… even after
apparent direction from the UA claims agent to deliver the baggage. This appears to be very vindictive
unprofessional business practices… all because I wouldn’t wait another 45
minutes, on top of 45 minutes I already waited, without ANY sign of life at
BTV.
·
On September 11, we brought the sister of our
adopted daughter to BTV for her return flight to the UK. Inga is a Lithuanian national traveling on a
Lithuanian-EU passport who legally resides, currently, in London. Inga had just completed a two week with our
family as, she was reunited, for the first time, with her sister, whom we
adopted, in 16 years. They were
separated shortly after birth and had searched for years to find each
other. The reunion was fantastic, until
we arrived at BTV and had to deal with the above noted supervisor.
Upon check-in, the supervisor asked
for Inga’s passport, as required, and after studying the passport and reviewing
her computer, said, “she needs a visa,
give me a copy of that.” My wife and I
explained to her that some 15 years ago, Lithuanians needed Visa’s to travel to
the USA, UK, and other western countries.
However, since Lithuania joined the EU, visa’s were no longer needed and
that Inga was free to live in any EU country that she wanted. Her UK registration papers were in the UK, on
record, as required, by the UK. She did
not need those papers to enter the country, they were already there. The woman said that she wouldn’t issue the
boarding pass because she wasn’t authorized to go to the UK. Her computer was telling her so. We again explained that NO visa’s were
required and that either her computer was wrong or she was misinterpreting what
she read. We “discussed” this situation
for another ten or so minutes, holding up the rest of the passengers checking
in. We even told the supervisor that is
she was correct, Inga could still enter the UK for six months without ANY
paperwork, other than a passport. By
this time, Inga was reduced to tears and the supervisor showed no remorse for
her refusal to issue the boarding pass. The
supervisor was insistent that Inga could not board. We insistent that she was wrong and demanded
that she call someone familiar with UK entry laws. She refused to do anything but read her
computer. We were at a stand-off. After a few minutes, she looked again at her
computer, read a few lines, then issued the boarding pass. No apology.
No explanation for the change. No
comment what so ever. As a side note,
Inga arrived in the UK, presented her passport to border control, and was
admitted without question or delay. The
UK had her residence authorization right on their systems, exactly where it
should be.
I understand the heightened
scrutiny needed for travel on Sept 11.
However, I doubt this situation was caused by 9/11. It, in my opinion, was caused by the
supervisor’s lack of understanding passport rules (understandable, since I’m
sure not too many Lithuanians who live in the UK pass through BTV) AND her
refusal to try to find a solution or seek help.
She caused Inga to cry and did not even acknowledge it. BTV gets a lot of international travel
(French, Canadians, many many Brits during ski season, and many eastern
Europeans and South Americans (again ski season). If she treats all foreigners like she treated
Inga, she will only foster the tern “ugly American” overseas. She needs to show compassion and, even more
so, show an interest in resolving a problem, rather than causing a problem.
·
Last July, my 94 year old father came for a
visit. While he is still physically
active, he is showing early signs of dementia and memory loss. He is still very much self-supportive, but
needs help with new situations and unfamiliar surroundings. In preparing for his trip, I told my sister
in Chicago that she should request a gate pass so that she could accompany him
through security and get on the right flight at ORD. The gate agent immediately issued the pass
for her and my father ultimately had a great flight out. When I brought my father to BTV, the same
supervisor as noted above, refused to issue me a pass to walk my father to the
gate. She said he looks healthy enough
and doesn’t appear to need support. I
explained that physically, his condition is better than most 60 year olds, but
mentally, in unfamiliar situations, he is easily confused. Further, his concept of time is questionable
and while he could easily sit at the right gate to board a plane, any delay or
any issue could cause him to panic and cause problems. This woman absolutely refused to give me a
pass siting no reason other than “he looks fine to me.”
I brought him as far as I could… up
to the TSA agent checking ID and boarding pass.
Told my dad what to do… Walk to
the conveyor, take off jacket and place in plastic bin. Take off shoes and belt and place in
bin. Empty pockets. Carry-on on the belt and then wait for TSA to
ask you to walk through the metal detector.
Every instruction went in one ear and out the other. No sooner did he get to the screening area when
he got confused and started to panic. It
was sad. It was a lost kid who couldn’t
understand one instruction. Luckily,
some other passengers were able to help him through the process, but not before
humiliating and angering him. Once in
the waiting area (separated from the rest of the airport by only glass at BTV)
he saw me standing behind the glass and couldn’t understand why we were
separated. The other passengers, God
bless them, were trying to help as best they could, but he was totally
confused. I returned to the UA ticket
counter and once again pleaded with the supervisor for a pass so I could sit
with him until on the plane. She just
told me it was impossible for her to do and that she had other work to do. A US Air rep at the next counter heard all
that was going on, called me over, and gave me a pass, referring to the UA
supervisor in a very derogatory manner and indicating that she saw this type of
activity from her all the time
After I got to the boarding area,
my father immediately calmed down. I
bought the couple (other passengers) a cup of coffee as a thanks, and then sat
quietly with my father. He boarded the
plane without issue and flew to Chicago, where he met my sister already at the
gate, having received the appropriate pass, without hassle or question, for the
ORD ticket agent.
The supervisor needs to understand
that she is not a doctor and cannot judge people by appearance. While my father was physically fit, mentally,
he is starting to have problems. She has
to understand that when people request help, it is her job to give it, not
judge others.
In summary, related to BTV, I actually dread having to go
through the check-in process there as I’ll more than likely run into this
supervisor. I need to go to ORD in a
couple of weeks and am seriously considering going 70 miles out of my way and
flying out of MHT just to avoid the woman.
This shouldn’t even be a consideration.
This supervisor needs to be trained in customer service and needs to
practice good customer service. She may
rule the roost in BTV, but it is only hurting UA’s image.
On a couple of miscellaneous points, UA overall has an
opportunity to pay better attention to details.
A few observations… On my flight
from IAD to BRU (noted above) I was in seat 21G (or whatever the window seat is
there). When I opened the supplied blanket,
it reeked of mold… enough to water you eyes.
At least the flight was fairly warm.
My audio jack was shorting out, making it difficult to listen to a
movie. At least it was a night flight
and I was able to sleep. At the UA Club
at IAD, I think it was concourse F (I could be wrong), you had a couple of
dispensers for crackers, trail mix, nuts, etc.
Knobs to release the contents were broken on two of the containers. The nuts were almost gone, while the trail
mix and crackers were full… meaning that they had been in that condition for
some time. On a recent flight from IAD
to BTV (Portland-IAD-BTV), the seat I was assigned to was broken… missing the
seat cushion. This was a known condition
as the was physically roped off. The
flight attendant said just take any seat.
I had to move three times as the plane filled up. Felt like a homeless vagrant.
All of this combined suggests an airline in decline. I hope that is not the case. The very first time I ever flew was in 1969
as a kid and it was on a UA stretch 707 from ORD to LAX. I remember the flight, the service, and the
awe of flying (heck, I was just a kid).
From that day, I always liked UA.
As I got older, I watched a
number of airlines fold and go out of business, watched UA go into bankruptcy,
and watched funny little upstarts like Southwest and PSA try to redefine
travel. The industry is hurting and cuts
need to be made to stay in business… but there is one thing that is free…
Client Service! You could jam more seats
onto a plane, stop serving meals, charge for luggage, etc., and have the public
accept it better if client service is good.
Give me a grouchy flight attendant, a dictator-like supervisor, a broken
plane, and you set yourselves up for a complaint. If someone tells me something with a smile, I
am far more likely to ignore a mundane problem.
Your BTV supervisor IS a problem and she needs some serious
reeducation. Please look into the issues
I’ve brought up here.
Sincerely,
Mark Andrysiak
Premier Member #0001168xxxx
PO Box xxxx
Montpelier VT 05601
mike
Seems like we are quick to judge. let’s give Starwood a chance and see if Ellen’s review is posted. if those reading this who have stayed there will post honest reviews so we pass the five limit, we can then see if Ellen’s review is posted.
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Lj Miller
I have been directed to this website by Mr. Christopher Elliott of the San Francisco Chronicle. On October 4, 2010, I flew from JFK – SFO (over a year ago). My bag & stuff in it were damaged by UAL. I’ve tried ever since to get remuneration for my loss (doing everything I was told to by the brass of UAL) w/ no result. I’ve even written twice to Mr. Jeffrey Smisek, President & CEO. I’ve received the run-around & I no longer intend to take it. Although I received positive messages from two UAL employees, somehow I got lost in the system & nothing happened. I’m a Premier Executive flyer w/ over 800,000 miles in my account. Do something about it.
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R. Behlmann
I have what might be a unique complaint. I guess if the flight is on time the crew and those crew being shuttled to their next flight have the right to be rude to customers and are not subject to the rules of everyone else. Here is my story, which I will preface with the fact that I fly frequently and have been Platinum on Continental and Gold on AA, so I have realistic expectations of things within and outside the airlines control, but this was a first.
I had paid for the extra legroom of an exit row seat when my flight was booked and had a proper boarding pass etc.
When I got to my seat, there was a United employee who was flying to IAH for his next assignment in my seat. In fact six of the twelve exit row seats were non-rev passengers.
After ignoring my first three attempts to get his attention, he was using the strategic look away and pretend you don’t see him mode, I finally got his attention and advised him I thought he was in my seat.
He told me to find another seat as he was there first and he wasn’t moving. (This is on a full aircraft) When I asked to see if we were double booked in the same seat he refused to show me his ticket saying he didn’t have to.
After contacting a flight attendant, the flight attendant, went to the gate agent and had the gate agent sort out the seating. Once The on-duty FA went to the gate agent the crew member being shuttled left my seat and went into the back galley area. I figured my rude guy was was probably a supervisor because no one wanted to get involved, and they removed another shuttling employee from exit row across the Aisle and made a seat for my rude guy. Upon being reseated he commented “There are you happy now.”
During the flight I noticed all the employes kept their electronics on, ignored the fasten seatbelt sign, passed their cellphones around with the active crew members showing pictures and so forth.
It was quite a party. The remainder of the flight was incident free. I am used to passengers being rude, stressed out etc or in some cases ignorant of the correct seating etc. but I have never been treated rudely by a uniformed employee active duty or not.
I guess the quality of Continental service we had grown accustomed to is gone.
Dleutscher
Picture this … A large, commercial jet, flying from left to right toward a very large skyscraper.
That is the image United Airlines has on their Chicago video screens at every gate, along with information about your destination city.
The person who created that graphic is probably still working for United.
Dean Leutscher
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Fal
I received an E certificate and I am trying to book a flight on line with my certificate and it does not work. Help!
Jeff-smith
I’ve been flying United for over 20 years. I’ve been a loyal customer because their aircraft tended to be clean and modern, they provide good service and seemed steps above Ameican, Dela and others.
I’m ready to take my million miles of flying on United and toss thm out the window. How can two companies merge together and create such a blunder! Really, going back to a dos based computer system? No wonder we are on hold for so long.
The executive management team should be ousted. They are destroying what brand value United has left. Really folks, how much do you think it will cost you to get your bread and butter business customers back?
This will be a white paper for business students to study for years to come. United, you’ve failed! As a frequent flyer listening to the agents frustration about the difficulty of making a basic reservation I can only wonder how you can possibly keep your maintainence records in order!
What a Shame. I never thought the prospect of flying Southwest would look so good.
emanon256
I could not agree more!
Miekecaris
We had to pay a change of ticket fee, $150.00 per person when missed a flight due to mix up about 12 .30 AM instead of PM. As I am from Europe this mistake is easy to make and they should have had a warning ‘red eye’. AND most of all, rebook without paying a fee. Now we paid a fee, waited 6 hrs. in airport and had to hop on 3 planes to get home.
Paula
Does anyone from United ever respond to these people that left comments?
Have the people who left comments ever get their complaint corrected?
David Smith
Chris, thanks again for your service to the travel community. This page on contacts is great. Never thought I’d have to use it. But like a lot of people, am not getting the responses I need from United so I am engaging with these email addresses.
Interestingly, I just filled out a form for the Beverly Hilton for my last stay and almost immediately got an email from a service manager there wanting to know why I gave them a six on one of the rating scales. Now that’s service!
Mike
After waiting on hold for nearly 2 hours I was able to speak with a UA agent (a very nice, polite, and apologetic person). My inquiry had to do with an upgrade request that did not go through but for which 30,000 miles were deducted from my account and $600 was charged to my credit card. After more than one month the miles had yet to be restored and the $600 was not recredited to my Visa. Upon checking with two different departments, the agent was able to get the $600 credited (supposedly within 24-48 hours) and the miles restored (in approximately a 2 weeks). She also informed me that she was told that, under the new United/Continental merger, such refunds were no longer automatic but had to be requested by the customer. What a scam!!! Is this Jeff Smisek’s way of building a satisfied customer base? I plan to send him a personal letter of complaint, which I’m certain will be filed into the circular receptical. I’ve flown nearly 2 million miles with United and now plan to take my business elsewhere whenever convenience dictates.
Li Weiqiang
The experience with United Airline at Madison is nothing but appalling. We (me, my
wife and our 11-month daughter) checked in at Madison
airport 50 minutes ahead of departure time (6:26 AM, 4/22/2012, UA5848 from Madison to Chicago).
We spent a long time waiting in line to go through security, when we arrived at
the gate, it was 6:13 AM, 13 minutes before airplane take-off. The worker at
the gate would not allow us to board, saying he has closed the door of
airplane.
What really appalled us was, this UA worker at Madison airport (tall, pale,
over-weighted, middle-aged, white male, first name started with “D”) was the
same person who checked our luggage in at the UA counter before security check
point. He knew we are a family with a baby, he knew we were making an
international flight connecting through Chicago
to China,
and he knew that we were checked in when he closed the airplane door. During
the whole course of our waiting for going through security, we heard no
reminder from airport broadcasting. This worker refused to explain to us why he
did not wait for us even he evidently knew we already checked in and he knew
our situation; this worker refused to explain to us why he did not call us
through airport broadcasting even he was aware of the situation had the full
capability to do so. His attitude stroke us as inconsiderate, indifferent, and
cold-blooded. This experience gives us a strong impression that United Airline
is a very inhuman cooperation that has no care about customer experience.
United Airline is definitely the WORST airline I have used. Avoid United
Airline whenever possible!
emanon256
The United Website states that you should arrive at the Madison airport 1 and 3/4 hour before departure. You arrived 50 minutes before.
https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/airport/process/default.aspx
Ramirezzacapa
My husband works in Afghanistan and I have not seen him for almost 2 months. So we decided to meet in Dubai. Bought the ticket and the day was here for me to finally leave, boy was I in for a surprise. I go to Houston Intercontiental Airport around 2 my flight was leaving around 5:20 in the afternoon. This flight was leaving Houston and connecting in WAshinton to Dubai. First I get out of my car and the United guy on the curb wants to check my bags and he then tells me that there is a fee for my bags. Hold on I have a mileage plus membership so I should get one free bag. The guy then replies I don’t know about that we will have to go in to check at the counter. We go in and sure enough I was right. I get my boarding pass and proceed to check the boards to make sure my flight is on time. Well sure enough my plane is running an hour behind due to weather in Denver. So I immedately go to customer service and they send to a plane that I may or may not be able to catch in a completely different terminal. Needless to say I missed it. Then I go back to the customer service desk and tell them I need to get to my flight in Washington because I have a connecting flight. They tell me that there is nothing they can do except get me to Washington put me in a hotel and then send me on my way to Dubai the next day. I explain to them that my husband is waiting for me and I have hotel reservations I have to get to that plane. So they research some more and they put on an Emmirates direct flight (which was the best part of this whole ordeal). I ask the lady about my luggage and she says not to worry that my luggage will follow. I ask three times and even gave description of my luggage so that they could find it. I board my plane happy as can be finally on my way. I get to the airport in Dubai go to luggage carasel and waited and waited. No luggage. So then I proceed to the Emmirates baggage desk and explain to them. They have me fill out a form regarding my luggage and say they will call me as soon as they find something out. I meet my husband he suggest that we wait for my orginal flight to arrive and maybe my luggage is on there. Waited no luggage. We proceed to hotel. By this time I have been in the same clothes for about 24 hours. We get to the hotel and figure in the morning my luggage will be here no problems. Its Monday morning and I wake up and the lady from Emmirates calls me and tells me that my luggage won’t be here until Tuesday morning. I can’t go anywhere because my clothes is all dirty I am stuck in my room all day Monday. So one whole day of my vacation is ruined. Tuesday comes and I get a phone call at nine in the morning my luggage is downstairs. They bring it up and I am so excited I can finally leave the room and see Dubai. I through on some clean clothes and out we go. I get back to the hotel that night and start looking through my luggage and things are missing. 1 watch, 1 bracelet matching earrings and matching ring, 1 pair of red earrings, 1 pair of emarld earrings, 2 bottles of perfume, 1 bottle of red nail polish. I was so upset and disgusted I can’t believe someone could go through my luggage and steal all of this without someone seeing it. So I think that maybe I left it at home. So Wednesday we get up go out and eat lunch and then go back to the hotel to repack because we have to be at the airport for 8:30 to start checking in for our 12:10 am flight back to the states. My husband checks in and then I check in and what more could go wrong. They don’t have me listed as a passenger I am like are you getting me I have a ticket. So they take my passport and they start talking among themselves. They look at me look at my passport look at me. By this time I am like what the hell. Then I remember I have my confirmation in my bag. I get it out and bam they tell me I guess we will have to add you to the list, I GUESS SO! The flight was horrible the flight attendants were not very nice, they did what they had to and nothing beyond that. We get to Dulles and we hurry through customes throught passport and through check points because we only have 1 hour and 46 minutes to get to our flight. We are running only to find out there is a delay. You think that they could have annouced over the intercom that this flight was being delayed for those of us who were running to get to it. So the walkway that goes from the terminal to the plane is broke. So we have to mover terminals and they have to move the plane which takes about an hour. Finally boarded the plane and on my way back to Houston where it all started. United is telling me they are not to blame in all of this because Emmirates was the last one with my bag. I don’t understand none of these problems with my baggage would have happened if they would have transferred my bag like they promised they would.
Ramirezzacapa
In my story above I did not give exact detail right when I finally got my luggage I got dressed then when through luggage then went out.
Bosoxer4eva
I returned home from Las Vegas on United Airlines this week only to find a prized drum stick I caught at a concert of my favorite band had been stolen from my bag, most probably during my 3 hour layover at O’Hare airport in Chicago. This truly disgusts me. I am searched and x-rayed only to have the very people in charge of our security steal from me with literally no recourse for me. I am so upset over this. I will file a claim with United, but will most probably be told I’m just out of luck.. so disheartening..
Olenka1151
My family and I are demanding a full refund of our airline tickets because United Airlines ruined our vacation. We only have such an opportunity once in a very long time and due to no fault of our own, the entire trip to Mexico was a mess. The problems started as soon as we arrived to check in for our flights in Helena, MT an hour and a half prior to our departure. The automated check-in machine was not working properly, so the United Airlines representative asked us to approach the desk so he could manually check our tickets. We booked online through Expedia.com and had our printed itineraries from United.com. The man was incompetent and unable to operate the computer. He accomplished nothing in 15 minutes of clicking and staring at the screen. Then the man called over another woman, whose name we remember to be Dora, for assistance. When Dora began checking us in, she noticed that my wife, Olga, has a Ukrainian passport in her maiden name and a permanent resident card with her married name. She also had other forms of picture identification with her. Dora was completely confused as to how a person can travel with a passport and green card with different names on them. She was on the phone and computer for half an hour before she figured out it was normal and everything was fine.
We were traveling with our eleven month old daughter, Sofia, to Cancun, Mexico. We were clear that she was coming and that she would be riding on our lap. There was no charge for her ticket. Then my wife called United Airlines a week before the flight to make sure that Sofia was booked to go with us on the itinerary and if we needed to do anything besides have her passport ready. The United representative said that we were all set and nothing else needed to be done. We printed out the itinerary and it said in clear, bold type at the top of the first page;
“Note: All infants traveling internationally are required to have a ticket. Some itineraries can be eTicketed. If your itinerary is not eTicketable, the infant’s paper ticket will be mailed to your billing address before your travel date. There is no additional charge for this ticket. Other passengers will be issued eTickets.”
We bought our tickets two months in advance, and no paper tickets were ever mailed to us, telling us that our itinerary was eTicketable. Dora, at the United airlines desk, refused to allow us on the plane without a printed ticket for Sofia. She insisted that we pay $150 for her to print our daughter a ticket even though we had the printed confirmation that there would be no additional charge for her ticked. We agreed to pay because The plane was already boarding and we hadn’t even checked our bags. No other passengers were in line before us and no one was in line at security. The United representative in Helena forced us to miss our flight and would not allow the baggage person to take our bags when she asked for them even though it was clear we could have boarded in time. Instead, she told us we had 3 choices. First, to cancel our vacation that was already paid for with flights and and an all-inclusive hotel. Second, to return the following day and catch another flight at the same time, costing us a night and a day of our vacation. That would mean sacrificing about $1400 resort charges we already paid for. The third choice was to drive 2 hours to Bozeman airport to try to catch another flight leaving at 10:00 am. This option would get us to our hotel at around 1:00 am. We originally booked the flights TWO MONTHS IN ADVANCE just so we could find the shortest possible flight duration for the welfare of our baby. Our original trip would have been 7 hours long, putting us at our destination at 3:00 pm the same day. Instead, because of the incompetence of the United representatives in Helena, we were forced to accept a 18 hour trip with way more hassle and stress that originated 2 hours driving from our home town. Sofia’s was so exhausted that by the end of the trip she was vomiting and screaming with frustration. When we arrived in Cancun at such a late hour, we had to purchase a shuttle to the resort that would have been provided free if we hadn’t missed our first plane. There were no restaurants or stores open where we could get food because no food or snacks were provided on our flights. The worst part of it all was that our checked luggage did not make it to Cancun. It consisted of all of our clothes, baby food, diapers, sunscreen, swimsuits, toiletries, etc. We left a cold climate and arrived in a very hot, humid climate. We had no comfortable or clean clothes to change our baby or ourselves into for the entire next day. We couldn’t even use the beautiful pools outside our room that we paid dearly for. We only had a six day vacation and 2 of those days were completely ruined. We had reserved excursions for the next day that had to be cancelled and we lost our deposit. After receiving our luggage the following evening, we were stressed out and aggravated so much that it was impossible to relax and enjoy our surroundings. We fly internationally a couple of times each year and we have never had such a negative experience. We had to change our whole vacation plan on the spot and miss out on many of our planned activities.
The trip back was even worse. With the layovers and all the additional costs involved with having to buy expensive food on the way home, we got back to Bozeman nearly broke and completely wiped out with exhaustion at midnight. We had to pay for a week’s worth of parking fees and get a hotel in Bozeman. And guess what else happened… United had somehow lost another piece of our luggage on the return trip. It happened to be $1000.00 of fishing gear (that I never got the chance to use because of United Airlines). I filed a missing luggage report immediately upon arrival but the airline couldn’t even find where the luggage could have been. No tracking information was ever given to me online and it took 3 days and the threat of filing a police report to get it back.
We had a bad feeling before getting on the plane to Cancun in Bozeman that United was going to deny us a refund for our flight debacle so my wife called United during our 2 hour drive to Bozeman. The nice representative on the phone whose name was either Erin or Karen, told her that we were eligible for a refund. She said that we should first complete the flights and then call and file a complaint as soon as we arrived home. That’s exactly what we did. The United Airlines phone support is pitifully slow and aggravating. After multiple calls, hours of waiting and wasting time trying to speak to a live person, we were transferred by the ‘refunds’ department to other non-related departments over and over. We have suffered enormous amounts of stress, aggravation and loss of time and money due to United Airlines. We demand a full refund for all our tickets and the additional charge for the infant ticket. We also demand to be refunded for the additional expenses we had due to 4 hours of driving, fuel, parking, dining, hotel and necessities like diapers, sunscreen and personal items we were forced to buy. These expenses came to $1000 that we were not prepared to spend. We also expect that the combined 4 and a half days of missing luggage will be made up to us somehow by the airline.
That comes to $2,250 in tickets, $1000 in expenses, and credit for the missing luggage. We demand to be refunded and will not let this issue rest. We are prepared take further legal actions if need be because our vacation is worth much more than money. Please do the right thing and give us back our money immediately.
Pkddixie99
My flight with United was delayed and caused me to miss my connecting flight, this resulted in a 13 hour layover in the airport. They told me that there is nothing they can do. Is this what they call customer service? They need to change their mission statement to “Once you buy your ticket your on your own” This company is terrible
Frustrated
Am in Geneva Switzerland, booked a flight weeks ago to the states, want to bring my cat was told upfront that United has an excellent program for pets and there would be no problem. Problem, first No one seems to know what the exact rules are as I have received a variety of info on the phone by different people as to what was required and guess what, I leave in a week and am Just told, after 2 weeks of many trips to the airport and hours on the phone, that I am not allowed to bring an animal on this flight. have been given every excuse in the book…the computers have not been installed as promised so the info is not available, to simply giving me another bogus phone number to call. I have wasted an enormous amount of time and have Nothing to show for.
Georgio08902
To United Airlines,
I would like to express my disgust with United Airlines for the terrible treatment and service my wife and I received on our last trip using United Airlines.
We were going on our Honeymoon to Hawaii after six plus years of marriage, because it took us that long to save for our Honeymoon Dream Vacation, and were looking forward to a great time in paradise. And it was paradise, once we got there. But the flights to and from Hawaii on United Airlines, well they are a very different story indeed.
We got on the first United Airlines flight in Philadelphia and were packed into the plane like sardines in a can. I think that in this plane, with 3 seats on each side, that 6 children would have had a tough time getting comfortable. Then, on the back of the headrests, you have direct TV on the runway before the plane takes off. Once in the air your “free preview” is over so slide your card or be bored the rest of the flight. I did not slide my card. You get enough charging me extra for my baggage, food and drinks. Once, I even dosed off, and then the stewardess comes by with the food cart, slams my leg waking me up, and walks off without even an apology. Total ignorance on the part of your employees. I thought this flight to Hawaii from hell on United Airlines would be over once we got to Houston. Boy, was I wrong.
Now we are on the next United Airlines flight going from Houston to Hawaii, an 8 hour and 20 minute flight. On this flight there was free movies and entertainment on the headrest monitor so at least I would have a little solace in being able to watch something, anything. WRONG!!!!! The only monitors in the whole plane that did not work were the one’s in front of my wife and I. Talk about luck. Bad luck, by flying on United Airlines. My wife asked 4 different stewardess’s to please get this taken care of as this is a long trip. And 4 times my wife was told they had to reset it. If you keep resetting it and it does not work at least be truthful with me and do not try to BS me. This was a long flight with nothing to do or watch. Thanks again United Airlines. Not even a free drink for my wife or me.
Finally, we get to Honolulu, surely the nightmare on United Airlines is over. No, not quite yet. We go to catch our flight over to Maui and yes, of course, it is delayed. Murphy has been with us all along. We finally get over to Maui after a 40 minute delay for 2 weeks of fun and sun in paradise. And it was a great Honeymoon Vacation for 2 weeks. But I knew we had to fly home on United Airlines. And we were not looking forward to this prospect. It was now time to leave paradise and come home, and with that the next part of our nightmare flight journey from hell using United Airlines was about to begin.
Now that our time in paradise has come to an end it was time to leave Maui. The flight back to Honolulu was uneventful because it was Island Air who did the flying. We had a 2 plus hour layover in Honolulu but we went right down to the gate our flight was at to wait it out there. Once we arrived at our gate we noticed that there were no United Airlines attendants at the counter. We walked in and sat down and were greeted by a woman who told us the United Airlines flight we were going to take back to Los Angeles was delayed for 3 hours. I was appalled. No one notified us about any delays. I made my way upstairs to the United Club and walked inside. I was met by 2 women who asked if I was a member. I said no but that I needed help trying to get back to my home in Pennsylvania. They said that they were not part of United Airlines and could not help me. The attitude they displayed towards me because I walked into your “special club” and was not a member told me that they just did not want to help me. More disgusting behavior by United Airlines employees. ( We were originally scheduled to return from Honolulu to San Francisco and then on to Philadelphia but United Airlines switched my wife and I to the Los Angeles flight without any reason whatsoever. They also seated us 6 rows apart and would not seat us together, so I had to pay an extra $126.00 for my wife and I to be seated together on this 5 and a half hour flight. And my reservations were made 5 months before our flight. What a “RIPOFF” by United Airlines. Also my original flight from Honolulu to San Francisco left on time and made it back to Philadelphia on time. Thanks again United Airlines.)
I made my way back downstairs and after a couple of hours we finally got a United Airlines attendant at the counter. She took care of rearranging my flight schedule from Honolulu to Los Angeles, then to Denver and finally to our home by Philadelphia. We were told that since we would get to Los Angeles at about 12:30-1:00 AM and there were no flights to Denver until morning that United Airlines would put us up in a hotel for the night. I told my wife there was no way that United Airlines was going to put us in a hotel room for a few hours. And, of course, I was right. When we finally did arrive at Los Angeles we were herded outside our arrival gate and told by United Airlines attendants that there were “no hotel rooms available for us at all in Los Angeles”(are you kidding me, are we on candid camera?) but that United Airlines had made accommodations for us to eat and sleep. This ought to be good I thought (sic). We were brought to an airport terminal close to where our next flight was and given cart food from the airplane (YUMM) but no coffee at this hour of the morning. For our sleeping pleasures we were afforded the waiting area seats, you know the ones that are hollowed out so your butt sits firmly in it, and there was only a divider every 4 seats for your comfort. Can you say uncomfortable? We were also given some thin blankets and teeny pillows for our sleeping pleasures. I could not believe how cold it was in the terminal, and here I am in shorts and a tee shirt. It doesn’t get any better then this, I felt like I was at the Ritz. NOT! Will these nightmare flights on United Airlines ever end? No, we have not been tortured enough quite yet.
On the United Airlines flight to Denver we only had a 45 minute layover so I was quite annoyed that the flight took off 20+ minutes late. Were we going to miss another flight thanks to United Airlines? When we got to Denver we only had 20 minutes to get to our gate. I looked on the arrival/departure board to make sure the gate was still the same, as we had to go all the way down the other end of the terminal to catch our next, and hopefully last, United Airlines flight. It still said on the board that the flight was leaving from gate 25. We rush down to gate 25 and my wife sits down, extremely tired. I hear an announcement about our flight but with some static so I go to the counter to find out what’s up with my flight. I am told that my flight to Philadelphia is now leaving from gate 53, almost the same terminal from where I arrived. I asked the attendant why it was not on the departure board as being at gate 53 since I just came from there? He had no answer. What the heck is going on? Will this nightmare with United Airlines ever end? Now we have to rush back down to where we just were, all because United Airlines never updated their departure board. And with me being disabled this was going to be rough. I walked as fast as I could trying to keep up with my wife and we finally made it back to gate 53. As soon as we got there they said last call for our flight and that they were closing the doors. I yelled to hold on. Another lucky passenger, a younger fellow, had also made it back to gate 53 and they checked our boarding passes and let us in. The young man ran ahead to make sure that they knew there were 3 more people boarding this plane and we were the last to board the plane. Maybe, just maybe we were finally on our last United Airlines flight. Thank God the plane lands in Philadelphia and our nightmare flights with United Airlines are over. Thank you Jesus.
Now I figure one of two things will happen with this letter, it will either hit the circular file or you will send a form letter telling me how sorry you are that I had the nightmare experience on United Airlines. That is if you even bother to respond to my letter at all.
For my wife and I, we can’t wait until Southwest Airlines finally go’s all the way to Hawaii as they will definitely be getting our business from now on. No more United Airlines flights ever for this family.
george christo
Barbara
What is this ridiculous money grubbing new policy United has invented where you cannot reserve a specific seat unless you fly first or business class? I have been flying United 2 to 3 times a year with my family to visit relatives in another state for years, in fact we just went in March. I’m trying to book our next trip and I’m being told they cannot “guarantee” we will sit together…my daughter is THREE! I was told they will do their best at the airport on the day of my flight but I will have no choice in where my seats are. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. I’m now looking into Southwest, at least I know it’s just a land grab there. We will also have to fly into a different airport and rent a car, but it will be totally worth it to avoid the all over the airplane nightmare. I’m about done flying…
Amygcutler
I have been trying since March to gain access to my mileage plus account since the change in accounts following the continental merger. I have spent 5 hours on hold, spoken for an hour to someone who couldn’t help and am now back on hold listening to Rhapsody in Blue for 35 minutes. No wonder United is rated so poorly in customer service. Just sent an email to several people in corporate. Let’s see if that accomplishes anything.
Michelle
You’ll have to reply back and let us know if you got an answer. It took me a few weeks to get an answer after post-merger changes (I booked a flight in January and had massive changes made and had to re-purchase my economy plus seats from Continental because they did not carry over). I am due a refund still – I was given some of my refund, but they didn’t look at everything. They also gave me a $100 electrontic gift certificate for a future flight, but not sure I want to fly them again. So, I will be writing to them in a few days again now that my trip is over (as I’m having baggage issues right now too).
Thelasthouravailable
Be very careful when sending unaccompanied children. You are paying extra $200 per round trip. At destination my 9 yr old son walked alone out of plane and for the returned flight agents were unable to print his boarding pass making my son miss his plane.
upset customer
United lost my bag and when they founf it they returned it to me damaged and with missing items such as namebrand clothes, shoes and perfumes.
Nanda
Great info…..firing off (er, uh, crafting my tight and polite) letter of complaint about United’s ever so generous 5% bereavement discount for a flight that cost me 300% of an advance fare. I will follow your suggestions to a “T”. Thank you.
Bobgerinaz
My friend and I returned from Norway via SAS on June 7 to Dulles WA. We were told to go to customer service and receive new boarding passes to our flight to Phoenix. The woman who was taking care of us was not nice and was interfering trying to help the customer next to us who had two customer service employees already assisting him. We stood there while she was taking her time in helping us. When we asked a question to her she would reply “I know what you want” sarcastically. Upon our pleasant trip to Europe where we were treated respectfully we arrive home to our country and get treated poorly in our own country. Welcome to the USA – UNITED better screen their employees with a better attitude to people coming from abroad to our great land and give respect to your customers.
Alain farah
Ticket conf number HEXJIL
Ok so from here I would like to start my fight with united airlines and tell everyone and the media and the do what’s possible to not recommend these cheap company with the cheapest service and the unprofessional treating for their costumes, my flight started from lax supposed to get on time to Washington Dulles international airport On flight nmbr 324 to take the flight number 130 to Parrish Charles de Gaulle, then a 3 hrs waiting and take my connection flight to Beirut leb, I got surprised when I reached Washington that the flight is delayed 30 min and I thought its not a big deal Since I have a 3 hrs in Paris befor taking my connection flight, then and after 30 min they delaid it again for 30 min claiming that they are changing a fan from the engin of the plane, we took a deep breath and we waited, then another 30 min and by the time I hurt a copilot talking to the united team on the boarding gate without making them noticing my existence cz I was sitting on the ground working on my pc, I got shocked when he sad to them that the engin is overheating and there’s a smell going out of it so it’s not safe to take the plane to overseas their fore they will fly to Newark NJ or newyork and change the plane and take the flight to parris from there, I rushed to the gate lady and told her that we have a connection flight so we must know exactly what’s happening or what to do, she told me there is no info now we will update u on spot and or u go talk to the custumor service, and that’s what I did after one hr waiting on the line to take my turn and talk to the custumor service I was surprised how rude and not friendly ppl they are, I told them my case, she said the flight won’t be canceled and the reason its not taking off is the weathEr in paris not mechanical problem ( as if ppl are stupid to believe such silly excuse ) that’s why u have to wait and about ur connection flight in parris u have to talk to ur agency so they reserve for u another flight so u have the option to wait or ur travel agency, and it was about to be 10 so I defenetly missed the flight in parris and the travel agency is closed and so I can’t do anything, as if it was a nightmare for me and everyone taking my same flight, I told her that it’s not my responsibility so u have to solve this issue their fore pls try to issue me a ticket on other planes, but unfortunately I never got respond, afterwards I not used there is another plane to Paris and there are 5 vacant places in it I told her get me and the lady with her kidds on it she said no I can’t and that’s it she didn’t even told us any excuse why she can’t, at that time they gave us a useless voucher to eat at any restaurant in the airport for 10$ after a negotiation with one of the ppl but too bad the restaurants were abt to close and the opened once were closing, so I gave it to someone to use it cz I was so angry and not able even to wait on the line for the food, and at 2 am they decided to cancel the flight and the ppl ran to the custumor service and hell another huge line again, so from there and after waiting for an other hr, we talked to a lady behind the counter and to help us finding another ticket or any solution, so she took her time on the pc and she said I’m sorry but I can’t find any flight so u have to stay until tomorrowso MAYBE we can solve it but all the flights are booked their for I’m afraid u have to stay more days, anyway here is a voucher for 200$ u can use 100$ for hotel and the other 100 as discount for ur next trip with us with a silly smile, and there I got soooo angry and told her the minimum for an hotel one night in Washington is 400 without the taxi fees and at 3 am no way I can find a vacant one to reserve and I’m not even able to put this amount on a mistake u respectful company made, so if what I know is that it’s ur responsibility to find us places and issue for us other tickets, she said I’m not the decision maker and that’s what we offer, then I lost my patience and I screamed and told her if ur not the responsible and the decision maker then who is it me who payed my ticket and chose to fly with ur airline, We are not moving from her until u find a solution we are living in the us not in Afghanistan so we are not lambs or animals to be treated this way, then she said if undont like what I offered u can go to the manager office and talk to him, I told her no ur manager better show up and talk to us if he is a decision maker if not let him stay in his office and I’m gona call the media, then she went to her and she came with her cleaver manager, at this time I called my friend who called a united airline agent through the 1800 number and who found us places for the next day to newjersy then to London through Lufthansa airlines, and from there to Beirut, so when the manager showed up, she said it impossible to find u hotels cz our inventory is all booked and u have to sleep in the airport till next day, as if we’ve bin talking beside a waterfall, no one can help even her, after a long negotiation I told her how comes a travel agent from united found us places and ur not able from here, she said its impossible, so I gave her our new confirmation number and I asked from her to issue the tickets, she claimed that she can’t change our tickets to Lufthansa cz she is not able to access their system, so I told her to try and contact them or do anything cz im not able to talk anymore and im sooo tiered and depressed, and that’s what she did, so I end it up going to newjersy then to London in a Crowded plane mid seat all the time and after a long wait in Nawak NJ airport to get to Germany, and from there another waiting to get to Lebanon Beirut, I was supposed to reach on thursday at 2 pm I reached Friday at 5 pm, exhausted smelly lost my business meeting lost a big project I was fighting to work on thanks for united airlines, I’m not able to talk anymore but I promise I will talk to the media and my iturny and I won’t let it go Easley what kind of manners and professionalism is this and what kind of employees are they and what kind of planes we are risking our life to fly with, that’s the question and I’m waiting for answers …. Here is my email
Alainfarah30@hotmail.com
My name is Alain Bou Farah
My address is 16326 kennard st, hacienda heights ca91745
Sent from my iPad
Fazz
Hello – Last
Saturday, 6-2-12, we were scheduled to fly out of BWI to SFO on flight 1474 on
full-fare first class tickets. The flight was scheduled to leave at 6:02am. As
of 3:00am the flight was listed as on time. When we got to BWI at 5:30am we saw
it was delayed until 10:30am due to crew turnaround time requirements. We were
in-line to check our bags and I asked the “expediter” if we could go
home and come back. (We are only 25 minutes away in Annapolis so we were keen to go home and
come back.) She said we couldn’t because the crew could come in earlier and the
plane would leave early. So we checked our bags and entered through security.
Needless to say waiting 4.5 hours in the airport was extremely painful. We
later were told by another United employee that since it was a crew delay
situation there was no way the plane would leave early. We really wish we had known that as our total trip time ending up
being 20 hours. The employee expediting check-in should have been more informed
and let us know we could have gone home, and come back.
As a side note,
once on the plane, I had a TV screen in front of me which wouldn’t change its
channel. The attendant said they couldn’t service any of these in flight. But
the unit wouldn’t even turn off so I was stuck watching the same infomercials
over and over again on CNBC during the whole flight. Uggggg.
I fully realize
what every airline does every day is nothing short of amazing. We were also
very pleased with every aspect of United’s first-class experience. Our luggage
actually came out on a priority bases at both ends, which is rare for any
airline to actually do. I’m not sure we’re due any reimbursement or
compensation, but if nothing else I wanted to pass this customer experience
along for training of your employees.
Svenducdong
I’ve been on “crew delayed” flights that turned out to not be too delayed. If you are writing this note for a simple 4.5 hour delay… I wonder what your note would have been like if you went home and came back a mere 30 minutes before your flight and found that it left an hour ago.
Rmurdoch
The 800-700-4000 number has been disconnected. There is no way to get to talk to a real human about any customer service issue. I am a silver wide plus life time member who wants to make a complaint and possibly have a class action law suit against United Airlines and there action to climate the original program and not make any restitution for what we paid. I can not get any phone number to talk to anyone. Can you help?
Djames1981
Dear United Airlines,
To whom it may concern:
On June 17th, 2012 I had the WORST experience
that I have ever had flying on a commercial airline. The customer service I
received was terrible after not ONE but TWO flights that I was a passenger on
were canceled today due to mechanical failures with both aircrafts (FLIGHT #UA
527).
To explain: I arrived at O’Hare airport at about 05:00 on
6/17/2012 from SEA, UA Flight # 302 and boarded Flight UA # 527 to continue on
my final destination to Baltimore. At about 06:00 flight #527 took off from the
runway and was only 5 minutes behind schedule. But15 minutes into the flight my
ears began to really hurt and the cabin was extremely noisy, this is when I
realized something was wrong with the cabin pressure. As I was about to inform
the flight attendant that something seemed very odd about the pressure inside
the cabin the pilot got on the intercom and informed us that the cabin was not
pressurizing and we would have to go back to Chicago and land. At first I was ok
with the situation, things happen. But what could have been handled in a timely
and professional manner by United Airlines of the plane having a mechanical
failure was handled very poorly. When we landed we were told to wait on the
plane and a customer service representative will make an announcement shortly.
Well there was nothing short about it, we waited on the plane for almost an
hour without being told anything or even spoken to by anyone from United
Airlines. Finally after an hour of waiting a customer service representative
informed us that they had another plane for us and that we were to go the gate
where the plane was and that this plane would take us to Baltimore. So we boarded the plane and were
just sitting there for at least 40 minutes wondering when we were going to take
and what was taking so long when the pilot informed us that this plane had a
mechanical problem with the dump valve and that it would be a 3 hour fix. This
is when things went from just being a little bit bad to be really bad and then
things just got WORSE. TWO MECHANICAL FAILURES IN ONE DAY! But again it was not
the mechanical failures of the planes that were the worst part of the
experience it was THE LACK OF CUSTOMER SERVICE! It was the way it was handled
by the staff of United Airlines. When we were informed about the second
mechanical failure we again waited a very long time while sitting on the plane
for a customer service representative to make an announcement. After waiting
about an hour and half we were told that we would have to de-board the plane
and again a customer service representative would make an announcement shortly! Again there was
nothing short about the wait, after de-boarding the plane we waited for another
30 minutes for the announcement. Then finally when the announcement was made we
were told that our flight was canceled and that we would all be on stand-by. We
were also told by a United Airline representative that if we wanted to talk to
someone about the situation, since many of us wanted to know what United was
going to do to make us happy as customers for the inconvenience we experienced
that we had to go to United.com/appreciation. That there was no one to talk to
and we had to go to a the United airlines website (THAT’S SOME SERIOUS BULLSHIT
CUSTOMER SERVICE!). After all that (TWO MECHANICAL FAILURES IN THE SAME DAY)
and the only thing that United Airlines could tell us was basically that our
flight was canceled, we were on stand-by and we would have to go to
United.com/appreciation. At this point I was extremely appalled by the way
things were handled. We were not told where to go to book another flight, we
were not given an compensation reimbursement or a meal voucher, we were not
even given the opportunity to talk to anyone about what we had endured and how
United Airlines was going to work with us to solve the problem and make things
right. What kind of company tells their customers they have to go online to get
help! Especially when the customers are at the front doorstep of the company
(CHICAGO, IL United Airlines Hub), I did want to talk to a computer, I WANTED
TO TALK TO A LIVING, BREATHING PERSON THAT WORKS FOR UNITED AIRLINES AND I
WANTED TO TALK TO ASAP!
So to continue my experience, after the announcement I went
on my own without knowing what else to do to the customer service area of
United Airlines in the C-Gate area to find more than 150 people waiting in line
and only 2 people at the counter due to 2 other planes having mechanical
failures (I guess 4 flights were canceled out of O’Hare that day due to
mechanical failures. At this point I had already been delayed 4 hours, been
given horrible customer service, had no idea if I was even going to be able to
get a flight out of Chicago or what to do and now I have to wait in a line
that’s longer than the security line I went through to get into the airport. So
since I had no choice I waited in line, about another 45 minutes of waiting in
line and not making it that close to the counter, I had enough! So I left the line and decided to go to the United
Club to get some help with booking my flight and to talk to someone about my
experience with United Airlines. I am not a member of the United Club, and
because of this was told I had to pay $50 dollars to be a member, so I
explained my story to the lady at the front desk and asked if I could just go
in to take of the situation and book another flight. She replied to me again
that I had to pay $50 dollars if I wanted to go in. I was so upset at this
point, it was around 11:00, I was tired due to flying on a red eye from Seattle earlier; I had not had sleep for more than 24
hours and just wanted to get a flight booked to Baltimore and relax. But this lady told me I
had to pay $50 dollars and would not allow me to enter unless I did even after
telling what happened and how busy customer service was. Then a fellow
passenger from flight #527 saved me from the dealing with the lady at the front
desk and invited me as their guest and the lady finally let me in to the United
Club and after another 30 minutes of waiting in line I was finally able to book
a flight at 16:00 to Baltimore.
I spent my whole day (Father’s Day) having a horrible experience with United
Airlines.
I have never experienced so much dysfunction of a company’s
customer service in one day ever in my life. I NEVER WANTED TO FLY WITH UNITED
AGAIN!!!!! I WILL TELL EVERYONE I KNOW THIS STORY AND I WILL POST IT ALL OVER
THE INTERNET!
UNITED AIRLINES DOES NOT DESERVE TO HAVE CUSTOMERS WHEN THEY
DON’T KNOW HOW TO TREAT THEM!!
NO RESPECT!
As well in the time I had to wait until my flight to Baltimore I heard many
horror stories from people about their experiences with United Airlines. One
man who was the best man for his brother’s wedding missed seeing his brother
get married, another lady a teacher with a group of 20 high school kids who
most of them had never flown before had missed a very important opportunity for
those children and many others who were put on standby never made any of the
flights they were put on due to overbooking and were stuck in Chicago for the
night……………and there were many more stories. Almost everyone I talked to who was
flying with United said they never ever wanted to fly on United Airlines again
and were even willing to pay more if it meant they could avoid dealing with how
the Airline handles its customers.
So I leave you with the one question that should have been
answered for me as a customer earlier in the day when the first mechanical
failure occurred of flight #527 and if I don’t get a response that is too my
satisfaction I will continue to write and voice my opinion about United
Airlines because I honestly feel after everything I went through that this
Airline does not deserve to be in business.
WHAT IS UNITED AIRLINES GOING TO DO TO KEEP ME COMING BACK
AS A CUSTOMER AFTER SUCH A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE?
(20% off on an economy flight or a $75 dollar voucher is
Bullshit!) (I want to know how you are going to change your company policies so
your customers are you #1 priority!
Sincerely your truly unsatisfied customer,
Daniel Farrell
Luthers120
I had a similar experience, and I have been waiting for a response for several weeks. Please advise if you get resolution.
Maya
I contacted United Airlines on June 22, 2012 approximately 8:00 pm Chicago Illinois time at Illinois branch, I was put on hold for 20 minutes, as soon a service representive a man answered, I said i have a question on luggage allowance rates that my tickets were issued by another carrier through Orbitz that contain United Airlines, flying back out from a small airport in the United States back to the third country, originally off lufthansa, I never got any infomation from this man of knowing about this situation of changing over on another airline flying international. He hung up on me! I will NEVER fly on United Airlines. I now will get my refund from this airline and drive 3 hours to Chicago to board my original flight on Lufthansa. Lufthansa has the BEST service then any other airline. There is NO websites that instruct infomation on baggage allowance that change over to another airline. Poor servicing!!!! There also no contact telephone number where you can reach a reprentive through United Airlines. The few you do find online. You are put on hold for over 20 minutes and then they hang up on you????
SJ
Thank you – after a frustrating time trying to get my late husband’s airmiles on MileagePlus transferred to me, I finally wrote an email to the United Airlines Customer Care Directors listed on your website. I received a phone call a few days later telling me the problem was solved. Now, if you could give me the contact details of the US Airways people ………
Rworks77042
I regret that my sister’s
experience with United’s customer service was such a bad experience for her.
She was returning to her home in Little Rock, Arkansas from Houston, Texas and
tells me that she had to practically demand that the three ladies at the United
Help Desk inside the gate area help her. She has never flown before and I could
not go into the secured area to help her find her gate. The terminal in Houston
is hard enough to get around in but I had assured her that once she was in the
secured area that she should have no problem finding her gate. If she did, just
ask one of the United People at the Help desk and they would be happy to help
her. I was wrong! After she walked around for awhile trying to find it on her
own she went to your help desk. Another lady was also having a problem finding
her gate and all three of the United Help people were just standing there
listening to her. Does it take three people to help one? When my sister walked
up, she stood there politely waiting for one of the three to ask ‘May I help
you?’ They never did. Finally she had to say ‘Please help me. I’m afraid I’m
going to miss my flight’. Only then did one of them offer to help. After telling
the help lady her flight number the help lady just said, ‘Oh it’s already gone.
We’ll just get you on the next flight’. My sister burst into tears and said she
had to be on that flight-her husband was waiting for her in Little Rock. It
wasn’t time for the flight to leave yet-close-but not yet. Fortunately for her,
one of your pilots happened to be coming by and saw how upset she was and
offered to show her where the gate was. Only then did the help lady even bother
to check and see if the flight had actually taken off. It had not and thanks to
your pilot she did just barely make her flight. Now she never wants to fly again
because of your poor customer service. To call it a ‘Help Desk’ is false
advertising. Try the ‘Don’t Bother Us’ desk. Thank You to the nice pilot who
went out of his way to do the job of the Help Desk people and help a very
frightened lady who was having her first, and I’m afraid last, experience
traveling on United.
This was on Saturday, June 30th,
on flight 3256.
Bob Works
B MCPHERSON V
HORRIBLE AIRLINE ” DO NOT FLY WITH THEM ”
brett gould
i booked a flight for my sons fiancee, she checked in online the night before and when she arrived at houston texas to board the plane they refused her saying she was late by 10 mins, but then gave her another flight 22 hours later for free….now correct me if i am wrong but unless the fault lay with the airline then there is NO way they would do this…is there ??? me my wife and our son now have to make more arrangements to pick her up and this for us is a big deal because we have our own business to run and now have to pay out for more staff and have had everything else disrupted because of the inept staff that united airlines employ…..disgusting and out of pocket….i was warned about united so is it my own fault for thinking we would be treated professionally by these people.
Ericlamay
Just removed from a flight because a “flight attendant” (aka: asshole with access to the captin), treated me like crap, talked to me like she was doing me a favor by paying her salary; then asking me if I had a problem with her.
Because I told her the truth when asked, that yes in fact I did have a problem with her and that it was not OK with me that I was being treated like shit,,,,,
I was escorted of the plane because she felt threatened! Wow, the fact that the “situation” was created by, and enhanced by this “flight attendant”, never came into play. I was immediately cast as the root and source.
This is a sad day for United, (who will never see one more red cent of my discretionary income), but moreover the state or lack of customer service in America.
Buyers beware! We can be treated any way we choose to be and at the end of the day, we have the power of “Right to choose”.
Spread the word.
Alfred Nichols
Alfred, I have been so disappointed in United. I was flying from Spokane, WA to Tampa, FL on July 4th. I am disabled and have to be isle seated by chair. When my daughter and I left the plane in Chicago, my backpack was left behind with my ID, CC and medicine, Medical supplies, comfort items, etc. This was not discovered until we arrived in Tampa. I made a claim but the airlines has been very uncooperative. I received a claim # and have called just about every day. I was the last one off the plane. One of my traveling companions actually seen an attendant take the backpack off the plane, once I described it. I hate to think that the airline employees are not totally honest. Please find my backpack. I am 84 and am having problems getting another ID to return home. When my daughter has called inquiring about this she has been treated very rudely, as have I. This is not good customer service. I always thought United cared about passengers but what I have heard about CS going downhill is proving true. I hate to beg but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, HELP ME FIND MY BAG.
Trinda
My daughter and I had a flight going out of Houston (IAH) going to Dallas (DFW) just 2 days ago. Our flight got “bumped” twice and thinking by the last time to leave, it was CANCELLED! There were a group of us very upset and wanting answers. The Supervisor (if that’s what you want to call him) wouldn’t talk with any of us or try to direct us to another option. All he would say is you can be put on standby, for the next afternoon (this was at 10p when this happened), or we could get a flight out 2 days later!!! Then he left, and so did the agent!! No one to try and explain anything to us! My husband, in OKC, booked us a flight early morning the next morning with Amercian Airlines. This was the first time flying with United, and the last! No organization and no PR with their customers!!
Linda Hartnup-Dobson
WOW!! What a GEM! We feel so very helpless frustrated, and ill treated when our travel (often) goes amok.
What we reall need is an ombudsman, but this is the next best thing. Thank You
TJ
Hi Linda, sorry to bother you.
I am looking for my dear friend’s family…your name matches his daughter’s name…is name Tom Hartnup familiar to you? Do you have sister called Rosemary? Thank you…please let me know if relevant: tjakovicka@yahoo.com
Renee Broadway
My son and another classmate were nominated by their school for the Jr Naional young leaders conference in Baltimore. We had a flight scheduled for 5:39 am on Sat. 7/21. My son is 12 and his classmate is 11 so they had to fly unaccompanied minor. We live in Sacramento and due to the specific time requirements of the arrival, we had to drive to San Francisco to make the correct arrival time. Since we had to leave at 2am to make sure to arrive
in plenty of time for the flight and we were so excited, none of us slept before leaving. We were told that we needed to stand in a special line for the unaccompanied minor and there was one person in front of us that was being helped. After waiting for about 45 minutes because the people were still being helped ahead of me, I asked if another person could start helping the long line of customers that were piling up. I was told there was no one since it was so early in the morning. I asked to speak to a manager and was told that they were in a meeting and unavailable. I asked if we could be helped at the same time as the other people since she was being put on hold and she said that someone else would be available soon. One woman walked up behind the counter and didn’t say anything so I asked her if she could help me. I said that my son was going to miss his flight if someone didn’t help me soon. She completely ignored me as if I hadn’t spoken to her. Then again I asked for a manager. I was told again no one was available. By this time several people started saying they were going to miss their flight if they were not helped soon and then the lady that ignored me helped another woman that just walked up to her out of nowhere. The whole line got really mad and then said she would help me next. I finally got up to her and she put in the information and said, sorry it is to late to check in. I said my child has to be on the flight. He is being picked up by someone on the other side with their organization. She said there is not another flight until tomorrow. I said what, my son and his school mate just paid $3000 each for tuition and airfare for this conference and they are going to miss the first day. Then another guy walked up and I said can you help me. He said, she is already helping you. I said she does not know what she is doing and I need help now. Then he looked at me and said NEXT to the next person in line. She continued to look confused and did not help me at all. I started getting mad and he said he would help her in a minute. When he got done with his customer he started to help her and I said, Can you just help me and give her another customer. He did. He said there only flight to Baltimore available was at 3:30 that afternoon. I said, that is not possible. He said, do you want the tickets, there is only two left. I said yes. He said, who is picking them up. How would I know now? I asked if I could get the boarding passes now and he said it was too early and we would have to come back. I asked to speak to a manager and he said I would have to go to the end of counter. I asked someone at the end for a manager and she went to get one. By now it was about 7:30. I told her my story and she said there was nothing she could do. She did give me the boarding passes and took the one bag to check and then said, hold on, I will be right back. Fifteen minutes later she came back and said, I did not forget about you, I just had to help someone else. I told her who do I complain to and she said I could provide my feedback online. We left the airport dead tired with 8 hours to kill before the next flight. We came back to the airport at 1:30 and was then told my sons carry on was about 2″ too big. I got upset and started telling the man about my day and then he let me go. When the plane arrived and people came out we were told that there was an emergency onboard and the flight would be delayed. After that delay we were then told the was a slight mechanical problem and there would be another delay. We were told we would be updated at 4:00. At 4 we were told we would be updated at 4:30. At 4:30
we were told that it was almost fixed and we would be boarding soon. By this point the kids were very tired, scared, and the excitement they were feeling at 4:00 that morning had turned into stress and frustration. The plane left around 5:30 and did not arrive in Baltimore until about 2am. My son said he could not sleep on the plane because he was too upset and stressed about the flight. He had to get up again at 6am eastern time with hardly any sleep the night before. His entire first day, which should have been his second, was very tired and still stressed from the day prior. He called me tonight crying saying he was tired and wanted to come home. To make matters worse I checked my checking account and was double charged for the unaccompanied minor fee. I tried to get a reversal and was told I would have to go through corporate after the transaction was cleared and not pending. WTF! Where is the customer service? The biggest problem and thing that made me upset is that not one person said they were sorry, not one person was friendly or helpful and everyone treated me terribly and very rudely. My sons trip, which could change his life, was altered due to he unhelpful rude people at United.
Anonymous
Welcome to the new United. //sarcasm//
It is a disgrace to those of us who flew CO for years. I hope you are able to get help from this site on this case. UA clearly screwed the pooch in SFO on this one.
Traveling
From reading these post, it is clearly evident that the merger of United and Continental has degraded and defamed the high quality of service that Continental was known for. Now, loyal patrons of Continental are forced to endure the unprofessionalism and lack of customer satisfaction on the part of United employees.
emanon256
It goes both ways, I flew CO and UA both for many years, CO much less since moving to Denver. CO used to be great, and UA used to be great. Until this merger I had experienced nothing but professionalism and great service from UA, and now it is some of the most horrible service I have ever seen. So please don’t think this is what UA was like at all. Loyal customers of UA are also now forced to endure the unprofessionalism and lack of customer service of the new combined company. The UA CEO left as part of the merger, and the former CO CEO left just before the merger process started, I think this all comes from the new management, not from the old UA or the old CO.
Kimberly S.
I am writing this on Monday, July 30th. I just returned home after a trip to Las Vegas with my mom. We should’ve been home Saturday morning via United Airlines….what a joke! We were booked/re-booked on no fewer than 5 different flights to get us from Newark to Providence, RI after being delayed 2 hours at McCarran in Las Vegas. Funny thing is, United Airways didn’t get us home–AMTRAK did!! I was told by the last United Airways rep I dealt with that Providence was an “unpopular destination” and why would she “entertain” a refund when she could put us on STAND BY for a TUESDAY flight?! I have a job to go to on Monday….I cannot hang around the Newark airport hoping to get on a Tuesday flight. Every United Airways agent I connected with was rude, unprofessional, and appeared to be poorly trained in servicing customers when difficult circumstances arise. I witnessed a 16 year girl, travelling solo, sobbing at the United Airways Customer Service desk in Newark. The agent wouldn’t speak with her parent on the phone; the child had no money and couldn’t rent a hotel room…..the United agent didn’t offer her any type of consolation/compensation….no food voucher, no lodging in the youth room—the agent actually said “your parents should’ve paid the $100 in case something like this happened”…while I gave the child tissue another passenger offered to pay the $100 but the agent said they couldn’t take it because they were unable to process that transaction. I have never been so disgusted with the complete lack of service overall that I experienced in that United Airways line. I had to tack on a hotel room ($105.25) plus 2 one way train tickets ($228) to get home to RI….what should have been a 1 hour flight turned into a nearly 2 day debacle. I will continue to provide as much negative feedback wherever and whenver I can regarding this experience. I will be writing physical letters in addition to the emails and telephone calls already made. I have also made this experience my “status” on Facebook and have made that “public”. In today’s economy, service such as this is beyond incomprehensible. United Airways should be ashamed of the way they treat their customers….every single one of those agents represents that company and I would be embarrassed to be associated with any of them. I am seeking a refund of my airline tickets from Newark to Providence, in addition to refunds for my hotel room and Amtrak tickets.
Good luck to anyone else who has had a poor experience and is also seeking compensation. It’s only through feedback such as ours that any real change will occur.
Safe travels to everyone, and please be both prepared and cautious when travelling….expect the best but prepare for the worst!
MEA
On July 18th, 2012 I had the most horrific experience with United. My family and I were traveling from DC to Alaska. A trip that was supposed to take 8 hours, took 24 (and with the time change in mind, 28). 2 delayed flights, an 10 hour lay over, damaged and lost baggage( my bag somehow ended up in CANADA) and a list of employees who just didn’t give a crap. Of course, my husband and I could have handled this, but asking a 5 year old to put up with it, is ridic. I was fuming. After a day, I calmed down, and wrote out a long detailed my experience in an email and addressed it to all the individuals above. In my email I included flight numbers, United employees first names and ID numbers. In the first paragraph, I listed what I expected from United which was reimbursed bag fees ($50) in addition to being reimbursed for a minimum of one ticket ($680). I surprisingly received a phone call the day after I sent my email from Jeffery Smisek’s office. In addition, I received a very long, apologizing email, a reimbursement of my checked bag fees and 3, $250 credits all totaling $800. I was completely surprised, although not completely satisfied. I had stated in the email I did not want credits because I never want to fly on United again, so I am in the process of turning those credits into a full refund. But regardless, I was very impressed with how fast they got back to me. I was lucky to come across this blog because it helped me formulate a clam response in addition to knowing who to contact. Thanks a lot!
Vincent Fortin
Hi, our flight from Las Vegas to Newark on friday the 27th of July at 10:15pm was delayed 2 hours which made us miss our next flight to Burlington, Vermont at 7:29am. We were eventually put on standby for a flight at 1pm that was finally canceled, then they gave us 2 places for a flight at 3pm that was also delayed and finaly canceled at about 8pm. We then went to the customer service and after almost 2 hours of waiting the rep told us we could be on standby for the next day 1pm oHi, our flight from Las Vegas to Newark on friday the 27th of July at 10:14pm was delayed 2 hours which made us miss our next flight to Burlington, Vermont at 7:29am. We were eventually put on standby for a flight at 1pm that was finally canceled, then we were given 2 places for a flight at 3pm that was also delayed and finally canceled at about 8pm. We then went to the customer service and after almost 2 hours of waiting the rep told us we could be on standby for the next day 1pm on a flight to Philly and then Burlington. The rep also told me that United Airlines would not pay for an hotel or anything like this. At this point I had not been sleeping for 36 hours and was really tired and to be honest I could barely believe what was happening to us. Knowing that we had very low chances to be on the flight for the next day and the fact that my girlfriend was crying finally decided me to forget the idea of taking a flight to Burlington and we finally headed to Manhattan in the middle of the night to take a Greyhound bus to Burlington. We finally got to our car in Burlington after a 12 hours bus ride and eventually made it home in Sherbrooke, Quebec at 4pm sunday the 29th more than 24 hours later than what was supose. My wife and I both missed 1 day of work, we paid 32$ for the bus from Newark to Manhattan then 128$ for the bus from Manhattan to Burlington, then 14$ extra day of parking at the Burlington airport. I have to say I had to talk 4 times with an United Airlines customer rep; 1 was really great and comprehensive, 1 was ok and 2 of them were terrible and one even seemed to be laughing at us maybe because of our french canadian accent, I have no idea. I would appreciate to have a compensation or at minimum be refunded for the 2 tickets for the fly from Newark to Burlington that we didn’t take. Thanks for your time and consideration.
Vincent Fortin
Vincent Fortin
Hi, our flight from Las Vegas to Newark on friday the 27th of July at 10:14pm was delayed 2 hours which made us miss our next flight to Burlington, Vermont at 7:29am. We were eventually put on standby for a flight at 1pm that was finally canceled, then we were given 2 places for a flight at 3pm that was also delayed and finally canceled at about 8pm. We then went to the customer service and after almost 2 hours of waiting the rep told us we could be on standby for the next day 1pm on a flight to Philly and then Burlington. The rep also told me that United Airlines would not pay for an hotel or anything like this. At this point I had not been sleeping for 36 hours and was really tired and to be honest I could barely believe what was happening to us. Knowing that we had very low chances to be on the flight for the next day and the fact that my girlfriend was crying finally decided me to forget the idea of taking a flight to Burlington and we finally headed to Manhattan in the middle of the night to take a Greyhound bus to Burlington. We finally got to our car in Burlington after a 12 hours bus ride and eventually made it home in Sherbrooke, Quebec at 4pm sunday the 29th more than 24 hours later than what was supose. My wife and I both missed 1 day of work, we paid 32$ for the bus from Newark to Manhattan then 128$ for the bus from Manhattan to Burlington, then 14$ extra day of parking at the Burlington airport. I have to say I had to talk 4 times with an United Airlines customer rep; 1 was really great and comprehensive, 1 was ok and 2 of them were terrible and one even seemed to be laughing at us maybe because of our french canadian accent, I have no idea. I would appreciate to have a compensation or at minimum be refunded for the 2 tickets for the fly from Newark to Burlington that we didn’t take. Thanks for your time and consideration.
Vincent Fortin
Mark B
Not much more to say about United that has not been expressed in other posts. Milwaukee to Newark cancelled. Rebooked 2 days later thankyou. Get to Newark. Friday return trip cancelled rebooked for Sunday. Have to be home so go via another airline. Nonrefundable tickets and unhelpful service agents. They took our baggage fee before the cancellation and they sent us to claim office but they sent us back to the ticket agents where I was not going to stand in line for another hour for $25. They have a nice scam going here. It was drizzling out so the cancelation was weather related so no compensation. If you fly United, be prepared for a lot of out of pocket expenses along the way. The ticket is good for a year, but what the hell do I need with a Newark to Milwaukee ticket. If you fly United you are a sucker. The nice thing about this is that I work in a very large corporation and I have told everyone and travel on United will soon be a no-no. Screw the customers all you want, but soon you have no customers to screw.
Jay Lee
I recently had an unsettling encounter with a United gate agent at SFO. I was asking a question to a woman whose name tag.mysteriously said just “Mrs. Chang.” She had a fairly thick accent which I could not understand. I asked her to repeat herself as politely as possible but she just kept shouting at me louder and louder. When I asked her if I could speak with someone else she just yelled at me to go away. I’m not sure who she is, why her name tag would just say “Mrs. Chang” or whether she is just a vanity employee married to a United bigwig. Whatever the case may be, let me assure you that she is not doing any favors for Ubited’s reputation.
Megan T.
the customer service email address listed above was discontinued on April 7. If you want to speak to customer service, you should go to http://www.united.com and use the “Ask Alex” feature.
Kevin R
I am writing this post simply to say that I was very pleased that United Airlines granted me a refund for compassionate reasons. Earlier this year I booked a trip and came upon some unfortunate personal circumstances that made it impossible for me to travel.
After explaining the situation United was very understanding, and issued me a refund. Not every airline would be this lenient. I am glad to have chosen United and will continue to do so in the future.
Cecil Brathwaite
INHUMANE
AND UNEVEN: WE’LL NEVER FLY WITH UNITED AIRLINES AGAIN
I bet you already know what my point is after reading my
title above. But, let me repeat that one more time. We are not going to make
any transactions again, ever, with United Airlines. We just not had a terrible
experience with their service, but also received a heartless treatment from
their employees too. Here goes the story.
My
Worst Airline Experience in My Entire Life
I, together with my daughter, booked a flight (#3411) from
St. Louis, MO (STI) to Baltimore, MD (BWI) with a connecting flight from STI to
Chicago then to MD last July 1st of this year with United Airlines. It
was Sunday then, and I never imagined how the airlines could ruin our “family
day” mode as we travel together.
We arrived an hour before our scheduled flight in STI. But,
they ran late for 20-30 minutes. We were informed via an e-mail message by UA
that the plane where we are going to board at would arrive at 8:32 in the
evening. That’s the start of how they messed up everything.
When we arrived in Chicago, our connection flight took off
without us and other 20 passengers that are all pissed-off which made us wait
for another 15 minutes. And what makes it even worse? We ended up waiting on
the tarmac of the airport. And guess what! We were informed again by that VERY
GOOD airline that we will catch the next flight about a day later. Yes, 24
hours later. Now, tell me if I am not in the right place to discuss these
situations and demean them for their neglects.
We are missing a day of work and we have to pay for another
whole day of parking and other stuff. We stood in line and the airline offered
us a voucher to spend the night at a Hilton hotel just across the airport. The
voucher is worth $99. We don’t know how we could still contain our emotions and
anger and react to the situation out of all those mishaps and neglects by them.
When we arrived at the hotel, the $99 rooms are all sold out and the cheapest
rate was already at $259. Amazingly terrible and we had no choice but to turn
them down and look for another. I feel pity for them, till now, because they
don’t know exactly what they are doing. They are a BIG mess in the industry of
airline transportation and a big failure when it comes to excellent customer service.
We ended up at Marriot hotel and got a room for $69. Upon
check out, we waited for the hotel shuttle service to the airport. We met white
couples and we learned that they were able to get their complimentary rooms.
That’s it. What’s wrong with that picture? Is it just because we don’t have the
same color with them? No wonder why.
On July 2nd, that was Monday, my daughter and I
were supposed to be already at work in the DC Metro area. All the hassles don’t
stop there yet. At the airport to finally take our flight, HOPEFULLY, we
arrived again about an hour and 20 minutes earlier just to make sure everything
is going to be okay. We value our time very well because, I really don’t want
to say this, but, we are PROFESSIONALS here too. We were scheduled then to take
the flight UA 287Y with departure time of 7:20pm. We were assigned at gate C26,
but when we got there, we were informed that C26 is already C19 now and C19
will depart at 8:24pm. But then after a few minutes, it became C21. What are
they doing with all of us, especially to me and my daughter? Are they really
trying to screw up everything and not give us at all our privilege of paying
them just to take us down to where we are supposed to be going? United Airlines
is nothing but a piece of junk when it comes to reliable and quality service. We
are very, very much disappointed with how they do their tasks. Where is
hospitality in your hearts? Where are your hearts? I must say.
I am not sure what “Planes change, values don’t. Your
priorities will always be ours,” means to the employees of United Airlines.
Their customer service agents lack empathy and concern regarding our
situation. Even the ticket agents have this kind of “WHO CARES” attitude which
is just not acceptable.
Those events would never make us fly with them again, ever.
For the third time, I am saying that again. They must treat all of us fairly
and must provide us with all the things that we need. They lack support and I
bet all they just need from us is our passenger fees. That’s not how it’s
supposed to be. You are an airline company, a big airline company, operating
every minute of every day and you still don’t know the right thing to do when
mishaps happen? Or you just really don’t care at all?
I decided to send them an e-mail message about all those
unwanted events that we experienced when we finally arrived in Baltimore. Then,
I got this reply from them:
Dear Customer,
Thank you for contacting United Airlines.
I am sorry we were unable to respond to your request sooner. The merger
of United and Continental Airlines has been a successful one, but there
have certainly been challenges.
An airline merger of this size has never been accomplished before now.
Some facets of our airline may be different, but our fundamental
commitment to our valued customers has never wavered. Please be assured
we do understand your concerns, and they have been documented for review
and appropriate internal action.
Please visit us online at http://www.united.com as additional travel needs
arise.
While my reply is brief and not as detailed as I would like, I want you
to know I very much appreciate your business. To thank you for your
patience and loyalty, we are sending an electronic travel certificate to
you under separate cover. You will receive the travel certificate
within the next three business days.
We are building an airline that will earn your confidence and approval,
and we look forward to welcoming you on board your next United Airlines
flight.
Sincerely,
Senior Manager
A
certificate would never change my mind. I just want the United Airlines to know
that they have to and they immensely need to value our time and treat us all fairly.
A free ticket would not relieve me from that nightmare.
To all
the passengers out there, do not let them do the same thing with you. It’s
enough.
Forever Banned.
On August 4th. due to an emergency I booked a flight to Los Angeles from Orlando. That was the worse flight I have ever been on and I grew up flying all over the US. A passenger brought a dog onto the airplane and held it in her lap most of the flight. The dog continued to bark and tried to bite anyone who passed by the seat on their way to the restroom. Even the attendants were being snipped at.
Then two weeks into my three week stay I was called home due to my husband had a heart attack. I tried with several friends to book a flight home a week early and was treated by rude reps that did not want to work so they told me they could not help me and I had to call back. Then without my permission a return flight was booked and charged more than the original ticket to my account. Due to my frantic state I booked a flight on another airline and came home to find the deduction from my account a few days later. It has taken me more than a week and over 30 reps to get this cleared up and I am still waiting for the refund. I will never fly United again and either will any of my friends or family. If this is the way you want to run your airline than I suggest you shut it down now and save us all the trouble of dealing with you.
Linda Weyrich Spears
jeff.smisek@united.com Sept 2012.
Dries Bessels
Please share this for me? thanks!
On Saturday June 23rd I flew from Los Angeles to Atlanta on flight DL1754. I had been on a motorcycle tour across the US and had my helmet with me as carry-on luggage. A motorcycle helmet is a relatively delicate item which cannot stand big shocks as the inner shell which is supposed to work as a shock absorber during a fall will get damaged during such a shock. I have done this many times and this has up to now not been a problem with any airline.
However, the plane used on this flight was a relative small plane with small overhead lockers where my helmet did not fit in. As it also did not fit underneath the chair in front of me I decided to keep it in my lap. At the last minute one of the stewardesses decided this was not allowed and she insisted the helmet be put in the luggage hold. I told her I’d rather wear it during the flight than just put it unguarded in the hold but that was no option to her and she insisted I handed over the helmet which unfortunately was the only option open to me.
Upon arrival in Atlanta the helmet seemed to have disappeared and it took intervention of the pilot to finally retrieve it from the hold where it was found after most of the luggage was unloaded. Worse, it seemed to have been pretty mistreated, missing several parts and having many scratches, some of which seem quite serious. There are also remainders of some sort of glue on the outer which makes me worried about the chemical impact that has on the helmet. Because of that, it is questionable what the usability of the helmet in the current state is since the sun visor is beyond usage and it seems highly probably that the inner shell got damaged because of the maltreatment in the hold.
I went to the United Airlines office to file a damage claim but they denied any responsibility, stating that damage to a helmet that goes into the hold unprotected is not their problem. The fact that it was placed there on demand of their own staff did not seem to matter to them.
Since then I have been trying to get compensation from UA but to no avail. I have heard nothing but bad excuses and responsibility-avoiding behavior. It seems very much that UA will do everything to not have to treat their customers well, even though they created the problems for those customers.
I cannot say the flight was bad but I will say that United Airlines is an airline you should avoid! They insist on damaging your luggage and when that is done the refuse to help in any way. Be careful with United Airlines!
If for whatever reason you want more information about this case please do let me know via dries@bessels.org. The whole story including pictures is available for everybody who wants to see how bad United Airlines treats their customers!
em
To whom this concerns,
I am writing to you to speak about my experiences flying Untied with myself and my partner.
We had planned our trip from Australia to South America then to the US and home again for our honeymoon. We booked flights though a travel agent back home in Australia. We were to fly from Melbourne Sydney on the 17th October, Sydney to LA then LA Houston and Houston to Bogota Colombia, then Bogota back to Houston, Houston to Vegas then LA to Australia. We had saved for this trip and we very excited to be travelling together for the first time. Sadly nothing so far has gone as expected.
It all started with a 6-7 hour delay leaving Melbourne, Australia (our home town)
This was due to maintenance works, as a pipe was damaged during landing and as it was repaired in Melbourne without the ‘approved’ materials you had to contact Chicago to get contracts and manuals re written before we were able to fly. While i understand the need for these things to be done, we had a connecting flight to LA from Sydney. We said we could go home and start the trip all over again the next day, we were told the plane in Sydney to LA was waiting for us and it would be OK we would make our connection. So we flew to Sydney. At our check in, in Melbourne we purchased economy plus seating and were to sit in the 4 rows at the bulkhead of economy plus, we had these seats from Melbourne to LA. we didn’t mind the waiting around as you had assured us that we would make our connecting flight.
I would just like to say that the flight crew on this flight were absolutely AMAZING! even though they had to wait just as long as us and don’t even get paid for time on the ground they were FANTASTIC. very accommodating, friendly, and kept a smile on their face and ours. they made the fact we had to wait for so long in Melbourne OK. A very special thanks to Tony Holguin! i don’t like flying and usually suffer massive anxiety before flying. Tony made me feel comfortable and at ease making it such a pleasant journey. Unfortunately i can not say the same for anything else about our experience. We were told on this flight while in the air, that we had missed our LA flight and would be flying to San Fran instead.
We arrived in Sydney to be greeted with grumpy staff and other passengers who had been waiting for our flight to arrive. I understand that it is a massive organisation issue when something like this happens but i was not prepared for what i was about to have to endure. My Partner waited patiently in line for our tickets to be re-issued for the next flight. we were told we had missed the LA flight and were instead to go to San Fran. this was disappointing as we were meeting a friend in LA during our 7 hr stop over. but we said ok we will just go, after offering to stay the night in sydney and fly the next day on the flight to LA ( we offered to pay for our own accommodation) this was declined by the United Staff. So we took our re-issued tickets only to find we were not sitting together, and we no longer in economy plus that we had purchased in Melbourne airport. after talking with my partner we went to talk to one of you staff as we did not want to sit separately due to my anxiety of flying, and the long length of the flight. We were met with a very grumpy and angry lady who informed us she had been working since 4:30am and couldn’t be bothered dealing with us. this finally brought me to tears and another staff member helped us and we were seated together, although not in our bulk head economy plus seats that we had requested and gotten in Melbourne Airport. Things only got worse from here much to my horror! i mean how much worse can it get!! We got onto the plane, the same one which had repair works on in it Melbourne ( this really is an uncomfortable feeling for someone who is anxious flying) for our new journey from Sydney to San Fran. We were greeted with VERY grumpy, unhelpful staff. Very disinterested in their job, acted like it was OUR fault their flight was delayed. we took our seats and waited for take off, as i was not feeling well due to the long nature of the waiting times travelling from Melbourne to Sydney i did ask if was able to get a glass of water, i was not able to get any at Sydney airport because we were put into a holding area. I was met with a disgruntled old man staff member who looked at me when i spoke then shrugged and walked off!! after take off i was very ill vomiting and had to get up to go to the bathroom, i didn’t make it to the bathroom and was ill into my hands when i asked this same flight attendant for a vomit bag he actually told me to look around myself for one!! I was standing in the middle of the isle with vomit on my hands still needing to vomit being told to look for my own bag. I have never been more humiliated, and disgusted in another human being. thankfully the other passengers helped me, not your staff. After moving back to my seat, one of your flight attendants from business/first class had seen i was unwell and came to ask if i needed anything and got me some water. He was also the ONLY flight attendant during the rest of the 14hr flight to see how i was going. as i was ill for most of the flight. I was also given my food whilst being ill, only to make matters worse then when i was hungry with only 5hrs to go on the flight i was told there was absolutely no food. not even a single piece of fruit, a packet of nuts or pretzels NOTHING at all on the entire aircraft for me to try and nibble on. This service was an absolute disgrace. and my anxiety about having to fly back to Australia from LA with your airline has caused much anxiety and stress though out my holiday as i don’t ever want to have to experience anything like that ever again. i surely hope you take note of this and none of your other passengers have to experience this either. it was inhumane treatment.
after this disgusting flight we were told just before landing that we had missed our flight to Houston. The female flight attendant said ” oh your not going to make that flight, you’ve already missed it”. Honestly my mouth hit the floor she was beyond rude and my partner and i had asked many times if we would make the flight, she always said “oh yes of course”. None of the flight attendants told us where to go or what to do in regards to getting new tickets issued so we had to just walk around San Fran airport asking staff until we found the right spot. at this point we were told to ‘RUN’ to make a flight that was leaving in 10Mins otherwise we would have to stay in San Fran for the night, or be re directed though Miami adding an additions 8+ hrs on our horrifically long delayed journey. at this point we ran to our gate and JUST made the flight with the doors closing as soon as we arrived. We arrived in Houston and got our flight to Bogota with no issues (the first time during our whole horrible experience)
We decided to leave Bogota early and fly back to Houston. We went to the United Airlines office Calle113th we organised our flights to be changed and paid the difference, we also cancelled one of our United Airlines flights from Houston to Vegas as we decided to drive. But we still paid an extra $500+ to change the dates of our flights. while there we were informed that due to the issues in Melbourne before we left my returning flight home had been cancelled just wonderful. Even though our travel agent had ALREADY looked into this and called United and been assured that my ticket had already been reinstated! which clearly is was not as we waited at that office for over 3+ hrs while this was trying to be fixed, after it was supposedly fixed we were then told we have to travel to the OTHER united airlines office in Bogota to get the tickets printed as the printer was not working at the first office we went to. At this United office we waited another 2 hrs as the lady said it was still not all fixed!!!!!! finally we were able to be on our way. To make it worse, we actually paid for economy plus seats for our new flight from Bogota to Houston, much to our disappointment when we arrived at Bogota airport we were told they had not intact been issued and we were not even sitting next to each other. again! once on the plane we were told to negotiate with other passages so that we could sit together, the staff member said it was not his concern.
This whole experience could have ruined what is supposed to be one of the most memorable times in a newly married couples lives. I am sad that this horrible experience is attached to that. I am disappointed, shocked and humiliated by the treatment we received and while I understand certain things don’t go to plan while travelling this amount of mistakes should not happen to anyone in a single journey. It is a disgrace. I have not enjoyed the terrible feeling that wouldn’t go away though out our holiday that we will have to fly back home with United. i have been dreading the return flight ever since our arrival as I have no desire to experience such inhumane treatment ever again in my life. The feeling you get as a passenger from United staff is that they are not competent with their customer service skills and clearly struggle with the simplicities of manners and a smile.
Chris A
Hello,
I am writing to share a recent experience not because I want or expect anything from United Airlines, but because I would want to know if my company and brand were being represented as yours was. I apologize in advance for the length of the email, but I think it’s important to share all the facts and details.
First, I am a seasoned traveler having been a 1K flyer with United for several years in the 90′s and platinum with a competitor for the last six. I understand that not everything goes as expected or desired on flights. This was the case this past Monday, December 3 on my wife and my trip from Las Vegas to Charleston via Dulles. Upon leaving the gate in Las Vegas there was a mechanical issue that forced us to return to the gate and deplane the aircraft. The passengers were told to wait in the gate area as it could be a quick turnaround. The good news was that it was; the bad news was that the crew had left the area and could not be found. They returned about 15 minutes later after being paged several times.
Because of the delay getting out of Vegas, we were an hour and 30 minutes late upon arrival into Dulles and by the time we deplaned we had 10 minutes to make our next flight. (You see where this is going, but it’s just the start.) When we arrived at our gate with six minutes remaining we were told by the gate agent that he had just closed the door and there was nothing he could do. He indicated that he held it open for three minutes, which suggested that he knew we were on our way, but closed the door.
We went to the customer service desk near gate C20 to rebook our flight and voice our displeasure with the way things were handled. For example, several people with close connections were pulled off early by the gate agent so that they could make their flight. We were not. We were trying to understand the rationale for why some received preferential treatment and we had not and why the gate could be held for three minutes, but not four when they knew we, along with another couple, were on our way as quickly as possible. The agent was not forthcoming or helpful so finally exasperated my wife said “ok, just put us on the next flight home!” The agent cracked a smile and almost laughingly said “I don’t know who you are.” To which I replied, “do you think this is funny? This isn’t funny.” (As an aside, at no point during this interaction did we yell or making it personal.). The agent sprang up and said “you’re right, it’s not funny and I don’t have to deal with it!” She left us standing there!
Thankfully, Daniel, the agent next to her, saw what happened and took over. He was pleasant and helpful and seemed to empathize with our situation. Upon completion of the rebooking and voucher presentment I asked Daniel for the agent’s name who I felt had acted incredibly unprofessional. He did not know who she was. The agent on the other side also claimed to not know. We asked to see a supervisor who appeared, went into the back where the original agent walked and claimed she was not there and that she didn’t know who she was. We suggested that she look on the computer to see who was logged on. About this time, a man came out of the back room, went over to the terminal and appeared to log the person off. The supervisor said there was nothing she could do.
While standing there, the gate agent from our arriving flight came over to see how we were doing and confirm that we had been rebooked. His name was also Daniel. Similar to the Daniel that rebooked us, this Daniel was very pleasant and helpful to the extent that he could. We explained our situation and that we just wanted the agent’s name so we could file a complaint. He checked on the terminal and confirmed that she had been logged off. He went into the back and said there was someone in there that refused to give him her name. He also said that because of union rules he could not compel her to give him her name, nor could the supervisor, but that we could when she came out. To make matters worse (if that’s even possible), when she did exit the back room, she basically ran away from us so that we couldn’t get her name. It was the most ridiculous, childish, and unprofessional display I have ever seen.
Would I have written based on the late crew and subsequent missed flight? Probably not, but when the situation was made much worse by such unprofessionalism, I felt it necessary. After things calmed down had she come out and acknowledged that she overreacted, this issue would be over. But to hide behind the union to avoid accountability and refuse to provide a name to dissatisfied customers, colleagues, or a supervisor makes me wonder if this is something more than a one-off issue.
As a general rule, I support unions and the plight of their workers, but to use the union as a way to avoid accountability is absolutely wrong! It is clearly a challenging time for airlines and I sincerely hope that you and your employees (union or otherwise) recognize and appreciate that we travelers are why you are in business and to lose that focus will result in your ultimate demise.
Sincerely,
Chris & Alisha
My electronic travel certificate has been used by someone else?!? - Page 5 - FlyerTalk Forums
[...] On the brighter side, I emailed the Director of customer Relations directly using the details from here and the executive team responded back. They just replaced my cert after a few back and forth [...]
United sucks
Boycott united they don’t care about customers.they ruined my 5 year olds Christmas. Took are bags then wouldn’t let us on the plane even though it was still there doors opened lost are bags with all of our gifts and nobody knows anything or is of any help especially when they are in India!
Tarren Windham
Dear CEO of United Airlines,
I am writing to
inform you of my experience with your company.
I proudly serve in the U.S. Navy over in San Diego, California. Due to
my enlistment; I only get to see my family from Texas and my family from Maine
once a year, if I am lucky. This year I chose to visit both my Maine and my Texas
families by splitting up my ten days off and spending five days with each
family. My first destination was Texas. While
flying on the Connector Flight 6251, from San Francisco to San Antonio, Texas I encountered my first delay. The flight
before mine had someone vomit and the attendants were taking a decent amount of
time to clean it up. When I finally boarded my flight, it was already 20
minutes past when we were supposed to depart. After finally boarding the plane,
the pilot came across the MC to inform us we needed to return to the gate because
a temperature gauge was not working and needed to be replaced. My arrival time
was pushed back again, this time by an hour and a half. Little did I know this
was just foreshadowing for what I was to endure during my flight to Manchester,
N.H.
My
biggest problem with your company arouse when I was catching my connector
flight in Newark, N.J. up to Manchester, N.H. on Jan. 2nd. At 10:14 I arrived in Newark and made my way
over to Terminal A, where I had a three hour layover before my flight, 4434 was
to take off. At 1:30 pm, when we should
have been fully loaded onto the plane, I went to check out what was going on. The
board showed a new time of 3:41 as take off. I politely asked the clerk if this was our new
take off time. Without even looking up at me, she continued her work at the
desk. I stepped forward and asked again, thinking maybe she didn’t hear
me. She turned her head toward the board
and then back down, mumbling that “yes, that’s when the flight will be leaving.”
At this point, I called my family whom had already arrived at the airport in
Manchester, N.H., awaiting my arrival, since I was due to be there in one hour.
My family’s house is two hours away from the airport in Manchester, meaning
they have to leave for the airport long before my flight was supposed to arrive.
To my family, I explained my new estimated time of arrival was now at 5:45 pm. I
apologized for making them wait so long for me, as I knew they had arranged their
work schedule to pick me up. Around 3:30
pm, I realized, again, that we should be boarding and I had not heard any
announcements for my flight. Across the board it now showed that my flight had
been canceled. I went to speak to the woman at the desk, who once again without
looking up, told me I needed to go to the customer service desk right next to
her. At customer service, I waited in an hour long line to find a new flight.
The
gentleman helping me with my new flight was quite polite and helpful. He was able to get me on a flight to Portland,
Maine, Flight 4623 that evening, since all the flights to MHT wouldn’t fly out until
tomorrow. He showed me that he switched my bag over to my newly assigned plane
and assured me I didn’t need to do anything more with it. When asked, he
explained it was all mechanical problems causing the plane delays and cancellations.
I thanked him and called my family to
let them know of the changes and that I would be missing the hockey game they
had bought tickets for at 7 pm that evening. My new flight left at 6:20 pm and
would arrive at 7:10 pm.
A few minutes
before 6 pm, I went to look at the screen and saw that my new flight had been
delayed until 7:15 pm. At this point, I had sat in the Newark, N.J. airport for
seven hours. In frustration, I asked the lady at the customer service desk if
this flight was expected to get fucking canceled as well. She looked at me and said “Are you speaking
to me because I can’t hear you if you are cussing at me. You’re coming up to
the desk cussing and I don’t know what’s wrong with you, so, no, I don’t think
you are speaking to me.” I changed my
tone and, while pointing at the board, politely asked, “Do you know if this
flight will be delayed or canceled anymore than it has?” She said, “I don’t
know which flight you’re talking about, so no I don’t know if it will get
canceled.” By this time, I’m on the
verge of tears. The precious time that I could have been spending with my
family was being wasted at an airport. To the same woman at customer service, I
asked if the flight to Portland, Maine would be taking off this evening? She looked at me and said with a whole lot of attitude,
“No, no it’s not going to get delayed.” Her
rude tone indicated that she had no idea about the flight, but just wanted me
to go away. In tears, I finally asked to
speak to a manager. The manager whom I spoke with while in tears in the middle
of the airport said “I am sorry you feel this way “ and turned around to the
employee he was talking to. I then called
customer service on the phone. After being put on hold for 45 minutes, I
explained to the lady what was going on. She looked for another flight for me
and told me that there was nothing she could do until the next day. I thanked
her and she transferred me to her manager, to whom I relayed the whole experience
to again. She apologized for my experience and told me I should speak with a
manager at the airport, in an attempt to be compensated. She was also going to
make a note in the system. Since I had
already dealt with too many of the United employees, I thanked her and said goodbye.
At this point I recognized defeat and sat there in turmoil waiting to see if my
flight would leave.
At 7:10 pm, five
min before my flight was due to depart, I asked the lady at the podium when
they expected to be boarding the plane. The gentlemen standing in the back spoke
up and said, “Whenever she makes the announcement, you can board.” I called my family again. After 9 hours in the
terminal, three delays and one cancelation I finally boarded the plane at 7:30
pm. After a smooth 53 min flight I landed in Portland, Maine. I thought my
travel day from hell was over, only to discover my suitcase went to Manchester,
N.H. on my supposedly canceled flight.
The very nice lady
at Portland airport gave me a phone number to call and told me to see what they
could do for me. I called baggage claim’s customer services number and was put
on hold. I spoke to a lady who did not understand why my bag was in a different
airport and kept asking me how I was going to get my bag. I had to explain that
that was why I was calling her. Once again, she asked how I was going to pick
up my bag. I asked her if she could have it delivered or transferred to
Portland and she still did not understand. At this point, I asked to speak to
her manager and she hung up on me. I called back and spoke with a much kinder
gentleman. He didn’t understand how I ended up in Portland, Maine; when I was
due to go to Manchester. When I explained my bag and I were sent in two
different directions, he asked if I purchased a separate ticket on my own. I explained that, “no your company sent me
here.” He helped me with my bag and I asked him if there was anyone I could
speak with about refunding my next ticket. Due to the appalling unreliability
of United, I could not trust the airline to have me back in San Diego in time
for work. His reply was that when I received my bag I could call the same
number. I no longer wanted to fight that
evening and decided I would write this letter instead.
Much to my surprise, my suitcase was delivered
to my house in Maine that evening. My suitcase was in great shape, despite the
juggle of my flights. I was very pleased by this and was not expecting this,
because the customer service agent told me it would go to Portland. I have no
complaints about the flight attendants or my time in up in the air on your
flights. My dealings with the agents in Maine and the people that delivered my
bag from Manchester were very pleasant. I will say with honest truth that I
will never fly on your airline again. I am in fact bought a new ticket to get myself
back to San Diego on Jet Blue. Now I’m not usually so frivolous with money
because I certainly don’t make enough to jump around flights whenever I have a
bad experience but this one trip was so bad I was willing to pay an extra $400
to get home on time with my sanity. You should also be aware that when I tell
my friends about my debacle, they all have had the exact same thing to say
about your airline and it always ends with a never again.
Sincerely,
Tarren Windham
H
United airlines has to be the worse airline, as far as customer service! delay in flights, with NO help rescheduling…just terrible. DO NOT BOOK THROUGH THIS COMPANY IF YOU CAN HELP IT.
Bob Doppelt
Dear Mr. Smisek,
I got 4 1/2 hours of sleep last night because I had to get up at 2:30 am to make a 5:45 am flight from Eugene, Oregon to Portland to connect to a flight to Washington DC where I have business meetings. I got up that early because the Eugene airport is a 45 minute drive from my house. It was only AFTER I arrived at the airport and had already gone through security that I found out that the Portland flight had been CANCELLED and I had already been rebooked on a 10:30 am flight to San Francisco. This meant that I could not drive to Portland to get on the flight I was originally scheduled on and had to wait around for the 10:30 flight or return home and then drive back to the airport again.
NO ONE from your airline called me to tell me of the change. It was only AFTER I arrived at the airport and got on email did I see a notice sent to me at 11:15 pm telling me of a change.
This is not unusual for your airline, which I consistently find to have the least concern for its customers of any airline I fly. The focus always seems to be on making money for the airline and–like my experience today—customers always seem to be jerked around without regard for their personal lives, schedules, or needs in order to maximize your profits. I can’t understand how you expect to survive over the long run with a huge number of customers that resent you and use your services only because of limited availability of other options.
I decided to drive all the way home where I am now writing this at 6 am, and then will drive all the way back to the airport. Even then, it’s a crap shoot that I will be able to make the SF to DC flight because the Eugene to SF flight is often late and the regional airline terminal is now on the complete opposite side of the main united terminal in SF and it often takes 20 minutes to get over there. So if we are late by even 15 minutes it is often impossible to make a connecting flight with 1 hr in between.
Bottom line: I lost a good deal of sleep and a good deal of time, and will miss the meeting I had scheduled in Washington this evening. I can’t even be assured of getting to DC tonight.
I don’t want airline vouchers from you. Instead, I want $2,500 in compensation for the blatant disregard for my rights as a human and my rights as a customer for the physical and emotional stress your airline has caused me, and to compensate me for missing an important meeting.
Sincerely,
Bob Doppelt