United Experience

[Mike M]

Statute of limitations is expired so I'll tell my United story. August 1967, returning from sea, booked my flight from San Diego to home while ship was in Pearl Harbor for fuel. Disembarked in North Island in my dress uniform, straight to airport for flight, United counter agent said "your flight was rescheduled in Denver and there was less than the required delay for an aircraft change so we tried to contact you for rebooking. When we couldn't, we canceled your ticket. Would you like to rebook at full fare?" I was livid. And 19 and bulletproof. I left the gate, found an unattended one, swiped a boarding pass folder and a marker pen. Found a United flight headed east, bravado'd my way on board, gate-checked my seabag. Did the same in Denver. Got to 100 miles from home and wow one of my high school buddies was gate agent at that airport. Got a refund of the ticket price and a ride home from him that night. I'm sure they aren't still that fouled up ... right?

[Mayhemxpc]

Mike: Using a line one from one of my favorite John Ford Cavalry movies: Ah, the old days. They are gone forever."

That said, I have rarely had a problem with United 's customer service IN THE UNITED STATES. Customer service in Europe, and particularly Frankfurt, is another matter. (I have a "there I was" story about that which would take up too many electrons for a post here.) I imagine that was the kind of experience Bill faced in the Philippines. Customer service on board is another matter. If upgrade is unlikely, I will book with United for a code share flight operated by Lufthansa. Not only does LH feed you real food, they give you real steel eating utensils! And Lufthansa flies B747s on the DC-Frankfurt run.

There ARE worse airlines and worse customer assistance, but I understand Bill's frustration given the near monopoly UAL has on Denver International.

[rwanttaja]

Mike: Using a line one from one of my favorite John Ford Cavalry movies: Ah, the old days. They are gone forever."

That said, I have rarely had a problem with United 's customer service IN THE UNITED STATES. Customer service in Europe, and particularly Frankfurt, is another matter. (I have a "there I was" story about that which would take up too many electrons for a post here.) I imagine that was the kind of experience Bill faced in the Philippines.

I got the impression that Bill had his problems trying to book a *domestic* flight, and was complaining about Filipino customer service representatives. He was in the US, trying to book a US flight.

Ron Wanttaja

[Bill Greenwood]

, i was trying to book a flight in Colorado , all of about 200 miles. It took me 5 repeats and about 10 minutes to convince the man in Manilla that Colorado had other places than Colorado Springs. And on that same level for over an hour more and 4 more people. I did save money on the flight, not by going on line and acting like a robot but by using my miles for free travell. That was a major hang up to them.
And Floats I did go online to check in and print my boarding pass. Took about 5 minutes for my Southwest, you give your confirmation number and then click print and it does just that. When you do it with United there is no place to click " print" . Your choices are send it to email or print at home or a cell phone mess. So I wasnt at home, I had to log in to email and get it to print. Just one more way for United to make it convoluted and say we dont care about what customers want or need, just do it our way."

[Bill Greenwood]

i have friends who are pilots with United and even work at the local counter for them, but thats not who you talk to when you phone in. All the folks on the phone, in the end all 6 or 7of them were polite. I tried to be.

[rwanttaja]

I did save money on the flight, not by going on line and acting like a robot but by using my miles for free travell.

You don't have to talk to an agent to use miles. I'm enrolled in several mileage programs with different airlines. They keep track of the miles I carry, and when I log in to schedule a flight, they give me the option to using my miles.

Ron Wanttaja

[Floatsflyer]

And Floats I did go online to check in and print my boarding pass. Took about 5 minutes for my Southwest, you give your confirmation number and then click print and it does just that. When you do it with United there is no place to click " print" . Your choices are send it to email or print at home or a cell phone mess. So I wasnt at home, I had to log in to email and get it to print. Just one more way for United to make it convoluted and say we dont care about what customers want or need, just do it our way."

Congrats, a good start. Now book your next flight online. And NOT with United. Anecdotally and historically, they have a huge piss-off factor.

[raytoews]

I'll do my usual when people complain about airline service.
Do you realize what we have built in the short span of about 50 yrs.
You have seen the video, Living In The Age of Airplanes.
That whole system was built in less than one lifetime, airplanes, ATC, reservation system, billions of dollars worth of terminals, etc, etc.
And,,,I believe I saw a statistic that in the last 15 yrs there has not been a crash of a domestic carrier. Up until Last week when an ATR crashed in La Ronge SK and no one was killed. A few people injured.
Apparently the statistical chance of you being killed have dropped to a probable zero.
Saw an article a few days ago that we are making the system more dangerous by our whining about not getting to gramas house on time we are creating pressure to go and push the system.
There have been a couple of close calls because of tired aircrew which thankfully technology prevented but we are due.

[rwanttaja]

...And NOT with United. Anecdotally and historically, they have a huge piss-off factor.

I'm reminded of the late, great Johnny Carson relating a tale of woe about an airline trip. At the end, he said,

"I'm not going to tell you what airline it was, but we were UNITED in our displeasure....."

Ron "Nod's as good as a wink" Wanttaja

[Floatsflyer]

And,,,I believe I saw a statistic that in the last 15 yrs there has not been a crash of a domestic carrier

We all wish that was true but unfortunately it isn't true and factual. I called Ms. Google and she told me that with domestic scheduled airlines in the U.S. since Jan. 2000 till now, there have been 6 deadly crashes not including the four on 9/11. I believe there have been 2 in Canada in the same period.

Jan. 2000, Alaska Airlines 261, 88 killed
Nov. 2001, American 587, NYC, 260 killed
Jan. 2003, Air Midwest 5481, Chalotte, 21 killed
Dec. 2005, Chalks 101, Miami, 20 killed
Aug. 2006, Comair/Delta 3191, Lexington, 49 killed
Feb. 2009, Colgan/Continental 3407, Buffalo, 49 killed

Aug. 2011, First Air 6560, Resolute Bay, Nunavut, 12 killed
Mar. 2015, Air Canada 624, Halifax, 0 killed, numerous serious injuries