United Experience

[Bill Greenwood]

I dont think an airline could have worst customer service if it was run by Al Queada . I just spent 2 hours on the phone, talked to 5 people in the Philippines just in order to reserve a 45 minute flight on the United Express carrier, Skywest. By contrast, I made a reservation with Southwest for a 3 hours flight and it only took about 10 minutes with one agent who was in Phoenix.

[Floatsflyer]

Get hip to the new order and book online for simple, standard reservations. You'll save yourself your self-imposed aggravation and much time.

[lnuss]

You'll save yourself your self-imposed aggravation and much time.

Self imposed? THAT statement I don't understand.

[Floatsflyer]

Self imposed? THAT statement I don't understand.

When you VOLUNTARILY CHOOSE to spend 2 aggravating hours on the phone trying to book a simple 45 minute flight when there is an obvious, efficient and time saving alternative, then your behaviour is self-imposed.

[Bill Greenwood]

Floats, you and many other people especially the recordings that you listen to while on hold will tell you how easy it is to do everything on line. Just llke I could tell you how easy it is to ski 70 mph down an icy racy course or change 12 gallons of oil in a Merlin or coach a football team. But reality is a little more complicated than that, even if I was good with a computer. Its not that straightforward. I have never had to go online with Southwest and do their work for them and I can usually make a reservation by phone with them in less than 10 minutes. I just wish they flew in here and everywhere I needed to go. Just a few of the obstacles with United were trying to convince the geniuses in Manila that everywhere in Colorado is not Col Springs,that one only took them asking my departure 5 times, and most of the time was spent trying to use miles for the flight rather than pay the bargain price of a mere $670 plus fees and tax for the 200 mile 20 minute flight which SW goes about 5 times as far for half the fare. I did get a special kindness from United,they didnt call cops to attack me like the doctor. They were polite , just incompetent and it is their system not just their people. You could see when their CEO testified before Congress recently how unconcerned he was with any problems the airline has or making any changes.

[rwanttaja]

Reminds me of an old joke: "My wife and I tried to fly United, but the flight attendant made us go back to our seats."

I rarely fly United (the airline, I mean :-) but did for a trip back to North Dakota a month ago. Booking (online) was painless, and the planes were all on time. Nobody was beat up in my presence, though the cheeseburger was a bit overcooked.

All the airlines are trying to maximize profit by reducing staffing, and one obvious target is live customer service. That's why they've made online bookings so easy. I had a problem with another airline's reservation a while back, and did spend ~20 minutes or so waiting on the phone. Flip the phone to Speaker mode, and surf the net until you get an agent.

Like Floats said, dealing with live customer service for a simple booking is just self-inflicted pain.

Ron Wanttaja

[Floatsflyer]

Why don't you try booking a straight forward point A to B flight on-line that does not require any special needs. Just read and follow the simple instructions for about 4-5 steps in the process. You have nothing to fear but fear itself. Even if you screw up something you can easily correct it. If you omit or mess up something the program will tell you exactly what it is.

Try it, you will make yourself proud and wonder why you were ever afraid to engage. You might also save some money as on-line flights are usually cheaper than phone bookings. As well, you can also see what are the cheapest days to depart and return to any given destination.

[Floatsflyer]

.....the cheeseburger was a bit overcooked.

Ron Wanttaja

You got fed on a commercial flight!?!? The flight attendant must have mistaken you for one of the pilots.

[rwanttaja]

You got fed on a commercial flight!?!? The flight attendant must have mistaken you for one of the pilots.
A lot of people mistake me for a pilot. :-)

Ron Wanttaja

[Floatsflyer]

Bill, worst customer service by United ever? Not even close!

Just saw a story on the news that, over the course of 2 days ending yesterday, United LOST a 92 year old grandmother on 2 of it's flights, Ashville NC to Newark to Ottawa. It's a bit messy and convoluted but until the bitter end United customer service said she was never on any flights and told her relatives that she was never boarded. All totally untrue. In fact, because of bad weather in Newark she could not make the connecting flight to Ottawa and United in fact put her up in a hotel, picked her up the next morning and put her on a United flight to Ottawa. Still customer non-service said she was not on any flight and suggested the relatives call police.

So Bill, with United it can and will ALWAYS be a whole lot worse. United's guiding business principle is Murphys Law.

[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

[Bill Greenwood]

Floats your suggestion is simple but not useful since United it the only one that serves our airport and destination I need.

[Bill Greenwood]

No passenger fataliites on major U S carriers in the U S for last 6 years or so. Southwest has never in its history had a passenger fatality, safe operation is not exclusive to good customer service.

[raytoews]

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

I believe this was a US statistic so the last crash was Colgan in 2009,,,,which was 16 yrs ago.
Still,,,who buys life insurance at a airport Kiosk anymore?

[Floatsflyer]

[QUOTE=raytoews;67643...so the last crash was Colgan in 2009,,,,which was 16 yrs ago. [/QUOTE]

Hope you get a basic math course refresher for Christmas. 16 years ago would be 2001 not 2009. This means the Colgan crash is almost 9 years ago.

Happy New Year which by the way will be the dawning of 2018-- intelligent heads prevailing and the creek don't rise.

[1600vw]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo

[Kurt Flunkn]

Too funny! This is why I avoid checking bags whenever possible and carry on only the minimum.

[Mayhemxpc]

Southwest has never in its history had a passenger fatality, safe operation is not exclusive to good customer service.

That may be true, but the December 2005 runway overrun at MDW did result in the death of a child in an automobile that the SWA 737 hit.

[CDS]

I dont think an airline could have worst customer service if it was run by Al Queada . I just spent 2 hours on the phone, talked to 5 people in the Philippines just in order to reserve a 45 minute flight on the United Express carrier, Skywest. By contrast, I made a reservation with Southwest for a 3 hours flight and it only took about 10 minutes with one agent who was in Phoenix.

Bill - I hope you will send an email to UA's upper management and relate your story to them; I had a friend with a recent horror story, too. It seems to me that the cost-cutting of recent years, primarily under the two prior CEOs, is still causing problems and that the newish senior management needs to know what's really going on. I believe the email addresses are Oscar.Munoz@United.com for the CEO and Scott.Kirby@United.com for the President.

[Bill Greenwood]

CDS, thanks for the addresses and suggestion that I contact United. I saw Oscar Munoz when he testified before Congress after the beating of the doctor on United/Republic. His initial claim was that the airline did nothing wrong and it was the passengers fault, only changing his story when the lawyers and Congress told him he'd lose a jury trial. I dont think any complaint to him would go anywhere. I have friends who fly for United and are top pilots, just not the public relation side of the airline.

[Bill Greenwood]

Just last week a woman bought and had boarding pass for first class on a flight, she showed the boarding pass to the camera in this story. But when she went to get on the plane they told her "she was not in the system" and gave her another seat in the back of the plane. When she boarded she found her seat had been given to a Congresswoman, she showed a photo of the Rep sitting in seat 1a that had been sold to her.

[rwanttaja]

Southwest is not perfect for service either. Just last week a woman bought and had boarding pass for first class on a flight, she showed the boarding pass to the camera in this story. But when she went to get on the plane they told her "she was not in the system" and gave her another seat in the back of the plane. When she boarded she found her seat had been given to a Congresswoman, she showed a photo of the Rep sitting in seat 1a that had been sold to her.

Ummmm... Southwest doesn't HAVE first class seating, do they?

Ron "Back in the cheap seats" Wanttaja

[jethro99]

Ummmm... Southwest doesn't HAVE first class seating, do they?

Ron "Back in the cheap seats" Wanttaja

Southwest is all first class. There is no better seating.

[krw920]

Southwest is not perfect for service either. Just last week a woman bought and had boarding pass for first class on a flight, she showed the boarding pass to the camera in this story. But when she went to get on the plane they told her "she was not in the system" and gave her another seat in the back of the plane. When she boarded she found her seat had been given to a Congresswoman, she showed a photo of the Rep sitting in seat 1a that had been sold to her.

I'm pretty sure this was on United as well.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/28/bumped-united-passenger-fires-back-at-rep-jackson-lees-racism-charge-airline.html

[Floatsflyer]

Krw920, no need to qualify your remark with "pretty sure". You're correct, it was United...again...and again...and again.

United is NOT an airline nor are they in the business of transporting people via air travel. United is a massive human rights violator with wings. They should be tried at the World Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity.

[Bill Greenwood]

I should have known it wasn't Sw, who just gives boarding spots the waiting line rather than a confirmed seat. I fly SW and own their stock. I saw this story on tv news, must have confused it with a story of a woman being told her young sons seat had been taken away even though she had a boarding pass paid for and confirmed for that seat and had flown the first legs using that seat. Whichever airline it was it was the wrong way to treat a passenger.