
United Airlines Reviews
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
About United Airlines
United Airlines has provided air transportation services since 1926. Operating from major hubs, the airline serves international and domestic routes. United offers various cabin classes and is supported by regional operations and cargo services.
Visit www.united.com- Efficient rebooking process
- In-flight entertainment
- High fees for baggage changes
- Inconsistent customer service quality
United Airlines Reviews
Filter by Rating
- (171)
- (57)
- (46)
- (206)
- (2,516)
Popular Mentions
- 4,974,590 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
Top reviews
- Top reviews
- Recent
- Oldest
- Most helpful
A link has directed you to this review. Its location on this page may change next time you visit.
- 4,974,590 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
- We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
- We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
- Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
Reviewed June 10, 2012
My flight on United Airlines was scheduled to leave early evening on 4/2/12. I could get to Denver later, but I would miss my flight to PDX and have to stay overnight there. No problem, these things happen. I opted to stay in Tulsa (no offer for a hotel room was made by United staff). I was booked for an early morning flight. So I left and came back 12 hours later on 4/3/12 for my second scheduled flight. When I arrived, I was told that the flight had been canceled the previous evening and that I had been notified by phone (I had not been). I was then booked for an evening flight. So I left the airport and came back 12 hours later for my third attempt to get home to PDX.
This time, I made it through security before it became known that this flight too was delayed to the point that I would miss my connection. I was told to come back in the morning to try for a fourth time. I was told there was no way for me to get back to PDX that night. Southwest had a flight to Portland that night. I was told by the desk agent that I could get a refund for my United ticket, which obviously would not cover the cost of having to buy a new ticket the day of the flight from Southwest. Since my need to purchase this ticket resulted from United's failure to deliver the service I had paid for, I felt this was not acceptable.
I then got on the phone with a United agent and nearly two hours later, after much insistence on my part, I was approved by the agent for a full refund for my Southwest flight. She told me I simply had to email the new and old flight information to customerrelations@united.com and that my refund would arrive between 7-14 business days from the date of the email, which I sent from my phone immediately on 4/3/12. On 4/24/12, I received an automated email from United telling me I could request a refund by visiting the website. I tried to email back that day, but the email address no longer worked. I have since spent 3 hours 35 minutes on the phone with various United agents.
I have been told that my refund is on its way 3 times by 3 different agents. On 5/14/12, Paolo, a purported supervisor, gave me the new reference #**. He told me to fax my Southwest ticket number with this new reference number to (713) 324-1431 and that I would receive my full refund in the amount of $520.60 within 7-10 business days of the fax. I brought this information to a local service to fax this for me that very day, 5/14. They called me 2.5 hours later and informed me that this fax number had been constantly busy. I would imagine that's by design. I then called again and was told by a United agent to scan the information and email it to refunds@united.com. I did this again on 5/14. As I'm sure you are well aware, this email address does not accept incoming emails.
So then I went to the website and sent this information via the refund request form. I just received an automated email directing me to American Airlines to request a refund. The thing is, though, only my initial flight on this round trip was with American and I am not looking for a refund for either flight on that trip anyway. What I have been told by 3 of your representatives is that I would be receiving a refund for my Southwest ticket. While American Airlines has no obligation to honor these statements, United does. I was told that I had approval for this refund before I purchased this Southwest ticket, for had I not been approved, I would not have purchased this ticket. United still owes me a refund in the amount of $520.60. It has now been 53 days and many (recorded by me) hours of attention I have had to pay to this matter.
Reviewed June 7, 2012
I have two passes I purchased for the United Club which, after pulling them out of my file, noticed they had recently expired. Around March 2012, I called the United Club around and asked if I could exchange them for new passes. After some conversations with her manager, the United Club agent said I could use them at the United Club in the US for my trip in May and that I might be charged a small fee because they had expired. She did clearly say, a few times, that I could still use the passes. The fee sounded fair to me and I was prepared to use my passes and pay the additional fee at the airport on a future flight. My plan was to use the passes while I had a layover in SFO after my long flight on United from Munich on May 22nd.
The agent at the Club, Mr. Rubin **, turned us away saying that the passes had expired. He was very curt and didn't want to listen that we had talked with an agent on the phone. I asked if he would call the Untied Club number and check their policy like I had a few months earlier. He said that wasn't his job and that he would not call. I asked if I could speak with his manager, he told me that he was the manager of the club and that I would need to stand in line outside at the customer service center near the gates if I wanted to speak with anyone else about this matter. I asked him if I could sit in one of the chairs in the empty reception area at the entrance to the club in front of him and make the call to a United Club agent myself. He said he would call security if I didn't leave.
Basically, he told me that he didn't believe that I had talked with anyone on the phone and that he had no way of verifying the pass numbers to see if they were valid or fake. Essentially, he was telling us that he felt like these passes were forged or not real and that I was not the first person to try to use fake passes! After standing in line for over two hours at the customer service area, he directed me to go to the United agent, told me that they were not affiliated with the club and that they only work on helping people with flights and the travel portion of their trips. She was quite nice and felt sorry that I had been told to stand in their long line. I felt completely screwed by the United Club agent and now my flight.
I purchased these passes myself and would be willing to sign an affidavit that these passes have not been used and are not fake. After creating a terrible ending to a wonderful visit to Italy and embarrassing me in front of my good friend, I would hope that this incident will not go unnoticed and that Mr. Rubin ** will be given a discussion regarding the treatment of longtime United Premier customers. I have been a 1k customer several times in recent years and I'm approaching 700,000 lifetime miles with United so far. This was probably the worst and hopefully, isolated mistreatment I have experienced. I would like to hear back from customer service to discuss what actions should be taken.
Reviewed June 5, 2012
I and many others went to the gate as directed on the boarding pass. The sign at the gate showed our destination and flight number. We all sat there until I asked someone at desk a question. I was told there was a gate change and I'd probably miss my flight. Only then did the gate agent made an announcement. We all ran to the new gate, barely made it, and of course there was no overhead space. If ground agents saw fit to remove the gate sign, why did they not make an announcement? They seem to want to do as little as possible with no regard for customer service. They’re light years from the Continental of old. To add insult to injury, my luggage never made it to my destination, in spite of a two-hour layover in Chicago. It’s 10:30 pm and I'm wondering where my luggage is.
Reviewed June 5, 2012
My roundtrip ticket for 3 people from San Antonio to Chicago was just over $1700. The flight is almost 2 months away. I made a mistake on my online reservation. I meant to click one week later for my return date, a 2-mm difference on my screen. I made the error on Friday, and I noticed the error after the weekend on Monday. I called immediately to rectify the mistake. I was told that I could either cancel (no money back) or make a change for $1284 in additional fees before any taxes. Yes, you read that correctly, one thousand two hundred and eighty-four dollars. Only $430 less than my original roundtrip ticket total. There's no other option. There's nothing they could do. Take it or leave it.
Repurchasing that entire return leg of the trip for 3 people is $1340.40 after taxes. That is only $56 more than the penalty fees prior to taxes. I have been a loyal Continental customer for years, partly due to customer service. This has made me reconsider continuing with United. I noticed I could have had the same original fare on Southwest with no change fee (evidently worth $1284 + tax) and no checked baggage fee (worth $300). That's an overall savings to me of $1584 + tax.
If I want to use Southwest for just the return leg, it's $883. If you add in the checked baggage for the return trip, it's a savings of $550 compared to the penalty United is leveraging for a simple error. I can accept responsibility for having made the mistake, but I feel United's response is uncalled for. Next time I fly, I will choose a company with customer service. Charging over a thousand dollars for an innocent mistake noticed within three days for a flight that is still more than a month away is ridiculously insane.
Reviewed June 4, 2012
Two years ago, I took my daughter to China. We purchased two tickets on United. First of all, we were stuck on the runway in LA for more than three hours with no explanation. It took twenty minutes to get water for my child. Then the food was burnt so we could not eat. Needless to say, we missed our connecting flight in Tokyo, so we were forced to spend the night. I had to insist on vouchers and they were to a nasty dive of a hotel. One year later, I was stupid enough to purchase another international flight on United. This time, the food was actually finished and so I had to starve for 10 hours. No apologies, nothing!
This year, I used my miles to get a ticket and was supposed to pay administrative fees. United double charged me and almost four months later, I am still trying to get my money back. Each call to them lasts more than two hours and usually, there is no resolution. Even when I think I have a resolution, I am wrong so I end up having to call back again. It took them 2 minutes to double charge me, but almost four months later, I am still waiting for my money! Never, ever again.
Reviewed June 4, 2012
I booked 5 tickets back in March when I saw the prices dropped a little for round trip flights in June. I used various credit e-vouchers issued from United within the last year. Shortly after, I noticed on my account page for my reservations that the trips were not ticketed, although I had confirmation numbers and seats. I called United customer service. After being on hold for literally close to 30 minutes, I got connected to a service center which I believe was in India. I gave my reservation info. I was told that the ticketing was okay and I'm all set. Several weeks later, I saw on my accounts, page 3 of the 5 reservations, are not ticketed.
I called United again, on hold for close to 30 minutes before an agent picked up. I told her my story. She put me on hold for 10 minutes, came back on and said she is still investigating, please be patient. Ten minutes later, she came back on and said that due to the merger with Continental, they have some system issues, but the tickets are okay and give another few days. I will see that the status will change to "ticketed".
Well here it is now, 5 weeks after that last conversation, the trip is just another 2 weeks away and the status today says not ticketed. I called United, the recording states that agents are busy and my expected wait time is 11 minutes. Well 25 minutes later, an agent came on, I gave her my history and confirmation numbers and she said she will investigate, to please hold on. I'm on hold now for over 20 minutes listening to United's music. This is insane! United needs a major class action law case and needs to be investigated by the FAA and/or whatever government agencies there are to protect the consumer from this sort of thing!
Reviewed June 3, 2012
I was at the gate and the agent was passing around a green tag for all carry on bags due to the limited amount of space. However, the agent had failed to enter in my final destination for my carry-on bag. When I arrived at the destination, my carry-on bag was nowhere to be found. The only bag that I was able to retrieve was the bag that I checked at the front desk. I filed a report for a bag with possibility of being untagged and called 1-800-335-BAGS only to have an Indian agent with difficulty understanding English answer the phone.
Calling several times to receive updates, I had found out later that the wrong baggage number was filed for the missing bag. One of the agents had reported the wrong bag with the number of the bag that I had received, making it even more difficult to find the bag since people have been looking in the wrong location. On top of that, because Continental and United Airlines is merging, there is going to be an even greater delay. Mistake after another, I'm greatly disappointed by United Airlines for the inconvenience they have caused me. It would not be such a huge issue if there were simply clothes inside, but I am a student and there are a few textbooks that I desperately need for school in there.
I cannot afford to buy them again because my mother recently came out of the hospital after a failed surgery and my father has a health condition that prevents him from working. The employees of United Airlines do not even know the process of finding a lost bag to at least even give me some sort of hope that the textbooks will be found before the start of school. Reimbursements are given many weeks later. Can anything even be done at this point?
Reviewed June 2, 2012
Returning home to PHX from NY in February of this year, we allowed ourselves to be bumped from the flight and were given $300 each in travel vouchers. In May, we booked flights to FL for this July. My husband put in the numbers of the vouchers to receive credit for them. Then, he clicked on "purchase" and it appeared that we were not credited for the vouchers. The instructions on the vouchers clearly say to go to the website to redeem them, which is what we did. The Visa bill arrived and, sure enough, we were charged the full fare.
My husband has spent countless time on the phone trying to get United to credit our Visa for these vouchers. He spent 85 minutes with a lady in another country whose only solution was to cancel the ressies and rebook them through her. Fine, but she was going to charge us $150 each for the cancellation, thereby completely wasting one of our vouchers. My husband repeatedly asked for a supervisor, but she would not connect him to one. He sent an email to United and eventually received a response saying they were sorry about our problem and they attached a $100 travel voucher to the email. However, they did not address the issue. Then, he sent an email to Jeff Smisek, United CEO. We received an email from Candace **, Customer Care Rep., who said she is responding on behalf of Jeff.
Basically, she states that she researched our issue and found no evidence of error. Really? Not accepting our vouchers is not an error? Further, she states that our trip is not eligible for voucher redemption because it contains a leg with another airlines. Seriously? We didn't book with any airlines except United. If part of our trip is on another airlines, United did that to us. Why didn't the system put up a red flag and say that because part of our flight was with another airlines the vouchers could not be used when my husband typed in the voucher numbers? Ridiculous. Finally, she closes by stating that they will now "consider the matter closed and will no longer communicate about this issue." Who does she think she is talking to, a child?
At this point, we will book one more trip with United, and we will do it on the phone to make sure the $700 vouchers we now hold are going to be credited to us. Then, we will never fly United Airlines again, ever. They will not get another penny of our money. We never had these issues with Continental Airlines when we booked online using vouchers. This company seriously needs to be put under a class action lawsuit. They are the worst airlines ever. I am going back to my beloved Southwest Airlines, regardless of what they charge. Their exemplary customer service and public relations are worth the extra money, and they don't charge for check-in luggage. Obviously, they appreciate their customers.
Reviewed May 31, 2012
I have been an Elite Traveler with Continental Airlines for 20 years, flying all over the world. I was told everything would stay the same when they merged. That was a lie. I was ill for a year and didn't travel as much. They said that is why I lost my status. Now that I am well, I went to Los Angeles over the weekend and found out I had lost my status due to no-travel. I have done this no-travel several times over the years and never lost my status. It cost me $150.00 for my luggage. I carried one on board that they checked at entry of plane at no cost. That tells me the luggage is a scam. I paid $1,800.00 for my tickets plus $150.00 for luggage. I normally fly first class. I am glad I didn't because the plane had no TVs or anything for first class customers.
I talked to two of them and they were very disappointed with the airline and were planning to change company. The greed that they are assuming is wrong. I have never sent a complaint to anyone in 45 years. It is time we stand up to these companies. I am for free trade for business and them making money, but this is wrong. I will look for other airlines that offer something for the money and don't rip off customers. I am very well known in my area and in other states. I am sending this message to one thousand people and asking them to send to 5 people each and to pass it on. This message will not get a response from the airline because they don't care. They just want the money. I hope everyone who reads this will take notice of this complaint. Southwest Airlines looks better everyday. Done with United Airlines.
Reviewed May 30, 2012
Very dissatisfied with United Airlines. I will not recommend them. First, I bought 4 tickets and tried to cancel one of the tickets a month before the trip and I couldn't. I was told, "Just the check in one of the ticket, but we can't refund you or give you a credit." Then on the way back home, the first flight was postponed which made me an hour late therefore, I missed my fly to get back home. Then, we had to sit in the airport for 7 hours with some tired and hungry children.
Reviewed May 30, 2012
Stranded at the airport for 12 hours - My 6pm flight from Ottawa to Houston got cancelled because of weather and a United rep moved me to American Airline flight which would leave at 7:45pm the same night. I boarded the AA flight and there was a mechanical failure and we had to get out of the plane. I was put on a flight the next morning.
During this process of checking in my original flight and then moving me to another flight and again not flying that night, my baggage got lost and they took about 2 hours to locate my bag. I was not offered any meal or hotel voucher for the night. I was told since I was booked with United I will need to speak to them. I went from one end to the other end of the airport to talk to the United rep. United said I booked with Continental (even though they merged) and will not be able to offer any meal or hotel voucher.
The United reps were not trained on their own policies. I talked to 2 different reps which gave me two completely different answers for meal vouchers. This has been the most horrible customer service I have ever received. I do not plan to fly United/Continental ever again.
Reviewed May 29, 2012
On May 28th, I arrived from Cancun, Mexico to Houston at 5:18pm on a United Airlines flight. I was to catch a connecting flight to LGA at 6:53pm. I still had to go through customs and TSA. When I arrived at the terminal C-31, a man by the name of Joseph told me that I will not be allowed in because the plane was full. I arrived at the gate C-31 at 6:40, he was still scanning boarding passes at the gate, the door was still open. I paid for first class seats, another woman that was on standby explained to me she was in a paid passenger’s seat in economy and they made her get up.
To make matters worse, he was very nasty about the situation. He made smart comments such as I should have gotten there early, there’s nothing he could do for me, then said he could put me on a flight to Newark. I explained to him that I live in Far Rockaway, Queens and that I can’t take that flight. Then he threw another smart remark out and said I just don’t want to go home. I held my composure because I was far from home and didn’t want to get kicked out of the airport or better yet, arrested, so I took the flight for the next day at 7:35 in the morning. I then asked to speak to a manger. The manger just kept apologizing and said I can make a complaint on their website. This situation, I felt, was uncalled for and could have been handled more professionally. However, my complaint doesn’t stop here.
Reviewed May 29, 2012
I boarded flight 1558 from Dulles International Airport, Washington D.C. to Denver on May 28, 2012, at 12:37 pm. After sitting in the craft for 2 hours, we were told to deplane as there was a technical error in the craft. We were told to get an update at 3:00 pm. At that time, we were told the flight will leave at 8:15 pm. We were boarded at 7:50 pm on to the flight and were made to sit till 11:15 pm as the catering had not arrived in the plane. We finally landed at 2:00 am in Denver and were just dumped at the airport. We were not provided any transportation to go home as it was my final destination. Denver International Airport is shut down at that hour - no taxis were available at that time. This is the worst and most horrible experience with any airline till today and I am a world traveler. Your staff was rude and did not know what they were doing and have no sense of management. They did not offer any meal vouchers till I went and fought with them to receive a $10 meal voucher. What can you even get for $10 on an international airport? This is the worst experience of my life and of all the passengers of this flight.
Reviewed May 28, 2012
Prior to the originally scheduled outbound flight of ticket number **, my wife, Anna, called United Airlines to change the original flight time due to the imminent death of her grandfather. The cost to change the flight time was going to be over $400 but the agent did not inform us of their policy that we must ride the outbound flight in order to ride the return flight of a round trip ticket. Unaware of this policy, we purchased a one-way flight on a different airline to our destination (Savannah, GA) but discovered when we checked in for the return flight that UA had cancelled Anna's return flight and we were forced to pay the cost for a one-way flight ($360) to get home. We paid for the seats on the original return flight home under ticket number **, but because of this policy we had to pay an additional $360 to get on the exact same flight.
Neither the agent at the check-in counter nor the agent on the phone whom I spoke with on May 23rd was willing to accept the idea that making us pay twice for the same return flight was unfair and inappropriate, especially considering the unexpected need due to the death of a family member. The agent I spoke with on the phone offered to refund the cost of the original flight ($250) since Anna technically never used that ticket. I'm requesting that United Airlines refund the price of the one-way flight of ticket ** from Savannah to Denver because we had already paid for those seats under the previous ticket and making us pay a higher price for the same flight when we were traveling due to the death of a family member is wrong!
Reviewed May 28, 2012
On 5-24-12, I had placed a plane ticket from United on a price lock to hold until 5-25-12. On the 25th, I had tried to pay for the ticket online, but they were charging me an extra $99 for a fee that was not to be paid by me. So, I called to speak to a representative about the situation and to pay for my ticket. They ran my husband's credit card and told me it was declined, so they tried it three more times and said the same thing. At that time, I decided to get off the line with them and call my bank and ask if there was a charge for $548.20 to United. Their reply was yes, so I called United back and they claimed they had not received the money and would try it again. They charged my husband's credit card 16 times. Visa called my husband over this matter to tell him they were shutting off his card. My husband accepted one payment to United and nothing more.
I had called United 5 times and spoke to 5 different representatives and they just kept telling me there was no payment. I had spent a total time of more than five hours on the phone with United, the bank and Visa. United's only response was to call back at a later time. Not to mention, every time I asked to speak to someone who speaks decent English, they would never transfer me. On 5-26-12, I called United back and they just kept telling me the same thing and wanting to run the credit card again. After speaking to another several agents on the matter, they finally issued my ticket. At this time, my nerves were gone and I was just ready to breakdown crying.
I will never purchase a ticket from them again. I have been buying plane tickets for years now every summer to fly my children and have never had any problem like this before. They never offered any kind of compensation for this either. Is this something they do to hundreds of people and get away with? Well they should not be allowed.
Reviewed May 25, 2012
Hurricane Bud - please change our flight(!) like Delta has done. I lost two days of sleep worrying about flying into unsafe hurricane zone. So, please let us change our flight. I am a retired man with health issues and no health insurance. Today, I had chest pain. Four of us seniors are on our way to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a much needed vacation. Hours on the phone, talking with agents who do not speak English.
Reviewed May 23, 2012
Upon checking in at Yuma International Airport Monday for a connecting flight in LAX to Sydney, the counter staff couldn't utilize their computer system to purchase the Australia ETA tourist visa. They failed and, thus, could not print my boarding pass. The plane pulled away from the gate and I was instructed to purchase the ETA through the Australia website and return the next day for check in, which I did. One day of my dream vacation lost! I arrived Tuesday for check in with Australian ETA confirmation in hand and the staff still could not print my boarding pass to LAX due to the system not recognizing my ETA, in time for my flight. They did get it printed after an hour and a half on the phone to their computer help desk, and 10 minutes after the plane left the airport!
Two days lost of my dream vacation. They rebooked me for Wednesday and I now have boarding passes in hand. I just called United Airlines for a simple, and very accommodating, request of compensation for my lost two days. I requested a seating upgrade for each day I was delayed, taking me from Economy to Business Elite. They only offered me an Economy Plus upgrade, in a center seat. I currently have an aisle seat with four seats vacant in my row. I asked to talk to the supervisor (these people are in India, btw). After a prolonged wait, the supervisor told me she could not offer any upgrade at all! So, two days of my vacation (and life) wasted due to United Airlines archaic computer system (it is actually Continentals archaic system. They downgraded from their previous system to avoid paying royalties to previous system software company, the one that worked!).
I would highly recommend that anyone flying United to Australia go online and purchase the Australia ETA directly from Australia. While United is supposed to be able to do this upon check-in, their staff has not been properly trained in the older system, and that computer system obviously has multiple glitches. I will never fly United Airlines again. I don't blame the workers in this company. Culture is set by management at the highest levels. Customer service is obviously not in the top 5 priorities of the company. Perhaps, they should become a cargo hauler only.
Reviewed May 22, 2012
Where do I start? I was recently issued a new Visa card as my previous one was compromised. United verbally gave me a new mileage plus number. I have spent overall a total of over three hours on the phone and another three hours online trying to get the problem solved that even though I was given a new number and it was verified as being correct, United online was not able to recognize it. I was transferred from one person to another (on the phone) every time culminating in being cut off and needing to start over with my problem with each new person. No one could help me. I finally have given up trying to use my 70,000 plus miles for a ticket since I am out of time and patience. I have booked my flight with American Airlines. I guess United has achieved their goal: Make it so difficult for customers to redeem their earned miles that they give up and just pay for a ticket. I will from now on use American Airlines instead of United for this route. I also will now cancel my Mileage Plus Visa and start using another charge card to earn miles on a different airline. United Airlines is a sorry example of a well run business!
Reviewed May 21, 2012
I was seeing my daughter off this morning and was unable to go to the United Airlines gate with her in SFO. The last time I went, they gave me a guest pass. Has United Airlines changed their policy? What really hurts is that she was moving out and away from home for the very first time out of state and I wanted to be there for her, but I was unable to. And the person there who was telling me this was very rude and just kept saying the same thing over and over. I asked over and over again, “Well, do you know why they did it last time and not this time?” She just kept saying they can’t do that because blah, blah. In other words, she did not have an answer for me. She could even say if the policy was changed or what.
Reviewed May 17, 2012
United knowingly is providing poor service. The United website has not been working properly for years. Still now, after my complaint, for years it is not working properly. I have searched for mileage award ticket Tokyo to Paris and was offered first class via Frankfurt with LH. When I choose to book, it tells me to call the reservation center. Reservation center tells me that seats are not available, but the system is simply not giving me correct information. It is the system on your website and even seats are not there, it keeps showing seats are available. It takes around 30 minutes on hold to get to a reservation agent in your Tokyo call center. More, your website has a choice of English language with residence in Japan never works.
Choose Japanese in Japan and it will show your website in US with Japanese, again not working properly. Also, I have called for Star Alliance upgrade and your agent told me it is not working, so call back in few weeks. I did call in a few weeks and asked for the NRT-LAX-NRT upgrade on SQ and was told to buy a ticket and to do the upgrade online. After I bought tickets, I found out I cannot upgrade NRT-LAX-NRT on SQ since that is operated by Airbus 380. I called the UA Tokyo reservation center and was told that is true and the agent was very sorry to have caused me loss of money and time but there was not much she could do. I asked for supervisor, but was told he/she will call me back. Customer service agent Mr. ** called me and offered me "sorry" and that is all.
Last year, I have tried to use mileage to get first class NRT-LAX-NRT on SQ but was told SQ does not have first class service, only economy and business on that route. Wrong again, they do have it, it’s just that United mileage cannot be used for an award booking for first class on SQ Airbus 380. It took me hours of calling around and weeks in waiting to get this information, but even now, today, your agents have no clue about it. Yet another booking I made over the phone, a United agent forgot to mention the handling fee and she called me back after she has already finalized my booking. That is Yakuza style business to change after agreement has been reached!
I'm fed up with United and I will do everything in my power for United to pay for each single mistake. To start, I'll take legal action against United since United knowingly is not fixing its website system. This is serious and you can be assured I will sue. You should hire a guy like me to fix all your United problems. Today, I have reported those claims to the Ministry of Land and Infrastructure of Japan.
Reviewed May 16, 2012
I just called inquiring about a previous credit to my account and to book a flight using part of that credit. The lady whom I spoke to was extremely rude and offered no help to me. She started yelling at me, saying that I didn't have the information that she needed. I was in the middle of asking her a question and she hung up on me! I have never in my life experienced such a rude customer service rep. I have always had good experiences in the past, but this was horrible! What happened to customer service! Needless to say, I didn't book my flight and the last thing I want to do is call back and wait for 15 minutes to speak with someone! Awful!
Reviewed May 12, 2012
I was booked on Flight 4483 scheduled to leave at 7:49 p.m., Gate D1 to Newark airport. Gate D3 also was leaving for Newark (EWR) at 7:43. The crew came up to the agent and said flight is delayed an hour due to weather. The flight at Gate D3 left on time, no issues. We were told that flight was full. I have checked several different resources and there wasn't any bad weather. In fact, there were 5 flights that landed in EWR from this area during the same time frame, RDU, GSO and CLT. This is very poor service.
Reviewed May 10, 2012
On March 18, 2012, I used my flyer miles for a business class upgrade for 2 seats and was charged an additional $150. The requests were put on a wait list and we failed to receive the upgrades. Nearly a month later, the airline had not refunded the miles and did so only after I called, waited 20 minutes on the phone, and complained. They told me the $150 was an administrative fee and to go to another location to request the $150 refund. Calling them directly is impossible and their fax number has been busy for a week. I would not have even requested the upgrade if not for the fact that the website said upgrades were available. I fail to see how they can charge a fee for a service that they did not perform. That is the same as charging shipping and handling without ever sending anything. My next step is to dispute charges with my credit card company.
Reviewed May 9, 2012
I'm writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the travel service I received from United Airlines. I had a flight (United Flight 5762) scheduled for Friday, May 4th, flying from Chicago O'Hare to Roanoke, VA. I checked in online, printed my boarding pass, made my way through security only to find that my flight had been cancelled and there were no other flights to Roanoke that evening. I checked my email and saw that United had sent me an email 2 hours before my flight was supposed to depart, with my new flight information. The reason I was traveling was to attend my brother's wedding shower, which was on Saturday, May 5th, at 2:00 p.m. The flight United re-booked me on was not a direct flight like the one I purchased; it also was scheduled to arrive at 11:17 p.m. That flight would not have worked at all for getting me to the wedding shower.
Luckily, I've been to the United customer service desk before, so I knew exactly where to go. Since all the passengers from my cancelled flight were already in line and there were only 3 customer service representatives working, I decided to call United while I was waiting. I was on the phone for 22 minutes, less than 5 of those were spent talking to a live person. He basically told me there weren't any other options. After that useless phone call, I was third in line. I had an extremely nice and competent agent help me re-book an alternate flight. I flew to Raleigh, where my brother's fiancee lives. I was glad to have been able to make it to the shower, but this alternate destination forced me to give up one full day with my family. I was only able to go for the weekend since I couldn't take off work.
I was a little nervous checking in for my return flight home/Chicago since my flight out was such an ordeal. I was scheduled to depart on May 6th, United Flight 5764. I arrived at the airport at 4:30 for my 5:23 flight. I asked one of the employees working at check-in if my flight was going to be cancelled since I already had experienced that on this trip. She assured me it wouldn't. Our flight departure time kept getting pushed back further and further. Finally, our plane arrived at 7:20. We thought that United would work to turn the plane around quickly.
To my dismay, we were told there was a mechanical issue. Maintenance was called, but since it was a Sunday night, maintenance was on call and took over an hour to respond. I'm not sure what time it was once the plane was repaired, but the last departure time I remember seeing on the board was 10:00 p.m. TSA had left around 7:30 and all the food vendors had closed around 8:30. We weren't allowed to leave the secured area if we wanted to fly to Chicago and there wasn't anywhere to grab food or drink. Eventually, they brought the pretzels and drink cart off the plane so we could have something. During our 6-hour plus wait, we were not given many updates.
Eventually at 11:51, we all received emails that the flight was cancelled and we were all re-booked. My new flight was scheduled to depart on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 7:00 a.m. The whole reason I came back to Chicago on Sunday was so that I wouldn't miss any work. It was a busy time at my company so no one was allowed to miss work. Once we all started getting emails, there was no staff to be found and we were locked in to the gate area. Once we were let out, it took the skeleton crew that was left at the Roanoke airport 2 hours to process re-booking requests. I was given a hotel voucher and a transfer voucher. I asked about food vouchers and was told they weren't giving those out. I arrived at the hotel at 3:00 a.m. and checked out at 11:00 to be early for the Delta flight to Atlanta I was scheduled on.
My flight from Roanoke to Atlanta was uneventful, but my Delta flight from Atlanta to Chicago (flight 1977) also had mechanical issues. We found out that the flight would be cancelled once we were already seated. They gave us constant updated on the maintenance issue, then told us it was cancelled within 30 minutes. I'm not sure why United locked us in a terminal for over 6 hours just to cancel the flight. Delta was also able to find a replacement plane. We ended up in Chicago 3 hours after the scheduled arrival time, which isn't bad for a cancelled flight. It was 26 hours later than the original flight I was supposed to be on from Roanoke.
It makes me sad that United didn't offer any form of compensation. This whole ordeal cost me one day of work, one PTO day, one day with family that I rarely see, plus the original cost of the fare. I've never felt like as defeated as I did after 23 hours of trying to get home. Nobody should ever be trapped in a terminal without food or information just waiting, hoping, for a flight to go home.
Reviewed May 5, 2012
The date is May 5, 2012 and the place is Houston Bush International Airport (IAH). The flight to Newark would leave at about 5:30 in the morning and the check-in counter didn't open until after 4:30am. This is international flight check-in and the United Airline only gave customers less than one hour time frame from check-in to the departure terminal. United Airlines staff don't have sympathy and consideration for old and injured customers.
I requested a wheel chair service for my 67-year-old mother who has severe lower back body injury, but the check-in staff told me that the wheelchair assistance staff would only show up after 5:00am. She said my mother has to go to the departure gate by herself, otherwise she would not be able to make it. I also requested the check-in staff to issue me a pass which I can use to get through the security check point so that I can help and accompany my mother (my mother can't speak nor read English) to the departure gate but the check-in staff said 'no'. My mother and I have to run to take the train to the other terminal security checkpoint in less than 45 minutes.
The service provided by United Airlines staff is unacceptable. They don't seem to care about old and disabled customer. They also create nervousness and uncomfortable situation among customers by not giving enough time for customers to make it to the departure gate. I am very disappointed with United Airlines service and I would avoid flying that airline if I have a choice in the future.
Reviewed April 30, 2012
I have opened my baggage and my Sony Vaio is gone! I really need someone to track who handled my bags and find my computer! $1,000 reward for the return of my computer! My final flight on the day of travel was 5379/26. Please, please take the time to track who handled my bag! I need this computer. It has my whole life and all of my daughters' photos from birth! Please take the time to figure out where my bag was opened and who took my computer. I really, really need this computer in hindsight. I put my entire life in the hands of your companies and it is all gone. Please find my computer! Maybe someone saw someone with my computer, it is a thin silver laptop Sony Vaio.
Reviewed April 29, 2012
On a nonstop flight between Houston and Los Angeles on board United Flight 47, my baggage was mistagged at check-in by a United check-in clerk. Long story short, my baggage went to Dubai and I went to Los Angeles. Even after immediately identifying after arrival where the bag went, the mistagged information and the switched recipient of the switched tags/bags, 23 days later and many calls to United baggage hotline, has not returned my bags. Small story you might think, but the flow of consequences are still being felt due to the lost contents, quite obvious now, never to be seen again.
Bottom line, I'm furious for the lack of compassion, assistance and caring at United's quite obvious mistake. Now I must spend days filling out forms, compiling receipts and tracking down documentation for all the lost property in the hopes of seeing some compensation. I've circled the globe numerous times for work and pleasure. This one clinched it for me. I'll never, ever fly United again.
Reviewed April 28, 2012
Hostile airport staff - On Sunday, the 22nd of April, my husband and I were at Newark Airport to board a flight to Munich scheduled to depart at 5:35pm (United gate C125 Flight UA106T). It was before 5pm when we arrived at the gate, after an hour long wait at security. My husband stepped away for a moment to make a quick Duty Free purchase when I heard an announcement made. The time was 5:05pm. The announcement said it was the last call for the Munich flight. My husband was out of sight and so I walked over to the counter and explained that my husband just stepped away and this was our flight. I asked if the agent would please announce his name so he could return to the gate. The agent refused and pointed me in the direction of the door to board the plane. I went over to the door and again explained the situation to an agent named Carla **; I pleaded for someone to simply say his name over the public broadcast system.
I spoke with Ms. Carla ** and Cheryl ** at the gate. Ms. Carla ** suggested I go look for my husband and I explained that we have luggage and it would be too difficult for me to do that; I was in the early stage of pregnancy and was not supposed to carry heavy objects. I pleaded and she suggested I ask Ms. Cheryl. Ms. Cheryl refused and in fact said she was going to close the flight without us. I then watched her pick up the telephone and tell someone there was "a customer with an attitude" at the gate. She said, "We announced last call for the flight and he should hear that and come."; I explained that he doesn't speak English so the announcement would mean nothing to him. She asked what language he spoke. I said Greek and she told me there was nobody to make an announcement in Greek. I explained that I don't want an announcement in Greek, "If you just say his name, he'll hear it and come." Again, she refused. I asked to speak with a manager, or her superior. She refused and said she was "the boss of this flight" and then raised her voice ten decibels and shouted, "You're not going to talk to me that way; I'm closing this flight and you're not getting on, there's nothing you can do about it."
My husband returned at 5:25, as soon as she closed the door; we found Ms. Lisa **, a manager, who said she would try to get us on the flight only to find out that Ms. Cheryl had our luggage removed from the aircraft. We had to take a flight the next day, and three days later our luggage arrived, damaged. This entire exchange lasted the course of at least 20 minutes, during which they could have easily made an announcement and quickly alleviated the situation. My husband had to be at work the next day and I had to be in school. The next day, not only did the aircraft not depart until 5:50pm but the captain said we were waiting for some late passengers to board. At the terminal, I heard multiple announcements requesting passengers by name to board flights, because the flights were ready to depart. Hence, there was absolutely no reason not to page my husband and remedy the situation other than Ms. **'s obstinacy and obvious inability to refrain from getting into a power struggle.
Reviewed April 27, 2012
This concerns flights out of SEA to DVR and onward to MSY. Although I made and paid for the reservations 2 months out from the actual flights with assigned seats alongside for my fiance' and my self, the scumbags at UA saw fit to separate us throughout the plane. The change resulted in my "scheming" at the last second upon re-boarding to actually be sitting with her by paying an extra $30 for a middle seat in an upgraded area. The originally assigned seats were fine without the unsolicited change for one of us. Worse, when I attempted to remedy via phone, the 20- to 25-minute wait time is corrupt and excessive.
My recommendation is to ensure at least one week out that the low lives at UA have not screwed with your seat assignments in order that you have plenty of time to hang on "hold" for an indefinite period of time. Yes, I probably erred in rolling over and paying the UA-generated corrupt seat tax, but time was running out (as well as patience for this airline). Consider this no more than a word to the wise.
Reviewed April 26, 2012
My husband and I took our first overseas trip to Germany on March 28, 2012. When I saw our seats, I was shocked. We sat in the center of the economy section of A 777. The seats were so close together that you had to be in a sitting position to get out of your seat and you couldn’t stand up. I felt like the seat in front of me was right in my face and it was impossible to sleep because you couldn’t get comfortable enough. I felt sorry for my husband who is 6 feet tall: he was totally miserable. People around us were complaining and we all said that it was torture. I truly felt like a sardine. We flew back on Air Canada and that was totally more room. I’m never flying United again. I will pay more for another airline and a comfortable seat.
Reviewed April 25, 2012
Several issues; UA was always a second tier airlines compared to some of the world’s leading airlines. Since the merger, it is now in the 3rd tier. They scrapped their reservation system for the Continental DOS based one to save $7 million/year. The Cont. one is so old, so primitive that it is an embarrassment. If you are an elite status member, 1K, etc., your status has been diluted because of all the elite Cont. members. Forget about getting upgrades. The lounges have doubled the membership so it is not rare to see people standing or sitting on the floor. The personnel try but they are limited to what they can do. UA never answer emails anymore and to call is usually a 10 - 15 minute wait. Customer focus is no longer their priority. This is really Cont. Airlines in UA clothing. The Feds would not allow Cont. to file for a 3rd bankruptcy, so they allowed the merger with UA, dreadful.
Reviewed April 24, 2012
On March 22, I spent 46 minutes on the phone with two different agents who were very difficult to understand. The first one was Juliette and the "manager" was John #**. John was extremely rude, unyielding and condescending toward me. I was so frustrated I was in tears by the end of the call. Then when I called another agent, she gave me a direct email for refunds. I sent an email to both that address and the general one. As of April 24, I have had no response. I need two tickets, one for myself and one for my daughter, round trip Omaha to Managua from June 21-July 1. The ticket for my daughter would be a new reservation and I'd like to use a travel discount certificate we have for $100 off. Promotion code is ** and the PIN is **.
My ticket was originally booked through a travel agent as required by my work and is one that needs to be changed. I realized there is an increase in price now and the $150 change of ticket fee. I am currently set to leave April 28 for Managua, but I am unable to do that because of some health issues with another daughter. The total change on March 22 would have been over $300. I also have a rebate on file for $128.70. I would like to use the rebate on my change of ticket fee, but was told that my rebate amount would need to be more than the cost of the fee, which makes absolutely no sense to me. Essentially, that means I will never get my full rebate amount back because I would need to forfeit the remainder of the balance. All I want is to use the $100 certificate on one of the flights and get my money back from the rebate for $128.70 on another flight.
The manager raised his voice at me and flat out said there was nothing they could do and they were busy with the merger. There was plenty more, but that was the gist of it. On April 3, another very long, unproductive call and was told that the rules have changed since United has taken over Continental. On April 12, another email was sent and no response. On April 23, another call, 25 minutes on hold and then another 46 minutes with an agent who then tried to transfer me to a manager which led to another 14 minutes of holding with just a disconnect as soon as the manager "answered" the phone. There is still no resolution. I never had these problems with Continental.
Reviewed April 22, 2012
The experience with United Airlines 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 the airplane. What really appalled us was this UA worker at Madison airport (tall, pale, overweight, middle-aged, white male, first name started with D) was the same person who checked our luggage in at the UA counter before security checkpoint. 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 if 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 if he was aware of the situation and 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 Airlines is a very inhuman corporation that has no care about customer experience. United Airlines is definitely the worst airline I have used. Avoid United Airlines whenever possible!
Reviewed April 21, 2012
I've flown United internationally for the last 3 years and I just arrived home from the most disorganized rabble and lost one bag. I’m leaving US on Wednesday (Harrisburg) and reaching Melbourne on Saturday at 3:30 pm. Worst was being on the flight on April 19 from Chicago O’Hare to LAX when after being dragged off the tarmac with mechanical failure for an hour and a half, customer relations ran us to another flight from Chicago to LAX. They took my carry-ons and stowed them, giving me a ticket that’s telling me they would go directly to Melbourne. The plane radioed ahead to say we would be there at LAX by 10 pm and our flight to Melbourne leaves 10.17. We were told we'd made it and the Chicago plane let us out first. When we ran from gate 75 to 77, the gate was open and they started taking our boarding passes. Then a man named Charles pushed us out and locked the door. He said he's heard nothing and it was tough luck. 25 passengers stranded in LA for 24 hours. He was rude, aggressive, and left after he'd pushed us to customer service.
I had eye surgery booked Friday in Melbourne which went by the wayside. A $10 voucher doesn't buy half a meal in CA. I was at the hotel by 2 am, woken by cleaning ladies at 7 am walking in. I had no luggage at all - no carry-on, some luggage on one plane and some on another plane. Original plane was UA 943 (mechanical failure). We were thrown onto UA 689, in which my luggage I had left was stowed. They radioed ahead and said they knew we were coming. I was stranded in LA for 24 hours: no luggage, no help, and attitude. Total people stranded: about 25 of us.
Once we flew next day, we were supposed to land in Melbourne at 9:40 am. We arrived at 3:30 pm. The luggage from UA 689 is still missing. All evidence for my kids and what I bought was lost. Someone (Charles) at the gate made a decision which was a lie. Communications were sent from your people in Chicago to LAX and the pilot got us there. Now, I'm out of pocket and all my shopping. And also to rub it in, my luggage is half missing and TSA took out half my luggage from a suit case and it's missing.
Reviewed April 19, 2012
On 4/17/12, my wife and I arrived at TF Green airport in Providence, RI excited about our 5 day/4night trip to Aruba. We approached the United counter and was informed that first leg of our flight to NJ was cancelled. After several minutes typing and clicking on the keyboard, the woman at the counter indicated that there were no flights available for that day due to a mechanical problem with the plane. We were provided with a flight the following morning and told "That was the best we could do." We informed the UA representative that leaving the following day would leave us with only 3 nights in Aruba. The response was, "That is the way it is. Nothing else could be done." The UA representative did not know any other options. Could we get our money back? Would our credit card points be reimbursed? Do we have any other options, etc? We were only told to email customer relations. "Nothing could be done at that time."
As it appeared we were not getting any help, we decided to return home. Upon asking if our parking ticket could be validated, the UA representative indicated that they have never done that in the 25 years she has worked for United. Upon returning home, we received an automated phone call indicating that our rescheduled flight has again been cancelled and was changed to Thursday 4/19, leaving us with two nights in Aruba. As a result, UA left us with no choice but to cancel our trip.
My issues are as follows:
1.) The complete lack of caring or interest in attempting to help the customer. Rather than attempting to process and rectify the problem, the response was "That is all we can do." No "sorry", no "we will do everything we can to help", no "we will compensate you for your troubles," nothing. They did not care at all. It wasn't their problem, it was the customer's'
2.) This was not a weather related cancellation. The UA representative informed us that the plane was being working on the previous day and they "must have not been able to fix it". No heads up, no attempt to reassign seats prior to going to the airport at 3:30am, just expect the customer to arrive at the airport with no flight, no options, and no one available to answer any questions;
3.) Being told to return home, through no fault of my own, and having to pay to park in the extended lot, while the United representative presents as being offended that I ask for a ticket validation;
4.) United indicated that they would reimburse our fees within 8-12 weeks. Why can I book a flight and be charged immediately, but it take 8-12 weeks to be reimbursed?
5) I am in the process of providing documentation and emailing customer relations to recoup my $300 lost from canceling my hotel in Aruba. I am quite sure there will be many additional hoops to work through;
6.) We were told to contact customer relations to file our complain. Phone numbers on the United.com website are non-existent. The only option is to email.
Reviewed April 19, 2012
My problem with United Airlines Mileage Plus upgrading is too long to write here. I have been trying for over two weeks to talk with someone who speaks English that I can understand. I have spent about four hours on the phone, most of it on hold after being hooked with a person who can't speak English well. I have emailed four times and received two computer answers that I would be contracted later. I have tried over 25 times to fax but your fax machine doesn't answer. I have written a letter requesting someone to call me but no one has. I can't believe that United treats their customer like this. I am a lifetime Red Carpet Club member and use only a Mileage Plus Visa card for miles. What good are the miles if you won't honor them?
Reviewed April 19, 2012
On Feb 27/2012, I flew from Las Vegas to Hongkong, connecting San Francisco (ticket # **, flight # UA 681). When I claimed my baggage in Hongkong, I saw my zipper closers were cut on three places and my digit lock which was hanging unused is gone. There is no reason whatsoever to cut my zipper closers because I used a green twister wire (the kind we use in grocery store on plastic bags) and why in the world would they cut the two-side chamber/pouch zipper closers when it was opened with no twister wire on it? Now my $89 baggage became useless.
Reviewed April 18, 2012
0n April 2, 2012, I was supposed to fly from Gudalajara airport to San Francisco airport at 7am. I was 3 hours early. The lady in the front desk saw my tickets. Then she said the airline was full. So she delayed the air flight till April 6, 2012. I lost time and money due to this delay. Please take this matter into consideration. I would like a refund.
Reviewed April 17, 2012
I have just experienced the worst airline situation of my life thanks to United Airlines. My husband, Salomon **, my three children (ages 7, 9 and 11) and I left Mexico City on the 7th of April 2012 to start a week's vacation in Lake Tahoe. We flew to San Francisco and connected to Reno and then drove to Lake Tahoe. On the 12th of April, due to bad weather on the mountain, we decided to drive to Reno to take a flight to San Francisco. This flight number 5467 was cancelled and the woman who assisted us at the counter very amicably suggested we drive to San Francisco and continue our return trip to Mexico City on the 14th of April on flight number 821 at 12:40 pm. She assured us that there was no problem cancelling the Reno to San Francisco leg, and our San Francisco to Mexico City leg remained intact. We asked her three times to assure us that there was no problem!
On the 14th, we arrived at the airport at 9:30 am. We stood in a line for over two hour to reach the counter, which indicates that there is a serious lack of organization and logistics in your company. On reaching the counter, we were told that our names did not appear on the flight list and that we had cancelled our flight! Obviously, we were in shock and terribly angry. The not-very compassionate woman who was at the counter, (though she realized we were Spanish-speaking customers, did not afford us the courtesy of speaking to us in Spanish, as we found out later she was able to do), did a lot of talking but no resolving of the matter as we were hearing that the flight was being closed.
My husband asked to speak to the manager. She was not a very well-mannered individual and urgently needs to work on her people skills. Rude is a mild adjective to describe her. She told us that we had to pay our tickets to Mexico once again because our names did not appear on the flight list, even though the error was totally the fault of United Airlines, and we would be leaving on the 11:30 pm flight that arrives in Mexico City at 5:30 am, and remember, we were traveling with three children! We strongly rejected paying the tickets and insisted that we be sent via another city to make a connection to Mexico City. After much insistence, she accepted and transferred us to a young man named Brian who did everything possible to help us correctly.
Unfortunately , the flight he got for us to LA was unavoidably detained and we lost the connection to Mexico City. There were no other possibilities available to leave that day or the following, leaving us no alternative but to take the 11:30 pm flight. A man in customer service took two hours to ticket us for that flight and the only courtesy we received from the airline was a $10 voucher per person, which I'm sure you'll agree, was ridiculous. After a very long day, we reached our boarding gate. When the first attendant (an elderly Asian woman) arrived at the counter, my husband approached her and asked to buy economy plus seats that there were being announced. She very, very rudely told him to move because she was busy working. He returned various times to get this help and was turned down by all the people working there. They were able to announce the name of the boyfriend/husband of one of the flight attendants (Juliana **) to approach and receive a first-class seat but my husband's petitions were unanswered.
Once the plane was being boarded, we were stopped before boarding and were told that there was a problem with our tickets! This is when I lost it! Remember, we asked repeatedly for assistance and were denied. My children as well as I, were crying and we were all exhausted. The plane was full and the doors were about to be closed and they had to ask the plane to wait until the problem was solved. I must say, though, that the head flight attendant (whose name I unfortunately forgot) and one of the flight attendant who goes by the name of Celia ** were very kind and understood the stress we were under and did everything possible to get us seats together because we were dispersed throughout the plane. And to top things off, our luggage did not arrive with us and we did not receive it until 36 hours later. We feel the airline should compensate my family and me for this nightmare situation that we were forced to endure. I await a prompt reply to this letter.
Reviewed April 16, 2012
Charge holds placed by UA when told not, now unable to remove: I'm returning on flight OKA (Okinawa) to NTR (Tokyo) to EWR (Newark) to ORF (Norfolk) on 4/13. At 4am on 4/13 (Okinawa time), I went on line attempting to purchase a seat upgrade (economy plus seating). I input my reservation (found) and credit card (Visa debit) data, and the return came back that UA was "unable to process my request at this time. Please try again later." So I waited 10 minutes and did it again. Same response. I waited an additional 15 minutes and tried again. Same response. So I tried a different Visa (debit) card (different account). Same thing twice more. So I gave up.
On arrival in Tokyo, I went to a ticket agent counter at the gate, attempting to purchase an upgrade there. They told me I still had my original seat and that they could seat me with adequate legroom (though not as much as Economy Plus) at no charge, which I accepted. Upon arrival in Newark (still en route home), I checked bank accounts to discover UA charged me five times for the upgrade they said could not be processed--3x on the one account and 2x on the other. And now funds were "pending on hold" by my bank, which won't remove the hold until UA tells them to.
I immediately contacted a gate agent in Newark, who attempted to use the UA "help system" to connect me to someone who could address and remove these holds. Even they were frustrated by lack of help. I had to give up after two hours and boarded my final leg flight home. The next day, 4/14, I attempted to contact UA help and was continuously transferred to the "reservation desk agent," who told me there was "nothing they could do" and that I would have to have a refund processed, which could take up to 7-14 days and that I had to do it online.
I was transferred then to "international department" and then to a supervisor, who said basically the same thing--no way to contact anybody directly who could assist but that they would file a refund case for me and someone would contact me direct in 24 hours. Nobody has contacted me. I was also provided with 1-800-WE CARE2 to call (not available on weekends) to speak directly with the refund department. I called this number on Monday, 4/16; and I was transferred back to "reservations." Then I was told that there was no way to speak to the refund department. I have to e-mail them.
These holds were placed by UA which told me via website that they were not processing them. I have no other receipts for the charges. They placed them instantly. They can remove them instantly. If I can be provided with POC at UA to do this... But according to everybody in India I speak to, there was no way to do this.
UA has placed a hold on my funds without cause, without product, and without acknowledgment (acknowledge to the contrary actually). And now, it refuses to provide me a path to address them and have them removed. I have spent over 4 hours on hold with 6 different departments, which all said the automated system is my only recourse. That would be the same automated system that caused this issue in the first place with no way to correct it.
I am completely disgusted with this complete lack of caring and service and UA's continual obfuscation of process to even acknowledge this illegal hold they have placed on over $750 of my funds. It's still being held 4 days later, as I write this, with no expedient or even trustworthy way to address it. And I never did get that seat upgrade either.My next business travel overseas will encompass everything possible to AVOID booking UA in the future.
Reviewed April 15, 2012
On Saturday, April 14th, we were homebound from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Newark, NJ airport. We were seven people checking in curbside with a total of 10 bags of luggage. We went to the agent and showed him our boarding passes. We were all on flight 1164. He checked all of them with our passports and then issued each bag a ticket. Since we were flying all together to the same place, he said that it didn't matter what ticket went on what bag. We had prepaid for our baggage which totaled $120. Upon showing our prepaid receipt, the agent looked into the computer and told us that our bags were not on the prepaid list. He charged us again and we had to wait on a long line to get a refund. We got to the gate at 11:30 am for a 2:49 flight because after United took over Continental and they decided to change the flights. We had been on a cruise and we had to be off the boat by 10 (the original flight was number 1230 and was scheduled to depart at 12:55 pm). That in itself was terrible because we had to wait in the airport for an additional 3 hours.
When we were about to board, the other 5 people (my son, daughter-in-law and my grandchildren and another grandmother) boarded. When my husband and I showed them our boarding passes and they were scanned, it came up "customer not found.” They then told us we were on the later flight. On the boarding pass, it said flight 1164, but they said that we were on flight 1076, which was over an hour later. We complained vehemently until they were able to get us on the flight with our children. We were scheduled to sit together, but of course there was another snag. I had to sit alone in row 10 and my husband sat in row 15 - another complaint because we never fly sitting without each other.
My husband decided to look at the baggage tickets and there were 4 of our 10 bags on flight 1076. Because of the incompetence of your workers, after we landed we had to wait for flight 1076 to come in to get our other bags. There were 2 of mine, one of my son's and one of the other persons. Ridiculous! After paying you to take our bags, you have the audacity to take our luggage and put them on another flight aside from the fact that you changed our flight without our knowledge.
Now, the people who were picking us up couldn't wait around because they had other people to pick up. So, aside from having prepaid them, we had to find someone else to take us home for an additional fee. I would like to be compensated for the payment of my luggage, for the additional amount ($80) paid to the other service and for a refund on the amount it cost us to fly home. It was a holiday week, so it wasn't cheap! Thank you!
Reviewed April 15, 2012
On February 16th, we made roundtrip reservations to fly to Las Vegas: flight 1653 out and flight 688 back, on April 2nd. After entering the jetway for flight 1653, the attendant called me and told me my seat was reassigned. I had specified a window seat at the time of the reservation. The reason I was given was that "the plane was changed". I hate, repeat, h-a-t-e, aisle seats. I am a large man, 6' 2", 275 lbs. I don't like having my shoulder hit every time someone has to use the toilet.
Besides that, my wife and I like to travel together. By the way, the fellow in my seat was travelling alone! On the return flight, again, I was given an aisle seat. There is a reason we booked 8 weeks in advance as that was to ensure we'd get the seats we wanted which is not what we received. As a result, United has gone from being our first choice to our last. We will use you, but only after we have checked with your competitors. In other words, the loyalty you showed us will be treated in kind.
Reviewed April 14, 2012
We booked our travel as a package leaving on a Tuesday and returning on a Saturday. Weeks before we were to leave, we checked the flights and the last leg of the flight home was showing Sunday and our seats were not together, which I detest. We booked as a couple, so that means we are traveling as a couple: do not separate us! So the phone calls begin. I only wish I had kept up with how many times my husband called and how long he was on hold each time because I feel quite sure he wasted at least 8 hours of his life messing with this issue with absolutely no resolution. They never changed the day of return to Saturday instead of Sunday nor our sitting arrangements. So all the phone calls - useless, incompetent United people. We were just left to assume that our flight was indeed on Saturday since the first leg of the flight was.
When we arrived at the airport on Saturday for the first leg of our flight, we asked the United attendant to change our seating arrangements on our next flight and very rudely she said no and they would do that when we arrived for our second leg of the flight. She just did not want to be bothered with it. She was not doing anything except talking and laughing with a co-worker. Now is when the real fun begins! We arrived for our final flight home. We asked a United attendant to change our seats and again he said very rudely without even looking up: "Come back in 10 minutes.” We finally did get our seats changed, but not with any smiles - very rude and unhappy people. We are all boarded and on the runway and have been sitting there for a very long time.
The pilot tells us he is waiting on a computer head count from the terminal. No, not really. Did they not just check every boarding pass? We sat there for so long that we had to go back to a gate and refuel - yes, I am serious - then back out on the runway. And, yes, I am serious again: another computer head count. Only the pilot came on and said that he was so embarrassed that he was going to do something that had not been done since the ‘90s and actually do a visual head count on board. At this time, we had been sitting on the plane for over 2 hours and we’re still on the ground! Totally unacceptable! Needless to say, we will not be flying with United ever again!
Reviewed April 14, 2012
I returned from Cleveland after burying my husband. A wheelchair was requested at the check-in and we proceeded to the gate and on to the aircraft. I told them no stairs nor could I walk any distance when this flight was scheduled and a wheelchair was requested. After boarding the aircraft, my seat was in the rear of the aircraft to which I attempted to walk, almost falling twice. The flight attendant had to help me to my seat. I am sure this was overlooked when they gave me a seat in the rear of the aircraft because I should have been seated near the front as I was on my flight to Cleveland. I feel this should be watched closer when seating disabled people. I am very angry and dissatisfied with United Airlines. How they tell you to file a complaint is not possible with United.com.
Reviewed April 12, 2012
Refund policy when you buy insurance: We booked tickets for a wedding in June and got the insurance. My son and his fiance, who are both seniors in college, got jobs after booking of the tickets and will be flying out of different locations. We could not get a refund or anything. I will never fly United again, unless it's the only other airline! They were very rude and non-accommodating!
Reviewed April 12, 2012
I was traveling on March 17/2012 with my family, including 4 kids. Airline lady give me very hard time and she was so rude and she spent 2 and 1/2 hours to issue the ticket. I have 13 and 4 are extra weight. As per policy at the United Airline website, bag fee for 50 lbs = $25, bag fee for 51 lbs - 70 lbs = $100 and bag fee for 71 lbs - 100 lbs = $200. But she charge for 75 lbs bag = $400 for few bags.
I told her the policy but she does not accept and she did not even check at the website but she just charge. I was so stressed and I was getting late. She almost made me miss my flight but fight was late 20 minutes and I got the flight. She was so rude and her behavior was so bad. So I decided not to fly with this airline again, although I am frequent flyer. I called customer relations. She said I have to deal with them at the airport and she said she can charge any amount as per her wish.
Reviewed April 12, 2012
I called to find out why I had not been contacted about items stolen from my luggage by United Airlines baggage handlers. "Josh", who said he had no employee identification number, was condescending and belittling in my attempts to find out where my matter stood. He kept asking for a reference number which I repeatedly told him was never provided. When he did find my information, he did not provide a reference number and had an attitude almost taunting.
I called back to complain to a supervisor and somehow he took my call and said there was no supervisor or manager for me to talk to. We got into a heated discussion as to who had the attitude and he hung up. So, not only does United have thieves in baggage, this person, "Josh", apparently thinks these matters are trivial and funny. These people stole a camera that had pictures of my first vacation in two years and had really great pictures/videos of whales and dolphins. Thanks for all the help Josh. I hope you will be on the unemployment line soon where your unique attitude will surely make you quite employable.
Reviewed April 10, 2012
My husband and I were on flight #854 out of Houston to Lima, Peru for my son's wedding. The date was March 5, 2012. The plane hit a bird (tried to avoid a flock of birds). The flight was returned to Houston, and we finally left for Peru on the 7th. We lost two days of lodging which we had to pay for, and two days of our vacation. I contacted United Airlines when we got back on the 3rd, and have not received any response. I got very ill due to the stress. Our luggage was also delayed several days longer, and we had to buy miscellaneous items, such as clothing while we were there. It was at the same time as the consolidation of United Airlines and Continental Airlines.
Reviewed April 9, 2012
My son and I flew United on April 7, 2012. When we arrived at the Albany, NY airport at 3:00pm for our 5:10pm departure, we were told our flight was delayed. We were looking at a possible departure of 6:30pm. I had a connection in Newark for a 9:00pm flight to Columbus, OH. Asking if I would make it, the ticket agent replied "you do the math". Suddenly, after looking at the screen for several minutes, he told me my connection was late also. One hour and 52 minutes to be exact. So he assured me I would indeed make the flight, that both were behind schedule. I swear I thought he was making it up, so I asked the supervisor next to him to please look and he agreed, although he didn't seem too sure either.
Up at the gate, I asked a representative for the third time to be sure I would make the connection and he said yes. We got to Newark and when I checked at the gate he said that the flight out to Columbus, OH had left on time, over an hour before. I explained my situation and he said those "**" in Albany must not have been looking at the Saturday schedule. What?
His solution was to give me a flight in the morning. I asked for hotel rooms and he said I would need to speak to a supervisor but his wasn't there and I would have to wait and see what he said, or, I could run through the airport and catch a flight to Cleveland. When I got to that gate, the representative was so unbelievably rude, asking why the first ticket agent didn’t change my tickets. By now, this plane was boarding and he was still complaining about having to change my flight. Finally, my son and I made it on. We then waited another 30 minutes for 20 people from a late flight out of Cozumel to board.
After disembarking, I asked the attendant in Cleveland for help. She checked my tickets and told me there was nothing in her computer about me needing to go to Columbus. She said, since they changed my tickets, the flight was "complete" and they were not obligated to assist me. I pointed out I was 150 miles from home, that their flight was almost 2 hours late, all their information was wrong, and it was almost 11pm. She suggested I rent a car. When we got to Avis, the representative asked how we were doing, and when I said she didn't want to know, she responded "United?"
We were charged $167 to rent the car for essentially 2 hours of use. We were home by 1:30am. We went back to the Columbus airport the next day to get my car from the garage, return the rental, and finally find my luggage. I have waited, like everyone else, on hold forever to complain. No luck. I will never fly United again. I have had glitches with other airlines, but none with the horrible customer service I experienced here. United Airlines stinks.
Reviewed April 7, 2012
My in-laws were left behind in Houston after arriving from Harlingen about 3 minutes late. They were told by the pilot that there was a 1-hour delay, so they would catch their connecting flight to Indianapolis. The plane that they were to catch to Indianapolis left a few minutes early. They were supposed to arrive in Indianapolis at 4:52pm but they did not arrive until 9:14pm. My complaint is the 2 of them were in wheelchairs being pushed from gate to gate by United employees and their connecting flight could not wait for them to get aboard.
But after they missed their 1st flight, they were put on a flight that waited in Houston for passengers that were coming from Minnesota to Indianapolis, that was delayed for over an hour, but they couldn't wait 3 minutes for 2 passengers to catch their 1st flight. I cannot accept this. I think they should be refunded all their money for inconvenience that the airline caused them.
Reviewed April 6, 2012
I cannot get a customer service person online even with a 70 minute wait! Computer tries to block getting to person but does not offer real choices. What madman designed this system? I have now instructed my office that we do not fly United unless it is our only option because we cannot get anything close to decent service. Out to be fined for such lousy treatment of customers! I called today to check because the miles that should have been restored into credit over three weeks ago are still not there.
Reviewed April 6, 2012
I got offloaded by Qantas to United Airlines (UA) on an internal flight from Vegas to LAX. As I was connecting to an international flight home, I was entitled to check 2 bags not exceeding 23kg each (One was 16; the other 18.). The UA check-in clerk advised me that UA only allowed 1 bag. I showed my Qantas ticket with prepaid luggage allowance which she disregarded completely and advised I'd have to pay $79 USD for the 2nd bag. A debate ensued, and she threatened me "Do you want to get on this flight?" Of course, I had to to make the connection home. She said to keep the receipt and claim back from Qantas.
I raised the complaint with UA and Qantas in LAX, but no one wanted to help. I got home and phoned Qantas and UA here. And guess what? She'd charged me $790 USD! Yes, seven hundred and ninety dollars for one suitcase to fly 1 hour from Vegas to Los Angeles! I guess I was so upset by the whole incident that I didn't check the receipt. I have a claim in with UA. Let's see how long it takes and how much it costs me to get that back!
Reviewed April 5, 2012
Refused to let my step-daughter on the flight: On February 21, 2012, I booked a ticket for my 14-year-old stepdaughter from Nashville, TN to Tampa, FL. I researched United's policy on minors (Children ages 12 to 17 have the option to pay the fee and use the unaccompanied minor service or they may travel as adults with no unaccompanied minor service provided) and even called to book the reservation with an agent just to be doubly sure.
On March 28th, my stepdaughter arrived at the airport to get onto her flight and the agent would not let her on the plane. They refused to honor the ticket and refused to book her on another flight. She was stuck at the airport and denied a flight. When asked, the agent said that they contract US Airways to fly that United flight and US Airways had a different policy with regards to children. They wouldn't even allow me to buy an accompaniment service - just flat out cancelled the ticket.
I needed to book an on-the-spot flight on another airline - Southwest, which by the way was super wonderful in all ways - at more than double the cost of the original ticket on United. I had intentionally bought the ticket more than a month ahead of time in order to make sure to get a good rate.
When trying to talk with United, the hold times are very long, sometimes more than an hour. Their agents are all in the Philippines and are unauthorized to look up past data on their computers, unauthorized to make recompense, and unauthorized to get me to a person in authority. The only way to reach customer service is to email them and then leave it up to them to get back with me. I am out over $250, hassle on both end, and huge frustration in trying to get United to compensate.
Reviewed April 4, 2012
On the first portion of our round-trip flight with United on March 23, 2012, from Boise to Denver (United 5563), the flight was oversold. When I tried to speak with the gate agent regarding seating, I was told to sit down and that he would deal with me when he got to me as no seats were available for us. The gate agents argued extensively with one another in our presence and we were ultimately shoved onto the plane at the very last moment prior to takeoff without seating arrangements. My family of four (including my nine year-old son) was spread throughout the cabin.
Once in Denver, we again encountered the issue of no seating arrangements on the second leg of our travel to Dallas (United 5826). The gate attendant did ultimately get us on board, but we were spread throughout the cabin once again. On our return trip on April 1, 2012 (United 5827), I arrived at the airport (Dallas Love Field) 3 hours early to ensure we are seating together on our flight. However, our tickets were still issued throughout the cabin. Once past security, we sat for hours waiting to speak with a gate attendant. None ever showed up at the gate.
At the time for boarding, with no attendant or plane in sight, I went back through security to the ticket counter where only 1 agent was working. A line of other dissatisfied customers had formed. Ten minutes prior to take off time, an announcement was made that the flight would be delayed for 1 hour and 43 minutes due to "mechanical problems". This would have caused me to miss my connecting flight to Boise, Idaho (United 440). As no other flights were available in the near future (days), the United ticket agent asked what the closest airport to Boise was. I told her Salt Lake City was the nearest. So she booked my party’s tickets to Salt Lake for the next morning with American Airlines out of DFW and provided us with taxi service and hotel accommodations for the night. Once in Salt Lake, I was told by the United agent that no further transportation was available (including shuttle service). As we were still nowhere near our final destination, I was forced to rent a vehicle and drive the remainder of our journey to Boise.
Reviewed April 3, 2012
I got through to an agent to discuss canceling my ticket flight after a 7-minute wait. I wanted to have the $150 change fee policy in writing so I can submit it to my office for reimbursement. The CSR who wouldn't let me complete my sentences and all she would say is, "It's not on the website." I asked to be transferred to a supervisor but before I can finish that request, I was placed on hold. I waited 20 minutes and finally gave up. I'm on hold now waiting to start all over again. It's no wonder that our domestic airlines are doing so poorly and are going out of business. I long for the day when we no longer have domestic airlines that are driven by unions and instead have foreign airlines that are actually competing for business with great customer service like Singapore Airlines and ANA.
Reviewed April 3, 2012
I have spent over 30 hours on hold and and talked to 17 people that I can document (only on my own paper) since booking an upgraded trip to Scotland on 3/11 for the end of this month to see my 87-year old mother-in-law. My husband and I have flown Continental for years without a problem. The new computer system (since the United/Continental merger) screwed up everything from the beginning of my trip (by not really booking the upgraded flight over as upgraded until last week). I thought everything was resolved (since I was told not once, but twice) that there was not a problem and would be upgraded since there were 4 seats left.
Today with one seat left, after holding another 30 more minutes so that I could talk to the president of the company and nothing would change or if I was going to cuss (I may say **, but I do not normally use bad language) and if I was mad because people were buying first class tickets, I am an ** etc. I asked to please speak to his superior and he said sure, but was put on hold again for how long? Yes, I did hang up after 30 minutes or so. Now I think I'm on some kind of list and I am afraid to take my trip. What do I do?
Reviewed April 3, 2012
I booked my daughter on United Airways flight 5751 from Norfolk, VA to Savannah, GA, on 4/1/2012. I picked this flight because she only had a 40 minute layover in DC and a total of only 3 hours to get her home. She is 7 months pregnant and has been sick her whole pregnancy, so this was the best way to get her back home in less time. Well she ended up having a layover for 4 hours in DC and no one would help her or give her any information other than she had to wait. They were waiting on the flight crew! In the meantime, she was sick and crying with no help from the Airlines. Terrible service! I will never fly United again and I will always tell everyone I know what a bad experience it was. She also said the flight attendants were not very nice on the flight as well. Horrible!
Reviewed April 2, 2012
I had to have emergency surgery and had to cancel that flight and re-booked under confirmation **, leaving 3/6/12 from EWR to ANU, returning 3/13/12 from ANU back to EWR. Not only was I charged $216.30 extra for each ticket for the flights rate change, but I also had to pay $150 for each ticket cancellation fee and $25 each processing.
On 3/16/12, I applied for a refund both through united.com website and customer relations. I have not received any acknowledgement whatsoever, except an automated reply from their customer relations dept. I then tried to send to refunds@united.com posted on their website and I got the error delivery failure notification. The email link apparently is bogus and failed to deliver. I am not able to view the status on their website using my ticket number, Onepass, mileage plus ID or last name. Their fax number is bogus and is busied out constantly. Nothing that is advised by their website works to apply for a refund.
I called and held on for 1/2 hr and spoke to customer service who said they would refer my info by email and I would hear from someone within 23-48 hrs. This never happened. I am at my wit’s end and cannot get through to talk to anyone to get a refund back.
Reviewed April 2, 2012
I was leaving for a long awaited vacation in France with my family on Thursday, March 29, 2012. We check in one bag with United. Our flight from Atlanta for Newark was supposed to leave at 5:00 pm, but we were told that there was a delay and that we are leaving at 6:30 and will still be able to make it to our connecting flight for Paris (also United) leaving from Newark at 9:20 pm. No explanation was given as to why there was a delay. Weather was beautiful. When we boarded our plane, we were told that there will be more wait and we took off for Newark at 7:20 pm.
When we landed in Newark, we ran to our Paris connection which was difficult since our 9-year old daughter just got a cast taken off of her foot after 4 weeks and was still not able to use her foot properly. We made it to the gate at 9:21 pm, but the plane already left! No one from United bothered to let our Paris connection know that we are coming and that we were delayed and were running late due to flight delay. We were confused and another United gate employee directed us to United customer service. We explained to the representative what happened, but this man, whose name I did not, get was the rudest person we ever had to deal with. His supervisor was talking with another customer service representative and he kept butting in their conversation and ignored us. When we asked him to please look at our papers and see what he can do, he got upset with us and said that it was a matter of life and death and that we can wait.
We got mad and our daughter started crying and the representative got so mad at us that he stormed off! His supervisor took over and was nice enough to help us out and put us on a United flight for London at 10:05 pm and then a British Airways flight from London to Paris on March 30, 2012 at 2:45pm. Our flight attendants on the United connection to London were so casual and unprofessional, food was almost non-existent, and if anyone asked for anything like a blanket, they were answered in a rude manner. The British Airways connection from London to Paris was just wonderful—staff and flight attendants were really nice and helpful.
We lost 6 hours, but we finally made it to Paris on Saturday, March 30, 2012, but our bag did not! We filed a missing baggage report with British Airways. Today is Monday, April 2, and we have yet to receive our bag. British Airways staff are nice and helpful, but they cannot do anything about our bag—it's all up to United. Getting through to United’s customer service is nearly impossible and hold times are ridiculous! We don't have clothes and other things like prescription meds. I'm not sure how this will end, but I know that we will never, ever use United again and will not recommend this airline to anyone!
Reviewed April 1, 2012
Rude, Disruptive, Inappropriate Flight Attendant: I was treated rudely by a flight attendant on a UA flight UA17Y from Glasgow to Newark on 03/29/2012. It was bad enough that I patiently waited on a delayed departure with other customers, only to be compensated with complete and utter rudeness by one of your two male flight attendants who refused to provide his name. During the meal time, the attendants were asking what type of drinks did we wish to drink. During my turn, I didn't hear the attendant provide options. I kindly asked, "What did you say?" and waited for a response and he gave me an attitude and stated, "Are you going to tell me what you wish to drink or not?" His facial expression was just disgusting as he expressed disgust for having to repeat himself. He didn't repeat the drink option. He instead repeated if I wanted anything to drink or not. I in turn said, "You know what, just give me water please." He passed the water over and I shook my head in shame.
During the second meal time or snack time, I was praying. When it came to my turn, I whispered I wished to drink water when he asked what I wished to drink. He began to shout over other passengers and commenting to the other flight attendant that he couldn't hear me and how do these passengers expect you to hear them when they can't speak up! I became irate. I kept my composure and waited to complete my prayer. After praying, I pressed the call button for assistance which was ignored for 30 minutes.
When they came around to collect the garbage from the passengers, I kindly asked for the flight attendants name and mentioned I wish to comment on how I was treated. He began to shout and create a scene. He stated, "I will not give you my name. In fact, I need you to give me your name," and kept going on about how I don't know how to speak and how I dared to ask for his name. I kept repeating as calmly as I could, "Please stop. You need to stop it. You are embarrassing me and you're disturbing other passengers." He left when I refused to give him my name and after I commented on how it was absurd for him to be displaying such behavior on the airplane as a flight attendant.
The attendant returned with a form five minutes later requesting for my personal information. I asked for what and if it were because (you) wish to protect yourself for your wrong doing? He didn't reply. Instead, he said, "Fine. I have your seat number, 24A" and he walked away when asked by the passenger sitting two seats away from me to take his trouble somewhere else. I must say I am appalled. I have never been treated so poorly. This is the first time I have ever complained about a flight/airline or anyone of its constituents. I wish I had his name. I want him to be reprimanded for the humiliation he caused!
Reviewed March 31, 2012
My business class seats were given to someone else. Myself (Michael **) and Jadwiga ** arrived at Chicago O'hara this morning, Saturday, March 31 at 3:30 AM to catch a 5:25 AM flight to Nicaragua, and scheduled to arrive before lunch. We sat ourselves in front of the service desk at Gate B3 and waited for boarding to begin. We had booked business class.
After not hearing any boarding announcement, I approached the service desk at approximately 5:25 AM to ask when we could expect to board and were told our seats had been given to someone else. The plane was full and we would have to wait to be rebooked. At this point, the plane is still sitting at the boarding gate. Other people had begun gathering around the service desk as well, and it appeared the staff was having a disruption at the nearby Gate B1.
Jadwiga ** approached a supervisor that was working with both ongoing issues and was again instructed to sit down until the staff was able to get to her. The staff was obviously under stress and told everyone they would have to sit down until the staff could attend everyone's needs. We waited approximately 10-15 minutes and watched as our plane pulled away.
I walked down to the United Club to ask if/how we could get rebooked and the attendant suggested we see the United Customer Service people (down by the dinosaur). We waited in line approximately 1/2 hour and were finally rebooked to arrive in Nicaragua at 9:30 PM that same day (losing the entire day). We again requested to see a supervisor and were instructed to wait near the desk and a supervisor would be down to talk to us. We waited another 15 minutes and told the desk we would go wait in the United Club.
We waited there another hour and finally walked back to the Customer Service desk to see when we could expect to talk with someone. They were able to get a supervisor to talk with us approximately at 8:45 AM. The supervisor told us that she wanted to hear our version of the story. She had been told by the staff that had been at the Service (Boarding) desk that boarding had been announced, and our names had been called 3 times before our seats had been given to someone else.
I would venture the PA system at the Service desk either hadn't been utilized, or was dysfunctional, but it is just my opinion. The supervisor also told us that the service desk staff (specifically the supervisor), didn't want to talk with us and she would approach them and let us know how United would be willing to compensate us (with mileage points). But neither supervisors returned.
We boarded our rebooked flight and are now in Houston with a 5-hour layover. Your staff conducts themselves like a group of school children all trying to hide behind one another, no one wanting to commit and obvious lack of training and leadership skills. I realize you have just gone through a merger and are still trying to re organize, but this is not what I expect from an airline service as seasoned and established as United.
Sure, we would like compensation, but I don't imagine it will change my opinion of what has happened. I was a premier member with Continental (which has now converted to United in some manner), travel internationally regularly, but expect service and efficiency when I fly. Fouled schedules and unprofessional staff aren't where I spend my money.
Reviewed March 31, 2012
Baggage handler at Syracuse Hancock yelling at customers: I'm writing to complain about a baggage handler (possibly James **) at Syracuse Hancock on the early morning of January 15th, 2012. I arrived at about midnight on a plane from Dulles late on Jan 14th. We had to sit on the runway for 45 minutes as our gate was occupied. Luggage was another 30 minutes late and no one was in the baggage area. About 1:15 am, a baggage handler came into the area and was very agitated. He was very flustered, started yelling at people, told me to shut my mouth and not ask another question about my luggage. Another man awaiting his luggage said he thought the handler was about to jump at me so he was at the ready to defend me. It was a very scary experience.
The passengers, including me, awaiting luggage were tired but polite and this employee was out of control. I went to Syracuse Hancock security and asked that they send someone down to the United baggage area because there was a worker out of control and threatening people. I returned to the area and found that my luggage had arrived. I grabbed it and left quickly, not wanting to stick around to see what might happen next. I do not know if security arrived.
I returned to Syracuse on March 22nd and asked how I might file a complaint regarding this incident. I was told to go to the United.com site and direct my comments to Scott **. I am happy to speak with anyone regarding this matter. My phone is **. Interestingly, when the taxi cab driver took me to the airport for my return to Boulder in January, I told him what had happened on that January 14th evening. He said he was pretty sure he knew who the guy was and that indeed he was often inappropriate with customers. Please contact me to let me know that you have received this complaint. I appreciate your help in making air flight safe and enjoyable.
Reviewed March 31, 2012
United changed my first class flight for which I paid $5000 for a Cleveland to India itinerary and wanted to charge me $75 to change the flight back to what I originally scheduled. When I asked Felix, the supervisor, to help waive the fee, his attitude was very demeaning and he refused and hung up on me. I am a silver elite customer from Continental and have never been treated this way.
Reviewed March 30, 2012
I purchased a flight through Expedia. The flight was United flight 1509 leaving Tampa on March 30th, 2012. I was to switch to United flight 5190 in Houston and that would take me to my destination of Kansas City. I was to return on Sunday, April 1st, on United flight 4108, connect in Houston to flight 1029 and be back in Tampa that night. I've cancelled the flight through Expedia and they advised me that I would need to contact United directly. Agents weren't able to assist, so I'm submitting this complaint instead to see if anything can be done.
The reason for the cancellation was that on March 18th, I was in a car accident. I have hospital records if you need but my car went off the interstate and flipped. Due to this, I am unable to make the flight as I am still recovering. I have been told that I have a $308.20 credit on my account but that when I used it, I would be charged $150 for making the change. I have no problem getting a credit voucher, however I would like the $150 waived due to the circumstances.
Reviewed March 30, 2012
I paid to upgrade from coach to business class. I had to wait for 30 minutes and 29 seconds to speak to a customer service representative since I was not able to do online check-in for my flight. This never happened before the merger with United. I want to congratulate United on dragging down Continental Airlines to their pathetic, unacceptable level of customer service. After 53 minutes and 20 seconds, I was finally able to complain to a supervisor about their nonexistent customer service. I received an insincere apology about how they are working to improve their service and the fact that there has been computer problems since the merger. What it comes down to is that Continental, because of a merger with United, has had to lower its standards. Thank you United for eliminating Continental as the leader in customer service in the airline industry. United Airlines was able to take its fat and lazy work values and drag Continental into the mud with this merger. I need to start using another airline.
Reviewed March 29, 2012
I booked a flight with United months ago, requesting and receiving exit row seats 21A and 21B. I paid an additional fee for these seats. A couple of hours ago, I checked my online itinerary and noticed my seats had been changed to middle seats 13D and 13C. After 30 minutes on hold, I spoke to a representative who had no idea why my seats had been changed. After another 30-minute hold, I spoke to her supervisor, who had no idea why my seats had been changed. Another 20 minutes on hold, I speak to her supervisor, who said she had no idea why my seats had been changed and they have no access to passenger history.
She added that other people have been assigned those seats and there is nothing I can do about it. My assumption is that passengers with a higher MileagePlus standing than I requested 21A and 21B and United decided to bump me out of those seats without informing me in order to satisfy that customer. This level of systemic incompetence is frightening and discouraging. United Airlines continues its tradition of operating in a manner which is disrespectful to its clients. I try to steer clear of them at all costs, but it was unavoidable on this trip and I'm now paying the price. Never again.
Reviewed March 29, 2012
I have now been on hold almost one hour waiting to speak to an agent at United Airlines. This is shameful. The FAA should not allow this airline to operate like this. I never had this much trouble getting through to an agent when I needed to speak to a Continental agent.
Reviewed March 28, 2012
I'm very disappointed with United Airlines and its absolutely horrible or non-existent customer service. I was on hold for 40 -45 minutes. The agents that answered the phone has no information to provide. They don't even pretend to be interested in helping you. The email address for refunds that is provided on site is failing even though this is the only way to get for refunds, "This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification. Delivery to the following recipients failed. refunds@united.com" So pretty much you have no recourse.
On the other hand, if you are the lucky one and have a completed eRefund, you can not use it online and have to wait for an agent! This is the only business that does not let you use your eVouchers online or display it anywhere in your account. It seems they are hoping you will forget you have it and never use it. I only wish I did not have to deal with this airline and will try to avoid whenever possible. I hope that others who feel the same will boycott United/Continental until they treat their customers as they deserve! Shame on them!
Reviewed March 28, 2012
Contrary to all their communications before the merger, United has significantly changed their mileage plus premier benefits when it applies to their economy plus seating. Regardless of status, they require a $59 fee for seating in the front of the plane. When I questioned this, I was essentially told I was stupid for missing something that must have been in small print, if there at all. When I requested to speak to a supervisor, the customer service woman hung up on me.
Reviewed March 28, 2012
I was fortunate enough to avoid having to fly United Airlines due to an emergency in the family but unfortunate enough to have to deal with their customer service. In trying to get a refund for my flight, I have thus far talked to 2 people over a 4-hour period, including wait time without getting to anyone in the refund office. Apparently, the lines have been set up to send to general customer service, no matter which automatic message I choose. And the poor customer service person I spoke to had no idea that was happening.
Then I gave up and submitted an online request 13 days ago and did not get a single response. When I sent an email to the refund office, it bounced back, citing their inbox as full. That is failure at multiple levels. Tonight, I have waited 2 hours to talk to customer service and am still on hold. This is really ridiculous. I cannot believe United is still in business.
Reviewed March 27, 2012
I have been trying to get in touch with United Airlines to assign mileage credit for the two United Airline flights on March 1, which would have bumped into Star Alliance Silver status. I have sent several emails with no response. I called the 1-800 number 3 different times. First time, I was put on the line for over 2 hours with no human ever picking up the phone. The second time, I was waiting for over one hour. In both cases, I have to hang up, sick and tired of waiting. The third time, it simply hangs up on me citing "high call volume" and asking me to "call back later". I searched on the internet and found out that many people ran into the same issue due to United/Continental’s mileage system program merging in early March. I am appalled that the company has no attempt to reach out to impacted consumers and have not even fixed the issues after almost a month.
Reviewed March 26, 2012
For three days, I have been trying to reach an agent to possibly change my flight on the May 27th to a direct flight from Munich/Frankfurt/Seattle or Munich/Chicago/Seattle because of the scheduled 5 hour wait in San Francisco right now. When I arranged the ticket on March 11th, I had been advised to try again, things always open up, and I had been told.
On Thursday, March 22, I have been waiting for two hours on the phone without being able to speak to an agent. Unfortunately, I had to hang up, because I could not wait anymore. On Friday, March 23rd, I got hung up after waiting for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Today, March 25th, I tried again. Waiting for three hours, nothing happened. Is there actually somebody at the end of the line?
I don't want to be cynical, but it’s very hard to listen for such a long time the same recording over and over again, how your program has improved, its # 1, etc., etc. I have been using mileage plus for 12 years, always was happy, never experienced anything like this before.
Reviewed March 24, 2012
I just wanted to let you know that I was very disappointed in our service with your airline, coming home from our trip in Costa Rica. First of all, we got to the airport at 9:40 and our flight wasn't leaving until 2:50. We stood in line to get our boarding pass for almost 3 hours. I realized you had a storm in Houston that day but it should have never taken that long to get our boarding passes to Houston and when we got there, our flight was leaving at 9:20 and it was getting close to the time we were supposed to be leaving. We kept checking the departures and they said it was leaving on time.
Then at 9:30, it said the time changed to 12:55 which we were fine with, and when I asked the lady at the counter, she said to go to the customer service counter and then we were standing in line and someone asked who was flying to Minneapolis, and then they gave us vouchers for the Red Roof Inn with $20 per person for the restaurant for dinner at the hotel. We got to the hotel and they didn't have a restaurant, all they had were these compressed artificial sandwiches in a refrigeration system in the lobby area. They were horrible! So when we got to the hotel, I got on the phone and waited 2 1/2 hours to get a person and half hour on the phone with them to find a way out of Houston.
Well, we finally got a reservation for the next day in the afternoon. So while we were waiting for our flight to leave, we were at our gate and it was 10 to 15 minutes before it was going to be boarding and then all of sudden, the gate changed to another gate. So everyone got up and went to another gate, then finally we arrived in Detroit to wait for our flight there and we had time so we finally went and had a decent dinner. Then we went to the gate where we were flying out of and our flight was scheduled to leave at 8:23 and got delayed to 9:40, which meant we would not make our connection in Chicago. So the lady saw how long our paper trail was, which was a lot, and connected us with a flight on Delta Airlines which was not completely full, and would take us straight home to Minneapolis.
We really appreciated her help. We paid insurance on our flight and should had never had to rebook our own flight, it should have been done at the airport and if you're going to give somebody vouchers for a restaurant and hotel, there should be one there. We had to hurry because it was late and the last shuttle bus was leaving at 11:30, so we had to get out there as soon as we could. We have flown many times and never have had as many delays as we did with your airline. We were both disappointed in this airline trip. Our flight was on March 11th.
Reviewed March 23, 2012
I am in the hospitality business and own a business. I flew on your airline from Liberia, Costa Rica to Newark, NJ on March 19, 2012, Flight 1446. I would like to let you know that your flight attendants need to be retrained, replaced or retired. They have very little patience and their personality are much to be desired. I know the older flight attendants have the best flight schedules and you would think they would be happier knowing they are senior to the less senior flight attendants. Of the four flight attendants on our flight, only one (in first class) acted like she enjoyed her job. With all the people out of work, you would think they would take that into account also.
One of the flight attendants splashed water on the passenger sitting next to me and almost the second time, if I did not reach for the orange juice in time. There was no apology and we had to ask for extra napkins. They serve without eye contact and that is how accidents happen and bad PR begins. Also, if the flight attendants have long hair, please tell them to pin it back. One of them kept pulling it out of her eyes and then scoop ice for the next passenger. When we reached Newark, NJ, two flight attendants were in the rear of the plane nowhere to be seen. The third one was at the front of the plane with her back towards the passengers. The fourth one was at the door with baggage in hand and with a very weak goodbye. By this time, it was approximately 8:40PM and we had a 10:20 connecting flight to BWI.
However, when we checked the departure board to see which gate we needed to proceed to, we found out our flight has now been changed to 11:43PM. After about an hour, we went to United Customer Assistance. There were two employees there, one was helping a customer. I went up to the other and waited, waited and waited. I could tell he was working on something, but I would at least expect a "I will be with you in a moment". I finally turned around and went back to where the line started. As I turned around and looked back at the agent, then he tells me to come back! I wanted to make sure that the plane was actually coming in and would be taking us to BWI since it was so late! We needed to advise our hotel at the BWI airport what the situation was again. He advised me he did not know, I should ask the agent at the gate and they would have more information. More great customer service!
When I did ask the agent upon boarding flight 4186 to BWI, she blamed it on Vice President Biden who came to the airport that day and it pushed all the flights back. Funny, there were only two other flights we noticed that were delayed. Right before this, they called everyone to board and another female agent came out of no where, saying something about carry-on luggage, tagged, cargo hold, put a green ticked on it. Everyone was looking at each other as she put green tags on our carry on and then moved on to the next, not telling us where to take them or pick them up. The male flight attendant on board flight 4186 spoke so fast and so low over the intercom that you could not understand half of what he was saying. Again, sounding like I want to get this day over with, just going through the motions. He wanted to get the day over with, he should have been in our shoes! All this to a full plane of passengers. No one ever explained why the plane was late coming in!
Your phone and airport ticket agents and other airport employees were very professional. Although we were booked to fly out of BWI to Coast Rica on United, your agent(s) first booked us on a flight that did not exist on the day of our first flight, March 5, 2012. We were then put on American Airlines and the senior flight attendants were very friendly and made you feel welcomed. The other problem we had, your computer system would not allow me print our boarding pass 24 hours in advance nor would it recognize my name and I could not reach an agent after trying for almost five hours. Therefore, on March 4, 2012, we booked a room and drove to BWI to see what the problem was. The agent there could not get my boarding pass to print, however, a manager was able to get one to print. At that point, I thought all was well until we returned to the airport at 4:30AM the morning of March 5th, only to be told our flight was not at 6:40AM and that was when they put us on American Airlines.
In conclusion, I feel that a flight attendant's job is to make the passengers as happy as possible and treat people with the same respect as they would like to be treated. The only way I will fly United Airlines again is if they are the only airline to my destination.
Reviewed March 23, 2012
A week ago, I described how United Airlines cancelled the leg of a flight I needed to connect to an international flight without rescheduling it. I also described how impossible it was to reach them at the phone number they had left for me to contact them. Eventually, my husband called our credit card company to see if we could get a refund since it did not look as if we were going to make our trip. The credit card company could not refund us as we had purchased our tickets more than 3 months prior to the date we were calling them about it, but they gave us a number for United and told us we would get through. We did after an hour and a half of waiting. Once we actually did communicate with a person, our problems were resolved very satisfactorily. We were re-routed, but actually made all our connections on time and with good service. Maybe after United irons out all the glitches resulting from the merger with Continental, getting through to them on the phone might be easier. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of our trip after our initial mega problem was resolved.
Reviewed March 22, 2012
Flight from Chicago to Detroit had mechanical problems. I was left on board with no air conditioning for roughly an hour and a half. I ended up late and ran into some personal problems due to the delay of about 2 hours. I would like to be compensated for my loss.
Reviewed March 21, 2012
Continental Airline's merger with United has resulted in changes to the OnePass program. OnePass Elite Silver members can no longer book seats near the front of the plane. We now have to pay $ for a better seat or wait until the day of the flight. As a long time flyer with Continental and a 10 + year OnePass member, I am outraged at this change in the program that is supposed to provide benefits to frequent flyers. It is a slap in the face to a very large and loyal customer base. I am no longer a loyal customer. A shame.
Reviewed March 21, 2012
I had my baggage smashed on our flight from Newark to Halifax. I made a formal report with Continental and have the paperwork here, but I have not heard from them. The attendant who filled out the report told me I would hear from someone in the next day or so. So far, not a word. My ticket number was **. It was a hard shell case with wheels and it was worth $100.00. I noticed on the pink slip I have, it states that void if not used within 30 days. My flight was on March 6, 2012. Airline UA 1419 from MCO to EWR. UA 4916 from EWR to MCO. That is what is on my pink paperwork. But I think it should have said UA 4916 from EWR to Halifax.
Could you please let me know the status of this as I have not heard anything regarding this damage report? Thank you.
Reviewed March 21, 2012
Trying to use my frequent flyer miles was almost impossible. I waited for over an hour several times, and I finally got someone from the Philippines, who was absolutely incompetent and very difficult to talk to and kept putting me on hold. It's complete confusion. I couldn't use the internet, as I did not have my new frequent flyer number or PIN, and I was unable to get new ones. At one point, I contacted customer service, who finally told me they were too busy to talk and said "Goodbye." After two days of complete frustration, I finally got my reservations; and when I printed one of them, it was 21 pages long with one or two lines on each page. Really?!
Reviewed March 20, 2012
We missed the connecting plane due to unknown delays by United. We got to the airport in Baton Rouge, LA and for some reason the flight was moved to 25 minutes later. We looked out the window and there’s no plane. Then, we’re altogether one hour late and our connecting flight leaves at 12:55, in which we got there 1 pm to Houston. We did not make the flight, not to mention we had to travel a half hour through the huge airport. The 2nd plane was going to Boston at 1:30; the desk people said it was too late to get that one. Then, they said next flight is 4:55, which is 4 hours and we are going to miss the person picking us up at Logan Airport because they work at night. We made it to Boston like 11:00 and it was not good. After all that, our bags are missing after watching the last piece of luggage taken off. We went to the luggage counter and they said our bags have been there from another plane. There is no communication to know what is going on from A to B. Please assist.
Reviewed March 19, 2012
I would like to investigate if the above mentioned airlines are involved in price-fixing, specifically after the official merger was completed between United and Continental. For the last 2 to 3 years, the airfare between Chicago and Houston has fluctuated between a low of $175 to high of $250, for advance bookings (3 weeks in advance). After the merger was completed, the prices now range from $323-$363 for the same advance fares. I would like to find out how to investigate this claim. There are lots of airfare sales going on, but between these two "hub" cities, prices have doubled!
Reviewed March 19, 2012
Atrocious customer service and inexcusable disrespect: After waiting in line (like a good and fair customer) for 20 minutes, I made it to the front, only to be directed to a kiosk by an uninformed and rude UA representative. I told her my goal was to purchase a ticket (at the counter) and that I needed to do so today to complete the process for travel (required of my military unit) for War College training at Carlisle Barracks, PA. She said, "the staff was not trained to process tickets that were not booked online", which is ridiculous. She then went on to say that the time required to support my needs "would not be fair for others in line". What? She then instructed me to leave and come back after I had reserved a ticket, online or via the 1-800 number, which she gave me. I proceeded to make the reservation via 1-800-523-3273 and returned to the desk/kiosk and alerted another member of the staff that my ticket had been booked and need to make the purchase.
This second ** then went a step further and told me "you'll just have to wait until we clear out all these people" Of course, that was not acceptable. So I went to another kiosk and demanded service, thereby encountering a third brief verbal altercation. However, eventually, the individual did manage to get my ticket processed and a flight assigned. I was humiliated and furious. The management was contacted (per my request) and took more than 20 minutes to come forward to hear me complain. I informed him of the experience. He was apologetic on behalf of UA. Nevertheless, process defects are rampant and obvious. The so-called leader reiterated that his staff was unskilled/untrained ("in booking tickets"), as an explanation for this horrible event. I asked him what would be done to rectify this situation and the unprofessional behavior of his team. He said that he would address the issue (whatever that means).
Bottom line and my final words to him: "I am a board certified surgeon and a lieutenant colonel in the Army of the United States. I expect nothing more than the respect that I demonstrate to the customers I serve everyday, particularly while I am doing it in the service and defense of a nation. Get your process in control. Educate and train your staff. Teach them about courtesy and respect". As I left, I had to wonder if the cavalier and careless effort to provide quality customer care correlated with their perceptions of my ethnicity/race. I was the only African American in the line (just until I walked away). Then someone who appeared to be of the same background joined the ever-growing line of customers. The same "ever-growing" line for which I was told to wait. There is simply no excuse and I do expect an official apology from the airline.
I will never fly with UA again! That is, after I use the remaining voucher. Just so you know, the voucher, I might add, is one I did not need or seek but accepted as compensation for allowing a married couple to utilize my seat earlier in December 2011. In that case, United Airlines, as common practice, overbooked the flight (which occurs all too frequently) and actually planned to deny (or at least expressed intentions in doing so) the newlyweds' joint travel to their scheduled post-nuptial events. Just doing my part to help. It seems that I have done much more to support UA than UA has ever done to support me. Your advertisements (regarding customer care and quality service) are absolutely false and should be considered a major breach, and even fraudulent. Also, needless to say, the negative event and interactions mentioned above, obviously, became a small public spectacle and played with the dignity of a military officer, good customer and more especially, a man attempting to arrange business travel. I should hope no one else suffers the embarrassment that I experienced today. Fix this craziness now!
Reviewed March 18, 2012
I just want other people to be aware of this scam by United Airlines frequent flyers Mileage Plus program. I want to make it perfectly clear that I never had any problems with Continental or their One Plus frequent flyers program. It was always a pleasure with no problems ever dealing with Continental. But ever since United merger, the whole program and overall service from United, has been unsatisfactory.
Because of a worker’s computer issue in California, I've been flying back & forth from NJ every year for the past 4 years, accumulating over 24,000 frequent flyer miles. If I can accumulate less than 1,000, then I earn a free round trip in US.
Besides flying, there are other ways to earn miles. I frequently get emails about special promos to earn miles, mostly from shopping online at their Mileage Plus Mall. When their New Year’s promo promised 500 bonus miles in addition to the regular miles earned from shopping at online mall, it would be enough to earn me the free flight. So when I spent over $80 at SHOES.COM, where you earned 4x the miles. I thought there would be no problems with my account being credited. Especially, since I made sure to click the icon on the email, to start the shopping process.
After 2 months of getting the run around by customer services reps, they kept promising me that it took at least 40 days to get the miles credited to my account. After waiting the 40 days, I contacted them again, asking why I still didn't get miles. Their response this time was they needed e-receipt and 2 weeks to process. So I forwarded the e-receipt and waited. But still, no miles. Again, I contact them. Their response now is that their records show that I didn’t click the icon, which is an absolute lie, so I am not entitled to miles and the free flight that I earned for being a loyal customer.
I replied back to them with what they can do with their miles. Hopefully, I can earn the free flight from a different source. I won’t be flying with United! I won't ever spend another dollar with them again. When I have to fly to California this summer for workers comp exam, it will be with one of their rivals.
Reviewed March 18, 2012
I had a flight out of Reno, NV via San Franciso, CA. It was snowing so they de-iced the plane twice, which caused the flight to be delayed. Because of this, the connecting flight from San Francisco, CA to Ontario, CA had left prior to us getting there. I had to sit in the airport for eight hours until the next flight to Ontario, CA. When it was time for the next flight to take off, they informed me that the pilot didn't show up to fly. By this time, I have been sitting for over eight hours. I did get another flight, but it won't get to Ontario until after 12 pm. My little three-hour flight just turned into a 15-hour flight from hell. I will never fly United and I will not recommend them in any way, shape, or form. This was the worst thing I have ever been through!
Reviewed March 17, 2012
My wife and I booked a flight to London but had to cancel. The ticket was nonrefundable but when I cancelled the reservation, the United agent said that we had one year to use the funds for the purchase of another ticket. All we had to do was remember the reservation (booking) number. We called and gave them the booking number to apply the funds to a new flight. The agent said that the ticket was cancelled because we didn't cancel the flight reservation.
I did cancel the flight reservation. I was told, "Oops, system down, call again in 24 hours." We called again and this time, the agent said that the merger was causing record transfer difficulties and delays. After three hours on hold and another hour of a supervisor calling someone else, she gave me the contact information for customer relations. I called twice for a total of another five hours on hold with no pick up. I emailed customer relations without response.
I am now ready to go to small claims court if they do not reply to a registered letter. I'm not a casual traveler. I've been a premier member of United for 25 years! United has the worst customer service of any airline and I travel a lot.
Reviewed March 16, 2012
The merger between United Airlines and Continental Airlines has been the biggest debacle I have ever witnessed. The computer system is in complete disarray and the customer service departments are next to nonexistent with hold times up to seven hours in some cases. I was on hold on Monday for over five hours before being disconnected. This is the norm since the computer merger on the 3rd of March. Our promised Premier status has been dumped and long time frequent flyers are being completely ignored.
My UA Mileage Plus Credit Card, which carries with it Free Baggage from UA and priority boarding, just two of the promised perks when booking a flight with it, are now worthless as the card has been dropped from United Airlines' own website as a payment option. Hence, we are now being charged for baggage and being relegated to the last boarding groups. Agents at the ticket counters are clueless and say they can't help. Even they are apparently being forced to use worthless 800 numbers only to be disconnected themselves. The anger and frustration of thousands of passengers is palpable and I want to know what recourse we have.
Reviewed March 16, 2012
Pitiful, I'm unable to buy a ticket on the website. Mumbai is of no help either. The elite "private lines" don't answer, disconnected or roll over to Mumbai. Are they kidding?
Reviewed March 15, 2012
Nothing is like being held hostage by Continental/United Airlines. We are currently trying to book a flight for our family summer vacation using miles. We had to cancel our initial reservation due to personal conflicts and rebook. Our mileage was not put back into our account and after countless hours (3 to 4 hrs) of being on hold with the "Mileage Plus" program to find why our miles had not been re-deposited, we were told that we need to contact reservations. The agent was very curt and said she was going to transfer the call to reservations. When she returned to the line, she said there weren't any available lines to reservations that I would need to try and contact them myself. She then disconnected the call.
The next day, I called the reservation line and once again experienced a 2 to 3 hour hold time, only to be told that I needed to contact the Mileage Plus program. When I explained that I had already done so and was told to contact reservations, the agent said she could not help me, period. I then had to re-contact the Mileage Plus program and spent several more hours trying to get through, only to be told that I would be placed on hold, as the reservations department would handle this matter. At this point, I was extremely frustrated and after another 1.5 hour wait to no avail, I disconnected the call.
Several days later, the miles were finally re-deposited. Now, we are faced with the dilemma of trying to ticket the flight. Every time we log onto our account to complete the ticketing process, the website will not complete the purchase and we receive an email stating that if we do not receive another email confirming the purchase within 3 hours, we need to contact United directly. The issues with this, the flights are only held until midnight the following day and if the reservation has not been completed by that time, the reservation expires. What is a person supposed to do if they are unable to complete the reservation process? There are not enough hours in the day to stay on hold with United in hopes that someone will finally take the call. This merger is catastrophic and I hope Mr. ** is held accountable for this disaster. I make approximately 40 round trip flights a year and given the choice, I will no longer fly "United".
Reviewed March 15, 2012
My husband and I were scheduled to fly Continental from GSP South Carolina to GVA Switzerland through Newark tomorrow. Unfortunately, between the times we bought our tickets and now Continental merged with the worst airline on earth: United. We confirmed our flight this morning and not two hours later, a United computer called to tell us that the first leg of our flight had been cancelled, making it impossible to catch the second leg. The computer left us a number to call and apologized for our inconvenience. As far as I can tell, in order to save money during the merger, United fired all its and Continental's employees, for no one ever picks up the phone.
The other night we stayed on the phone for three hours to change our seats, which we never did because no one ever picked up. We read on the internet that people have stayed up to 12 hours on the phone to no avail and that even travel agents had trouble getting through. At the moment, we've pretty much lost our flights. Mercifully, we paid by credit card and will contest; moreover, we got insurance. Getting money back from United would probably involve talking to a person and it has been established that that is not an option. I will go around the world to get somewhere before I ever fly United (not again because I've never done it). United's behavior is extreme; unfortunately, it is endemic to the world we have created for ourselves. Bring back regulation. This little experiment in "free market flying" has failed miserably: it's not free, it's not market determined, it's not profitable and it's obviously not flying.
Reviewed March 14, 2012
Cancelled Flights, lost baggage, misinformation: After our one week vacation in Mexico, we arrived at Cancun airport. The ticket agent called over his supervisor and they proceeded to work at their terminal, spoke Spanish and looked very concerned. After a half hour, they informed us that our connecting flight out of Chicago had been cancelled, that they were able to find us another flight but we would need to make another connection in Toronto, switch airlines to AC and we wouldn't be home until 3AM the next day. Our option was to overnight in Chicago and they would try and get us a direct flight from there to our home in Halifax, NS the next day. With no other choice and time running out, we accepted these changes, made our way quickly to Duty Free and boarded our flight with moments to spare.
We landed in Chicago and were told we had to pick up our bags, contrary to what we were told in Cancun. We collected our bags and then corralled through customs and eventually connected with "unfriendly" United reps at the bottom of an escalator, insisting we put our baggage on a conveyor belt if we were connecting to another flight. We asked if we could speak to a ticket agent as our boarding passes needed to be reconfirmed and reprinted for the remainder of our journey. This ticket agent had a lot of difficulty finding our new flight changes and called Air Canada to confirm they had room for us out of Toronto. There was no link made and this was the problem apparently. She then spent another 20 minutes trying, unsuccessfully, to reprint our boarding passes and reminded that our baggage would go straight through to Halifax.
The luggage was taken and we made it to security with minutes to spare where our Duty Free was taken from us because no one explained that it was to be put in our "checked" baggage. We went back to United ticketing to ask if there was something they could do and we were told we had to pay $45 to check our two bottles! We arrived in Toronto and once again, were informed that we indeed had to get our luggage again. We waited at carousal for 1/2 an hour, no baggage of course, had to fill out forms after running around looking for help from someone as to what we were to do about missing bags before boarding our next flight. When we arrived at the gate to board with AC, they couldn't find our reservation, no link they said.
The flight with AC was very nice and comfortable, which was appreciated after 16 hours of complete nonsense and frustration. No surprise that our bags weren't in Halifax and weren't delivered to our home (by Air Canada) two days later. First and last time that I'll fly with United!
Reviewed March 13, 2012
I booked hotel in conjunction with flight through United website; hotel was Hilton chain. I cancelled over seven days in advance and was told there were no cancellations (even though it's stated on Hilton policy allows for cancellation in this time-frame). United is using Travelscape (Travelnow), a low-budget group to handle reservations/cancellations. This is undisclosed when using the United reservation service. I am out nearly $400 for a reservation which would typically be an easy cancellation with no penalty!
Reviewed March 13, 2012
It’s unbelievable! I was charged twice, and I had to wait over an hour on the phone to talk about the overcharge on my credit card. This company has a serious problem. I will never fly United Airlines again! I have never been as frustrated as this business transaction. I honestly do not know how they stay in business. It is 3 AM, and I am still on hold. Never again will I use United.
Reviewed March 12, 2012
I came back from the Azores, Portugal, visiting my son in the Air Force. I bought a few gifts. I went to Tercira to Lisbon to Newark to Chicago. On my last leg Chicago to Lincoln, NE, the ticket agent noticed my baggage was 8 lbs over. She said I had to take out 8 lbs, or pay $100. You can imagine with all the people looking at me and waiting, I was very intimidated. What am I going to do with 8 pounds of clothes? I had no way to carry it. So I handed over my credit card. She got frustrated, and started in on me for having too much in my bag. I had one full carry-on already.
I packed my gifts to bring home is what put me over, and from Tercira island To Chicago, no one ever said a thing. I got to feeling beat-up, when your line agent, “R emailed me for his name” came up and asked what was the hold up, and the ticket agent complained about my bag and waved my credit card at him. He looked at me, handed me a plastic bag, and said “let’s save you some money, and fix up a second carry on with 8 pounds of your clothes”. That was awesome. I pulled out some jeans and a coat. The luggage is then 50 lbs. That was a 5-star service, and it made my day. That was a simple and swift answer. He was looking out for me. Thanks a lot R. It was a nice trip, over all.
Reviewed March 12, 2012
I am beyond angry with the type of service we, as consumers, have been experiencing in the last couple of weeks. I understand that Continental and United are going through a merger but the planning and the execution of this merger is causing this company to lose many customers.
I am a Gold Elite member, travel exclusively Continental for work/personal reasons but I am now considering going to another airline. I have been on the phone trying to reach an agent since Friday for an average of an hour a day and still have not been able to speak to anyone. I work in the financial industry and I am well aware of what it takes to execute a merger. I am sad to see that both companies are risking losing many clients because of bad planning and execution. The merger of their systems happened over a week ago and we are still experiencing these waiting times of over an hour.
Reviewed March 12, 2012
I have tried for 3 days to get through to a customer service agent with no luck. Over 3 hours on wait queue. I was denied One Pass Silver elite priority boarding by United agent in San Diego. I was told she was only following procedure. This is a benefit of frequent flying and One Pass Elite membership. It was ignored by United.
What the ** is going on! United Mileage Plus system is not carrying over One Pass information. I have to enter credit card info over and over when purchasing new tickets. 30 years flying and this is the biggest mess I have ever seen resulting from a merger. The refusal to honor pre-boarding of One Pass elite members, a benefit that I really enjoy because over head room for carry on is a joke these days, that’s just plain **.
Reviewed March 11, 2012
Where do I send a complaint with regards to unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices as it relates to baggage fees? United/Continental website clearly states that a ski bag is a courtesy; however, when you arrive at the terminal, they charge you a fee anywhere from $25 to $35 coming and going. I was charged a total of $70. The supervisor acknowledged that there are always issues with the interpretation of the baggage fee free allowances.
If they know if there is a problem, why haven't they made the rules clear to the consumer? I was told that the courtesy only applies to an empty ski bag. Please, who checks an empty ski bag? On the website, they allow a fee free bag for a ski boot bag with the boots in the bag. Why is it different for skis? I think my complaint falls under DOT violation of section 41712. Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings (Enforcement Office) considers to violate section 399.84 and/or to be unfair and deceptive and/or an unfair method of competition in violation of 49 U.S.C. 41712. I have a PDF screenshot of the website if they happen to change the wording by the time this complaint is read.
Reviewed March 11, 2012
I am a OnePass member and am desperately trying to receive credit from Continental for 3 of my 4 flights with Lufthansa in September 2011. I was in contact with OnePass since September, sending them emails - nothing helped and recently they quit answering my requests. Please check this issue.
Reviewed March 10, 2012
15 flight cancellations in one day! United really stinks and I'll never fly with them again. They cancelled my flight today without notifying me and booked me on a flight 2 days later and just assumed I would be satisfied! I did a little research and I saw from flightaware.com that they cancelled 15 flights today alone and the day is not over! I think the United/Continental merger will put them both out of business. Do not fly United again, I won't.
Reviewed March 10, 2012
Pasted below is the final form I filed on United Airlines’ website "customer feedback". It is now six days later and the only thing I have received was a bounce back message saying this website form was received. My husband has another tale this morning of the endless loop of customer service holds. He was on hold about another 1.5 hours today and got a "reservations" rep to admit that there would never be a live person to talk to who can authorize a refund and tell us the amount. The only live people are in "reservations." Truly, an Orwellian experience. I feel like I am in a Terry Gilliam movie and there is no escape. We would love to participate in a class action suit with all those affected March 3, 2012 by the computer "integration." Below is what went into their United's 256 character web form for customer feedback.
We are seeking reimbursement for 5 tickets purchased 3/4/2012 for United flight 5561Y (3/3/2012) from Aspen to Denver that was delayed for mechanical problems. It took off 75 minutes late. We ran to catch our connecting flight #541Y in Denver, which also had been delayed. When arrived at the gate, the plane was stopped 20 feet from the jet way. We watched it pull away. It was the last United flight to Boston for 3/3. I stood in customer service line at DIA for 2.5 hours. The service rep then scheduled us for flight #739Y on 3/4 at 8:48 am to Chicago, connecting to Boston, arriving late afternoon.
Meanwhile, my husband held 1.5 hours on phone to reach a UA service rep. He hung up after I got tickets. We slept in a hotel in Denver and woke early to get the flight, only to find that it had been canceled. No reason given, although internet stories indicated that UA was having computer integration problems. There were no weather issues at DIA that morning. I held one hour to reach a UA service rep who said we could take a later flight to connecting to Boston and arriving around 11 p.m. Knowing of the computer issues, and based on our experience thus far, we had no confidence that United would actually get us to Boston that day, which was imperative. So I told her we could not take that offer and that we would be purchasing tickets on another airline and that in order to compensate us appropriately for the experiences of the past 18 hours, we should be reimbursed the cost of those tickets.
She said she could only authorize reimbursement for the Denver to Boston portion of our trip (a total of $1179.10). Thus far I have received no notification that UA is reimbursing us that expense. She said that to seek additional compensation, I should contact a customer care manager 8:00-5:30 during Monday-Friday at 1-800-932-2732. I called that number today, was held for 50 minutes, and hung up because I had to get to a meeting. We understand that computer integration can cause problems and would be willing to chalk this up to a few bad days for United. However, folks, like my party of 5 who were greatly disadvantaged by the communications issues you were experiencing, should be reimbursed all of our extra costs. We are seeking $2,774.00 for 5 days of tickets purchased on Jet Blue. I also request a UA letterhead statement faxed to ** stating (1) the reason why flight 5561Y on 3/3 was delayed and (2) why flight # 739Y from Denver to Chicago was canceled on 3/4. Thank you.
Attorneys: please help. This is unconscionable. In front of me in the line on 3/3 was a couple from Amherst, NH who had been on the same Aspen plane and also missed the Denver connecting flight to Logan. That means there were at least 7 paid passengers on that plane and they should have known we had arrived at the airport. How could they take off without us? That's when our nightmare began.
Reviewed March 9, 2012
I was sitting in seat 4E on flight 1408. When the flight attendant came around to take orders for the meal service, she took the order from the person sitting next to me on the window, ignored me and proceeded to take meal order from the rest of the 1st class cabin. She then came back to me for my order. I asked for the chicken salad and was informed none were left. I asked why she didn't take my order when she initially was at my seat and she informed me that I did not fly with United enough and she needed to service the customer that have flown with United more frequently. I find this conduct highly disturbing as well as downright rude. I was flying on my award miles. I have a mileage balance of 95,000+ miles. My husband is Premier Elite Gold. How does the flight attendant know what my status is?
Reviewed March 8, 2012
I have been trying to rebook a return flight from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver, BC, and I’m unable to get through to an agent. I have been trying for 6 hours on Saturday, 4 hours on Sunday, 2 hours on Monday, 3 hours on Tuesday and now currently waiting to get through and at over 3 hours. What options does one have if you can't get through to an agent?
Reviewed March 7, 2012
Continental Airline's merger with United has resulted in changes to the OnePass program that cost the consumer even more money. When a OnePass Elite member goes to select a seat on a new flight, the computer program blocks out all of the seats near the front of the plane and only allows the member to either (a) pay $49 for a seat not in the back of the plane, or (b) take a seat in the last few rows of the plane. As a 30-year flyer with Continental and a 25-year OnePass member, I am outraged at this change in the program that is supposed to provide benefits to frequent flyers. It is outrageous and a slap in the face of a very loyal customer base. In short, the United-Continental merger is the best thing that ever happened to Southwest Airlines. I will never fly Continental again unless it is my only option!
Reviewed March 7, 2012
I have tried to call numerous times and keep getting cut off due to large volume of calls according to the recording. I was on United flight 1717 from Houston to San Diego. A very heavy lady sat down next to me, and while she did she sat on me I tried to pull away and could not. I asked her to move and her response was this: “Seat is made too small.” I told her she was sitting on me and needed her to move. She continued to ignore me and said, “Maybe you should move your seat,” and she began knitting and hitting me with every move. I moved my arm and then she was hitting me on my chest. Then, I went to an agent and asked them to find me a seat and that the lady hurt me while sitting on me and knitting. I waited in the back by the bathrooms until I was moved to another location. I have a right to have an entire seat to my self when I pay for a seat, so why should I get half a seat just because someone is much larger than the seat? You can contact me at **.
Reviewed March 7, 2012
While traveling with my 82 year old mother, we were unable to get seats together. No one would change seats, so we ended up sitting diagonally across from each other at opposite windows. She was in row 1, and I was in the row behind her on the opposite side at the window. The cabin crew on my flight was so disrespectful. It was insulting. When it came time to choose a meal, I was sleeping. The stewardess poked me and asked what my choice was. When I asked what the choices were, she curtly asked if no one gave me a menu. I guess she was the one who would have, so it must have been a rhetorical question. I simply said chicken, hoping that was a choice. When she came to my mother, there were no choices left. She said to her she would bring her a salad and bread. When my mother asked a question, she snapped back "I can't hear you". This happened 2 more times, at which point my mother told her not to bother.
The stewardess walked away annoyed, as if she had been inconvenienced. When the meal came, I wanted my mother to have mine. I asked the stewardess to offer it to her. She replied "that lady does not need to eat", not knowing she was my mother, or that we were traveling together. I asked her again. She replied "she does not need food". I then said to her "that is my mother, and I would like you to ask her if she would like my meal”. She then replied that there was a company regulation stating she could not offer her the meal. I got up to bring her the meal myself, but at that point, my mother and I were no longer interested in the meal at all.
I brought it to the galley kitchen handed it to the other staff member, and asked her if there was any such regulation. At that point, the stewardess told me she was calling the captain. I thought he was going to come out and speak to us. She made up a story that she did not feel safe, and needed to be in the back. She then had another crew member bring us a misconduct form, informing us she we were under some kind of observation for being a security threat. My mother is 5'2", and 82 years old. I am 53 years old, and not much of a threat. I found that this crew member’s ability to intimidate and harass a passenger was supported by the captain, and not handled properly.
In an age when we are under real threat, we cannot have this nonsense be a part of our lives. I also fly Continental on business (first class) 2 to 3 times a month. I will never fly this airline again, unless it is the only way to get somewhere. We got off the plane, and the captain obviously realized he had been made a fool of, but he never really apologized to my elder mother. Perhaps he could have been his snarky self with me, but to disrespect a senior was very disappointing.
Reviewed March 6, 2012
My family traveled to and from St. Croix. On the last leg of our trip we were informed that United only had 2 seats available for our flight home. We had started our travel the day before at 2 o'clock. Of course we demanded seats and were told that in no way could they supply them and that if we wanted a flight home, we would have to stay in Denver for 3 days before a flight was available. The alternative was waiting 8 hours for a flight to Bozeman, MT (we live in Gt. Falls) and pay for our own rental car to get home.
My wife and daughter took the two available seats and my 9-year-old son and I sat...waiting. We did not agree to be not seated. The airline gave us 4 $100 travel vouchers that can't be combined as compensation. Can you imagine, I need to pay for 4 other flights before being compensated? No compensation for rental car or hotel in Bozeman. Obviously this is not okay. I was given the airlines pamphlet on overselling seats. This states that all customers not given a flight to their destination within 4 hours, receive 4 times airfare not more than $1300 for compensation.
I paid an out-of-the-pocket amount of $78.00 plus gas for rental and $139.00 for hotel. I got into Bozeman around 9pm on Sunday and had been traveling for 38 hours, so didn't feel safe driving home in the dark in Montana, in February with my son. I have contacted United Airlines with no response. This is theft. They did not do what they were paid to do. I didn't even get to my final destination on their Dollar! Horrible airline...no wonder they are being bought out! Do not fly United! I will be hiring a lawyer.
Reviewed March 5, 2012
Lately, the hold wait has gone up to 45 minutes, and of course it all goes to India. You are not able to get an American on the telephone; consequently, another 30 minutes time may be added to your call. They have less and less staff and complain about helping you. They charge a ridiculous amount of money to fly but they want you to do it all. For example, they want you to do your reservations online as if everyone had a computer. They want you to print out your own ticket. They want you to sign yourself in and if you don't do any of the above, they get mad at you. The staff and stewardess are rude, obnoxious, intimidating, and complain themselves about the airlines! I went to the desk to check in and they refused to check me in because I was Continental although I was flying United. Sick greedy CEOs have ruined Continental and now United!
Reviewed March 5, 2012
First of all, I find myself using this forum to lodge my complaint because your OnePass Call Center wait time is not acceptable. I hung up after 45 minutes. My complaint: I recently flew to San Diego from Newark, NJ. On the return trip, several of us holding Silver Elite (Premier) tickets were not allowed priority boarding by United gate personnel. We had to wait and board by section like everyone else. When I challenged the gate person, she said she was only following United policy. I am a Silver Elite member. I pay annual membership for my Continental OnePass Plus card, and now I get to hear a United gate attendant tell me that this benefit of pre-boarding I once enjoyed is no longer applicable? What the heck is going on? Will I get a refund on part of my membership fees for loosing this and who knows what other privileges that I'm not aware of yet as a result of this merger?
Reviewed March 5, 2012
Like many Americans, United has been a part of generations of travel in my family. My dad has a lifetime Red Carpet Club membership from his days as CEO and President of Dymo Industries. Sadly today, this may come to an end. Never have I been so frustrated and disappointed by a company who supposedly prides itself on service. Today was the day of their merger yet for the almost eleven hours I spent trying to get through on the phone, I heard over and over again that I could expect the same great service and even better rewards.
I needed to change a flight that unfortunately for me was to fly out the Monday after their merger. Linda, the supervisor whom finally took care of the change, assured me that this would get better when things settled. However, this did not erase the complete disrespect for my time nor did she in any way offer any type of apologies for my nightmare experience. I have three emails into customer service abyss regarding this tragedy that began at two o’clock Saturday, March 3rd and did not resolve until 7:00pm Sunday, March 4th.
I had three phones in my house playing the United messages over and over like something out of a bad horror movie for over 3 hours on Saturday and finally gave up. Then today, after 1 hour 50 minutes, I got someone in a call center in India that must have been new on the job because he completely messed up everything he did. I then had to start the painful process over again to fix what he had done taking another 3 hours.
What I finally figured out was that if I chose the option of booking a ticket rather than changing a ticket, I was promptly (37 minutes) greeted by a native speaker in America. This is a horrible message to send to their customers. They take our money in America but to get it back, we need to go to India? Not OK!
After many excruciating hours and being horribly sick on top of all this (illness was the reason I had to change), I reached a very nice person who suggested I speak with a supervisor. She told me it would be about 20 minutes; it was 1 hour and 14 minutes. Linda (supervisor) in Houston did end up taking care of the change but could not have been less sympathetic and did not want to hear about my experience. She failed customer service 101. If you can’t do anything about it, at least apologize and let the customer vent.
What she should have done: Offered to waive the change fees or at least offer me some type of travel voucher to compensate me for my valuable time. If she does not have this type of authority, she should not be a supervisor. Puppet supervisors only aggravate a situation and especially this one. I have been with Verizon for 16 years because of their stellar customer service. I have ordered shoes from Zappos because of their award winning customer service. I myself have run a successful service business for 20 years because of our commitment to our customers.
Anticipating this merger, they should have set up extra call centers and instructed all of the reps to shine. Instead, they made me feel penalized for their merger and have now lost me and as many people as I can take with me for something that could have easily been avoided. Maybe they do need to enlist Tony Hsieh or at least have all your people read his book, Delivering Happiness. It really costs very little to keep a customer and so much to lose one. Shame on you United for turning the once friendly skies into the most unfriendly skies in the air.
Reviewed March 4, 2012
We booked our vacation trip to include flight reservations with their airline on Oct. 3rd, 2011, paid in full, money in their pocket.
On our return, the flight leaving San Antonio to Dulles airport went smoothly with the exception of a non-working lavatory (really). There are many people with medical issues which obviously would make this a very uncomfortable flight or worse! On arriving at Dulles, we only had a few minutes before boarding our connecting flight to Rochester, New York. Once at our gate, we approached the desk attendant to discover they did not have any seats left. We were told that they had overbooked the flight (Quote: their policy) and they would make an announcement before beginning to board hoping other customers would give up their seats and stay behind for a credit of $400 towards another flight with United.
With takeoff time drawing near, they began boarding the aircraft. During this procedure, they informed us that they did not have four seats available. They requested we leave at least one of our family members/friends behind. There are four (4) of us! Not only behind, also not having any knowledge of when they could return to Rochester since there were no available seats on any other flight for the next couple days (minimum)! We were offered one (1) voucher for $400 towards another United flight good only within the next year and a taxi ride to a hotel. Why would anyone fly United after being treated this way and it’s awfully bold and presumptuous of them dictating if and when we would be capable of using the voucher? We are people, not cattle and have no idea what life will bring in the next year.
After quickly discussing the situation and considering all factors in our circumstance, between the four of us, we decided the best alternative was for all of us to stay, rent a car (from Hertz costing us an additional $370) driving back to Rochester airport, where our luggage and vehicle would be waiting for us.
(1.) We were not going to leave one person behind (how ludicrous is that). (2.) We all had to return to work the next day (otherwise losing time and pay) which unfortunately none of us can afford. (3.) Our luggage was on its way back to Rochester leaving us without any of our clothing/personal items. (4.) We brought only enough meds (to include pain medication and blood pressure meds) for the day in our carry on so medically we were in trouble!
In stating all of the above, we do not understand how a company would knowingly put its customers in such a position. Their employees were not helpful and seemingly indifferent to the situation. The gentleman whom referred to himself as the supervisor kept repeating it was their policy to overbook and they had every right to do so leaving us stranded. United/Continental had no problem taking our money last October for those seats and we trusted in them to have those waiting for us on the exact day and time we confirmed them for.
We believe it is only right and fair for the four (4) of us to be compensated (refunded) for our additional costs (rental car) and the 4 seats flying from Dulles to Rochester of which we were forced to not use as they would not let us on the airplane!
Reviewed March 4, 2012
Last March 31, my husband and I were booked on United flights out of O'Hare, to go to San Jose Costa Rica (SJO), to visit our son, who was in graduate school there. On March 30, when I went to print our boarding passes, I realized, much to my horror, that I had booked us (several months earlier) to San Jose California (SJC) instead. The flight times and cost were not much different, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary. In a panic, I called United Airlines, and a wonderful reservation clerk helped me find flights the next day, that were approximately twice what our original tickets had been.
She told me that she could give me a travel waiver that we have to use in the next year, but that the travel waiver would be for the full $810.60, and would allow us to avoid the horrendous charges (I think they were approximately $300) that we would have been charged for changing our tickets at that time. I accepted her offer. The problem now is that even though I've spent more than 3 hours on the website, I cannot figure out how to utilize our voucher, and with the deadline drawing near (only 26 days away), I am panicked that I could lose the waiver. After not being able to figure out the webpage, I contacted customer service last week, and got an electronic response that they have no record of the waiver.
Please help me. I don't know which way to turn. I am not asking for any additional compensation, I only want to be able to utilize the $860.10 waiver that I am entitled to. Please show me how!
Reviewed March 3, 2012
On January 12th, I flew from Shanghai, China to Chicago, IL (ORD). The weather was not great in Chicago but there were still flights taking off and this flight landed 30 minutes early. I was a 50-minute flight away from being home. I was told by a lady named Georgina in Chicago that my flight was canceled and they could not get me on another flight until the next day.
I have been staying in China for over a year now, and I did not have any cell phone service nor did I have any USD currency with me. She told me there was nothing she can do because the flight was canceled due to the weather. She told me to use a credit card to book a hotel and that it was on my own expense. I had to stay in a hotel that cost me $350.00 that I cannot afford to spend. I have had this flight booked for over 2 months and I was told in China, 18 hours before my flight to Cleveland was going to be taking off, that this flight was "pending" because the flight wasn't full.
Now, I was told two different reasons on why this flight was canceled. I understand safety, but this was clearly a decision that was based many hours before the flight was to actually take off. There were still other flights leaving (and continued to leave that night) at the time I found out my flight was canceled. I have always used Continental as I do much flying, but my flights are constantly being canceled or rerouted. I also booked a return trip back to China, going the same route (CLE-ORD-Shanghai) and now, my itinerary just shows ORD - Shanghai. Somehow, my flight to ORD from CLE was canceled/missing. I spent over $1,350.00 on this flight and now, it has cost me hundreds more.
I am also a member of the Continental Plus but will be canceling my membership as soon as possible. I have sent the above email 4 times to various email addresses provided on Continental's website. All of these emails have gone unanswered.
Reviewed March 1, 2012
We flew from Pittsburgh to Chicago early morning on February 9, 2012 and made it on time. We were waiting for our 9:20 am flight to Honolulu to take off. At around 8:45 am, the attendant made an announcement that there would be a delay for a mechanical issue with the air conditioner. We got updates hourly (about 10:00, 11:00, and noon with no new news). Then around 1 pm, they announced they were going to board us and we boarded around 1:30 pm. We boarded and taxied to the runway, but before we could take off, they said the mechanical problem was still there. After another wait, we taxied back to a different gate around 3 pm. Then they said they thought we would take off around 6 pm.
Then around 4:30 pm, they announced that they were cancelling the flight. We were relatively lucky and got in line to rebook. We were about 12 people back in line. They booked us on a flight to San Diego that night (February 9) and they we flew out in the morning from San Diego around 9 am to Honolulu. We ended up arriving in Honolulu around 2 pm on Friday February 10 when we were supposed to land around 2 pm on Thursday February 9. [That is over a 24 hour delay]. And when we arrived in Honolulu, our bags had not arrived yet, they came about an hour later. I had already paid for a house for the weekend and a rental car in Oahu. That put me back at least $350.
Also, we had major issues getting our rental car because we were over a day late, even though we had called them. It was a major hassle. In addition, we lost a whole day in Oahu, when we were only staying for four days. We were not able to see or do some of the things we wanted to do because we lost a whole day. We did not get to see Pearl Harbor or Waikiki. While each person in our party got 2 $15 meal vouchers while we were delayed and then they put us up in a San Diego hotel for the night, we did not get a compensation for our missed day in Oahu.
On our way home from Kauai on Tuesday February 21 (we changed islands in the middle of our trip, it was part of our itinerary), we had a 2 pm flight to San Fransisco from Kauai. That flight was delayed over three hours and it did not take off until 5:30, which made us miss our connecting flight out of San Fransisco at 11 pm. We were then put on another flight to Denver then home to Pittsburgh. We were supposed to be home around 10 am on February 22 but did not land until close to 2:30 pm. They also gave us 2 $15 meal vouchers per person and a hotel room in San Francisco.
Reviewed March 1, 2012
We arrived at the San Jose Cabo, Mexico Airport two hours and 40 minutes before our flight departure on Saturday, February 25, 2012, Airline Continental. There were at least 30 people behind us on line. When the four of us approached the counter and the woman at the ticket counter tried to process our bags, she told us the flight was over booked and our 15-year old daughter could not get on the plane. She told us we got to the airport too late and we needed to be there three hours before the departing time. I asked about the 30 people behind me and I never heard three hours and their website says two hours. She was very rude and kept telling us lies. She then said, "Go to the boarding gate and see if you can get on." We were told there that there was no seat for her. At this point, my daughter was crying and traumatized thinking she would be left in Mexico alone.
My husband decided he would stay behind because we had no other choice. I had said the four of us wanted to stay together as a family and they told us the next day flight was also overbooked and the chance of four of us getting on the next day flight was slim and they could not guarantee the one seat either. We were told they would take my husband's bag off the plane, that never happened. He had no luggage. After the three of us boarded the plane, I spoke to many passengers and they admitted getting on line after me without any pre-printed boarding passes. This airline was so rude and traumatized my daughter. She does not want to get on a plane again. I am staying clear of this Continental Airlines.
Reviewed Feb. 29, 2012
On July 26, 2011, my husband and I flew into Newark, NJ on Continental Airlines and no pilot showed up for the connection to Portland, ME. Rather than finding a new pilot, the flight was canceled. At customer service we were told there were no available seats into Portland, me for three days. We then reluctantly accepted a flight into Boston, MA and were told we could catch a bus from Boston into Portland, ME and we would be reimbursed for the bus fare. A delay on the flight into Boston, MA caused us to arrive around 1:00 AM which thus caused us to miss the last bus to Portland. After calling 12 hotels and being told there were no rooms available, we were forced to spend a miserable and sleepless night in the airport.
We filed a complaint along with receipts for the bus fare and a request for compensation for spending a sleepless night in the airport. This has been pending since July 2011 (over 7 months at this writing) and all we have received is a standard postcard saying sorry for the inconvenience. We have not even received reimbursement for the bus fare. Not only were the Continental flights unreliable by not providing a pilot, but their customer service has been literally non-existent and an insult. After reading several other complaints, I see that avoidance seems to be their standard practice.
Reviewed Feb. 29, 2012
I had a paper ticket, state ID and passport and was not allowed on CO5025 on Feb. 22, 2012 at 9:30 because the gate attendant said she could not find me in the computer. It was the 3rd leg and 4th airport of the day which began at 4:30AM. I was flying to be with my 15-year old son before surgery. The flight was not full and she issued me a pass for the next day. I missed seeing him before surgery. Also, I had to spend $220 on the only not sold out room under $400! I was not offered any food vouchers or hotel stay. The attendant said, "look lady, I don't have you in the computer". I burst into tears knowing I would miss seeing him and she rolled her eyes. I want a full refund in cash to help cover costs of the overnight stay. There is no reason with a boarding pass and ID that I was not allowed on an empty flight. It was a nightmare.
Reviewed Feb. 23, 2012
Due to circumstances beyond my control as I managed a family emergency, I was unable to get to the airport in time to catch my flight. I did, however, try to contact Continental Airlines to notify them and to arrange to change my flight to the next day. I understand there might be a fee for this change. After two hours of waiting on the phone (while at the local hospital), I remained on hold and was unable to talk to a human to make a change. My mobile phone battery subsequently died and I was forced to take up the flight change the next day. While I was fully prepared to purchase a one way ticket to get to my San Antonio destination, I found (after finally speaking with an agent) that not only did I lose my ticket to San Antonio, but Continental cancelled my return flight ticket as well and refused any compensation.
This is a horrible scam on the part of Continental and needs to be stopped. I did have to buy a completely new ticket, but did so on another airline at twice the cost of my original. At this point, Continental owes me $500 for the difficulties and expenses they have caused. I am considering small claims court.
Reviewed Feb. 21, 2012
On February 17, 2012 passengers were notified about 6 pm by the departure board that flight 4759, scheduled to depart at 8:30, was delayed. Over the next hour, the departure time kept shifting later and later without so much as a word from the airline attendant at the gate. Finally, when the flight was delayed until 10 pm, she announced that there were mechanical problems with the plane, and that it had not left NYC. She said the times posted were just an estimate, and she would let us know when the plane took off.
Since there was so much time between the current time and the scheduled departure, I asked if they could bring another plane to Cleveland. But no attempt ever seemed to be made to do that. The times continued to shift out. And when it was indicated that departure was at 11 pm, I asked to be rescheduled and for a hotel voucher and was denied. I made a fuss and finally that was done. I was angry at the callous disregard for the customers. There were no apologies, no offers to reschedule, and no attempts to find another plane. As a result, I was stuck in Cleveland overnight with no luggage, and missed my daughter’s final high school swim meet of the season. I will not fly Continental again unless there are no other options.
Reviewed Feb. 21, 2012
I was traveling on Continental. The flight was delayed. I was put on board United. The delay was 2 hours instead of 40 minutes and the flight to Vegas was 5 hours instead of 3.5 hours. Also, I was traveling with husband and we did not sit anywhere near each other and all seven of us had middle seats w/ strangers for five hours in the air when our original flight was Continental and no middle seats.
Reviewed Feb. 20, 2012
I must be honest: I’m working in the travel and service industry myself. I'm going to have to express my disappointment with Continental Airlines. I have flown 13 flights in the last two months with 6 different airlines and Continental has been a huge disappointment. Firstly, on all other flights I have been on there is a crew member standing at the entrance of the plane welcoming you on board, not one person presents (disappointing but can understand). When during the safety briefing we had a blonde air hostess standing and leaning against the panel with her arms folded--professional? Then the inflight entertainment was not working for about 4 hours into a 9-hour flight and we had two very young kids extremely restless in front of us. No fault of the kids; just again disappointed.
Then I tried to plug my laptop into the plug points provided on the plane and guess what—it’s not working with the inflight entertainment. Fine, but two screaming kids--no way to get away. I pushed the help button to get a hostess to inquire about something and it took 2 hours and 15 minutes for anyone to come to assist (extremely disappointed now). Then the last thing that really upset me was that my girlfriend is vegetarian and we wanted to get a vegetarian meal. Guess what? We could not have one even on the charging menu you can't get a vegetarian meal apart from a cheese plate. We understand that we should have requested a meal prior, but we did not. Again, the flight attendant could not even relay the message back, give feedback or anything. They did not even know what meals they were serving as we were one of the first to be served. All I can say is, wow. Finally, I will never fly again with them.
Reviewed Feb. 19, 2012
Continental changed my departure time of my originating city, and made my layover in the 2nd city before I go to Europe very short, less than 30 minutes. I have been trying to change to another departure time from the originating city. I tried online, and they automatically sent a message to call customer service. I have been trying to call customer service for more than 8 days. 3 times, they would answer they are busy and hang up. The other three times I would wait at a minimum 1.5 -2.5 hours without answer. Then my phone's battery dies. Until now, I cannot reach them. Since United took over, Continental's service is absolutely horrible. I have been a Continental customer for the last 17 years, with close to a million miles, and now I am really questioning if I should stay with them. At a minimum, what Continental can do is to give you an option to leave your contact information or phone number, and they would call you when they can within 12 hours or so. Even the government has this option for God's sake. If they are really that busy, then hire more people to answer or fix your website.
Reviewed Feb. 18, 2012
I was terribly discriminated and threatened by the United flight attendant Dustin on flight **, February 9, 2012. I requested a cup of OJ and a cup of water when drinks were served. Dustin refused to offer me water. Below are the ridiculous lies that he gave to me.
He said that he can only serve one drink per customer at the first round, so he could only offer OJ but not water. A few minutes later after the first round beverage serving, he told me that he could not serve water because the plane was ready for landing but he and another flight attendant had two serving rounds afterwards. Then he said that he ran out of Coke. I requested Coke to replace water after repeated refusal; he later gave me an opened coke and claimed that another customer did not want it, so he could give it to me. Then he asked me to remove the napkin from my used cup so he could pour the coke. I was simply stunned and speechless! How could he possibly treat a customer like that?
I was also terribly threatened by Dustin who told me that he would send me to authorities after landing after I pushed the service button twice, asking for water. I flew quite often on business and pleasure, and this is absolutely unheard of, the worst, horrible, harassing, and discriminated experience of my whole life! I did not argue with him on the flight as I did not want to disturb other customers. However, I am writing to formally complain now, so similar cases would not happen to other flying customers, to request removal of Dustin from his duty in air and request a full refund!
Reviewed Feb. 17, 2012
My 73-year-old handicapped mother was left at Chicago O'Hare Airport on February 13, 2012 sitting on a wheelchair. According to the United Airline staff, the attendant either took her to the wrong gate or the aircraft was at the wrong gate. They could not give me an answer. Her ticket clearly stated "special services: cannot descend." Accommodations were clearly made with United Airlines prior to her arrival there and clearly written on her ticket! She had to stay there for hours until another flight could take her to her destination.
She was a nervous upset mess, and the only compensation was a $15.00 food coupon!
Reviewed Feb. 12, 2012
Continental has made a horrible mistake. I have a time share in Malaga, Spain (AGP) and booked a flight to Malaga, Spain and back from Indianapolis. Continental has changed the schedule from arrival in Malaga to BCN. I want Malaga on May 17th. Continental changed Malaga (AGP) departure on May 31 to Madrid. This is insane. My time share is in Malaga, hundred of miles from Barcelona. Why would anyone at Continental make such a terrible mistake? If you can't take me to Malaga as I purchased, then immediately refund my purchase price. I have changed credit cards because the other was lost. My visa debit card is now *** through First Bank of Richmond, Indiana. The ticket was US$1,161.60. However, my first preference is to just get to Malaga on May 17 and leave from Malaga on May 31. Another passenger is on hold who is going on this trip until this gets resolved. Please hurry. I am a senior citizen. I appreciate the help. Please resolve as quickly as you can.
Reviewed Feb. 11, 2012
Allen ** and I are living in Illinois at the moment because of Allen's work. Allen's job here is coming to an end in a couple of weeks. We had made arrangements for his son and his son's girlfriend to fly here one way and drive home to Pennsylvania one of the vehicles that we have in Illinois. They were on flight 4804 on February 10 from Pittsburgh. The flight was going to Cleveland and then to St. Louis on flight 5277. There was a delay of the flight leaving Pittsburgh which subsequently ended up in them missing their connecting flight from Cleveland apparently from the weather. Continental airlines put up the kids in a hotel for the night. Their next possibility was for a flight to arrive in St. Louis at 1:30 pm on February 11. However, flight was cancelled or full, etc. The next possibility was for a flight getting them in at 6:30 on February 11.
As the airport in St. Louis is about two hours away that would have meant they would have gotten here at the house at 8:30. They had to leave at 6 am in the morning to drive back to Pittsburgh. The option from the airlines was for them to fly back to Pittsburgh from Cleveland on February 12. We chose this option as there was not enough time for them to adequately rest before driving 12 hours straight through. We still have to have them come back and we will try again in a couple of weeks. I know Continental Airlines has no control over the weather and all precautions for safety were taken. I would like to know if we could get a voucher for the two tickets. The two passengers were Shayne ** and Rachel **. Thank you so much.
Reviewed Feb. 9, 2012
Continental or United, whichever they call themselves lately have the angriest employees. Not sure why. I travel all around the world and the international flight attendants are super nice. Btw, I'm an American. This is a very sad situation.
Reviewed Feb. 7, 2012
On Thursday, February 2nd 2012, my luggage was not unloaded from Philadelphia, PA on flight ** at IAH Bush International in Houston, TX. My luggage contained important documents in regards to my work in Beaumont, TX on Friday, February 3rd 2012. The meeting that I had to conduct, with other business associates, had to be cancelled. We were told at the airport to call 281-821-3526 the next morning to inform IAH where to send the luggage. Several phone calls were made but no one answered the phone.
I wasted three hours on Friday, February 3rd 2012, to drive back to Houston not knowing whether or not my luggage would be there. I did receive the luggage and complained that the phone number on the pamphlet is not good unless someone answers the phone. I should be reimbursed for my time, rental car, and gasoline because of this inexcusable incident. I do have witnesses to this occurence.
Reviewed Feb. 6, 2012
It's difficult. I need lots of paperwork to travel with an animal. I arrived in San Jose on Friday night, January 27, planning to drive to San Isidro del General, Perez Zeledon, on Saturday morning. Due to some **-up on Continental's SJO end, my dog is in lock-up. Today is Sunday, and I will be in San Jose until at least Tuesday (with all the hotel and food bills that involves). Someone did not get Napoleon's import papers prepared' and he is being kept in a warehouse. This is a very sweet and trusting golden retriever, who has never spent more than a few hours in a kennel. He's now on his third day.
The very nice people at the B&B take me to him twice a day, to let him out, and give him food and water, and spend time with him. Today, I spent nearly four hours sitting on the dirty concrete with him. He and I are both covered in warehouse dirt. I'll go back to see him again tonight. Continental brags about their system, their Houston kennel, and their QuickPak. Continental has (had) a good reputation for transporting pets. When I get my traumatized dog to San Isidro, you will hear much more from me. I am in San Isidro now, but have no internet. I was able to send this, and can go to a coffeehouse to check my email.
The form would only take my Chicago phone, but I won't be there until July. Costa Rican mail is completely unreliable. We rarely even check the box. Please use my email address.
Reviewed Feb. 6, 2012
In August, my husband and I booked 2 flights with Continental for Fort Myers, Florida... from Cleveland, Ohio to Fort Myers. In November, we changed the flights from Cleveland to Tampa and paid the $150 per flight change cost. We had paid for the flights in full in August and they were $539 each.
In November, we are re-billed $1,200 plus for the flights we had already paid for and Continental and United agree they overcharged us but won't credit our Visa. This is since November. The flights were originally $539 each and when we re-booked the flights, they were $239 each. However, we did not get the credit and we have been re-billed $1,200 plus.
Please help. We want our Visa credited at least, if not the refund, but for the cheaper flights.
Reviewed Feb. 5, 2012
My baggage was delayed, while traveling to Antigua, on Sept. 3, 2011. I have been writing/telephoning since my return on Sept. 17th, but to no avail. All I am being told is that LIAT is responsible for paying my sister and I, for our clothing that we had to purchase while on vacation. While in Antigua, Mr. **, baggage handler for LIAT, informed me that Continental was responsible. Continental said they have a contract with LIAT, and sent me letter with LIAT's overseas number for me to contact them. While I was in Antigua, LIAT never answer their phones, and I don't feel I should have to handle this, since their contract is with LIAT. I had a direct flight, with seats confirmed, but Continental bumped me off the plane.
I was to arrive in Antigua in four hours. I arrived at 12:20 AM, on Sept. 4th. The airport is closed, except for customs. The baggage handlers are gone. LIAT never answered phone calls. The clothing arrived on Tuesday afternoon. My sisters arrived on Friday. I had to purchase clothes. Who can we send the file to for help. They have ignored us completely. There is no local number for LIAT, and I sent two emails, had someone in Antigua contact them, and also had a reservation at airport promise to give Mr. Anges, who we had spoken to, when I had to take a cab to airport to pick up the luggage. It cost me an additional $32.00. I want to send info to someone who could help, and put the word out there that Continental/United/LIAT are irresponsible. This was truly a trip from **.
Reviewed Feb. 2, 2012
I booked 3 tickets for my self, Nirmala ** and Mala **. Due to medical reasons, I had to cancel the trip on 12/26/2011, two days prior to our journey. I was advised that the refund will be done on receipt of medical report. I faxed the medical report and a letter requesting for refund on 1/14/2012 by fax and certified letter. I received an acknowledgement from Preshant ** with reference number ** on 1/18/2012. I called the UA agent and advised that I cannot reschedule the flights and need refund. She told me that my refund request is in process and refund will be done in 10 days. I charged my tickets on my Master Charge. As of today, I have not received any refund and my charge card MC does not show any credit. I was charged $688.20 for the 3 tickets. Please review and advice as soon as possible.
Reviewed Jan. 31, 2012
My wife was traveling from San Diego to Hyderabad (India), on January 24, 2012. She took the Continental flight 1699 to Houston. From Houston to Hyderabad, she was traveling by Qatar Airlines. Per my wife's itinerary, she's entitled to carry 2 check-in bags (with no extra charge), however, out of the two bags that my wife checked in, one baggage was charged $70.00 by Continental airlines, with the "extra baggage" fee.
I explained the Continental Staff at the San Diego airport, that this is an international travel, with a connecting flight operated by Qatar Airlines from Houston. Also, I showed the itinerary/e-ticket that clearly states "baggage: 2 pieces per traveler", the staff stated that the airlines policy changed, and also that the e-ticket does not indicate 2 pieces per traveler, at no cost.
I reviewed the policies, and I am pretty sure that they have charged me for no rhyme or reason. Also, it was the very first time my wife was traveling all by herself, on an international travel. I had to cough up this ridiculous amount, as I wanted her travel to be as smoothly as possible. To say the least, I am thoroughly disappointed with the level of support provided by Continental Airlines staff at San Diego airport.
They were disinterested, and never ready to acknowledge my status or figure out my complaint. Now, I have my travel to Hyderabad on February 14, 2012. How better can I explain it to the staff, that they should not charge me for the 2 bags, as I am entitled to carry them. As a premier airline, it is Continental Airlines' prerogative to offer the best possible support to the customer, and see that the service and the customer are both satisfied. If either of them fails, it would be disastrous.
I would sincerely appreciate it if my case is reviewed at the earliest. I have registered a complaint (reference number: 5144721) with Continental Airlines on their website. However, I have not yet received any response. As a customer, I seek an explanation from Continental to know how they are going to handle my case and how would I be compensated.
Reviewed Jan. 29, 2012
I arrived at CVG, but no bag. I was given a claim to track my bag that was left in Houston. The agent told me my bag was on a 10 PM flight last night, and would be delivered 8PM-12PM next morning. I stayed at home to receive my bag, but no delivery. I called Continental, and my bag was changed to a later flight. I still have no bag, no apology, or call to my number on file. I bought gifts in Mexico for the kids, which I can't give. I need my work clothes. First time flying Continental/United, and I lost my family and friends' business for life, unless they make it right. Do not choose Continental/United.
Reviewed Jan. 26, 2012
On 01-21-12, I'm supposed to fly back in NJ but because of the storm my flight was canceled. The problem is I have my 6-month-old son with me and I didn't have that much food for him. I asked if some buddy can do me a favor to go buy a milk for my son, the answer is too bad we can't do anything for you. My son was crying from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Finally they sent all of us to a hotel Barcelo so I asked for help to order a food for my 6-month-old son. Total money I spent was $287 for all food and wipes and Pampers and water for the baby that happened in Guatemala city on 01-21-12.
Reviewed Jan. 25, 2012
I have been a United Plus member for some years but haven't traveled a lot. A year and a half ago, I began working in Qatar. In 2011, I traveled 60,000 miles on United codeshare flights with Qatar Airways.
When I began working in Qatar, I asked United about Mileage Plus, and they assured me that all of my codeshare flights would fully count in my United Plus account. (Most of these flights are advertised as United Airlines flights, operated by Qatar Airways).
Now I discover:
1. None of the flights give me any credit toward any Premier Level in United Mileage Plus. 60,000 miles later, I'm not even allowed to board early or spend an hour in the United Lounge at the airport.
2. I cannot request an upgrade on any United/Qatar Airways codeshare flight. I have recently had surgery and need an upgrade for an upcoming flight from the US to Qatar.
United will not upgrade me on its direct flight from Washington Dulles to Doha (United 7961, operated by Qatar Airways) and neither will Qatar Airways because I don't have a Qatar Airways frequent flyer membership.
United will upgrade me on a non-codeshare flight to Frankfurt, where I can spend the 5 hour layover not in the United Lounge because I have no United miles. Then I can fly the second leg of the flight (following surgery) on Lufthansa. Lufthansa will also not upgrade me. This is a hoax... pure and simple. I want my miles transferred to Qatar Airways where I can actually use them. Any suggestions?
Reviewed Jan. 23, 2012
I flew Continental Airlines, which is now under United Airlines. Continental is the worst airline in my experience and I frequently fly. I flew Continental Airlines back in 10/26/11 where they lost my luggage. They found my luggage 3 days later. So, I had to purchase clothes and other items until they found my luggage. I was inconvenienced for days.
I had to constantly call the airline's lost/delayed baggage number to inquire where my luggage was at. This trip was supposed to be a mini vacation. I was so upset that I couldn't even enjoy my trip. Continental Airlines' customer service is horrible.
I had a rude customer service representative by the name of ** on 10/27/11. Her supervisor was no better. Her name was **. I am still awaiting my reimbursement for the items I had to buy. l have been waiting for 3 months now. Count them... 3 months!
I have called them at least 16 times. Let's see how much longer I am going to have to wait. I am going to file another complaint against this airline. This is ridiculous. I would not recommend this airline at all! My reference number is **.
Reviewed Jan. 17, 2012
Worst Customer service I had ever seen by an airline employee. My wife was traveling Continental today. The agents at Wichita airport were not only rude to her but I have never seen such bad customer service.
Wait until the Southwest comes to Wichita, these morons will have to look for jobs.
Reviewed Jan. 11, 2012
$70 for a second bag? Are you kidding me? So let me get this right - you want people to travel to the other side of the world for over a month and you want them to take one bag with them? If you were a real international airline like KLM or Emirates, you'd know not to use your passengers as part of your money making schemes. Maybe if you actually cared about your passengers, all these American airlines that are charging ridiculous fees would not have to file bankruptcy or get into mergers.
Your $70 is more than Delta's ridiculous charge of $60 and I could fly 2.5 times with it with 2 bags on a domestic flight. Maybe if your rates were lower or if your in-flight service was worth it, we could talk about this charge being justified. But I find no reason for you to charge it. And getting your customer service reps to give me a stupid answer like "We were the last ones to do it" is not exactly comforting. I only bought this ticket because I had flown with you before and thought I’d give it a second shot. But I guess this will be the last time. I’m going back to giving my loyalties to better and bigger airlines, which obviously is a list you will never get into.
Reviewed Jan. 5, 2012
My itinerary showed that I was supposed to be on flight 4115 departing to Birmingham at 2:55 pm on January 5th. For some odd reason, I got moved to 5:30 pm when I printed out my boarding pass. When I arrived in Houston to change the 5:30 flight to the 2:55, the customer service lady told me my bags would arrive at the scheduled 5:30 flight, and it was not possible to get my bags to arrive at the same time as I would if I got on the 2:55 flight.
Now, I have to contact my school and pay $75 dollars for a ride to my school. Also, I had to wait 2 hours and 35 minutes extra because of this delay. Overall, I am extremely disappointed and angry about this flight experience. Hopefully, you make sure this never happens again. Thanks.
Reviewed Jan. 4, 2012
My family was scheduled on a flight, December 18th, from Dulles International Airport to Newark Airport with a connecting flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was United Airlines flight #4931, code-shared through Continental. We arrived to the airport well before the recommended 90 minutes and proceeded to the United check-in gate. We asked the people working the lines if we were at the correct location and they confirmed that we were. The line moved very slowly because there were not enough ticket handlers, only ticket kiosks, and there was no one to tell the passengers when there was an open screen for them to use.
Finally, we arrived at the screen and check in and paid the baggage fees, for which no receipt was printed. After confirming the seats, the screen said to wait while the boarding passes were printed. But nothing was printed and the screen told us to contact a continental representative. There was only one employee at the desk who was pretending to help people with their kiosk issues, and his only solution was to have them check in at a different kiosk. When we explained that we had already gone through the process, he told us to speak to the only ticketing agent who was there.
For the hundreds of people in line, there was only one person who was not a baggage handler. He was doing a very good job of dealing with all of the stressed passengers who had flight issues, but it was inappropriate that he was the only one available. When we were finally able to speak to him, it turned out that even though it was a Continental flight through United, he had not yet been trained on the Continental system. So we had to go start over in the Continental line.
They were finally able to give us our boarding passes, and then we proceeded on through security but were unable to make it to the boarding gate in time. Yes, if we had run we would have been able to arrive in time, but I have a disability and aged parents so it was quite impossible. At the United boarding gate, we were told that no one could help us with a replacement flight because we were not connecting passengers.
They gave us the number to contact Continental. The first Continental representative was unclear about whether Puerto Rico was a national or international location and was unable to help with replacement tickets and connected me to United. The United representative was incredibly unhelpful and connected me to American Airlines for no reason and without telling me.
In the end, the person at the gate was kind enough to help us get replacement tickets on standby for the next morning. However, had we followed his original advice and left the terminal, we would not have been able to get the tickets and we would have been charged over $2000. It's great that Continental and United are merging, but since neither Continental nor United employees have any idea about what's going on with the flights, we were unable to make ours. We also lost hundreds of dollars in hotel and rental car fees.
Reviewed Jan. 4, 2012
*Transcript of letter sent by email to the airline*
On December 21st, 2011 around midnight, I checked our itinerary and our flight (CO4853) departing from ROC the following morning had been cancelled. I called customer service and I had to wait around 45 minutes to speak to an agent. After weighing different options for 1 hour and 20 minutes, I even searched over the internet other carriers for flights from ROC that had available seats. The only option they gave us was to board a plane on a "nearby" (almost 2 hours) airport - Buffalo, refund our tickets, or wait after Christmas to travel to our final destination.
We agreed to change our plans and take the Buffalo flight in order to make it home for Christmas. The flight had a departure time of 6:00 am, being that it was now 1:30 am, and we had to be there at 4:00 am, which meant leaving Rochester at 2:15 am at the latest. We finished packing and left for Buffalo without any sleep. This also meant changing our planned return flight, since we were driving to Buffalo, because even return flights were almost completely booked due to high demand. We were only given one option to return on January 2, so we could report back to work on January 3.
On our return flight (January 2nd), our flight departing from (CO1117) SJU at 4:42 pm was late for 25 minutes. Since our connection through EWR had a layover of only an hour, I knew that it will be a close call. After asking the gate agent, he said that there was plenty of time and I shouldn’t be worried. But what he wasn't expecting that as soon as the airplane landed, passengers started to conglomerate around the gate and chaos started. Passengers didn’t follow instructions and the gate agents were unresponsive to this madness. After all we sat down in the plane 40 minutes late and for the worst we had to wait to depart for another 30-40 minutes. So with a total of an hour delayed, I was sure that we were going to miss our connection to Buffalo.
After we landed, the service agent booked us for the next flight (next day at10 am - CO4838). Since apparently the airline didn't have any fault for the delayed flight (I differ), they didn't offer any other options than a pillow and a blanket. When I requested if they were willing to accommodate us in another airline flight, the answer was no. When I asked for a meal voucher, the answer was no. They sound like robots trained to say no. So, we had the option to stay in the airport overnight or pay ourselves for accommodations. Before making a decision, we asked the agent to retrieve our luggage because we needed some clothing and personal hygiene products. And also since we bought some duty free liquids, we have to put them in our checked luggage in order to pass security the next day.
To add more fire to our frustration, they sent us downstairs the terminal to baggage claim and their answers were also no, no, and no. They couldn’t retrieve our luggage because it was 9:45 pm and the office in charge of retrieving luggage closed at 10:00pm! So without our luggage, even though we knew that a hotel night will cost us money, since I have some back pain conditions and my wife had a terrible numbness in her legs, lacking any personal belonging, and without proper winter gear we decided to stay in a hotel.
We returned for our luggage the next morning (Jan. 3). The agent with the name of Erma "**" (probably I misspelled her last name) made the request (8:28 am) and informed us to wait around 45 minutes over the belt # 9 to retrieve our luggage. After almost an hour waiting surrounded by flying pigeons, we decided to return and inquire for an update. To our surprise, Mrs. Erma told us that our luggage was sent out on an earlier flight and that there was nothing she could do about it. To my frustration, I asked her if she knew this information. Why sent us to waste an hour in front of a belt? Her response was that "I'm sorry.”
Lastly, I asked her again that we didn't want to lose our duty free shopping and she offered us to buy a liquid box for $10 or $30. So, we went again to the check in area. I asked the agent if she could waive the box fee and her answer obviously was negative and prompted to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor (Mr. James **) told us that he couldn’t waive the fee, because it wasn't his fault and that at least the airline was offering an option to save our duty free products from throwing them in the garbage. At this point, I was so overwhelmed that I almost started to cry. I just paid the $20 for two small boxes and left the counter.
Mr. Smisek, this was our nightmare vacation flight with your company. I understand that sometimes they are things that are out of your control. But the extensive wait over the phone waiting for a representative on December 21st, the lack of control over SJU with passengers, the insensible employees in Newark, that won't take any other luggage retrieval request after 9:45 pm, Mrs. Erma at the baggage claim desk leaving us for an hour waiting for our luggage even though she knew that our bags were sent out on previous flight, and lastly Mr. James ** washing his hands when I asked to help me with our situation, are things that you could control with better training in customer care management.
Reviewed Jan. 4, 2012
A ticket was incorrectly issued after an attempt to reserve a reward ticket, but purchase it with miles from another account, resulted in negative mileage balance. More than a month later, without warning or any attempt to contact me, my credit card was charged $980 for a mileage purchase to offset the negative balance. After several calls, on 3/25/11, the purchased miles were removed from my account, the miles debited for the reward were re-credited to the account and debited from my husband's account. I was told I would see the refund to my credit card early the following week. After 9 months, more than 30 calls and 20 hours mostly spent on hold, I have not received the promised $980 refund.
Reviewed Dec. 23, 2011
My luggage was left behind in Newark at my connecting flight. I arrived at my destination, Lisbon, without my clothes and bathroom accessories. I also don't have the documents that I need for work because this is a business trip. I can't change unless I buy new clothes. My coat is in my luggage and it's cold in Lisbon. I need some of my documents to work. It is a stressful experience that I could do without.
Reviewed Dec. 22, 2011
I was going to Morocco to spend a week there. My flight was intended to go to Dallas then Frankfurt then Rabat.
Upon checking in in San Francisco an agent called ''Jazz'' was bullying me and saying that I will have to get my luggage in Frankfurt to transfer them. I explained to him that I have no visa to get my luggage in Germany as I have to pass the customs to do that, then he ignored me. In Dallas before boarding, I asked a continental agent about this problematic of not being able to transfer my luggage once in Germany. He did a research and told me that I will not be allowed to take the airplane as there is no convention between continental and Royal Air Maroc for my luggage to be transferred by them. I had to wait 12 hours in the airport and then I was given a flight that goes from Dallas to Spain, then Italy, then Rabat, and of course my luggage was lost in all this unti, after repeated back and forth trips to the Moroccan airport they was finally found in Frankfurt. I had to wait 10 days before my luggage arrive to Morocco.
What is astonishing is that before buying my ticket I called the customer service representatives to ask them about the luggage transfer since I don't have a Schengen visa and they confirmed many times, even after they asked their supervisor, that my luggage will go straight to morocco. Since checking agents and flight attendant were no courtesy? Continental added more stress and made my travel experience seem as hell. As a result I will never ever give them business. If anybody wants to go overseas then Air France and Lufthanza are the best to be with.
Reviewed Dec. 22, 2011
I was returning to Chicago from Newark with my daughter (lap baby). I only checked a car seat. I brought my Rolling carry on, baby bag and stroller with me to be carried on to the plane. At the door to the plane, I was to leave my stroller and it would be brought back to me when exiting the plane. The agent then told me I would have to leave my rolling carry on there as well. I was a bit worried because I didn't check any bags in order to avoid losing any of my belongings. I received a checked ticket from the agent and proceeded to board the plane. When I exited the plane, I waited for my stroller and bag. My stroller was brought up to me and I was informed that my carry on bag was to be picked up at the baggage claim area. I was worried because only now could I strap my daughter in and make my way to the baggage claim area.
By the time I arrived at baggage claim, my car seat was there but my bag was gone. I filed a report right away at the counter for continental and was told that someone probably took my bag by mistake. I called every day at least once and finally it was confirmed that someone had taken my bag to Brazil. It was to be sent back to the United States and would need to clear customs. On December 9, 2011, 5 days after arriving home in Chicago, I spoke with an agent (Anthony who was awesome) who called Brazil to see what was going on with my bag. The agent in Brazil said he had it there with him and didn't know where to send it.
The agent from Texas gave him directions of what to do and I assumed I would have my bag within a few days. Long story short (shorter), it is now December 21, 2011 and All I have gotten out of the airline is "we are working on it" and they are not liable because someone else took my bag. They are just trying to help me out because they care about their passengers. I told them how I have things items in the bag that I need right away, such as my coat, my daughters winter coat and boots. There are many more items that I need now as well but in any event they issued me $200 for the meantime. I don't even know what that means. They told me they have 8 weeks from the date that a claim is filed - not from the date my bag went missing to locate it or cut me a check.
How am I supposed to sit around and wait to see if they find my daughters winter boots while winter is here and I am living in Chicago? They claim that because I am home, there is not that much they can do for me because they assume I have other things at home to get me by. I guess they don't understand that children do not stay the same size and I have to purchase new clothing for them each season. So I am very angry that my daughters Chanukah gifts this year are new boots, coat and doll to replace what she already owned. Now what about my makeup? I took my makeup with me and wanted it on the flight because it cost so much money. I don't have any more at home to get me by so I am borrowing from my friends and making do. I am also going to have to wait 8 weeks to be reimbursed the 200 dollars that I used to buy my daughter winter clothing. I don't have this kind of money and this is so wrong of them to not help me out more. Every time I call I get a different story from one agent to the next.
Today I called and was told my claim was received as of December 18th. I had faxed it over on the 16th so they have a few extra days to locate my belongings. They may have said that another customer took my bag to Brazil but I know for a fact that on Friday December 9th 2011, my bag was returned to the continental office and was in their hands. There is no reason why I am still waiting for it and they can no longer claim that they are not responsible. I have tried to speak to the manager and I continue to get the run around. I demand they send me a check to go out and buy myself some things that I need for the winter! This is so wrong and I always thought people suing for pain and suffering was pathetic, but I must tell you that I am so upset about this and it is effecting my mood and for some reason I can't let it go. My doctor even gave me a prescription for ** to help me through this tough time.
Reviewed Dec. 21, 2011
I booked a flight on Continental from SAN-SJO which turned out to be a code share, United from SAN-DEN and Continental the rest of the way. When I checked in online (redirected from Continental's website to United), I was asked about baggage and when I said 2 each, the popup said "no cost". Suspecting differently, I tried to locate information on United's website, which did not speak to travel from the US to Central America. I then called United and it took talking to 4 different representatives for someone to tell me he "thought" I would be charged for the 2nd bag. (He was correct although uncertain).
This is "bait and switch" as I see it, even an out and out lie. I would have had no choice at the airport but to pay out the nose. Then, after arriving, we didn't open 1 bag for several days and found when we did that of the 15 tubes of silicone sealant we had packed, which aren't available in Central America, United had removed 9 under the guise of "hazardous materials". The new "advice" note from TSA says that the airline is responsible for removal of materials, but please call TSA which we did. The SAN representative was pleasant, courteous and helpful, even finding out that United had removed the sealant in error, but the bottom line was that we were told try to contact United. (In the meantime, we received an email from United offering us a $100 voucher).
Understand that we aren't novice travelers and included 3 copies of the abbreviated MSD from the manufacturer indicating the product was not considered to be hazardous under either national or international standards. Also included was the complete chemical composition list, which no one apparently bothered to read. But, it was so "hazardous" that United left 6 tubes in our luggage. In desperation, we located a United baggage customer service number which, like many other complaints I've read, was in some country where the representative's English was totally unintelligible. We insisted on speaking to a manager and for 45 minutes, he told us he had no local phone number for United in San Diego, he was unable to contact anyone, had no phone numbers for any United employee anywhere in the world, was totally unable to do anything, "why hadn't we reported this earlier", "we should go to the airport in San Diego to report this" (we're 3000 miles away and gone for 2 months), "we should go to the airport in Costa Rica to report this" (that's only 3 hours away).
After arguing for those 45 minutes, he finally connected us directly to the baggage department in San Diego. So, the logical conclusion is that he was lying. The story hasn't ended yet, but we did talk to a nice human being who spoke understandable English in San Diego and who seems to want to cooperate. I'm so weary from struggling that I have chosen to make this report before arriving at the final outcome.
Reviewed Dec. 20, 2011
After booking my latest award travel, I noticed there is now a close-in fee charged within 21 days of travel and this fee is charged separately, above and beyond the already charged fee and on top of the 37,500 miles that I am using for the flight. I, and my family members, have booked several award tickets within 21 days of travel but this time, there was an extra fee charged before the actual ticket was even distributed to my email account!
I called reservations to inquire about this charge and the actual policy in which it was created only to receive the answer "It is just United's policy.” The first representative I spoke to said it was effective October 21, 2011 and the second said June 15, 2011 but neither could point me to the actual policy or justification on the website or verify if the policy notice had been distributed to customers even mileage plus customers. Needless to say, the second representative claimed that she was the manager and there was no one else I could speak with to get additional information. I highly doubt someone sitting in an Indian call center is the last level of customer relations.
And, if so, United may want to re-think its effects on customer service. My call to **** was solved by the representative putting me on hold for 30 minutes to go and search for the policy in order to answer my questions. She returned only to point me back to the link for fees and taxes that only informs one of the fees. I believe this charge to be another outstanding fee charged by United on top of the numerous and extraneous bag fees and other elusive fees. Furthermore, if this policy was implemented in October, just prior to the holidays, United should be ashamed.
Since I've been a mileage plus member, I've experienced United's poor customer service, representatives that cannot actually solve any problems when you call the 1.800 number provided on United's website, bogus fees that a customer cannot even be certain are legal, the general lack of saver award flights which is 25,000 mile seats when people would actually be traveling, and the general elusiveness of award flights and why anytime one would want to travel on the weekend, the award flights shoot up to 50,000 miles. I will post this complaint to Facebook and Twitter in order to get people to take a stance against these fees or at least contest them at every chance possible. Additionally, an inquest should be launched into their legitimacy.
Reviewed Dec. 17, 2011
There were 30 people in the queue to check on their bags. This lady vanishes for 10 minutes with no one else at the desks. When a passenger who has a flight to catch, Connie G, talks to her in a stern voice, I suggested that she being customer representative should be patient and not talk rudely. She then has the audacity to tell me that I have no right to tell her what to do or not. She threatened that she will walk away and not to help me. She claimed that she has been up since 4 am. Little did she know that I was up all night. This happened on Saturday, December 17, 2011, at EWR at around about 9:20 am in Terminal A. I don't think that Continental taught her that attitude. She is giving a bad name for her co-workers.
Reviewed Dec. 13, 2011
In March 2010, I contacted United Airlines (UA) to arrange for my first use of my accumulated miles in my Mileage Plus account. At that time, I was told in an email that I had already used 100,000 of my miles. Since that day, UA and I have exchanged many emails. I told them I paid for all my flights and been saving my miles ever since I joined in 1986 because my parents had been reimbursing me for my airfare. All of my flights were to visit them. UA claims that they had issued different types of awards to me over the years, that I had requested one of them, and that someone else could have requested some them on my behalf.
I never knew anything about these awards and there was no other person who could have requested them on my behalf. The first time I used my miles was in 2010. UA listed awards they said I used, starting in 1988 on two trips to Hawaii. I've never gone to Hawaii. I stated to UA many times that their documentation was incorrect. I have demanded that they credit the 100,000 miles back to my account.
Reviewed Dec. 8, 2011
On July 2nd, luggage was lost from a flight from Ecuador to Bozeman, MT. The owner of the luggage was a young woman coming to the States for the first time. She has since returned to Ecuador. United has been dragging their feet regarding compensation. All phone calls regarding lost luggage are answered in India. Totally useless, I have never gotten the same information twice. I cannot even get a United agent in the USA to give me another number, other than the one to India. Also, I have written a letter on her behalf to their corporate office to no avail. Who in the heck is running United Airlines and why are they hiding behind their employees? It is the worst customer service I have ever experienced! And what a showing for this international individual's first experience in the USA. United Airlines, you should be ashamed!
Reviewed Dec. 7, 2011
We traveled from Sydney to Los Angeles, 11 of us in the travel party. Cost of flights amounted to 15000 bucks. There were mostly kids in party. Travel included promotion of 2 x 23kg (50 lb) bags per person. This was confirmed with the agent prior to departure and with UA Sydney. We arrived at check in at LAX and sighted numerous passengers having problems with check in staff and awaited our turn, expecting some form of problem. Well, they denied our tickets included excess bags and charged us accordingly, 70 bucks per bag plus put each through as a separate transaction for the three bags we had, which cost us three separate transaction fees, which inevitably cost us more.
It didn't matter how much we protested, we were told that we didn't have to catch their plane. The UA staff was very rigid, sarcastic, rude and non-compromising. This employee didn't give a damn. When asked to speak to a supervisor, she provided her friend alongside her and purported her to be the supervisor. May has well have spoke to Krusty the clown. It was an otherwise beautiful trip to States where everyone was so nice and welcoming, until the experience with these clowns. I will never travel with UA again. Much better competition out there and cheaper. Old planes, old staff set in their ways and ** service.
We experienced delays and visited their appreciation site as may be entitled to compensation for delayed flight. On checking this out, they offer petty discounts on flights as if we are ever going to fly with them again. They are dreaming to think I would step a foot on one of their planes again or give them another cent. They are rip offs! Their form of compensation was further insult to this experience.
United Airlines Company Information
- Company Name:
- United Airlines
- Year Founded:
- 1926
- Address:
- 233 S. Wacker Dr.
- City:
- Chicago
- State/Province:
- IL
- Postal Code:
- 60606
- Country:
- United States
- Website:
- www.united.com
