United Airlines Consumer Reviews - Page 4

On Sept 4th 08 I took a flight from Boston to Burbank alone with my two children, ages 1 and 2 (I purchased 3 tickets). Since my husband is military, he is often unable to travel with me. When I got to the gate I was surprised to find that United did not offer pre-boarding for those traveling with small children. I asked the woman working at the service counter if I could pre-board as I was alone with my children, or if I could at least have some assistance in carrying the car seats down to my row.

The response I received was 'I have 2 children too and you just have to deal with it.' Needless to say, I received no assistance from United down to my seat as I gate checked my stroller, carried 2 car seats, 2 babies, a diaper bag and a backpack. We are lucky nobody got injured in the process of maneuvering down the narrow aisles. I also received no help from the crew upon exiting the plane.

On our stopover our flight was delayed and it was the same process all over again, no assistance from United. I was excited to arrive at my final destination and leave the whole horrible experience behind me. I retrieved my bags, only to find one was missing. They said they would deliver it by noon the next day to my home. So, off I went to my car only to find that they had somehow damaged my double stroller so it would no longer collapse. We folded down the back seats since that was the only way it would fit and rode home.

Since there was no longer room for me due to the stroller issues, I rode home sitting on the floor between my children's seats (there are 2 individual bucket seats in the 2nd row). At noon my bags had still not arrived, so I called United. They stated that they were out for delivery and would be there by 230pm. By 600pm my bags were still not there.

We are now at 2 days since we arrived at home and I still do not have my bag. When I call the customer service line, they put me on hold so they can call the Burbank airport. In the four times I have called nobody has picked up the phone at Burbank.

On my travel to Boston from Burbank I flew with American Airlines and they went above and beyond to help me. They pre-boarded us, carried the car seats for me, and even occupied my children while I installed the car seats on the plane. They even told me that when I needed to go to the restroom to just ring the buzzer so they could keep an eye on my children. American (and a few other carriers) also have infant changing tables in their bathrooms, where United does not.

I am a frequent flier, as our family has never lived near what we call 'home' over the past 9 years (since my husband has been in the service). On average we fly cross - country 6 times per year (24 round trip tickets). In all my years of frequent travel, I had never had such a horrible experience as I have with United. I have never had such poor customer service and would be willing to pay more for a ticket to avoid this airline. I will definitely tell everyone I know with families to never use this carrier.

RE: Customer Service? This was supposed to be a lovely trip to Europe, my Granddaughter's graduation present that she was very excited about. The trip started out in Pittsburgh United Flight #7824 that was to leave at 4:05 p.m., I had to check my carry on at the gangway because it was a small plane and had a full load, we left about 1/2 hour late, upon arrival at Dulles at about 5:05 p.m., we de-planned on the tarmac and were told to wait near the front of the plane for our hand luggage that was checked during boarding.

I told the United rep that I only had a few minutes to make my connection, thinking he would be decent enough to hand me my bag as it was right there, nope! He did however give a mother her stroller so she could walk around the airport for the next hour till she had to catch her flight, nice guy that he was. Well, we missed our flight #918 to London, and were not allowed to go on the next one going out which was boarding at that time, just two gates down, because they could not get our luggage loaded on that plane in that short of a time, but then we all know the luggage was still on flight #918 and on its way to London.

Get this (and please keep this in the back of your mind) YOUR LUGGAGE IS NOT ALLOWED TO FLY WITHOUT YOU! We were sent to the customer service line to get re-booked. They had 3 people on the counter and no less than 200 people in line, needless to say we were going to be there awhile. Would have been but after an hour in line a lady with a medical condition raised cane with someone at United, and they sent two more representatives that took the international passengers to another counter, since there were only about 12 that helped move it along.

Finally it was our turn. We had a very nice agent, she would put us on Virgin Airline flight #56 that was leaving at 11:10, she called Virgin, set it up, asked their people if they saw the reservation on their screen, they did, she gave us tickets and we ran and walked as fast as we could all the way to the other side of the airport to their terminal, I am guessing it took at least a good 20-30 minutes even with moving walkways. When we arrived there, handed our tickets to the agent, he said they had no reservations for us, and would not call United to confirm it, he said our tickets were not valid!

I asked him to call his supervisor, he said he could not do that, that I needed to go back to United, they could not take tickets issued by United for Virgin Airlines. What is this? Is this another new way to anger customers? Well it was back to United... across the airport... found the same agent and told her what they said. She called Virgin, got a "supervisor" told them the problem, this person said we did have reservations and gave us this MAGIC reference number ** that would apparently get us on the flight, well the clock is ticking, its going on 10:00 p.m. So it's back to Virgin... across the airport.

Agent at the desk said they closed boarding 20 minutes prior to our arrival! I lost it! Told the "supervisor" there, I wanted to talk to her supervisor she said she did not have one to which I replied bull, said I know you have a supervisor and I want to talk to them. Well I got nowhere, did get her name and the other agent and will be sending letters. Anyway it is now going on 11:00 p.m., back to United... want to know how tired and angry I am? Back to the customer service counter, where there was a new agent, I did not get in line which I was told about, and I let her know this was my third trip back and I was not getting in line again.

She booked us on a flight out the next day at 6:10. Since it is now past 1 1:30, trying to find a room for the night is another nightmare. We finally found one that was a $65.00 cab ride away. Thank you United! Since our luggage is off to London and we have no personal items because of all the restrictions we will have to find toothpaste, etc small enough to travel with or else we will have to toss it. Thanks again United! Now we have lost a whole day we had planned in London. We did get the flight but sit on the runway for 2 1/2 hours due to storms in the Atlantic. We finally got to London and guess what, our luggage did not fly with us.

We had to take an hour out to file a lost luggage claim. We called the number for lost luggage as we would be leaving London early the next morning for Paris. They had not located it yet. We made several calls to United's Lost Luggage and to our AAA agent trying to find someone who could give us some definite information as to where our luggage was and when we might get it.

We did not allot time for shopping for clothes and necessities into our schedule and resent very much the amount of time that was taking. We gave United the address where we would be in Paris and the phone number they could reach us at. United had called to tell us they had found our luggage and it would be delivered to hotel in Paris. We were ready to leave Paris and still no luggage. We called United the 15th to be sure they had our address in Barcelona and when we would be there. We need to find a charger for the rental phone as the battery is almost dead and the charger is in our "lost luggage".

It is now seven days and still no luggage! We had to shop for some clothes, still a time consuming and not an easy task. We have been calling United several times a day looking for the luggage, personally I think they are lying when they say they found it and will deliver it to our hotel. We have heard that several times now, but still no luggage! We had a flight to Rome, so there went the shampoo etc. We keep United updated as to where we will be and when we will be there just in case they find the luggage.

We called the travel agent and had her get us a day later departure from London since we lost a whole on the front. We got back to London on the 21st, still no luggage, I haven't been able to use my movie camera, which is one of the most disappointing parts of this trip, since Paris, my charger is in my missing luggage and no one carries them. Left London on the 23rd, got to Dulles, had only about 1 hour to make connection to Pittsburgh, but had to get through customs first. What a zoo that was, a very poorly run operation, you could not put one foot in front of the other, let alone claim your luggage.

Because this airline is not able to schedule connecting flights with enough time between them to get through the customs mess, missed that flight just as many others do. We were put on standby for the 11:00 flight. We did make that. I am never flying United again. By the way I got my luggage during the night of the 25th. The delivery service left it in the garage sometime in the middle of the night. Probably because someone twisted the handle off of it, a brand new suitcase too.

My granddaughter did not get hers until August 14. 2007, 36 days!! Half of her things were soaking wet, including the two new books she had in there. Guess you lied to us when you said our luggage was not allowed to fly without us. Needless to say, I am less than happy with the way we were treated, not only about the 'lost luggage' but the way the delay and booking through Virgin Airlines was handled. That was so unprofessional. I cannot believe that you can accept that kind of business practice much less subject your customers to it.

If the airlines continue to think they can abuse the pubic and their customers like they are now, you are in for a rude awakening. Speaking for myself and my granddaughter we are not flying United or Virgin Airlines for any reason. There are other carriers out there. I incurred expenses totaling $3858.62 all backed up with receipts.

WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- On May 31, 2008, my wife, two young children and I planned to travel to Jacksonville, Florida from Washington, DC (Dulles Airport). We were scheduled to depart in the morning. When we tried to check-in, however, we were informed that our flight was canceled because there was not a sufficient flight crew. We were then sent to stand in a line for "additional services". This line was very long and there was only 1 person helping people in this line. We waited for more than 30 minutes.

When we finally were helped, we were informed that there were no flights with the 4 seats we needed until after 9 pm. There was a flight on another airline, but we were told that we did not have enough time to get through security and get on that flight (due to the long wait in line).

Having our children fly late at night when we would not arrive at our hotel until 1 am or so made no sense. The person who helped us told us that United has been canceling flights that aren't full to save the fuel costs. I find this to be incredibly unfair and irresponsible. I bought tickets on a particular flight and honored my part of the bargain by paying. United ought to have the decency to honor its part of the bargain by flying the plane to its destination. Given that we were only going for a long weekend, the family canceled the trip -- though I still need to travel today (June 1) to Jacksonville because I have business there in the morning.

Today I arrived at the airport. Upon arriving at the gate prior to my 4:40 pm flight (flight number 5338) to Jacksonville from Dulles, I was informed that the flight is delayed nearly two hours because there is no flight crew. The plane it just sitting there. I don't know whether the plane will actually fly at the new time or not.

I am having tremendous difficulty formulating into words (without the use of expletives) how angry I am. The trip was supposed to be a nice thing for our family as it is my wife's birthday on June 2nd. We were also supposed to see family on this trip (my uncle is recovering from an operation and was excited about seeing the kids). All of this has been ruined either due to incompetence (the inability to get a flight crew for scheduled flights) or perhaps United willfully choosing to break its obligations to passengers like me due to its business expenses.

I would very much like to receive a real response from United (not just a form letter) explaining how this level of incompetence and/or irresponsibility has come to be the norm at United. If I have any choice in the matter at all, I plan to never do business with United again. Although if United's service does not change dramatically for the better I suspect it will not be hard to avoid United -- I expect the company to be out of business.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA -- I planned a trip to Salt Lake City and went on to this awesome site, kayak dot com, and it listed a round trip ticket to SLC for $199, flying Untied. I've never used them before. I got an e-ticket and on the bottom it said check in is anywhere from 30-90 before departure.

I arrive at SFO airport 40 min before departure and went straight to the kiosk to check in. I enter my confirmation number and was told to see an agent. I stood in line to talk to my future enemy. I was questioned what time my flight was to leave and said it was too late to check any bags in, I had to be there 45 min to departure. I repeated back to her, "you're saying because I'm 5 min late that I can't check in a bag?" Yup then she called next.

I got on the "Customer Service" phone and they told me that if I wanted to check in a bag that I could fly stand by on the next flight. I was sent to another line for a United clerk to approve the size of my bag. I wait... I got the okay. I ran to the nearest trash can and threw out all my liquid items that were more than 3 oz., from my lotions and makeup to my hair product. Thrown away! I get back in line to be checked in.

A rep called me over and said I was too late. I said "no I already got the approval that I could carry my luggage on." He said "no it's too late for you." I asked "what do you mean, too late for me?" He then told me I can't take this flight. I proceed to tell him of my adventures and he cut me off and said if I had any problems I could grab the "Customer Service" phone and complain to them.

Once again I picked up the phone and spoke to a rep. I told her the staff was extremely rude and due to their poor communication skills of sending me back and forth I'm running even more late. She then proceeded to tell me that they won't even put me on a standby flight. I'd have to fly out the next day on a plane that had seats available.

I asked in a cool calm manner, "are you telling me that is my ONLY option?" Yes was her response. I then walked back to the trash can and had to retrieve my items from the trash. I then went to Delta (whom I love and adore!!) and they booked me on their next flight out.

United you should know that I was in the airport for three additional hours and told the story to five people. Who I hope will tell to others. I have been in the customer service occupation for the past 20 years and I'm also a secret shopper, I know how to treat people and recognize good service. United is by far the worst service I've ever experienced. I would rather pay an obscene amount of money in order to avoid traveling with United again. Boycott United!

At approximately 7:15 am on April 20th, my traveling companion and I arrived in Washington DC after a night flight from Phoenix Arizona, expecting to get on a plane to Syracuse NY at 8:20 am. We arrived at the gate well in advance with a boarding pass AND a previously assigned seat. Before that plane started boarding, an announcement was made that the plane was overbooked and those people with seat assignments would be let on first. The man taking the boarding passes told everyone without assigned seats to step aside.

When we handed him the passes he looked up our names on a print out and said, “This is one of the lowest price fares. I am not going to let you use this ticket.” He rudely told us to step aside and proceeded to take the tickets from other customers who were behind us in line. In spite of my continued protests that I had an assigned seat, the United agent continued to ignore me. At this point, I became aware of the fact that we were part of a group of 14 people headed to Syracuse that were involuntarily bumped and were stranded in Washington.

The overbooking was even more outrageous in light of the fact that the plane only held 50 people and this occurred at one of the busiest times of the year – spring break. After wasting over a half hour standing to the side of the boarding area, we were told to go to customer service. At this point there were about 50 people waiting in a line that did not appear to be moving at all with one “customer service” representative at the desk. As the crowd of people became more and more agitated another customer service rep from United arrived on the scene, directing people to a bank of phones and promising to get a supervisor on the scene.

As far as I could see, the supervisor never arrived. I walked over to the phone and followed the directions on the screen. My call was sent to someone in India who proceeded to tell me that I could call the toll free reservation number but that I would have to “go to a phone booth” to do so. This proved to be another act of futility that simply wasted more time. After another hour and a half of waiting in line, I finally got to see a customer service representative. I was never given a written statement describing my rights and the airlines policy on involuntary bumping, as required by federal DOT regulations.

I was informed that the next flight to “anywhere in New York state'” with open seats was on Wednesday. I explained that I work as a teacher in a school with an item in our contract that specifies that no personal time can be used before or after a vacation and that I would lose my pay for those days. It was clear that the United airline personnel couldn't care less even if such a delay led to my death. Throughout this process I was in communication with the other bumped passengers going to Syracuse. They were all told the same thing and when a request was made for bus transportation to Syracuse for the group it was repeatedly denied.

We also told the agents that we would be willing to share a rental car or van and requested a voucher to do so. This request was also denied although one of the agents said that we could send in the receipt for compensation. In short, the response by United Airlines to our plight can best be described by the attitude – “It is not our problem. Don't expect us to do anything about it.” When I requested a full refund for the ticket I was informed that they would only refund the part of the trip from Washington to Syracuse (a ”small amount” to quote the agent).

At this point I decide to save the ticket for a future attempt to receive just compensation, hopefully from someone who was more reasonable and customer friendly than the crew working at Washington/ Dulles. The airline did give us what will most likely prove to be useless vouchers for a future round trip flight. All of the Syracuse passengers, having been given the same lack of service and most being desperate to get back home, decided to rent cars to drive out of Washington. My friend and I shared a car with 3 other people. We rented a Hertz full sized vehicle, one way for a cost of $320 with taxes and a tank of gas.

Our share of the car was $128 plus an additional $10 each in gas. We also had to stop for lunch and dinner where we incurred another additional expense of approximately $60 for the two of us. The trip home was emotionally and physically draining. During the first two hundred miles of the trip we drove thorough blinding rain storms in extremely heavy traffic. We also got stuck in two one hour long traffic jams on Route 81. All of this was undertaken by drivers who had little to no sleep on the plane the previous evening. In light of the evidence that driving while tired is as bad as driving while intoxicated, this was a potentially dangerous situation.

I did not arrive home to Boonville, NY until well after midnight. I went into work the next day after having had only 4 hours sleep in a 48 hour period. On April 20th after about an hour of “wild goose chases” on the phone, (being kept on hold and repeatedly transferred among a multitude of recordings and people) I finally spoke to a woman in headquarters about yesterday's nightmare. She confirmed that there were indeed no flights out until Wednesday and that it is the policy of United NOT to provide any ground transportation regardless of the circumstances.

These agents at the Washington/ Dulles were merely following company policy I asked for a refund for the full price of the ticket, compensation for the portion of the rental car and the expenses of meals on the way back. She called me at home later and stated that United would give me $87 for the last leg of the trip, and payment for my portion of the rental car - $74. If I chose to return the voucher, I would get another $87. This in no way compensated me for the situation described above.

Upon further reflection of this situation I asked myself several questions:

1. What if I were very elderly, disabled or incapable of driving over 400 miles in horrendous traffic to get home? Would I still be sitting in Washington DC?

2. Why are the airlines allowed to engage in the deliberately fraudulent practice of selling more tickets than there are seats, leaving passengers stranded for days? If any other business regularly engaged in such practices they would be sued and/or fined.

3. Why is the federal government continuing with the laissez-faire policy towards airlines in spite of the overwhelming evidence that such an approach is detrimental to the well-being of the American people?

OMAHA, NEBRASKA -- On Christmas day, I learned my Grandfather was gravely I'll and would likely not make it very long. My girlfriend and I immediately searched for an affordable ticket from Los Angles, California, to Omaha, Nebraska. We had never flown with United Airlines before, but after asking around, heard it was a decent airline to fly with. We quickly learned nothing could be further from the truth. To start out with, our flight from Los Angles to Denver on flight 576 to Denver was delayed due to Weather. In no way do I expect United to control the weather, but there was no warning whatsoever.

When we landed in Denver, I had a voicemail telling me that flight 576 was delayed and my connecting flight had been rescheduled for a later flight. However, when I went to look for my original connecting flight, it too had been delayed an hour. Why I would be automatically re-connected without taking account of my connecting flight delay is beyond me, but it would set the tone of things to come. Not only that, we were racing the clock to get to his bedside. When we landed in Omaha on flight 977, our bags were nowhere to be found. We went to the baggage service area and spoke with the gentleman there.

He said our bags were on the plane we were rescheduled for. I explained to him I could not wait an hour for the bags and told him we lived in Sioux City. He said not to worry, someone could deliver them there tomorrow. It was only after I told him that we were actually in a suburb of Sioux City called Sergeant Bluff that he said it would have to be handled by FedEx, but they will still be overnighted and be there tomorrow. He re-assured me this is how it would happen, and gave me a baggage report.

I left and immediately drove the 3 hours north to Brookings, SD where I learned my Grandfather had passed sometime in the last hour, had there been no delay I would have made it. The next day I drove the hundred miles to pick up our bags, but there were no bags. I promptly called 1-800-221-6903 and spoke to an agent there (Did not get his name but it is on my United record).

I asked him if I could just come pick up the luggage, he informed me that it was already given to FedEx and said there was no way the luggage would ever be thereby noon the next day. He then supposedly called FedEx and they not only had the luggage on the truck out for delivery, they were making a special drop for us at 10 PM on 28DEC07. He gave me their tracking numbers. I looked up these tracking numbers, they showed they hadn't even left the airport yet, were scheduled for delivery 02JAN08, and were set for 2ND DAY DELIVERY. Hoping that the special delivery was indeed correct, I put my faith in United again.

10 PM came and left, and no bags. The next morning I called again. The agent informed me that there was no special delivery scheduled and the luggage had been picked up by FedEx for 2nd day delivery at 10:30 PM. This is the only truthful information I have received from United to this day. She then said she was looking at the shipping info and it was on the truck. I asked to speak with her supervisor. Instead of getting him, she also called supposedly called FedEx, and gave me the same answer the agent before had given me with the addition that the bags would be there today between 8 AM and 12 AM.

I again asked for a supervisor, she put me on hold and hung up. I called back and asked another agent for a supervisor. Finally she connected me with a supervisor named **. ** informed me of many interesting things. One of them was that I couldn't count, because even though I told him I had called 3 or 4 times, his system shows that I had only called twice, so I must be exaggerating.

This same system that has lost my bags is now calling me a liar. Another interesting fact was that our bags were going to be FedEx'ed FOR SURE by noon. He also stated that I could only have a $250 vouchers for United. He said it in such a misleading way I had to ask again. I said verbatim 'Did you say two hundred and fifty dollars?', to which he said yes. I then asked the same question again, and he replied yes. I didn't think $250 was enough money since it was both of us without clothes for 3 days so far, and he said either that or our clothes, toiletries, and such would be re-reimbursed by United.

However, my 600 miles in gas due to this incident will not. He would also file a formal complaint on my behalf and send it to corporate. I told him the $250 travel voucher will be fine if that's all there is, and I would look forward to my bags at noon. AGAIN noon goes by and no bags. Again I call the 800 number, this time I get **. ** tells me the same thing I have been hearing the whole time, which is my bags are so close I should just hang up and wait for them. This seems to be the plot of the call every time I talk to someone. I ask to speak to ** again and she puts me on hold. Instead of getting ** like I asked, she calls FedEx for 10 minutes.

She comes back on the line and states that before she gets ** she wants me to know she called FedEx and my bags are on the way. I again told her I wanted to speak to **. She replies that she will go get him but it's not going to matter he isn't going to be able to do anything for me. I will definitely admit it is this point where I started screaming. ** had ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHT to tell me what I wanted or needed to do, it seems as though she didn't even read my notes. After 20 more minutes on hold, she puts me through to **.

At the same time my girlfriend ** is on hold with FedEx. ** said that unfortunately there is nothing they can do. I asked her to call FedEx and ask them if we could just pick up the bags. She said they would need authorization by the baggage department at Omaha to get the order cancelled. Meanwhile, my girlfriend gets an answer from FedEx, who said the order could have easily been cancelled until 10:30 PM last night, because IT WAS JUST SITTING AT THE AIRPORT THE ENTIRE TIME.

** then comes back to me and says she left a VM with the baggage department at Omaha, FedEx cannot give the bags back nor can they overnight them without the baggage departments authorization. So now as it stands, my grandfather's funeral is tomorrow, and my military uniform is at a hub in Omaha. What do you have to say for yourselves? This entire time your company has done nothing but lie to us about where our bags are to cover your own individual agent's asses. If you would have been honest from the very start this could have been avoided and I would have my bags RIGHT NOW.

Instead I have traveled 600 miles, spent the entire time on the phone with your company, and I will now bury my grandfather with no military rights. I don't even have enough money in my pocket to buy clothes FOR THE FUNERAL, so being reimbursed is not an option (Although with your track record so far, I doubt that reimbursement is likely in the end). A $50 travel voucher may as well be nothing, as it isn't cash now and it's barely a dent in the monetary anguish you have cost us.

Your company has taken away something that can never be replaced, and for that not only will I never fly your airline again, I will make it a point to inform EVERYONE I know that you have by far the worst possible customer service and business ethics possible. Although my heart is filled with anger and hatred at your company and the horrible acts you have committed against me, I hope you never have to experience the helplessness felt by burying a loved one during the holidays, only to have your hands tied behind you by a huge unemotional corporate conglomerate.

After sending several e-mails, I was offered a $100 certificate for my next trip! They have got to be kidding. Like I would ever use United again!!! I am very disappointed in your customer service and would like to take this opportunity to tell you why. This is regarding a trip I booked for four persons to Hawaii. I called and placed a reservation for four. I had enough miles to use for three tickets. I paid for the fourth. I confirmed with the agent that I was purchasing all four at that time. I had to pay taxes and such on the ones I was using miles for. I gave him my credit card number and he gave me a confirmation number.

He said it was complete and I would receive the tickets in the mail. Well I received one ticket in the mail. The one I paid $950 for. So I called again to ask where the other tickets were. I was told that the request was never completed. Somehow he managed to get the one I was paying cash for completed but not the other three. And now this agent explains to me that they no longer have seats available for miles tickets on that flight. He also informs me that he can't change the ticket I purchased. So my options are to pay $950 for three more tickets or have the other three people go on a different flight. That does not really sound reasonable to me.

He also told me I could save my miles for future use - because of course they are so easy to use!! I spent two hours on the phone during this call. I took three tickets on a different flight with my miles. I was told they would arrive in the mail. Well I waited a couple weeks and they did not arrive so I called AGAIN. The agent explained to me that my reservation was on hold but it was never completed. How did this happen again?? It seems like people are trying to prohibit me from using these miles. They had no problem with the ticket I paid cash for. Well this time I spent almost three hours on the telephone.

They had to book me on a completely different flight this time. So again it is still one person on one flight and the other three people on another flight. Not exactly ideal for a family vacation. They explained that I may be able to go to the airport and have them switch the tickets but they could not do it over the phone, even though the original tickets were bought over the phone. Well after spending a total of 8 and a half hours on the telephone I received the tickets. Of course they are not for the flight I had initially wanted, because the first person who helped me did not do his job. Then I got to go to the airport so that all four of us could fly together.

This is especially important because we will have to rent cars to and from the airport. We do not live close to the airport. Well I got my kids ready and took them all to the airport. I paid to park and stood waiting for my ticket to be fixed (with my children) for FOUR HOURS!!! And do you know how the ticket was fixed? The agent called the number that I had called and had them fix it. So why could they not just do it for me?

Why did I have to spend four hours in an airport with my children for this?? This is completely and totally ridiculous. Your customer service agents on the telephone were not polite or helpful. Even when it was their fault that things were messed up they insisted they could not fix it. It seems to me that you are trying to make it difficult for customers to redeem miles. It is already hard with blackout dates and limits on each flight. Then to make it worse, people make reservations and you just don't complete them.

That is unbelievable. I am completely dissatisfied with your customer service. There are other airlines for people to choose, and when you do things like this, it encourages them to do so. I booked travel for 4 from Phoenix to Kona roundtrip. I sent a message due to problems we had with booking travel. It was messed up several times. I will copy and paste that at the bottom for your reference. However, I want to share with you what happened on the actual days of travel. It was a NIGHTMARE!!!

Due to all of the problems we had booking the tickets, I took the tickets to my local United counter before the day of travel to make sure that everything was OK and that we were set. I was told that we were. The person acted all helpful and took our tickets and gave us electronic tickets. She sent us on our way telling us we were all set to go. On the day of travel we show up at the airport, thankfully more than 2 hours ahead of time. We try to check in and we are not able to. We are told we do not have tickets. We show them everything we have and explain that we paid for three with miles and one with cash.

We stood there while they called people on the telephone and other associates from other counters to come help. 25 minutes before our flight they manage to get 2 of the tickets straight but not the other two. So they tell us that we should pay for 2 tickets to LA where we have a connection. We are told that everything will be set when we get there and we will have no problem with the connecting flight. At this point we have no choice but to buy 2 more tickets. Our flight is about to leave and if we miss it we also miss the connection. So we buy them.

Well then when we get to LA everything is not OK. We are sent from one line to the next. We are panicking because we have very little time to make our flight and there are no other open flights that day. We already booked hotels and stuff... this is supposed to be our dream vacation in Hawaii. HA!! Finally, we are told that they have located the reservation, but the tickets we have are not any good. We are told that we have to pay for lost tickets and get new ones. This is CRAZY!! We have tickets and did not lose anything. Well this is 30 minutes before departure and we have no choice. There goes several hundred dollars more.

This is the most expensive and stressful free tickets ever! Well then we of course are told that since we paid the lost ticket fee and had them reprint everything, we would not have any problem on departure. Well at this point we did not believe them. So on our last vacation day we had to get up early and make an extra trip to the airport just to make sure our tickets were OK. Then we could leave and come back for our flight that evening. Well it is a good thing that we did. They were not correct. First we are told we have no tickets. Then we are told we go into LA when we are supposed to go into San Fran.

Well, we spent three and a half hours at the airport getting it straight. What a lovely way to end the perfect vacation. I am still VERY angry. This is poor service from start to finish. Not only were our 3 mileage tickets not free, but the hassle was unbelievable. Plus, I paid over $1000 for the fourth ticket. That is $1,000 cash to get poor service. Seems like something is wrong to me.

PITTSBURGH -- Unfriendly Skies. During an ongoing nightmare between Sunday, June 17th and Tuesday, June 19th my husband and I were unable to complete a journey between Pittsburgh and Sao Paulo on United Airlines. For three days we were within the impenetrable thrall of United Airlines "don't ask, won'€™t tell"€™ Customer Service Maze. This all started when United Airline'€™s flight #UA7469 bound from Pittsburgh to Dulles failed to take off. This non-performance by United made our connections out of Dulles to Sao Paulo impossible that night.

As we attempted to re-book and to make sense out of the situation we were unable to speak with any United Airlines supervisor while at the United Airlines Counter in the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport. Inexplicably, in the midst of a cancelled flight, the supervisor had "˜gone home"€™. We were also unable to get a reason for the flight's not taking off, although we overheard one employee say to the other "€˜this is the second night that the pilot has not shown up"€™ - whatever that might mean. The incontrovertible fact, however, was that the plane did not take off.

There was no problem with the weather and we were given meal and hotel vouchers and told that we could not be scheduled by United Airlines to leave Pittsburgh for connections to Brazil before Tuesday night. Since the purpose of our trip was to participate in the World Master Athlete Judo Association€™s WMJC in Brazil that was to commence on Monday, June 18th we were keen to find a way to a hub and get to Sao Paulo. My husband is WMJA'€™s Secretary General and was indispensable to the running of the many Executive and Board meetings that were to take place.

Also, he was to be honored for his fifty fifth year in Judo and was, himself, to honor WMJA's President by dedicating the 12th in his series of oil portraits of Judo Greats. And most importantly of all, he was to defend his World-Championship in Judo. Knowing how vital it was that we continue on our trip promptly, our travel agent was able to find us a Monday evening flight with United, leaving from Akron, Ohio at 5:00 PM with a connection to Chicago'€™s O'Hare AP where we were to board a Sao Paulo flight at 9:30 PM. We rented a car and drove to Akron, checked in and awaited our flight.

At around 4PM we heard that the flight would be delayed, at 5PM we learned that, if it flew at all, it would be delayed approximately five hours which would again cause us to lose our Sao Paulo Connection. Our travel agent then suggested that we immediately change our tickets to a Pittsburgh departure the next day (Tuesday) with a connecting flight to Sao Paulo via Dulles. This required re-renting the car and returning to Pittsburgh where no hotel rooms were available near the airport. United declined to give us a hotel voucher or to pay the car rental fees as they declared that "€˜an Act of God"€™ caused the weather-related delay of the Akron flight.

When we attempted to appeal to the United ticket agent'€™s logic and showed that we were in Akron because of the non-performance of United on Sunday night; and that we were victims of a non-flight that was decidedly NOT an "Act of God"€™ we were advised by United Airlines security that if we continued to argue there would be "€˜consequences". When we asked for the intervention of a United Airlines Supervisor, we were told that no supervisor was on duty.

The next morning I phoned United Airline'€™s reservations desk and was told that there was already a 3-5 hour flight delay on our flight from Pittsburgh that evening and was told that in all probability we would not make our connections to Sao Paulo for the third day in a row. I then phoned United Airlines Customer Service and after being routed and re-routed electronically finally spoke with a gentleman in India who was unable to give me any substantive advice or refer me to any person with authority within the United Airlines hierarchy thus wasting my time as well as his.

The United Customer Relations phone line prohibits any conversation with any person within the confines of the United States; one is buffeted and circumrotated into various blind alleys with recorded messages. We were, at that point, forced to abandon our travels as we were both suffering from near exhaustion. Our physician was consulted and he forbade further abuse at the hands of United Airlines.

At this point we have returned home and have found to our amazement that not unlike the cheated spouse in some country-western song we were among "€˜the last to know"€™ that United is notorious for non-existent Customer Service, unprecedented agent rudeness and highly unreliable flight schedules. After speaking with over twenty people we find that when we begin our tale of woe, the listener almost always says, "€œYou were flying United, right?" We also visited the web and were amazed to find that so great is the travail experienced daily by United victims that there is an ongoing, day by day, listing of letters sent by those "€˜who are mad", and will not take it any more.

When inquiring into the name, appropriate title and address of United Airlines' Customer Service czar we found that this information is difficult, indeed, to procure. After three hours of intensive research we were finally able to find that United Airline€™s' Customer Relations Chief is: Mrs. Pamela **; United Airlines General Manager - Customer Relations; PO Box 66100; Chicago, IL 60666.

We feel that when a prominent airline€™'s Chief Customer Relations Officer'€™s name and title are deliberately withheld from the public that this is a sure indication of a complaint level that prohibits conventional methods of dialogue and solution. Our only solution -€“ not to ever fly United Airlines again.

SAN FRANCISCO, MARYLAND -- I am writing to express my, disappointment, displeasure and disgust with United Airlines at the service and treatment I received on my last flight in the unfriendly skies of United. On Tuesday, April 17th I received a call from UAL reservations telling my originally booked flight for the next day had been canceled—no reason given—and I was booked on a later flight. Fine. Seating assignments were made satisfactorily. When I checked in the agent asked if I wanted to upgrade since I was confirmed upgraded on the return flight. We used 500-mile certificates. Even if I did arrive disappointed two hours later than planned, the flight was uneventful.

On Wednesday, April 25 I checked in at SEA and received my confirmed upgrades for the San Francisco leg and the Baltimore leg using 15,000 miles from my account. The flight was delayed due to weather in SFO but was uneventful as well until we landed. Instead of the customary announcement of passengers continuing on to Baltimore the gate agent informed us that the flight had been canceled and we needed to see the service center about rebooking. The lines at the center snaked back down the terminal and were not moving. After waiting in line for a half hour and making little progress I attempted to reach the Premier Reservations by cell phone.

The first agent I reached was so heavily accented and the connection so poor I could hardly understand or hear him. He did manage to explain some options to him but I decide it would be best to try another agent since I did not trust he knew what he was doing. The second agent was better and the connection better but I could not convince him I was in San Francisco and not in Seattle and I did not want to go to Dulles Airport. On to the third agent who did manage to finally give me some options that included a 6:12 am flight the next morning. I asked about the confirmed upgrade, he didn't know, I asked about lodging and he referred me to the service center.

I then attempted to reach customer service via the number given by the agent and wound up in endless loops that took me back to reservations and the automated system. By repeating “agent” to every automatic question I would talk to someone who would forward me on—back to reservations. This went on for 20 minutes before I gave up in disgust. By now I had deplaned over an hour and half ago. I decided to go to Premier ticket counter to see if there was a shorter line. The line was shorter but due to handling similar problems it was over a half hour before an agent was available to talk to.

My seatmate, who was in a wheel chair, had been at the counter the entire time and said she had waited 30 minutes for the agent to come back with hotel information for her. Another passenger on the same flight gave up in disgust, booked a flight on American Airlines via cell phone, and left. The agent behind the counter was polite and understanding but was at the end of her shift. It took her almost a half-hour to sort the mess out and get me boarding passes for the next morning. I asked about the confirmed upgrade I held and she told me none were available (my seatmate got hers but then United is a class driven carrier) but that I would be wait listed.

Now I am really disappointed with the way UAL was treating customers. So I asked about a lodging and agent was able to make a reservation for me and gave me a $10 voucher for dinner. Yes, ten whole dollars for dinner. How generous. The hotel I was booked into was a Red Roof Inn, barely one star hotel, but at least it was clean. I did not arrive at the hotel until after 5:45, almost six hours after I had deplaned.

The next morning when I arrived at the airport at 5:00 am for my flight I was told that I was so far down the upgrade list that I would not receive it out of San Francisco in spite of having been charge mileage and held a confirmed upgrade on the original flight. Still disappointed and displeased I went to the gate only to find out that I had been placed in the center seat of a B-777. At least it was the front exit row. Now I am really starting to get disgusted with UAL's treatment.

When I arrived in Chicago I did receive the upgrade for the flight home. But wait! We are not done with the disgust. When I arrived home I checked my Mileage Plus account a couple of days later only to find out that I had been charged an extra 15,000 miles for the Chicago to Baltimore leg. What a bloody rip for an upgraded bag of pretzels and drink served in a glass instead of styro-foam!

For the really disgusting part of the whole episode my hotel voucher and ten-dollar meal voucher (yes, I said ten dollars for dinner again) listed the cause of cancellation as “mechanical.” It was the same plane we had just flown in on from Seattle! I am suspecting now that the mechanical failure was made up to justify canceling the flight since none of the crew seemed aware of the problem until the gate agent made the announcement.

If this is the way United treats its loyal customers I hate to think how others are treated. Again I am disappointed, displeased, and disgusted with this kind of treatment and I remind you that as your flight attendants say at the end of every flight: “there is a choice in air carriers.” I have always believed in loyalty to a business but United's indifference to customers and poor customer service is making me re-evaluate my commitment.

Now, what is United going to do about this? Honor its commitment to customer service listed on the webpage? Refund the extra 15,000 miles taken out of my account for the upgrade I had already paid for would be the least I would expect. What else can United do to make up for this grievous betrayal of customer loyalty? After over 18 years of flying UAL almost exclusively and logging some 630,000 miles I am now seriously considering alternative carriers. South West Airlines did just open a new terminal at BWI, my preferred airport and I have heard lots of positives about flying South West.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS -- This is a beauty. I was trying to fly home for a friends funeral. My outgoing flight was delayed but that was OK. I was leaving Santa Ana Ca connecting in Chicago then onto Manchester Nh. We circled Ohare airport for 3 hours. It was ridiculous. The flight attendants were extremely rude. One man asked for a coffee stating that he needed the caffeine because he was tired, only to have the flight attendant snap back at him very loudly that she was tired too and that he wasn't the only one that wanted to go home! Clearly embarrassing him and angering other passengers.

Then we were diverted to some UPS type airport in Indianapolis, where we waited for another 3 1/2 hours on the plane!! The bathroom had urine all over the floor and just reeked so horribly, I tried to pee put stepped in a puddle of urine and ruined my boots. So I returned to my seat where I had to deal with the embarrassment of the urine smell on my shoes.

This is about 6 hours after we should have landed. At what point do they stop selling the food and help people out. At least people with small children!! (I do not have any.) I try to re book a flight on the customer service line only to get the runaround from some lady in India with little English/people skills. That went nowhere. My battery on my cell dies, smart me - I pack the charger in my checked baggage.

We get to Ohare and there are literally hundreds of stranded passengers waiting in line to talk to customer service which are very very rude and unhelpful. SLEPT on the FLOOR for nearly 2 DAYS. NO hotel voucher, NO food voucher. NO help. Waited in like at 4:30 am for customer service to open at 5.

It opened quarter to 7. I tried to ask a United rep for help. She literally pretended she could not hear me and walked away. I jumped in front of her and asked her if I was mumbling or something that she didn't hear me say excuse me to her like 8 times. I asked her where customer service was and she shrugged her shoulders and said they'd be there when they'd be there!!

To make a very long story short I never made it to my destination or my friends funeral. They lost my baggage for 4 days. The only reason I got it back was because some stranger called me from my info tag on my bag asking if I had his luggage because he had taken mine home by mistake!! I informed the airline attendant and she rolled her eyes and said I was lucky to get it back! I still have not received a refund. I got a 100$ voucher for United but I swear to god I will never fly them again. Please if you value your TIME/MONEY/MENTAL HEALTH or if you just would like to be treated like a person DO NOT ever fly UNITED!!