OT - Airline rant, a new low. Summer 2019 - even lower!

[Jcgill]

We fly southwest every chance we get as long as they have service to our destinations and have always been pleased.
We flew Alaska Airlines to and from Hawaii in 2016 and that was probably the best flying experience i have ever had.
Last month we went back to Hawaii and booked thru Costco and our only option was united.
I will echo the concensus here and say i would rather ride a donkey to my destination than get on another united plane.
We went ohare to San Francisco and then sf to maui, return was supposed to be the same in reverse.
1. The 5 different boarding groups are ridiculous, everyone is trying to get on before their # is called.
2. The gate people treat you like a convict boarding con-air. In SF going to maui the guy at the gate had the worst attitude i have ever seen from an airport worker, and then he just flat out told people they were required to check their carry on (without ever seeing the remaining overhead bin space) which there was ample space left when the attendants closed them.
3. On the way home we went to check in at the maui airport and found out our flight maui-sf was totally canceled. (App still told us on time) Lady at the check in said “the plane is on its way here with a mechanical problem IF it makes it to the island it is going to go out of service and to the garage.” Real good choice of words. So then they shoe-horn as many of us as they can onto a flight to Denver like it is no big deal and they are doing us the favor.

[PacNW2Ford]

Originally Posted by echappist

more like humiliating for passengers

to the OP, really sorry about this. I think the way this usually works is public shaming on twitter, and United will follow up with tail between its legs, apologizing. Doesn't make it right though...

Btw, how far away is IAD from Charlottesville driving? I arrived at IAD on an United international flight, and my destination was Philly. At the same gate was a plane headed for Charlottesville. I was remarking to my partner that the taxiing must take longer than the actual flight itself (our own flight isn't too much better in this regard). I once lived in Arlington, and I think C'ville is some 2.5 hrs away driving; so perhaps IAD is 90 minutes away?





from what i heard, AA is even worse than United. How is that even possible?

I have flown American once in the last 15 years or so. They cancelled my flight mid-trip five minutes before boarding without any warning. Note to self: never fly an airline that has a “Rebooking Center”. Then on the return trip, a phantom “Ground Stop” delayed my flight. They said “Your connecting flight isn’t going anywhere, there’s a ground stop”. I called Alaska Airlines and they said “What Ground Stop? Your plane is leaving.” Then I invaded Canada, but that’s another story.

[GonaSovereign]

I hate bad travel as much as the next person, and i do 100k or more every year. That said, when you pay more, your experience improves.

Most people expect rock-bottom prices when they fly today. And most people complain that "it never used to be like this" ... yet they forget that it used to cost a lot more to travel by plane.

The market demands cheap, so the airlines oblidge and pay staff nothing and cut everything else to the bone. If we like cheap things, we must accept the downside.

[Spaghetti Legs]

Originally Posted by GonaSovereign

I hate bad travel as much as the next person, and i do 100k or more every year. That said, when you pay more, your experience improves.

Most people expect rock-bottom prices when they fly today. And most people complain that "it never used to be like this" ... yet they forget that it used to cost a lot more to travel by plane.

The market demands cheap, so the airlines oblidge and pay staff nothing and cut everything else to the bone. If we like cheap things, we must accept the downside.

That's the thing. I used to live in SF and would fly home to NC on a half empty plane that left on time for about $300 (maybe $500-600 in today dollars) so pretty much the same. When gas prices went up to $4 per gallon, plane tix shot up and never really came back down now with gas at $2 gallon.

I hear you folks on the non-stop flights but limited options from a small airport. Dulles is 2hr and a little change from Charlottesville. Last town I lived in, I would drive 2.5 hrs to Raleigh Durham for cheaper non-stop flights.

[pasadena]

United and American are the city buses of the air

AA was the only airline I’ve ever been on where the stewardess just kicked the garbage to the sides and never picked it up. That’s the best thing I can say about either airline.
Never use them. Never.

[weisan]

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/15/unit...disasters.html

Reduced passenger choice
United has a long way to go to improve customer sentiment. United came in behind Alaska Airlines, American and Delta in the J.D. Power airline satisfaction survey published last May.

But will a boycott materialize? Because of years of consolidation, many passengers won't have a choice since the airline has such a large presence in its hubs in Chicago, Newark, New Jersey, and Houston, just as other big carriers dominate in their hubs. Passengers often prioritize low price above all else. And commercial airplanes have been flying fuller than ever as demand continues to grow.

The puppy's death won't ruin United's business, said Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants. It will simply create ill will toward it.

"People will fly them but with resentment," he said.

[Hakkalugi]

I work part time for an airline (not United) and weight restrictions are a significant thing in winter. I’m not a pilot, so I can’t explain with confidence the details, but we tell them exactly how many bags are on the airplane and they make calculations. Sometimes we then go take bags off. Sometimes no bags go at all. Sometimes people volunteer and leave an airplane they’ve already boarded. This is to keep airplanes flying instead of crashing, and every airplane in the world has to deal with it, regardless of airline. Bumping to another flight or having a bag delayed is much better than crashing, as far as gross generalization goes.

United has been proactive and has tried to turn the corner after the incident with Dr Dao, and they now can be pretty generous when they need volunteers to skip the flight. This plus some regulations has also made other airlines step up their customer service as well. Airlines will make every effort to get you to your destination, and the customer service agents can work some magic. Talk to them, be polite, and keep in mind the CS agents are as fried as you are, particularly this time of year and with weather impacts they are working long hours with nothing but unhappy people in their faces. I see them in the break room and know that if you treat them with kindness and respect, they will do everything they can for you. I also hear some stories about how awful people can be to another person, and it’s pretty horrible.

[bart998]

I recently flew American and paid extra for up-level economy (?) so I would be able to choose seats. When I tried to choose seats I discovered that no seats together were available (party of 3) and I had to keep the computer assigned seats. So we had to sit spread all over the cabin. When I requested a refund of the extra fee I paid because I hadn't been able to pick my seats i was told too bad... several times. I will never fly american again.

[Blue Jays]

United Breaks Guitars...among other pieces of luggage.

[rwsaunders]

+1.5M miles on USAirways years ago and after the American merger it went to hell. Tried United for a bit and then became a Delta convert and it’s been great. Agree with Houston’s credit card observation.

[rileystylee]

Maybe airlines should weigh the passengers as well as their baggage?
Then if they were over a combined weight limit ( not sure what that would be) they would have to pay the excess or not take as much.
Flight I got back from the USA to the uk on nyd had some huge (wide) people with equally large amounts of luggage....

[rrudoff]

Well I am sitting in Honolulu at 12:26 AM, flight was to leave at 11:59 PM HNL to SFO, and is delayed 2 hours. Love these red eyes where I try to sleep and then go straight to the office....They did text me at about 9 PM to tell me this, but the worst to be honest is that I did not have time to eat before checking in and there is literally nothing available in the airport, even from the gift shop which is shut and United could not be bothered to offer snacks or water as it is a weather related delay. I only fly United as they have 4 flights a day between HNL and SFO. I am a Premier member, but besides boarding early United is not my first choice, Alaska or Delta much preferred.

I do have much worse stories of course, this is just annoying. Flew Air Berlin on literally the last day they were in business in 2017-they cancelled my flight from Dusseldorf to Florence and eventually sent us to Bologna with no notice, and then had to Bus to Florence at 2 AM. For a while I thought they were not even going to supply a bus and I would need to rent a car.

[Bruce K]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience.

We never fly United or American. Delta first and Southwest second. Things usually go well.

My son is flying BOS to ATL this morning.

7:00AM Delta flight with just carry on only and Medallion Gold status.

He already got upgraded (3 days ago) to Comfort going down and 1st Class coming back.

Express TSA took 5 minutes this morning.

Delta+Loyalty+Early = Happy Flight (I hope)

BK

[weisan]

Originally Posted by Hakkalugi

I work part time for an airline (not United) and weight restrictions are a significant thing in winter. I’m not a pilot, so I can’t explain with confidence the details, but we tell them exactly how many bags are on the airplane and they make calculations. Sometimes we then go take bags off. Sometimes no bags go at all. Sometimes people volunteer and leave an airplane they’ve already boarded. This is to keep airplanes flying instead of crashing, and every airplane in the world has to deal with it, regardless of airline. Bumping to another flight or having a bag delayed is much better than crashing, as far as gross generalization goes.

United has been proactive and has tried to turn the corner after the incident with Dr Dao, and they now can be pretty generous when they need volunteers to skip the flight. This plus some regulations has also made other airlines step up their customer service as well. Airlines will make every effort to get you to your destination, and the customer service agents can work some magic. Talk to them, be polite, and keep in mind the CS agents are as fried as you are, particularly this time of year and with weather impacts they are working long hours with nothing but unhappy people in their faces. I see them in the break room and know that if you treat them with kindness and respect, they will do everything they can for you. I also hear some stories about how awful people can be to another person, and it’s pretty horrible.

there are two sides to every story. thanks for providing your perspective, hakka pal.

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by eddief

a few players colluding to screw us into the ground. Why did it have to turn into this? If you're rich it might be better cuz you can ride first class, but it is still a giant cattle call on every flight. Corporations treat humans like dog crap in order to enrich investors. and interestingly enough, investors probably put up with the same BS when they fly. sheep.

I know more than a few dairy farmers and beef cattle ranchers.
Don’t insult them by comparing them to United Airline workers; every one of them has far more respect for their animals than the folks at United have for their passengers.