United dinged me for the last time

[Kharon]

I had a beautiful trip to Bonaire planned - until yesterday morning. I got an email from United saying "sorry, we effed you over again". Travel went from one short plane change in Newark to a flight from Albany, to Huston, to Washington, to Bonaire with longish layovers. But that's not the worst. Coming back they gave me all of 7 minutes to clear customs and make my next flight in Newark. Are you kidding me?????

After a long phone call with a representative whose final answer was "Sorry, those are the only available flights. But for your returning flight you can stay in Newark until late the next day. Only a 20+ hour layover". To be fair, he did look at flights on different days - but no joy.

I cancelled the flights and got a refund. I am cancelling my United credit card. I will never, ever, under any circumstances fly United again. This is the third time they effed me over.

I'm back to trying to book flights with reasonable flight times. I can get there OK. Getting back home is the problem. I may have to stay in Atlanta an extra day and go to the aquarium unless I can come up with something creative. That or cancel the Bonaire trip altogether and eat the $225 Hamlet Oasis reservation.

 

[victorzamora]

Well, the Georgia Aquarium is fantastic and definitely worth going to......but I feel you. United changed my flights without notifying me, then two gate agents got angry with me when I was unaware that the flights had changed. This was all immediately after having been promised by the first United agent (on the phone while in the plane who checked the system and called our departure gate) that our next flight was being held for us, only to miss it by less than 30 seconds after literally sprinting across the airport. Oh...and we were only late because United personnel hadn't arrived at the Jetway to "accept" the plane and we sat on the tarmac for over an hour.....in EWR prior to departure and IAD upon arrival.

If I can help it, I'll never fly United again.

 

[uncfnp]

Kharon. Look at Delta if that is an option. They aren’t perfect but they have treated us well even with the hiccups. And if it is, get the American Express Delta card. One free checked bag and bonus points sign up.

 

[wheeledgoat]

Man that bites. Thanks for sharing!

Hopefully you'll permit me to ask, though, is there an airline out there without similar stories? (It's an honest question. You have my deepest sympathies!) I'm reminded of my debacle with hard drive failures over the years. One by one Western Digital, Maxor, Seagate, etc... all failed on me. Eventually I had sworn off every brand there was and came to realize its just the nature of the beast. Not sure if it's fair to compare hard drives and airlines, but I'm reminded of it.

Again my sympathies, and appreciation for sharing! I'll take a harder look at any potential United flights...

 

[kelemvor]

Man that bites. Thanks for sharing!

Hopefully you'll permit me to ask, though, is there an airline out there without similar stories? (It's an honest question. You have my deepest sympathies!) I'm reminded of my debacle with hard drive failures over the years. One by one Western Digital, Maxor, Seagate, etc... all failed on me. Eventually I had sworn off every brand there was and came to realize its just the nature of the beast. Not sure if it's fair to compare hard drives and airlines, but I'm reminded of it.

Again my sympathies, and appreciation for sharing! I'll take a harder look at any potential United flights...

I've never had a bad experience with American Airlines, but I'm sure there are folks out there who have had a problem with them as well. Like hard drives, all airlines have problems sometimes.. there are a lot of "moving parts" involved in flying around the world so a lot can go wrong. American is not usually the cheapest when I search for flights, but my good experiences with them have kept me coming back. I don't fly often enough to bother with frequent flyer miles, only two or three flights a year.

 

[scubadada]

I've never had a bad experience with American Airlines, but I'm sure there are folks out there who have had a problem with them as well. Like hard drives, all airlines have problems sometimes.. there are a lot of "moving parts" involved in flying around the world so a lot can go wrong. American is not usually the cheapest when I search for flights, but my good experiences with them have kept me coming back. I don't fly often enough to bother with frequent flyer miles, only two or three flights a year.

All airlines have periodic problems. It's difficult to compare airlines when you predominantly fly one. Living in Philadelphia, I used to fly US Airways almost exclusively. Since the merger, I fly American Airlines. In general, I have done OK, but have had my share of delayed luggage, cancelled flights, and rescheduled flights. I fly enough that perquisites and frequent flyer miles matter to me. We're all hostage to some degree and can do very little about it.

On the other hand, American now flies to Bonaire from Miami, will be trying that out next month

 

[wheeledgoat]

Yeah, I vote with my dollars and simply prefer to drive nearly anywhere in the continental US instead of flying (living in Illinois helps with that). Currently I'm in Delaware and was quite happy to just enjoy the open road and bring what I want instead of dealing with airline rules, expense and uncertainties.

If only driving were an option for our diving destinations!

 

[Dogbowl]

Don’t know where you are in upstate NY (Albany?), and don’t know when your trip is, but have you considered a flight to Toronto and then a direct flight to Bonaire on Sunwing? Change planes once, but probably have to overnight in Toronto due to schedules as most Caribbean flights leave early in the morning. Just a suggestion as I’ve heard how difficult it is to get to Bonaire from some places in the US.

But...sunwing flights don’t start until December so probably not what you’re looking for.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . .

I'm back to trying to book flights with reasonable flight times. I can get there OK. Getting back home is the problem. I may have to stay in Atlanta an extra day and go to the aquarium unless I can come up with something creative. That or cancel the Bonaire trip altogether and eat the $225 Hamlet Oasis reservation.

Give me a shout if you pass through Atlanta. I live within walking distance of the Aquarium. If I'm around I'll buy you a beer for your sorrows. United sucks, but so does Delta. Delta doesn't seem to want leisure travelers anymore--they are all about business travel. That said, my wife and I found airfares to Bonaire in Basic Economy--that's the tier below Main Cabin, where you don't even get an advance seat assignment--for a mere $800 or so. Staying at Hamlet Oasis.

 

[muzikbiz22]

I've never had a bad experience with American Airlines, but I'm sure there are folks out there who have had a problem with them as well. Like hard drives, all airlines have problems sometimes.. there are a lot of "moving parts" involved in flying around the world so a lot can go wrong. American is not usually the cheapest when I search for flights, but my good experiences with them have kept me coming back. I don't fly often enough to bother with frequent flyer miles, only two or three flights a year.

My sentiments, as well. American is not perfect (no airline is), but they do it for me. I'm one of those who have had issues when I've flown with United. You couldn't pay me to fly with them ever again. Between business and pleasure, I'm a 100k to 200k miles per year flyer, with status on American and JetBlue. Those 2 "do it best", in my opinion.