Donlongco

Last night was on a delayed flight from MSY-IAH. Flight 1247

Tried to get changed to earlier flight that was delayed but gate agent wouldn't put me on the list as he said " I already have a list and you won't get on board"

Called customer service and reported this agent.

Flight 1247 took off around 8 and we arrived around 8:55 had connection to DEN on flight 1058. Was in 1F so asked gate agent if they were holding any flights. She said check at the desk as she had some re-booked flights already. They had in fact rebooked me on a flight at 1:03 pm on Friday. I went over to the gate as she said it was delayed. Made it to the gate and flight was closed and it was now 9:05. Asked gate agent if he could find an earlier flight on Friday morning. He said he could put me on a flight at 10 am and told me he would put me on standby for the 6 am flight 586. My coworker was behind me and is GOLD. He asks to see if he can also get put on standby and earlier flight. Gate agent says " Not sure but I have a confirmed seat for you on the 6 am flight." I ask how does that happen if the flight is oversold and I am on standby as a 1k. Not sure but he is done helping us and tells us for our hotel we need to go to customer service or United Club. Thanks for your help buddy.

Go to United Club and try and get some explanation on how this could of happened. They are just as baffled as the agent. Me not so much with all the nonsense with the new SHARES. They tell me to call reservations to see if they have any idea.

After being on hold for 20 minutes get a supervisor out of Chicago. She tells me she isn't sure. I give her my information and and my friends information so she can at least forward it on to try and get some answer or maybe see where SHARES went wrong. She also said she would forward this on to Customer Care. Should hear back from them sometime around next month if what has been reported around here is true.

This am get up and head to the airport and get to the gate. My coworker is #1 on upgrade and gets the upgrade to First. I ask gate agent what are my chances as I see I am #1 on standby. She says they are oversold and will be asking for volunteers. So they go through that but since it is an early flight a lot of people are not making it to the gate. They don't use the volunteers so they board. Gate agent then does something I have never seen. She doesn't hand out new boarding passes she just tells us to lineup as she calls our names. I am about 7th in a line of 13 people. We board and I get econ plus which I guess after all this nonsense I should be happy.

But to put the cherry on top gate agent then comes and gets a guy a few rows ahead of me and tells him he has been upgraded to 3E. I was about to say how does that happen but already new the answer. They never put me in the system yet as I had no boarding pass so never added to upgrade list.

I made it home but customer service is at an all time low with COdbaUA

channa

Regarding the Gold getting a better rebook than a 1K, it may have been done manually, or maybe the auto-rebook system doesn't yet recognize 1K as a status properly.

Remember that all of CO's systems are separate systems, so logic changes in one area need to be reprogrammed everywhere.

Yoshi212

First World Problems.

Yeah the system didn't work out so you got the confirmed seat with the upgrade you're so obviously entitled to but you did get on the plane in E+ for a 2 Hour flight.

It's still a broken system but you got to where you needed to be with little actual hassle (you got rebooked and then moved to the flight that was better for what you needed).

Donlongco

Oh yeah that's right I forgot I am over entitled.

I do agree the system didn't work and for that someone should be looking into the issue.

LilAbner

You sir, are apparently the only one that knows the answer, so why fight it???
Seriously, no-one seems to know what is going on, as of late, so getting answers is fruitless, don't ya think???

BTW, I'm on your side!!!^

Yoshi212

On a more serious note, did you get flight credit for the last segment where you weren't directly issued a boarding pass? now that's a FT prime directive.

Donlongco

Yes checked and was apparently in seat 21D this morning.

LilAbner

He just flew last night---

He must wait 24/72 hours or 2 weeks depending upon WHO KNOWS to get his miles posted???

Jackstay

Quality of life in the so-called First World is based on a prevailing notion that there are standards of performance (and hopefully excellence) that must be met whenever possible. Expecting the world's biggest and would-be greatest airline to adhere to standards of service that it normally achieved less than a year ago is not unreasonable. Expressing dissatisfaction when it does not is the only way for things to get better.

channa

+1

Using the "first world problems" phrase is simply a cop out. In light of not having food, or shelter, most discussion board topics could be dismissed with such a comment.

Yoshi212

I used the phrase solely to mock the "I didn't get my upgrade on a 2 hour flight" I did follow up with that the system is broken and if it did operate properly he should have gotten the confirmed seat and probably the upgrade but the reality is he still got to his destination on the first available flight, in the coveted E+ seat, in the ticketed class he paid for just by asking to get on the 6 am flight and showing up. He didn't have to go from agent to agent to calling CS to get the 6 am flight.

Donlongco

Nice mocking and I appreciate sarcasm as much if not more than the next man.

I could care less about the upgrade and as I noted never pushed trying to get the upgrade.

As far as going to agent to agent. Gate agent didn't/wouldn't give me and my coworker the hotel voucher so I had to go to the United Club. United Club rep told me to call CS.

I have flown enough miles and realize I can go standby on any flight

The fact is the UA system is jacked up and I reported an obvious issue that an overbooked flight allowed one person to get a confirmed seat on the 6 am and I didn't.

Rest of the story is just for mocking purposes.

CASAFlyer

Regarding your colleague being confirmed on the 6am flight, do you happen to know if there was a difference in fare bucket with respect to your ticket?

Based on my limited IRROPS experience with SHARES, it seems to me that the default is to rebook in the original fare bucket. So it is possible that the system put your friend on the earlier flight if he was in a higher bucket. Of course, *A rules require that they give you a seat if there is one for sale, so it always pays to check what they are selling and explicitly ask the agent to book on that flight.

PS: if a flight is oversold, but they are still selling one or more extra seats (for example Y1B1M1 and everything else zeroed out) it is possible to get confirmed.

Yoshi212

The run around about why it happened is b.s. but it was basically them passing the buck so your complaint can make it to someone where it might get noticed and create a real fix. It's a ...... situation for all involved. Mostly you and then for the ground staff. But the end result got you where you needed to be, at the earliest possibility in the class you purchased and hopefully with some miles thrown at you.

Xyzzy

Could it be that the colleague was rebooked into whY? That wuld prioritize over a 1k on a lower fare.