educatog

Thank you for your answer and welcome!

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what UA says about the diversion. I also found the lack of lodging arrangement unusual.

As for the second issue, I wouldn't expect my husband to get priority treatment, all else equal. However, I believe my husband's situation was a bit different:

- His booking had an expiration time while most of the other ~300 passengers were booked with UA's own recovery flight and their booking wouldn't.

- My husband did stand in line as instructed initially, but reminded the staff again 40 minutes before the TA flight departed, to no result. At this point, he knew that he wouldn't make it if he kept standing in line. I was surprised as it's standard for security and check-in staffs move you forward if your flight is leaving soon. I understand that everyone's probably in some urgent situation, having had their plans delayed for a day, but my husband's booking confirmation one urgency that the staff had control over. Plus, most folks were on UA's CTS to HKG and their plane wouldn't leave without them. My husband's plane surely would leave without him.

I'm not sure what claims to compensation I can have either, other than that the situation was just handled sub-optimally.

LaserSailor

Welcome to FT!!

This is not standard, as you will find 10% of the population would use such a policy to cut lines with reckless abandon.

As posted, the true reason ( not based on what someone told someone who told someone) for the delay will dictate compensation or lack thereof.

The "airspace paperwork" story, regardless of origin, sounds totally fictional.

educatog

Huh, from what you said, it seems my expectations are off, then. I've had my fair share of close calls and actual misses, but never any problem skipping lines as soon as I showed a staff a boarding pass for a flight leaving within 30 minutes. In some cases, a staff even accompanied me from the security check point to the terminal. I've never expected people to take advantage of it because, well, you could actually miss your flight.

And thank you for the welcome and answer!

jjmoore

Only time this has actually worked out for me is waiting in line at customs... I have been whisked to the front of the line a couple times when I surely would have mis-connected waiting in the long line.

scottybweyy

So I had an issue recently. I submitted a DoT complaint, but was curious on everyone's thoughts if I'm entitled to compensation. DoT stated they believe I fall within their guidelines for compensation and forwarded to United to a response. Below is my complaint.

***

On 12 DEC 2014 I arrived at Dulles International Airport from Doha. After going through customs, I put my luggage on the transfer belt and then proceeded to the United Ticket counter right next to the transfer belt. At 4pm, I was speaking with a United agent trying to check in for my flight at 5:01pm UA 4133 IAD>CHS. I had a paid confirmed ticket and was slated to sit in seat 9A.

The ticketing agent stated that the flight was overbooked/sold and that she could not print my boarding pass. After about a 30 minute wait, she confirmed there were no other routes to get me home that evening and re-booked me for UA 3734 IAD>CHS 13 DEC 2014 at 12:21.

After that, I went upstairs to the main lobby ticketing area to request my denied boarding compensation. I waited in line for approximately 90 minutes. Finally I was able to speak with a United ticket agent who was not very helpful. I asked her to escalate to a manager. One came out to speak with me about 15 minutes later.

I explained the situation to him and he began investigating by looking up my reservation history in the computer and speaking with the agent who denied printing my boarding pass. He basically stated that since I didn't go to the gate and get a slip of paper that I am not eligible for compensation. The problem was I could not get to the gate without a boarding pass. I tried to get my boarding pass with ample time prior to check-in cutoff but was denied the opportunity, and transitively, was denied boarding.

So after a travel journey that began 24 hours earlier, I was left 500 miles from my home without my luggage, forced to pay for a hotel, taxi to hotel, buying socks/underwear toiletries, and wasting my time since I have to fly out 19 hours later than I should have.

Under 14 CFR 250.5, I am requesting that United Airlines compensate me via check 400% of the segment fare, hotel ($200.01), taxi ($50.76), meals ($60), and toiletries/socks/underwear ($46.45).

Kacee

I would suggest writing a succinct e-mail to UA customer care requesting compensation for the delay and failure to provide lodging in accordance with their CoC. If their response is not satisfactory, you could lodge a DOT complaint. If it's true that UA "screwed up the paperwork" that would not be a force majeure situation.

transportprof

I think there's a cultural dimension to this, and it all depends on where the line is. In Caracas while standing on one of the interminable lines for processing, I've been offered 'expedited' service for $20 cash by someone in a uniform carrying a clipboard . When I politely declined, he made the same offer to the person behind me.

Japan is a very orderly and egalitarian society. Cutting lines doesn't happen there in the way it might at EWR, let alone CCS.

transportprof

You've learned the hard way, as I did years ago, never to recheck your bag before you have a confirmed boarding pass for your onward flight at a UA international arrivals gateway. Go to the ticket counter first, and then recheck your bag only when you have the boarding pass in hand.

Hopefully someone will be spared the hunt for clothes/toiletries after being forced to overnight at a connection point thanks to this advice....

gakke

I was on a flight from EWR to BRU that was delayed in EWR, due to a late arrival of the plane, and that a flight to New Delhi received priority.

The plane landed at 9:45 in BRU, and I walked to the gate of my connecting SAS flight. At the gate I was informed that United had removed me from the flight, and I could not board. I asked if my seat was available, and they said it was, but they had to contact United to be able to get permission to board me again.They said it was a formality, but they needed the permission. After trying to call the 2 phone numbers for a duration of 5 minutes, they gave up, and released the plane so that it could take off on time.

In stead of arriving in Copenhagen at 12:00 CET I now was rescheduled to a Brussels Airlines flight arriving at 17:40.

I talked to the United representative at departures, and she explained that she was alone with 2 phones at the time of arrival, and was too busy to answer, as there were many customers that needed to be rerouted. She was also unable to inform me of my rights due to this delay, and did not offer any form for compensation - not even food vouchers.

I learned from United CustomerCare that I have no rights as "United is not an EU Community carrier and the delayed flight originated in Newark". For me the delay started when I was at the gate and refused boarding.

United has offered a $150 voucher which is of no value to me. It can only be used on UA metal and UA has no flights from Denmark.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

maskedmesothorium

Flight 268 LAX to EWR diverted to CLE after passengers complained of a smoke smell in the cabin. I called to rebook while taxiing to the gate and was on a flight to ORD 30 minutes later. I actually would have arrived at my final destination 25 minutes earlier than originally planned, but my UX flight from ORD was of course delayed 1.5 hours.

$175 e-cert goodwill gesture for the diversion.
Premier Gold

kevinsac

Tis true ... no UA flights to DK. But you flew with them once ... will you again???

The only other option they will offer is miles into your MP account. Whether you have one is uncertain. But you are not going to be offered anything else ... they are not going to issue a cert for SAS nor give you miles into a partner's FF program.

[edited to add: I was not serious about asking for the voucher. It was intended to be a cheery, holiday, end-of-year joke!]

YoungSoloTraveler

I got the most generic email possible saying she would "deposit bonus miles" with no actual mention of how many. Looks like I will have to wait 14 business days to see what I actually get.

NYC_Girl

The compensation offered was 2000 miles. No certificate was offered.

When I demurred, the representative wrote that the "normal" compensation is 1250 miles, "given the flight length", suggesting a table that links flight length to compensation. The flight in which the meal was missing was a US domestic, 1,500 miles long.

Hope this is useful.

kevinsac

Are you saying you had ordered a special meal that was not loaded so you were offered a regular meal .... or, they ran out of all food and you did not get a meal at all???

n2bspld

Sorry about including her name, I see mod removed it. Since it was a mass produced and distributed letter, I didn't screen it carefully enough.