"You expect xxx? That's impossible!"

[Andy Big Bear]

So I'm a newly minted 1K.

So, a few times due to mechanical failure or some random hurricane , I've been stranded in the middle of an itinerary. That's necessitated a run to the United Club to see one of their agents, armed with my mobile apps already having figured an alternate route, rushed to the gate armed with what the current exception policy United had published, only to run smack dab into a gate agent who tells me "you expect to get on this plane? That's impossible." Each time, however, persuading the gate agent to put me on the standby list immediately rockets me to the top of the list and "impossibly" gets me on the flight.

Other times I see I've cleared the upgrade list, the gate agent doesn't call the upgrades, and while attempting to board I'm sent back to another boarding group. "It's not really possible for you to get an upgrade, Sir." I cycle back to my original boarding group, hear that exception buzzer as my ticket is scanned and boom, up in boarding group one where I started. Impossibly, I'm in first class.

My question, is this normal for United? I was an Alaska MVP before this and I can't say that I remember accomplishing so many "impossible" feats of travel or feeling like I always knew more than the gate agents about what's going on.

Sorry, meant to post that in another thread. Noob. but anyway, feedback?

[gailwynand]

Morale is at rock bottom and the GA's just don't care anymore. They'd rather say "it's impossible" than have to do 30 minutes of work in SHARES to address your issue. Not endorsing this behavior, but it's understandable given the circumstances.

[nevansm]

I guess they don't know who you are.

Seriously though, I just take it with a grain of salt. If they want to be that rude to an elite, then how are they treating kettles. It all comes full circle and I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop on overall nastiness and lack of professionalism.

[channa]

Originally Posted by Andy Big Bear

My question, is this normal for United?

It used to not be, but it is now. They downgraded systems back in March of this year, and since then, many transactions take orders of magnitude longer to accomplish than before. Sometimes the orders of magnitude can be staggering. In some cases, a transaction United used to be able to do in a minute could take 20 minutes or more, with multiple agents, a supervisor, and a phone call.

So what has evolved is a culture of blowing off customers because it's often easier to get rid of a customer than it is to help them. CO had a bit of a problem with this before because CO was using this old system previously.

Originally Posted by nevansm

If they want to be that rude to an elite, then how are they treating kettles.

Probably the same.

I had an issue where I wanted a certain reaccommodation, and the GA kept pushing telling me they couldn't do that. I kept pushing and pushing, he saw it and refused. I finally dropped the status card, "You really won't do that for a couple of 1Ks?" He stopped and apologized and said he didn't realize we were 1Ks. We laughed a bit about how the previous system used to display status at the top of the screen to help agents recognize statused members, and how the old BPs used to have a big "1K" on them, but since the system downgrade on 3/3, they no longer have status displayed prominently on the BP or the system, so status awareness is a much bigger problem than it used to be.

[mitchmu]

Originally Posted by Andy Big Bear

So I'm a newly minted 1K.

So, a few times due to mechanical failure or some random hurricane , I've been stranded in the middle of an itinerary. That's necessitated a run to the United Club to see one of their agents, armed with my mobile apps already having figured an alternate route, rushed to the gate armed with what the current exception policy United had published, only to run smack dab into a gate agent who tells me "you expect to get on this plane? That's impossible." Each time, however, persuading the gate agent to put me on the standby list immediately rockets me to the top of the list and "impossibly" gets me on the flight.

Other times I see I've cleared the upgrade list, the gate agent doesn't call the upgrades, and while attempting to board I'm sent back to another boarding group. "It's not really possible for you to get an upgrade, Sir." I cycle back to my original boarding group, hear that exception buzzer as my ticket is scanned and boom, up in boarding group one where I started. Impossibly, I'm in first class.

My question, is this normal for United? I was an Alaska MVP before this and I can't say that I remember accomplishing so many "impossible" feats of travel or feeling like I always knew more than the gate agents about what's going on.

It sounds like you are learning that 1K is nearly worthless.

Is this normal? Before 3/3, we had a company called UA, and they treated top-tier elites with respect and appreciation. After 3/3, we have a company that, essentially, is CO. They declared war on UA elites and not only did they take away many of our benefits, but they adopted a posture of absolute hostility towards us.

I'm convinced that a moronic intern in finance didn't know the difference between the + and - symbol in a model they created, and it lead to a report that convinced the executives that 1Ks are a problem, to be eliminated, because that's how the CO executive team has been behaving.

You might think about a status match to AA. While I'm not one to suggest that AA is a "grass is greener" option, it's clear that they don't despise their top-tier flyers the way this regime does.

More specifically to your question, I've routinely faced the "impossible" wall with agents. When I'm in a face to face agent, I can usually argue my way through it, but it's exhausting, especially because I have to fake politeness while doing it. On the phone, when I get an sCO agent, they tend to say no to just about everything, and I've learned that they are lying more than 90% of the time. So, I ignore them and proceed with what they tell me can't be done if I can do it myself, or I call and call and call and call and call and call until I get an sUA agent who is far more likely to at least try to help.

Originally Posted by channa

...old BPs used to have a big "1K" on them...

Reminds me of a funny story - boarding a 747, the FA saw the "1K" and directed me to turn left to sit in seat 1K, not understanding that 1K was my status, not my seat.

I guess there's no risk of that happening anymore.

[MatthewLAX]

Originally Posted by mitchmu

It sounds like you are learning that 1K is nearly worthless.

Let's be careful. I still fly in the front cabin on almost every flight (on cheap economy tickets) and I find I am still treated very well by agents, CSRs, and FAs.

I'm not oblivious to the very many problem of the new UA, changed I most emphatically don't like, but I've learned to adjust and I'm faring just fine under the new system.

[donjo]

The problem is a little knowledge is dangerous. And then, armed with this knowledge, getting a UA employee to act on it can be near-impossible. The frustrating part is we are at the mercy of who answers the phone. No matter the issue, the answer might be different with each call.

[staeiou]

I once had a four hour connection in ORD, and the only sooner option was a flight leaving 25 minutes after I landed. I obviously couldn't book that connection, but when we were taxing to the gate, I saw there was plenty of availability, plus it was at a nearby gate. I got to the gate with about 10 minutes to spare, where the only people at the gate were a GA and a couple trying to also get on that flight. The GA was telling them it would be $75 each, but even if they paid there just wasn't enough time, as boarding was complete and they were about to close the doors.

As the couple sulked away, I handed the GA my BP and said, "I'm Premier Gold trying to get on this flight, does that make a difference?" He said, "Well, it means you don't have to pay..." as he took my BP and in under a minute, gave me a new BP. I did have to face down the couple... they had turned around when they heard the agent grant my request, giving us both those dagger eyes.

[SFOPhD]

Originally Posted by Andy Big Bear

So I'm a newly minted 1K.

...

My question, is this normal for United? I was an Alaska MVP before this and I can't say that I remember accomplishing so many "impossible" feats of travel or feeling like I always knew more than the gate agents about what's going on.

I've been MVP Gold on Alaska and 1K on United. This is a large generalization with definite examples of exception, but I'd say I was treated better by AS compared to UA in terms of customer service.

[escapefromphl]

Some things are actually better, at least to me. If you clear the upgrade list and standby on an earlier flight you get on the upgrade list again. It never used to be like this, going standby pmUA almost certainly meant coach. Also you don't have to stick to the same routing when changing flights or standing by. pmUA never let you do that.

[Andy Big Bear]

I guess the biggest deficiency I've seen is how they handle weather exceptions. Alaska was always pretty adept at that, because they serve Alaska, and everything in Alaska revolves around weather. Weather exceptions seem to put UA folk in a panic, which in turn puts the customers in a panic. I've found it interesting watching that dynamic.

One thing I'll say that UA does right for elites is that the pilots at least seem pretty sensitive to making sure the elites make their connections, even if that means running late on their schedule. I've seen UA pilots hold a plane for elites several times on tight connections, while I've seen Alaska, for example, strand an entire top-tier C-Suite of executives from a mining company just to keep a schedule.

[mitchmu]

Originally Posted by Andy Big Bear

One thing I'll say that UA does right for elites is that the pilots at least seem pretty sensitive to making sure the elites make their connections, even if that means running late on their schedule. I've seen UA pilots hold a plane for elites several times on tight connections, while I've seen Alaska, for example, strand an entire top-tier C-Suite of executives from a mining company just to keep a schedule.

I'm not sure how often that happens, but I did experience it on some messed up connections from SFO-MNL through HNL and GUM.

However, a counterpoint is that if they had better on-time performance, there would be less need for this. And, in some instances, holding a flight for arriving PAX will cause PAX already on the flight to miss connections on the other end.

[BearX220]

Originally Posted by Andy Big Bear

One thing I'll say that UA does right for elites is that the pilots at least seem pretty sensitive to making sure the elites make their connections, even if that means running late on their schedule. I've seen UA pilots hold a plane for elites several times on tight connections...

Oddly, I experienced this at DEN just last week and it really surprised me. My inbound from BWI encountered headwinds and got to the gate :25 late, cutting a :35 connection time down to basically nothing. I was resigned to finding a hotel room in Denver but quick-walked a dozen gates down the concourse anyway, and there was my onward flight to SEA with the door still open, waiting for me (and a few other laggard elites off the BWI flight). They were holding just for us. Contrast that to multiple ORD experiences, prior to this year, where the door to my onward flight was basically slammed in my face as I approached, sometimes with apparent vengeful glee.

[aacharya]

Originally Posted by mitchmu

It sounds like you are learning that 1K is nearly worthless.
<snipped>
More specifically to your question, I've routinely faced the "impossible" wall with agents. When I'm in a face to face agent, I can usually argue my way through it, but it's exhausting, especially because I have to fake politeness while doing it.

The OP is talking about "good" things that happened as a 1K, not "worthless" items. Sometimes the reading comprehension in this group gives me the shudders.

OP - the issue is that the GA doesn't know upfront always that you're a 1K, and that you go past everyone on standby lists, or upgrades.

They get this question all the time from kettles (standby) and Silvers (CPUs).

Yes - mitchmu is right re: attitude. But not about your situation as a 1K. That's just a lazy/overworked GA, either sUA or sCO.

[jsl42]

This is par for the course these days.

Last time I went through EWR, I added myself to the standby list for an earlier flight from the kiosk at the train station. By the time I got off the train and through security, I had cleared onto the flight. I went to the gate, told the agent that "I am standing by for this flight" and asked if she had a boarding pass... She told me, without looking at anything that the flight was full and that I wouldn't make it. Mobile app said that first and coach were available, showing me as cleared. I didn't want to have a fight, so I just walked over to a kiosk and printed myself the boarding pass for my new flight.

I was on an M fare, so I shot to the top of the upgrade list. Went back to the podium and asked a different agent about when upgrades would be cleared. She told me that I wasn't on the list (that she had printed out earlier, which was true, since I just got on the flight). I told her my phone was telling me that I was #1 on the list, and with two seats available I would prefer the one that wasn't a bulkhead if possible. Got a new boarding pass moments later... in the bulkhead.

Service at the new airline really the pits. But the mobile app is useful but I wouldn't be surprised if in the future it lost functionality (or gained a lot of disclaimers, like Expert Mode on the website) because it lets the customer see too much information and the front-line IT and staff can't, or don't want to, deal with it.