Originally Posted by
JenGal
A little OT, but still related to UA's actions in times of signficant disruptions ... I wonder if the GS line gets extra staff on board to answer calls who may not quite be up to par with the normal reps manning the line.
It seems based upon this and other posts, that the GS line isn't living up to expectations. This type of event is when it really should be shining for GSers.... (at least that's how I envision it from way down here in 1P land
)
(I did the bolding).
If you read this forum enough, 90% of what United does doesn't live up to expectations. Regardless of Mileage Plus status.
Take a step back and think about it -- this is a volcano that we're dealing with. Sure, there's a little wiggle room in perhaps flying through Madrid or Rome, but there are other mitigating factors:
- If you're going to Paris, for example, how do you get there from either of those cities? Trains are at least 12 hours, AND I would imagine that they're booked solid for the foreseeable future. I would bet that rental cars are booked solid as well.
- The projections are that 22,000 European flights fly on a normal day, and that 6,000 are flying (in places like Italy, Portugal and Spain). That's a LOT of displaced passengers.
- Other airlines are trying to protect their most elite fliers as well. When Lufthansa says there are "no Lufthansa planes in the air anywhere in the world" (
Source), I would imagine they, along with other carriers, are doing the best they can to accommodate too.
Maybe there is something to be said for a hold time on the GS line, but if most GS folks are like what most (but not all) 1K folks were described as of yesterday, they are understanding.