Originally Posted by
njcommodore
where did this happen?
Short answer: Ottawa (for UA6104 @ 7:28pm)
Longer story: Basically, I checked in online yesterday at T-23.5h (drove out to the middle of nowhere to get some cell service, tethered my phone, and checked in from united.com). Unfortunately it was my first time travelling after getting a new passport so I got the THIS IS NOT A BOARDING PASS PDF emailed to me -- the first time in at least 6mths that it's happened. The first line of the email reassuringly states "thank you for checking in at United.com"
Having done this, not checking bags, I figured I'd show up at my leisure. Anyone departing Ottawa on a Sunday night knows there are more agents working checkins than departing pax, and I have Nexus. So I got there at 6:24pm (64m out), and as the only pax in line at 62m out I was told to wait as the agent spent 5m moving some paper from one side of the desk to the other. I handed her my docs, and she spent some time typing, and at 6:32pm told me it was too late, flight was closed. She reassured me we weren't oversold, but that I was never checked in and it was too late.
I then spoke to UA by phone, and having been offered no assistance, I went back to the desk to speak to what was now a different agent. She informed me that the flight was now oversold by 1, and that they closed the flight out at 6:35pm (obviously incorrect) after adding 2 pax re-accomodated from an AC flight. Most likely what happened was they got a call from AC a few minutes prior to cutoff, not seeing anyone in line, they agreed to take on the extra pax and closed the flight out a few minutes early.
The lady, in conjunction with her manager, told me that they would only offer me a reroute if I signed a VDB form (from land-side before US customs, no less). She offered $100 and hotel accommodations to be sorted out at YYZ. I agreed to the hotel, but declined the cash. I got to YYZ at 9p, 30m after the last scheduled UA flight departed, and the checkins were deserted, of course
I phoned the UA people and they told me to get myself sorted and to request refund later.
So here I am at the Sheraton YYZ-T3. Connection is tomorrow at 655am. Let's see what happens
Should I have been there earlier to be safe? Yeah. But I did make it before cutoff. And I followed exactly what was written at each step.