flyr16

Have airlines stopped automatically rebooking passengers they know will not make a connection?

Because a couple days ago, as we traveled Kona-SFO-EWR, our flight into SFO arrived late and we were promptly abandoned by United. In short: the 777 into Kona arrived late because - as was explained to us - a covering part for a door alarm had gone missing and it took the crew near an hour to locate it before they could depart. Once in Kona the airport clearing crew, notoriously slow as was explained to us, took forever to turn the plane. As the minutes ticked by we were told before we boarded and multiple times on the plane that passengers with "tight connections" should make their flights, the planes will be held if necessary to allow you to get to the gate. "Don't worry," we heard more than once. We had a scheduled two hour connection time or thereabouts in SFO.

As you can imagine: we landed in SFO and sat on the runway for 15+ minutes because our gate was occupied. During this "hold" the captain asked all passengers without tight connections to please remain seated as those who had to run could get off the plane. He again said "they know you are coming for your connections." We arrived in the F concourse and had to run only about five gates, and did so in a couple of minutes at most, hand luggage trailing behind us We arrived at the EWR bound gate at just about the departure time (not after) and while the plane was still there, the supervisor said "no go." "We are not and will not hold the plane, no one told us to do so. There must have been a miscommunication." More than 15 of us pleaded to let us on but she would not budge. She showed no empathy, expressed no sympathy and said we should all head to the rebooking desk to "see what they can do for you." Meanwhile, we later saw our EWR bound plane sit at the gate for at least another 20 minutes before departing.

At now 11 pm at night the rebooking desk was staffed with newbies, as they told us. Two were in training, along with a more senior person. Of course, they could findi no later flights, they said. Until they did - after 45 minutes of looking deeply into their computer screens. Even as a supervisor later that night told us "they should have placed you on the last flight to EWR, with priority above any standbys." Long story short, after booking our own flights on another carrier (and thankfully being able to cancel them a couple hours later without penalty) space was found for us on AA the next morning. We wound up sleeping at SFO for a few hours and not using the hotel voucher offered by United. It was a near 24 hour trip home from Kona.

To sum it all up: we and everyone else that night felt terribly treated by United. Worse than luggage (which United failed to get onto our AA flight by the way) and are very disappointed nothing was done proactively by United when it was obvious our connection was going to b missed and why the captain and FAs repeatedly told passengers en route to SFO that they had called ahead and "you should make your connections." We were lied to. Absent those statements we would have been proactive back in Kona. We have now learned that lesson. None of the connections as best we could tell were held, and these were all redeye flights heading east out of SFO. Would other carriers have done a better job? I'm not sure but I know the performance by United was abysmal. On top of it all - and not that it should matter - we were traveling in F class, but all of us were in the same boat.

Travelers heading home from KOA on United via a connection beware. It is a route we shall never take again.