Yesterday was hell... It all started in IAH, as I tried to check-in for US flight to PHL. Couldn't do it over the web. Checked in at the airport, only to find the dreaded SSSS on my BP. Also, US could not issue my AC BP for the next flight. Twenty "intimate" minutes later, I am the last one to board the E70, only to be told "Oh, sorry, all the bins are full, you will have to check your bag".... Well, bygones, it should be smooth sailing from now, right? I mean, for PHL-YYZ I have my confirmed upgrade on AC... and in PHL I can relax at either US or UA clubs... What could possibly go wrong, you ask in unison with me?
Well, my fellow frequent traveller, never underestimate the imbecillic and downright malicious attitude UA check-in agents can assume, especially when your flight is the last they need to process and they really want to go home.
I should preface this by saying that normally I am very well predisposed towards US ground agents and, while I consider AC to be superior in-flight, I often give UA higher marks for ground service. Not so yesterday...
First, two UA agents proceed to check-in several people in Y lineup, occasionally gracing the few of us in *G/1K lineup with a dirty look. Now, I should have known that by pointing this out to them, I will become a "marked man", but hey... Those of you who know me, probably also noticed that I will rather speak up than suffer in silence. One agent actually barked out that we are in the wrong line (sic!).
When a third agent appears and proceeds to check me in, a few things happen in rapid succession:
1) He cannot find my eticket,
2) He scans my passport and magically finds it,
3) He produces a BP that:
a) shows my almost full, hyphenated last name (which I don't use for travel, because it never fully fits in any airline's system... I only use the first part, which is long enough by itself)
b) does not show my status or AP #
c) shows me in 12 B, and not in my upgraded 2 A
After I indicate these to him, he tells me that a) there is nothing he can do about my last name, because that is what my ticket/reservation show (liar, liar, liar!!!) and b) he does not see my upgrade (not suprising, because, as far as their system is concerned, he checked in another version of me, not the original). When I complain, he basically tells me to step aside and deal with a supervisor... who appears to have no intention to even noticing me.
A call to SE desk quickly confirms that, indeed, I do have a confirmed upgrade. Even before the UA supervisor finishes her tirade about "How do I know you are talking to AC, and not a buddy of yours", one of her underlings hands her a phone whispering "It's AC calling about this gentleman" (Good job SE Desk!!!). You should have seen her face. Priceless.
Unfortunately, her phone exchange with AC ends quickly, after which the SE agent advises me that the UA supervisor pretty much hung up on them, because she had other issues to deal with (The other issue was at least one other passnger so incensed by their treatment, that local cops were summoned).
The SE agent advises me to go up to another UA agent and ask her to offload me. Not having much choice, I turn to the proletarian-minded frizzy cow that previously chose to ignore the *Gold check-in line. As I approach, the frizzy cow becomes an angry frizzy cow and refuses to deal with me "because the supervisor is already involved". I point out that the supervisor is busy, but she refuses nonetheless. Finally, after both the supervisor and PHL Police (who asked them, anyway?) yell at me about the supervisor being busy, the angry frizzy cow relents and offloads me.
Now, instructed by the SE agent, I tell her to lookup the specific ticket number. After she does it, I try to sneak a peek at her screens, which she almost lunges at, covering the view with her... no, it wasn't hands... you know what, and yells "You can't look. It's against FAA regulations." I do, however, manage to see anough of the screen to notice that my last name is listed AS IT SHOULD BE, i.e. only the first part of it.
I point this out to her, but she still insists on scanning my passport and uses the mangled version of my full last name for the BP. End result, no upgrade, no AP#. Well, first time was stupidity... Now it was plain malicious. The one concession they made was to finally add my AP# to the BP, but I have no expectation of it crediting autmatically due to the last name discrepancy.
All the above happened with an aura of sustained hostility and rudeness. Basically, from the start to the very end I felt treated like a dog... or worse.
Once I reached the gate (through a huuuge security lineup), the UA gate agent upgraded me without any problems. To UA's credit, she was also really nice and professional.
CONCLUSIONS FOR AIR CANADA (Any lurkers?):
When you don't have even a single AC uniform on the ground, service levels suffer... Actually, they slip beyond your control. Even the SE desk agent's stellar attempts to intervene were fully dependent on UA staff's attitude du jour... and given these agents' attitudes, the attempts ultimately failed.
While I appreciate the cost associated with having an actual employee on-site, I cannot overemphasize the importance of at least one AC person being there, even if to take care of E/SE/J flyers only (Yeah, sure, call me self-centered
).
Edited to add:
RCC lounge in term D actually closes at 18:15, while AC departs at 19:40, so no luck there either.