CPRich

I would agree with most everyone's sentiment except for the fact that OP was at the gate within the timeframe published by United. If it was 9min before flight time, I'd agree - you snooze, you lose (literally). But it was before the cutoff and the flight was closed. Rules are there for a reason - they didn't follow them.

I don't have suggestions, though. You are at their mercy and they don't look like they are going to help. They're broke - I wouldn't expect much.

Oceanbound222

This gal wants us all to say, "Poor baby. You missed your flight. How can we make it up to you? Would a trip to free Paris help soften your injury? Venice? Cairo? Or, maybe we should just make exceptions to security for those who don't allow time in their busy schedules for standing in line like the rest of humanity."

cuguy

Gotta go with the vast majority here -------- UA owes you nothing.

Renee, you made a mistake, didn't get to the airport ontime and tried to cut it close. Hey, we all work hard (you only have to work 70-80 hours a week? can we change jobs?) but I always make sure to get to the airport ontime and with plenty to spare, just in case there is a slow security line, etc. I usually bring work with me so I can complete those tasks while I wait for boarding.

Time to suck it up Renee, admit your error in not giving yourself enough time, take a lesson-learned, and move on. It's just not worth getting that worked up about. Far more important things happening in life.

oontiveros

Well, I think there is no fighting the point about getting to the airport earlier. I know how it feels getting up so early and runing into a few snags that makes you miss your flight. I think alot of us have been there.

However, I don't think UA should have charged you for catching another flight later in the day and I am not sure I'd agree with letting a rude agent on the UA reservation or CS get away with it...foreign or not. I think one should do everything one can to make sure rudeness isn't part of UA's culture.

I don't think you should expect compensation for missing that flight but if you can prove somehow you got to the gate earlier than closing time and document the rude agent(s), you should get something for that. If you already have the $50 voucher, just leave it be.

njvj

You know what they say " If you are looking for sympathy it's in the dictionary between Sh** and Syphillis". Seriously, I undersatnd your frustration but this is one area where the airlines aren't accountable. If the security line is too long, it's too bad. Personally, I get torqued when people try to get ahead by saying " my flight is leaving". Well, duh, that's why we are all in this line. The days of granny going to meet junior at the gate are gone. Everyone in line is catching a plane. Sometimes you can't help but cut it close but it really isn't anyone else's fault.

wideman

And, in addition to what everyone else has said, you might well be pleased that UA doesn't examine too carefully the combination of your non-refundable ticket and your statement that "I was due to fly back 3 hours after that [later] flight would have gotten me into Raleigh." Now that might all be perfectly legitimate, or it might perhaps be some back-to-back ticketing that some airlines don't like at all.

Besides, as Oceanbound222 suggests, it does sound like the OP is interested in our answers to his/her questions only if we're in total agreement with his/her (very shaky) position.

dchristiva

I don't think this is what the OP wants us to say at all. She was simply seeking some constructive advice, and I think most folks have provided that - allow ample time to get through security and to your gate. I also think that, while the OP doesn't specifically say this, she's wondering how to address the rudeness of the customer service agents at United.

So, my thought are as follows - the OP has only herself to blame for missing the flight, but United agents owed her a bit more graciousness and, based on her description of the phone calls, they went out of bounds with some of their comments. Thus, if UAL is still willing to give a $50 travel voucher, I'd take it and call it a day.

As an aside, I'm surprised by the general lack of civility in this thread.

Gator Gal

I agree that the original question was benign and well-intended. But "be careful what you ask for," huh? She asked for opinions and she got them. But when people started saying she (the OP) should have arrived earlier, the immediate response was that she knows what she's doing, she's too busy, she has better things to do than waste time being "obnoxious" on this board (as apparently some of us are?). That's not exactly a way to make a good first impression on a new group of people or endear yourselves to them.

oontiveros

I think some people on this board "attacked" first so she got defensive. Yes I do think the majority on this board was a little rude.

dchristiva

I agree that the OP got defensive and didn't make a great first impression. My comment about civility was borne out of some of the posts from FTers who've been around the block a few times. Regardless of whether the OP was defensive, several of our colleagues needlessly went on the attack with editorial comments. Wasn't it sufficient to tell the OP that she left for the airport too late and that UA wasn't the reason she missed her flight?

Gator Gal

I agree that people saying "tough luck" and calling her lazy was over-the-top and not a nice (nor necessary) way to respond to someone (especially a newbie) who simply asked for opinions and advice. But she later posts "you're being rude" and uses the word "obnoxious" to describe some here. I can assume that she means the people who were harsh in their wording and not everyone who responded, especially those who welcomed her to FT and offered some nice advice, but it's hard to know for sure since their help went unacknowledged. I think the response simply imflammed things more, that's all.

But back to the subject at hand, I don't have much more to offer than what has already been said other than to say to Renee: welcome to FT, which *is* a great place to be and where you get lots of advice that is, for the most part, VERY blunt. Sometimes that's bad, but often it's very good. Also, I wanted to say that maybe this would be a good topic for the United forum since it deals with that airline specifically and regular posters there may be able to offer more insights. Renee, I don't know if one of the moderators here will decide to move your post there, but if so, keep in mind it's just routine (happens often) and a way to help. This site is run very efficiently because the volunteer moderators try to keep things organized.

Delta Hog

Smart guy that I am, pre-9/11 days, leaving from DCA to MCI on the last US Air flight of the night. I had a couple of hours. Fully checked in, I put my bags in a locker (you could still do that then), caught the metro back into town to have a little dinner, caught it back, retrieved my bags, and walked back to the gate exactly on time. 10 minutes to departure.

"Where's the airplane?"

"I'm sorry sir, are you Mr. Delta Hog?"

"Yes."

"We were all checked in and the aircraft has departed. We paged you several times with no response."

"But it's just now 10 minutes before the departure time."

"Everyone was on board, sir, and we paged you with no response."





I considered that to be my fault and did not request compensation.

plinko

I'm sorry that I can't always get to the airport 2 hours in advance....

Based on how you've demonstrated on this board that you turn rude, sarcastic, and angry when things don't go just your way and people aren't agreeing with you, I have a hard time believing your account of UA phone customer service being short with you for no reason at all.

cynic

ITA, especially when the OP threw in the part about getting someone she "could better understand" instead just asking for someone who had more authority. First of all, that was just unnecessary and inflammatory since there was a more pertinent reason and second of all, I seriously doubt that's exactly the way she put it at the time.

BTW, The UA link does say to check-in 20 minutes before departure. What is this 9 minute thing about?

TrojanHorse

You should have gotten their earlier plain and simple, I'm IAD based, and know that b/c something is light one day or ten straight days.. (i.e.. ten straight tuesdays) that anything can happen with TSA. Also if youre meetings were that important, cutting your check in that close was one heck of a big risk.. I'd understand it if it was absolutely necessary to be on that flight but if it was.. you better believe i'd be there earlier..

Working 70-80 hours a week.. (violin playing in the background) who doesn't.. we all work on here.. long hours.. so that doesn't drive any sympathy.. plus 70-80 hours a week doesn't explain why youcouldn't get up an hour earlier.. unless you are working the graveyard shift

Sorry.. you blew it.. as we all do sometimes.. I don't think UA owes you a thing now after hearing the facts