RBH58

Flight today out of FWA to ORD cancelled. Given 3 hours notice so it's impossible to make the only earlier flight out of FWA to ORD that will meet UA839 my ORD connection (via LAX) to MEL (Australia). All options out of FWA (via anywhere) to intercept the flight at LAX are overbooked. Finally get a DL flight to LAX tonight (via DTW) but in misses a connection with UA839...and then get offered an LAX to MEL coach seat on AA (in exhange for my business class UA seat. 15 hours in coach? You've got to be kidding) to get home the same day as originally planned or spend 24 hours in LA and get home a day late on UA839.

I absolutely detest flying in this country!

SEA1K4EVR

Sorry to hear! AA doesn't fly to Australia though... they code share with Qantas so your flight would have been on QF.

So which option did you choose? Are you in paid business or upgraded? QF94 tonight has J9C8 showing available.

belynch

While I certainly don't find flying in the US a picnic, having lived in Australia I certainly know things aren't all puppy dogs and roses down there either.

I'd venture a guess that your FWA ORD flight CXL due to weather, right? That's outside the airline's control. Can you drive to SBN or an alt airport that may have a departure or backtrack to CLE and go to LAX from there?

I understand you're ranting, and it's cathartic, but if you've explored all the options and there's no seats on any flights they can't just pull a seat out of thin air and give it to you. Either take the Y seat tonight on QF and get home, or wait until tomorrow(?) for the J seat...

SFO777

It's only a 3.5 hour drive to O'Hare.

RBH58

Paid business

Found out about it too late to make the drive reliably. If they'd let me know an hour earlier, I would probably have attempted it.

Just annoyed that they gave me insufficient notice for any options to be available. Going to be getting home a day late and having to pay for a day in LA. Still...breakfast in Santa Monica will be partial compensation

They don't overbook all their flights in Aus.

formeraa

If you're old enough to remember flying in the 90's, the US carriers didn't overbook as much either. Planes flew at 60-65% load factor, which left a lot of slack in the system for irregular operations. Since 9/11, passengers were not willing to pay enough to fill the seats. Hence, airlines reduced fleet sizes and fly much fuller planes.

I actually haven't encountered an overbooked flight at all this year, as US travel got more expensive due to higher oil prices.

RBH58

I am. The good old days.

Half my flights on this US trip have been overbooked. I even got bumped down from paid UA E+ on one flight and had to apply for a refund. Most of my alternate flights tonight were overbooked. If they overbooked flights in Aus like they overbook flights in the US, the Aus public would revolt.

Joshua

15 hours in coach? Oh, the humanity! This is proof that in the U.S. we have no human rights.

Isn't FWA to ORD a 4 hour drive? (Or IND, or DTW...) In all seriousness, though, UA should have protected you in J class on another carrier. It looks like DL has seats?

zrs70

In paid C, there are tons of options, including just buying another ticket and refunding the current one. If UA tells you a flight is sold out, just book it yourself and mail United a letter showing that you gave $7000 to another carrier.

RBH58

15 hrs in coach is a human rights violation Especially when you've paid for a J class ticket.

Isn't FWA to ORD a 4 hour drive? (Or IND, or DTW...) In all seriousness, though, UA should have protected you in J class on another carrier. It looks like DL has seats?[/QUOTE]

I wouldn't have barely made flight departure time, much less boarding or check-in time. UA didn't attempt to protect my J class on another carrier. All that was offer was AA coach (I'm SQ*G too).

15 hrs in coach is a human rights violation Especially when you've paid for a J class ticket.

I would have barely made flight departure time, much less boarding or check-in time. UA didn't attempt to protect my J class on another carrier. All that was offer was AA coach (I'm SQ*G too).

Often1

You are upset that you only got 3 hours notice of the cancellation. For how long did UA know before it notified you? I've found that Easy Update sends an email/text message or phone message relatively instantaneously.

RBH58

Yeah...I'm pissed I only got 3 hours notice (via email and phone alert). If I'd had another hour it would have made a huge difference.

Yeah, well UA weren't putting any of those options on the table. My MEL>ORD return ticket was $11k, so if I'd gone home on another airline, I figure I'd have been due a $5.5k refund at least. What sort of battle I'd need to go through with UA to get it is anybodies guess. I've been waiting 14 days for a $54 refund request on UA that still isn't processed.

SFO777

I'd be royally pissed about the whole thing as well. Then again, I wouldn't have flown with the "finest people in the business".
I hope that your UA J ticket was a great fare.

channa

I've been flying for several years, dozens, sometimes hundreds of flights a year.

No airline has ever asked me what I'm willing to pay. As far as I know, they set the prices, I don't.

RBH58

$11k return MEL>ORD. The Aus<>US Pacific route is a cartel. All the "allowed" players are gouging it. QANTAS wanted $17k!!!!! I was tempted to fly VA this time (they were great last time) but went for UA for the *A points. Stupid decision!