United757

.....

chinatraderjmr

"we appreciate your business"

MrOCTeckels

"After that nice landing, let me be the first to welcome you to Orange County..."

Plane-is-home

And that was the justification for raising the miles required for upgrades

WhyPayRent

This. I had incoming aircraft showing 1.5 hour delay killing any chance of making my connection. Arrival showed delay online, on flught stats, on flight aware, and on the video monitors. Outbound flight still showed on time departure. Reservations agents, check in desk agent, and gate agent all swore outbound flight would depart on time. I told check in agent to rebook me despite their insistence of an on time flight (on a flight that went west to connect to an east flight which she said was against the rules as mentioned up thread).

JC5280

Both of these are legitimate. I have flown in to hubs where virtually everything has been delayed. But yes, airlines will sometimes hold aircraft for connecting passengers. Depends on the circumstances and downline situation and impact.

JC5280

Probably the worst logic used by passengers. Many employees joke about the fact that many people when confronted by a rule, are simply responding with the fact that the rule has never been enforced on them before. Try that with a traffic cop and see what happens.

stanscan

Reminds me of a time after landing when we were sitting, waiting to be marshalled into the gate. After sitting for a minute, the Captain makes the obligatory "we're not yet at the gate, so stay seated with your seat belts fastened" annc. Then another minute or two goes by and the FA makes her announcement, "I can see on my board that several people have their seat belts unbuckled. Please don't make me come back and ask you to buckle your seat belt." I think this was on a 737. Took me back to my days in kindergarten -- 50 years ago.

LilAbner

What takes you back to your pre-formative years is a rap on the knuckles with a ruler from the Good Sister, who could always read your mind!

flying for gold elite

My mom had three small bags and a pillow on a flight from PDX a couple of weeks ago traveling in F on a PMUA 757. GA: "The FAA forbids you to step into the jetway with more than two carryons!" My mom put the pillow and small purse into the other two bags. I guess if they had a bus it would've been allowed since it's a jetway issue!

NRT-LAX on ANA I was in the back half of Y. When boarding seemed complete, but the door was still open I asked the FA if the seat across the aisle would remain open (there was a pair of adjacent seats). Her response, "Well even if it was US customs law forbids you from switching seats." That was definitely a new one. I stormed to the purser who actually had to call a GA on and cross off my bp seat number with the new one. This was literally one seat over, not Y+ or anything!

Two years ago I had to call web support to change my flight in a weather waiver and I couldn't believe the conversation went something like ithis Agent: "Only Y and H fares are permitted for upgrades." Me: "Well actually it is has been B fares since the fare restructuring several years ago, and M fares for plats, and any other revenue fare is eligible for regular EUAs." Agent: "Alright, I see your point about B fares, but we have never done complimentary upgrades for other fares."

BearX220

Yes, but FAs in the air never know for sure, and should never offer assurances -- which they do just to get fretting passengers to pipe down. By the time customers realize they were lied to inflight the FA is long gone.

uwr

This was on ANA, but the thread is about UA. If anything, it shows that other airlines also have some employees who are misinformed.


How is that a whopper? That's actually what happened.


Though it doesn't benefit me, the justification seems completely reasonable to me.

+1

Colo1K

During the “Summer From Hell” (was it 2000?) I was on a trip that required two UAL flights to get home. The first flight was completely smooth and uneventful. My connecting flight just happened to be on the same aircraft from the same gate. I waited at the gate between flights.

I was in 1st class on the 2nd flight and watched/listened as the pilots deliberately delayed the departure and killed about 90 minutes. Eventually the captain announced that the flight was cancelled because the aircraft, on its immediately prior incoming flight, had been in very severe turbulence and that FAA rules required that every inch of the airframe be carefully inspected before it would be allowed to fly again. United paid to put all of the passengers up that night.

dorisrpas

After landing and taxing to the gate, FA giving usual spiel. Adds "If you are connecting to another United flight, check the departure monitors in the terminal for gate information. If you have a printed boarding pass, you don't have to check the monitors."

mre5765

I've been impressed that under the new United, gate assignments for my connections have all stuck.