Joe Flyer

I have some Japanese friends visiting the US and one of them had his passport and wallet stolen. Due to the holiday, the consulate is closed until Monday, Jan 6th. Their flight is scheduled for 6am on the 6th so they obviously need to change their tickets so they can get the appropriate documentation to fly home. However, UA is refusing to touch the tickets because a travel agency issued them (UA ticket stock). Their travel agency is also closed until Monday due to the holiday.

UA’s only offer was to sell my friends new one way tickets for over $1000 each. Unfortunately, the weather waiver for the latest winter storm only covers travel through the 5th or that might have worked in their favor. Of course, we were all expecting there to be some kind of change fee for this, but to refuse to honor their tickets at all and make them buy new tickets is outrageous.

Their only hope is a last minute call to the travel agency Sunday night, which will be Monday morning in Japan and hopefully the situation can be rectified. I’m just surprised and annoyed at how poor UA’s customer service is. It’s how a company handles the bad situations that allows them to shine or to fail. In this case, they have failed miserably. Not an ounce of compassion, but lots of greed.

PV_Premier

You won't like this answer but UA should be willing to take over the tickets and make changes after a $50 fee. The changes will also result in change fees and if applicable a fare difference. But in principle UA should be able to adjust these tickets.

FlyinHawaiian

If we are talking about NYC (based on your profile) then the waiver has been extended through the 7th.

aacharya

Dramatic much?

UA would honor the tickets, but can't touch them because it was issued by a TA. What's the issue there? It's a simple fee for them to take it over.

Why not just have your friends cancel their return with UA, and then get them reissued once they have passports?

Joe Flyer

An extra $50 over the other change fees would be fine, but they flat out refused to touch the travel agency tickets. That is what has us so upset. My friend is already going through enough guilt over the situation and he has a lot of work ahead of him to replace his documents (passport, driver's license, credit cards, etc). His parents have to go to another prefecture in Japan to get their family registry (equivalent to providing his birth certificate in Japan). There are so many hassles as it is, we don’t need UA telling us that they can’t use their tickets and it’ll be $1000+ per person.

Thanks! I'll check it out!

1fan

Im a million Miller and 1k and had the lifetime best experience with an agent today. She spent 55 minutes solving a problem

Joe Flyer

Thanks for your overwhelming concern... According to you, UA can't touch the tickets but they can for a fee? Which is it? As I stated in my OP, UA refused to touch the tickets at all. There was no mention of an additional fee.

Joe Flyer

Wonderful. And this helps me how???

LilAbner

Take it easy Joe! Call UAL as there is a weather waiver in effect and they can reschedule.
Call-eml!!!

New Year 2014 Winter Storm Airports:

Albany, NY (ALB)
Allentown, PA (ABE)
Binghamton, NY (BGM)
Boston, MA (BOS)
Buffalo, NY (BUF)
Burlington, VT(BTV)
Chicago, IL (ORD - O'Hare)
Hartford, CT (BDL)
Manchester, NH (MHT)
New York, NY (JFK)
New York, NY (LGA - LaGuardia)
New York/Newark, NJ (EWR - Liberty)
Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
Portland, ME (PWM)
Providence, RI (PVD)
Rochester, NY (ROC)
Syracuse, NY (SYR)
White Plains, NY (HPN)

​ Original Travel Dates:
January 2, 2014 – January 7, 2014

Final Travel must be completed by:
End of Validity of ticket (one year from date of issue)​​ Flight Changes:

When rescheduled travel commences by January 11, 2014 change fees and fare differences will be waived.
For all other dates and ticket uses, the change fee will be waived, but a difference in fare may apply.

Joe Flyer

Yes, I just saw it. It was only showing through the 5th this morning. Great news. Thanks!

jetaway96

And if your friends book the ticket with a credit card, they might consider to call them as it might be cover with travel insurance.

CO_Nonrev_elite

While I am certainly not an apologist of what this airline has become, I don't buy this story as being told. If you are sitting with both your bags in your possession on your side of the counter, there is not an agent in the land that would stop you taking some items from one bag to the other to balance the weight. We all see it happen every day. It is possible that the first bag was checked, sent down the belt, and then the heavy one went on the scale. I can see the agent having a problem going to retrieve the first bag to swap etc, but there is no way that you had both bags in your possession and the agent stopped you doing that... no way, none... zip

mahasamatman

They can't touch them until they take control of the PNR. The fee is for them to take control of the PNR. Once you pay that, they can make changes.

Apply FT Rule #1. Hang up and call again.

Joe Flyer

We talked with many agents, both over the phone and at their Penn Station ticket office. No one budged on changing the tickets. No one offered to change them for a $50 fee. I'm aware that other airlines do it but UA would not. They would only sell a new OW ticket. Just glad that the weather waiver now covers their original travel date.

LaserSailor

I've had this experience on DL where the tix were booked at corporate out west, I was flying from NY, and the TA could not take them over for some reason. The fee was waived because I was DM at time but I had to buy a new ticket at the counter.

I think HUCA is getting less effective as UA is now marking records to stop this practice.