EmailKid

Hm,

got an automatic email that my PVG-SFO was cancelled a couple of years back.

Same thing, "no it isn't"

I took the trouble to try to book my flight, check it on uacargo, and sure enough, not there.

Finally, over 20 minutes later something that maybe, but of course lost phone connection from Asia. Next call started the same, and it wasn't until the third call that agent acknowledged that yes, flight was no more.

"Best we can do is reroute you via KIX, you lose your last morning in Shanghai because of four hour connection in lieu of a nonstop." Oh, and it'll be less miles as well

OK, that's just disturbing

tkc98110

Well, I'm going with the rebooking, they gave me an F seat, which I was notified about BEFORE I was notified about the cancellation. Going to get my 2MM, and then think about my future flying patterns as a SEA resident.

Sigh

lensman

Taking the agent's response at face value, 7-9 days of maintenance sounds like a C check. If so this is something that is scheduled months in advance and isn't something that disrupts the schedule 3-4 days before a flight.

I wonder if this unplanned maintenance is in response to a recent airworthiness directive?

cyberjet

The dual meaning is why I always chuckled at the name: all the wrong imagery ... Like having the car rental agency offer you a Kia.

Miles Ahead

It does show how thin things are spread if with 4 days notice, United can't rustle up one more aircraft. And what if a second one breaks in this period?

EmailKid

There's a reason why UA is buying 737s from COPA and A3xx from who knows where @:-)

Indelaware

I would call not overhauling an aircraft and expecting a customer to fly on it as being less than respectful; the response UA provided, quite fine.

BearX220

Selling tickets on flights it turns out you cannot operate because of overhaul work is not respectful to the customer. Whether the airline knows its line-available fleet will be inadequate, yet sells the tickets anyway... or is surprised at the eleventh hour by the maintenance need.

And a flip "Sorry about that" via Twitter does not improve faith in the operation.

dmodemd

That's what I would think... maybe it is one of those situations where they got caught by the FAA not meeting certain directive requirements, like Southwest often gets hit with.... watch the news...

SamuelS

UA has been proactively cancelling flights up to 7 days out due to operational reasons, this started last week. Apparently a combination of crewing issues, and MX issues. The mechanics are of course not on any official strike or work action and are still working, but they are working very "thoroughly". So as has been extensively reported on the "Delayed Cancelled Intl Flights" thread, there's large numbers of flights being cancelled because deferred items aren't getting fixed fast enough.

Given the "additional FAA oversight" right now, this may also be causing what would otherwise have been more routine MX to be a slower process than usual.

On the crewing side, suUA declared critical coverage for domestic domicile flight attendants last weekend, and it's expected that critical coverage will have to be declared again in July and August.

In their haste to furlough large numbers of suUA FA's, when it was realised those FA's were needed for the operation after all and finally recalled, they were given relatively little notice of recall and many were required to relocate bases. Thus, many furloughed FA's who had been told to expect an extended layoff had already had to find alternate work, and many were not able to relocate at very little notice to another base on the other side of the country. While suUA has hired more FA's, they won't be fully online until later in the year.

You can draw your own conclusions on the effectiveness of the current UA management and fleet and crew planning teams.

For the customer - proactive cancellations at least give folks time to reschedule and it's preferable of course to an on-the-day operational cancellation with little or no notice.

As to the summer ahead... there's already another thread about "Summer from Hell" and it should be a interesting ride.

Indelaware

Ah, but they will be FAs with less seniority, lower wages, and less powerful in labor issues. Typical corporate America, screw the worker. That UA takes it further and not care about what it does to their operations, not so typical.

lensman

What caused the domestic FA shortage? I think it's moderately unlikely that they just made a math error and furloughed too many FAs.

Did they get too many voluntary departures or voluntary moves to sCO? Or is it demand side problem where this is due to a decision to increase domestic mainline capacity? If the latter, did they delay sUA 752 retirements? The China Southern 319s aren't coming online for a while. Are there more sCO 752s flying domestic now? Is it that combined with the 4 former COPA 73Gs really creating a domestic FA shortage?

Or is this a simple blunder?

stratofortress

Question: I had a paid F ticket on a flight from Austin-Chicago, 4 days from now, and they can't accommodate me on anything approaching the same schedule. I asked if they would send me over to AA since they have a flight that arrives/departs at almost exactly the same time. They refused, but they also refused to refund my ticket. Is that truly the policy, or am I getting the runaround?

Exiled in Express

I just received notification of an operational cancellation for a flight on July 5, PHL-ORD-MSP. PHL-ORD is the offending segment. Auto rebook was the next morning via IAD. What options do I have when I call? N fare, booked with July expiring ETC and cash roughly 50/50.

Ideal outcome is ETC with new expiration and I book myself on the now cheaper nonstop. Acceptable alternates are MDT and ABE origins.

mduell

HUCA, UA can put you on AA at UA's discretion.

RULE 24 FLIGHT DELAYS/CANCELLATIONS/AIRCRAFT CHANGES

Schedule Irregularity – any of the following irregularities:
Flight or service cancellation, omission of a scheduled stop, or any other delay or interruption in the scheduled operation of a carrier’s flight;

E) Schedule Irregularity
1) Liability - Except to the extent provided in this Rule and the Warsaw and/or Montreal Conventions, UA shall not be liable for any Schedule Irregularity.
2) Delay, Misconnection or Cancellation
a) When a Passenger’s ticket is affected because of a Schedule Irregularity caused by UA, UA will take the following measures:
(i) Transport the Passenger on its own flights, subject to availability, to the Destination, next Stopover point, or transfer point shown on its portion of the Ticket, without Stopover in the same class of service, at no additional cost to the Passenger; or
(ii) At its sole discretion, UA may arrange for the passenger to travel on another carrier. United may also, at its sole discretion, and if acceptable to the passenger, arrange for the passenger to travel via ground transportation.
b) In the event a Passenger misses an onward connecting flight on which space is reserved because the Delivering Carrier did not operate its flight due to a Schedule Irregularity or Change in Schedule, the Delivering Carrier is responsible to arrange for carriage of Passenger or to make a refund.
3) If a Passenger is not transported as provided in E) 2) above, the Passenger will be eligible for a refund upon request. See Rule 27 A).
4) If space is only available and used on a UA flight(s) of a lower class of service than originally purchased by the passenger, UA will provide a refund of the difference in fare pursuant to Rule 27 C) 5).

Emphasis on your 3 issues: OAL, refund, and cabin.

Find the flights you want and call in to get them. Or take the refund, although the amount may be unfavorable if it's a RT ticket.