Jan 4, 2017, 12:02 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Last year's thread United Consolidated Compensation Thread [2016]
And earlier United Consolidated Compensation Thread [2015]
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. I think I deserve something from UA -- whom do I contact?
- Flight attendants: get compensation onboard for aircraft/inflight-related items. (NEW)
- 1K/GS: Contact UA via the emails on the back of your MP card.
- Other UA Elites: PremierVoice
- All others (including all non-UA elites): Customer Care
Except for a few exceptions (see below), UA is under NO OBLIGATION to provide compensation but may instead provide a goodwill gesture as an appreciation.
2. What is the Customer Appreciation website?
It is a website dedicated by UA for proactive compensation/goodwill offer.
If you have been:
a. Told inflight to go to this website/Received e-mails from Proactive Recovery Operations Team
b. Received a "We are sorry for the inconvenience" card.
You should go to the website and claim your offer first before contacting Customer Care.
3. What do I get if UA decides to provide me the compensation/goodwill gesture?
UA's compensation/goodwill gesture generally will be provided in a form of ETCs or miles based on your elite status. Currently, the ETCs and miles offered maintains 2 cpm ratio ($50 ETC =2,500 miles).
4. Should I take miles or ETCs, and which one is better?
It is a personal preference on how you use the miles/ETCs.
Miles don't expire if you have account activity at least once every 18 months or have a qualified Chase UA-branded credit card. ETCs have a 1-year validity from initial issuance and can be used on flights operated by UA or as UA Express ONLY
Miles are likely to provided greater value than 2 cpm for those booking international premium cabins. ETCs might have greater value for domestic trips. For example, a $100 ETC may be sufficient enough to cover much of the cost of your future trip, its equivalent miles (5,000 miles) does not. And the ETC trip will earn PQDs (no value subtraction), PQM/Ss & RDMs. See Consolidated "Various tips for using an electronic certificate (TCVA & 016)" [Merged] for detail.
5. What recourse do I have other than Customer Care?
You should consider everything with Customer Care is final. However, if you want to push further, you can try emailing UA executives (including the CEO). UA is known to respond customers' emails.
UA's Executive Contacts (Credited to Christopher Elliott)
6. What about DOT?
If you believe your issues may fall within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), contact DOT via the Air Travel Complaint - Comment Form.
NOTE - What the DOT does is to refer your complaint to UA and require UA to respond. DOT does not handle complaints unless they involve in violating DOT regulations.
7. What about if I have been "Involuntary Denied Boarding" (IDB) by UA?
See Is this IDB? Am I entitled to IDB compensation? [Consolidated]
8. What if I get downgraded (traveling in a lower cabin then I was booked)?
See Downgraded from First/Business Class on United (Questions, Compensation, etc.) [2016]
9. What about baggage claim?
Contact Baggage Resolution Service Center
10. What about if I have a EC261/2004 claim against UA?
See Best Practices for Filing EU 261 Claims Against United?
And earlier United Consolidated Compensation Thread [2015]
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. I think I deserve something from UA -- whom do I contact?
- Flight attendants: get compensation onboard for aircraft/inflight-related items. (NEW)
- 1K/GS: Contact UA via the emails on the back of your MP card.
- Other UA Elites: PremierVoice
- All others (including all non-UA elites): Customer Care
Except for a few exceptions (see below), UA is under NO OBLIGATION to provide compensation but may instead provide a goodwill gesture as an appreciation.
2. What is the Customer Appreciation website?
It is a website dedicated by UA for proactive compensation/goodwill offer.
If you have been:
a. Told inflight to go to this website/Received e-mails from Proactive Recovery Operations Team
b. Received a "We are sorry for the inconvenience" card.
You should go to the website and claim your offer first before contacting Customer Care.
3. What do I get if UA decides to provide me the compensation/goodwill gesture?
UA's compensation/goodwill gesture generally will be provided in a form of ETCs or miles based on your elite status. Currently, the ETCs and miles offered maintains 2 cpm ratio ($50 ETC =2,500 miles).
4. Should I take miles or ETCs, and which one is better?
It is a personal preference on how you use the miles/ETCs.
Miles don't expire if you have account activity at least once every 18 months or have a qualified Chase UA-branded credit card. ETCs have a 1-year validity from initial issuance and can be used on flights operated by UA or as UA Express ONLY
Miles are likely to provided greater value than 2 cpm for those booking international premium cabins. ETCs might have greater value for domestic trips. For example, a $100 ETC may be sufficient enough to cover much of the cost of your future trip, its equivalent miles (5,000 miles) does not. And the ETC trip will earn PQDs (no value subtraction), PQM/Ss & RDMs. See Consolidated "Various tips for using an electronic certificate (TCVA & 016)" [Merged] for detail.
5. What recourse do I have other than Customer Care?
You should consider everything with Customer Care is final. However, if you want to push further, you can try emailing UA executives (including the CEO). UA is known to respond customers' emails.
UA's Executive Contacts (Credited to Christopher Elliott)
6. What about DOT?
If you believe your issues may fall within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), contact DOT via the Air Travel Complaint - Comment Form.
NOTE - What the DOT does is to refer your complaint to UA and require UA to respond. DOT does not handle complaints unless they involve in violating DOT regulations.
7. What about if I have been "Involuntary Denied Boarding" (IDB) by UA?
See Is this IDB? Am I entitled to IDB compensation? [Consolidated]
8. What if I get downgraded (traveling in a lower cabin then I was booked)?
See Downgraded from First/Business Class on United (Questions, Compensation, etc.) [2016]
9. What about baggage claim?
Contact Baggage Resolution Service Center
10. What about if I have a EC261/2004 claim against UA?
See Best Practices for Filing EU 261 Claims Against United?
United Consolidated Compensation Thread [2017]
Jul 24, 2017, 6:30 pm
#436
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,884
I was scheduled to fly DCA-EWR-BOM last Monday. Due to air traffic conditions, the DCA-EWR segment was cancelled and having no alternate flight options offered, I took a 1 way rental and drove up to EWR to take the connecting flight. I wrote to customer care asking for reimbursement and was refused though they gave UA travel vouchers for the inconvenience. Is that normal ? Should I try again? The rental was around $350.
If you rented the car on your own without talking to UA about it, why would you expect them to pay for it? I certainly wouldn't. Yes, they canceled the flight, but there should have been alternate options. You said they weren't offered - did you ask? I'd be willing to bet that UA would have put you on a IAD-FRA/MUC-BOM (with last segment on LH) if you had asked (or IAD-ZRH-BOM on Swiss, or VIE-BOM (Austrian) or even IST-BOM (TK)). There are lots of * options there. Did you talk to an agent at the airport, or on the phone.
Sorry for your experience, but expecting UA to pay for a car rental you made on your own is pretty inreasonable.
Jul 24, 2017, 7:03 pm
#437
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Takoma Park, MD
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Plat, UA Premier Platinum, National Executive
Posts: 515
I did call the premier desk and asked for all those options first. I was told that they could not book us on the IAD-ZRH-BOM flight. It was only available in B class and that may have been a factor. Since they said there was no other way to get out that day, I discussed the car rental with them and then they cancelled my DCA-EWR leg since I was driving. They did tell me I could ask customer service for reimbursement
Jul 25, 2017, 1:35 am
#438
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LIS/AUS
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Gold, Marriott Titanium, TAP Gold
Posts: 263
Flew PIT>IAD>FRA on Sunday evening, and saw my flight to IAD was delayed 89 minutes, which would make me miss my connection (it was later delayed, 240 mins, then cancelled). I called 1K and the agent basically told me that there was no option to make it in on Monday, despite my asking him to check other carriers, saying their flights all departed in the early afternoon and that I should just spend the night in PIT, or attempt to travel (by car or train, via a "friend") to a hub.
After doing 1 minute of research (by checking the departures screen), I informed the agent that there were several AA flights departing to either JFK (wouldn't work) and ORD. Agent checked, and low and behold, there was availability to ORD, so he put me on an AA flight connecting to a LH flight, but I ended up in a middle seat economy.
I sent an email to 1K and received a $250 ETC...reviewing previous posts, it looks pretty aligned with other experiences, so I probably shouldn't push for more?
After doing 1 minute of research (by checking the departures screen), I informed the agent that there were several AA flights departing to either JFK (wouldn't work) and ORD. Agent checked, and low and behold, there was availability to ORD, so he put me on an AA flight connecting to a LH flight, but I ended up in a middle seat economy.
I sent an email to 1K and received a $250 ETC...reviewing previous posts, it looks pretty aligned with other experiences, so I probably shouldn't push for more?
Last edited by pnt1; Jul 25, 2017 at 4:49 am
Jul 25, 2017, 9:15 am
#439
Join Date: Mar 2012
Programs: Mileage Plus 1K; Marriott Platinum; Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,355
Flew PIT>IAD>FRA on Sunday evening, and saw my flight to IAD was delayed 89 minutes, which would make me miss my connection (it was later delayed, 240 mins, then cancelled). I called 1K and the agent basically told me that there was no option to make it in on Monday, despite my asking him to check other carriers, saying their flights all departed in the early afternoon and that I should just spend the night in PIT, or attempt to travel (by car or train, via a "friend") to a hub.
After doing 1 minute of research (by checking the departures screen), I informed the agent that there were several AA flights departing to either JFK (wouldn't work) and ORD. Agent checked, and low and behold, there was availability to ORD, so he put me on an AA flight connecting to a LH flight, but I ended up in a middle seat economy.
I sent an email to 1K and received a $250 ETC...reviewing previous posts, it looks pretty aligned with other experiences, so I probably shouldn't push for more?
After doing 1 minute of research (by checking the departures screen), I informed the agent that there were several AA flights departing to either JFK (wouldn't work) and ORD. Agent checked, and low and behold, there was availability to ORD, so he put me on an AA flight connecting to a LH flight, but I ended up in a middle seat economy.
I sent an email to 1K and received a $250 ETC...reviewing previous posts, it looks pretty aligned with other experiences, so I probably shouldn't push for more?
Jul 25, 2017, 12:35 pm
#440
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: IL
Programs: UA Gold, DL Silver, Hertz PC, Avis Pref+, Accor Silver
Posts: 1,107
TLV-SFO was due to leave 01:00 - they couldn't get the tannoy system to work (that's a new one for me !) and cancelled the flight....
Put up overnight and ended up leaving ~ 17:00 the following day, so a 16 hour delay.
This was (thankfully) not me but my brother, no UA status. Can he expect something from UA, or can he expect "technical issues beyond out control" ?
Put up overnight and ended up leaving ~ 17:00 the following day, so a 16 hour delay.
This was (thankfully) not me but my brother, no UA status. Can he expect something from UA, or can he expect "technical issues beyond out control" ?
Jul 25, 2017, 12:50 pm
#441
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: DCA
Programs: UA 1K; *G and *A Top 1000; HHonors Diamond; *$ Gold; Global Entry
Posts: 2,272
TLV-SFO was due to leave 01:00 - they couldn't get the tannoy system to work (that's a new one for me !) and cancelled the flight....
Put up overnight and ended up leaving ~ 17:00 the following day, so a 16 hour delay.
This was (thankfully) not me but my brother, no UA status. Can he expect something from UA, or can he expect "technical issues beyond out control" ?
Put up overnight and ended up leaving ~ 17:00 the following day, so a 16 hour delay.
This was (thankfully) not me but my brother, no UA status. Can he expect something from UA, or can he expect "technical issues beyond out control" ?
Jul 25, 2017, 6:54 pm
#442
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,830
TLV-SFO was due to leave 01:00 - they couldn't get the tannoy system to work (that's a new one for me !) and cancelled the flight....
Put up overnight and ended up leaving ~ 17:00 the following day, so a 16 hour delay.
This was (thankfully) not me but my brother, no UA status. Can he expect something from UA, or can he expect "technical issues beyond out control" ?
Put up overnight and ended up leaving ~ 17:00 the following day, so a 16 hour delay.
This was (thankfully) not me but my brother, no UA status. Can he expect something from UA, or can he expect "technical issues beyond out control" ?
Jul 26, 2017, 12:08 am
#443
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LIS/AUS
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton Gold, Marriott Titanium, TAP Gold
Posts: 263
Well, I had to call the 1K desk, because there were no agents at the gate.
Jul 26, 2017, 2:23 am
#444
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Tulsa, OK
Programs: United, American
Posts: 14
Couple things:
UA988 FRA-IAD no IFE for approximately half of the flight in Business (although I think the whole plane had this issue). Offered 125$/6250 miles via customer appreciation.
UA4531 ORD-TUL tonight continuous delays. 7:15pm scheduled eventually left at 1am. The customer appreciation link offered 75$/3750 miles.
Both seem a little low, but wanted opinions from others.
I have Silver if that means anything
UA988 FRA-IAD no IFE for approximately half of the flight in Business (although I think the whole plane had this issue). Offered 125$/6250 miles via customer appreciation.
UA4531 ORD-TUL tonight continuous delays. 7:15pm scheduled eventually left at 1am. The customer appreciation link offered 75$/3750 miles.
Both seem a little low, but wanted opinions from others.
I have Silver if that means anything
Last edited by TULflyer; Jul 26, 2017 at 7:29 am
Jul 26, 2017, 6:43 am
#445
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: EWR/LHR/SFO
Programs: UA 1K 1MM
Posts: 574
Couple things:
UA988 FRA-IAD no IFE for approximately half of the flight in Business (although I think the whole plane had this issue). Offered 125$/6250 miles via customer appreciation.
UA4531 TUL-ORD tonight continuous delays. 7:15pm scheduled eventually left at 1am. The customer appreciation link offered 75$/3750 miles.
Both seem a little low, but wanted opinions from others.
I have Silver if that means anything
UA988 FRA-IAD no IFE for approximately half of the flight in Business (although I think the whole plane had this issue). Offered 125$/6250 miles via customer appreciation.
UA4531 TUL-ORD tonight continuous delays. 7:15pm scheduled eventually left at 1am. The customer appreciation link offered 75$/3750 miles.
Both seem a little low, but wanted opinions from others.
I have Silver if that means anything
$75 for TUL-ORD, on the other hand, seems borderline outrageous for a delay that will have hosed any connections. I would expect closer to $250 for a 3+h delay, especially given the lateness, even given your status. Did you have to overnight at ORD, rent a car, etc.?
Jul 26, 2017, 7:30 am
#446
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Tulsa, OK
Programs: United, American
Posts: 14
$125 for no IFE is pretty generous for a Silver IMO. As a 1K I think the no-WiFi comp on TATL has now settled at $200, so 5/8 of that for a less severe problem that also only lasted half the flight length and affected a lower-status pax seems like a good deal.
$75 for TUL-ORD, on the other hand, seems borderline outrageous for a delay that will have hosed any connections. I would expect closer to $250 for a 3+h delay, especially given the lateness, even given your status. Did you have to overnight at ORD, rent a car, etc.?
$75 for TUL-ORD, on the other hand, seems borderline outrageous for a delay that will have hosed any connections. I would expect closer to $250 for a 3+h delay, especially given the lateness, even given your status. Did you have to overnight at ORD, rent a car, etc.?
Jul 26, 2017, 7:33 am
#447
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 214
No IFE is usually $100 for no status from prior posted experiences, so $125 for silver seems right.
4 to 5 hour delay on a short hop has seen anywhere from $50 - $100, so again, seems around typical.
Just compared to other's experiences, not necessarily what is good
4 to 5 hour delay on a short hop has seen anywhere from $50 - $100, so again, seems around typical.
Just compared to other's experiences, not necessarily what is good
Jul 26, 2017, 8:03 am
#448
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Florida
Programs: United 1K, Marriott Ambassador, Hilton Gold
Posts: 673
I guess now it seems kind of low. Any thoughts?
Jul 26, 2017, 8:18 am
#449
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,448
Also, people need to post causes of delays here. Historically UA has not provided any comp for wx . . . sounds like people are now getting that, but still complaining about it.
Jul 26, 2017, 8:20 am
#450
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Tulsa, OK
Programs: United, American
Posts: 14
If the delay is weather or "beyond UA's control", I think this is pretty normal. A few weeks ago I received $100 for a weather/ATC/crew timeout delay that eventually resulted in the 6p EWR-CLE being cancelled and rescheduled to 6am the following morning. I thought it was low too, but then again since it was technically weather/ATC, I guess they don't owe you anything. They did offer hotels though.
I guess now it seems kind of low. Any thoughts?
I guess now it seems kind of low. Any thoughts?
Thanks for the data point.