SFO-SSA

I'm a loyal customer who always defends UA and is usually perplexed by the many bad reviews I read about United because I rarely, if ever, have a bad UA experience. However, my most recent trip to Cuba on a paid First Class ticket gave me a taste of what so many complain about. At my very early 4:30 a.m. check-in at SFO, I was eager to check-in quickly and get my first cup of coffee before boarding. My "quick check-in" in the Premier line turned into a 40 minute ordeal when the check-in agent told me I couldn't fly because I didn't have a Cuban visa. I calmly explained to her that connecting customers purchase their Cuban visas at the connecting gate--in my case IAH--and that a third-party sells them at the UA gate just prior to boarding the flight to Havana. I told her she could find that information right on the United website. She wouldn't believe me and proceeded to ask a fellow agent who confirmed what I'd said, but she refused to believe him either. She then called over a supervisor who also had no clue about the procedure. I was told, "Cuba is a new destination for us", even though they've been flying there for months now, and they also suggested I was the first passenger flying to Havana out of SFO! Errrr...I don't think so. Finally they called a UA office in Houston that confirmed what I'd been trying to tell them for the past 40 minutes. I never did get that cup of coffee before boarding. I had a great time in Cuba. It was my fifth trip there, but my first time traveling there on United. On the day of departure I took a taxi to the large main international Terminal 3, only to quickly discover that United flies out of the much smaller Terminal 2, two kilometers away. I had to take another taxi and pay an additional 10 CUC to get there. The taxi driver told me it's a common problem. Normally I would have checked on-line to find out the correct terminal, but if you've been to Cuba you know that Cuban Wi-Fi is worthless and rarely connects. I had a printed United itinerary of my flights, but nowhere on it does it state which terminal the flights depart from, and United really should be proactive and add that information. Upon boarding, I sat down in seat 1F only to find it full of trash and crumbs. It was obvious no one had cleaned the cabin after the proceeding flight. On arrival in EWR I passed through customs and then went to security to re-enter the terminal for my connecting flight. I had a very long layover and planned to spend part of it in the United Club, and then when it closed find a seat near my gate and read a book until my very early morning departure. This is something I've done many times in airports around the world. The TSA agent told me I couldn't enter because my connecting flight was "for the following day", and that I should ask United for a gate pass. I went to the Premier line and asked the counter agent for one. Without even looking at my ticket, I was told in an abrasive Jersey accent that, "we don't give gate passes". Then to my shock she told me to, "go downstairs by luggage claim and wait at the Dunkin' Donuts". My status is a lowly Gold Million Miler so normally I'm very humble and don't expect much, but I was flabbergasted that I was being treated like this as a customer traveling on a paid first class ticket. After burning for an hour, I went back upstairs and found a supervisor. She gave me a gate pass and apologized. When I told her what the agent "Margaret" had told me, she said, "Margaret must have had a bad day". I was able to enter the terminal with the gate pass, and spent the long layover in the United Club and later reading my book near the gate. Although I'm far too invested in United to ever consider leaving it and will continue to be a loyal customer, I'm going to think twice before buying another first class ticket. Why bother if I'm going to be treated like cattle anyway?

AndyPatterson

Ugh... consider writing to UAL, and focus on what UAL did wrong and can be easily remedied. Try to condense what you wrote above.

I wonder how reliable the cabin clean-up crews are in third world countries, anyway.

MatthewLAX

AFIK, you're not entitled to re-enter the secure side of the airport if your flight is the next day...but glad you got in anyway.

mherdeg

Hmm so sounds like your experience is -- bad check-in agent at SFO; poorly communicated location of gates at HAV; poorly cleaned seat; difficulty finding an EWR agent who would break United's published gate pass policy. That doesn't sound great.

Do you recommend airlines to friends and family? Do you influence any other people's spending? It sounds like this experience won't change who you spend your airline money with; does it any way change which airline you will recommend to others?

I assume you're also writing a complaint letter to United; please do follow up and let us know how they respond.

findark

What's the technical definition of "next day" and "same day" when you have flights leaving in the midnight to 6am interval?

pushmyredbutton

To be honest, that was a bit hard to read.

Seems like the concerns were:

• Confusion on UA's part on Cuban Visas
• Lack of research on which terminal UA left from in HAV
• Dirty plane
• Inability to pass through TSA for a flight the next day

While I don't disagree that your experience was poor, especially in first class, really the only things that were within UA's control was the info on Cuban visas at SFO and the dirty plane, which may have been due to needing to get the flight out on time, I don't really know. But UA doesn't clean the plane themselves either...so something might have happened with the contracted crew.

It technically is correct to not allow you into the secure area for a flight the next day.

If you do write it in and complain, consider condensing the main facts that were outside of your control and you may get a gesture thrown your way

SFO-SSA

Mherdeg, I will write a shorter version of this to UA. While I will continue to fly United, I'm hearing from so many others who won't because of the recent bad publicity.

SFO 1K

Also, none of this has anything to do with paying for a First Class seat.
If you sat in First, and received the benefits of First during your flight, then you received what you paid for.

People at the airports do not really pay attention to the cabin in which you are seated, unless you're flying TPAC/TATL and in Polaris First. And then, only if you're using the relevant check-in desks for that class of service.

C W

I'm sorry for your poor experience.

Paragraphs are your friends

SFO-SSA

I got this response, which I feel is fair.

"Thank you again for taking time to let us know about your recent experience with United Airlines.

An Electronic Travel Certificate has been issued to Michael XXXXXX (Mileage Plus XXXXXXXX) valid towards the purchase of one electronic airline ticket, where eligible, on United up to $175.00.
Redemption information - Total Value: $175.00"

og

The clean-up crews in some first world countries can be unreliable as well ..

cesco.g

OPs experience match mine: EWR and IAH (in additon) worst/unhelpful/abraisive airport staff UA systemwide; even at GS level.

NH_Clark

EWR most definitely in my experience

DetroitFlyer

I think it's more than fair when the crux of your complaints isn't really that big a deal IMHO.

ParkedInTheDesert

If you flew UA into HAV from IAH, didn't you arrive at Terminal 2? If so, why would you go to Terminal 3 for the departure?