Worst Flight Experience Ever! -Booked Biz SAN>SFO>SIN 26hr delay rebooked Y no refund
Oct 17, 2017, 9:14 pm
#16
Join Date: Sep 2009
Programs: United GS/MM, Marriott LT Titanium Elite
Posts: 242
Very suspicious story
Oct 17, 2017, 9:18 pm
#17
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: WN, AA, UA, DL
Posts: 1,313
Please tell us more, OP. Like your day of travel and flight number so we can confirm your story. Nobody is getting removed from an airplane for just sleeping, so tell us what really happened. And you need to be the one to promptly ask for compensation. Airlines generally won't babysit you on that.
Read the OP. You're apparently not correct:
2 hours implies flight 2016, which arrives just before 9 and would make for a nearly 2 hour layover.
2 hours implies flight 2016, which arrives just before 9 and would make for a nearly 2 hour layover.
Oct 17, 2017, 9:31 pm
#18
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Me too. In fact, I'm a little surprised by this story. I fly out of SAN at least once a month (often more frequently) and the agents there - both at the counter and the gate - are really good. They're pleasant, helpful, and quite expert at dealing with SFO ATC delays.
Oct 17, 2017, 9:52 pm
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,965
Is there any language barrier?
Could some of this be different expectations of Asian service vs. American service? UA is a huge carrier and its staff just can't/don't care to/don't have the resources or authority to offer as personalize service as smaller carriers. When things go wrong and you don't know the way around the "system", you get the short end of the stick.
Could some of this be different expectations of Asian service vs. American service? UA is a huge carrier and its staff just can't/don't care to/don't have the resources or authority to offer as personalize service as smaller carriers. When things go wrong and you don't know the way around the "system", you get the short end of the stick.
Oct 17, 2017, 10:04 pm
#20
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Not clear from this post "when" the passenger woke up:
Did she wake up after being removed from the plane?
Oct 17, 2017, 10:27 pm
#21
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 124
While I do agree that there is a bit of info missing here we can't really expect non proactive flyers to know our game. Airlines are judged by how they treat their average customer not just their elites.
What I really find amusing is how much some people get offended when someone calls UA out for bad performance or issues. It seems as if UA can never be wrong and everybody else is wrong for saying it's UA fault. I for one had a miserable baggage problem with UA this past weekend and if I posted the fact more than half of the people here would call me a liar cause UA would never do that in their mind.
I am still a UA Plat and will continue to fly them since they are the best fit for my travels but they are far from perfect and nowhere near to par with EU or asia airlines, At this point Mexican airlines provide better service and that says alot.
My 2 cents, Cheers
What I really find amusing is how much some people get offended when someone calls UA out for bad performance or issues. It seems as if UA can never be wrong and everybody else is wrong for saying it's UA fault. I for one had a miserable baggage problem with UA this past weekend and if I posted the fact more than half of the people here would call me a liar cause UA would never do that in their mind.
I am still a UA Plat and will continue to fly them since they are the best fit for my travels but they are far from perfect and nowhere near to par with EU or asia airlines, At this point Mexican airlines provide better service and that says alot.
My 2 cents, Cheers
Oct 17, 2017, 10:55 pm
#22
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
What surprises me is not that they could not get OP's wife out that night (the connection via NRT on JAL was already gone, and I doubt they would have routed her via LHR on BA) but that lacking J space on the next day's flight they did not do a rebook on OAL. That is the part that is really a CS fail in my book.
This reads to me (if I am understanding the details) like (a) UA is creating bad will by selling too tight of connections in SFO given SFO's ATC issues, and (b) then trying to keep the revenue on line, even when they lack J space, and force someone into Y. Both will justifiable PO people paying for J.
Oct 17, 2017, 11:07 pm
#23
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But I'm having a hard time understanding how SAN ground staff could bungle this so badly there was a 26 hour delay into SFO. SFO or EWR? Sure. But they are seriously on top of their game at SAN.
Oct 17, 2017, 11:12 pm
#24
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: AUS after 40+ SFO/OAK
Programs: UA MM (recovering former 1K), Marriott Titanium Lifetime
Posts: 550
Please tell us more, OP. Like your day of travel and flight number so we can confirm your story. Nobody is getting removed from an airplane for just sleeping, so tell us what really happened. And you need to be the one to promptly ask for compensation. Airlines generally won't babysit you on that.
Read the OP. You're apparently not correct:
2 hours implies flight 2016, which arrives just before 9 and would make for a nearly 2 hour layover.
Read the OP. You're apparently not correct:
2 hours implies flight 2016, which arrives just before 9 and would make for a nearly 2 hour layover.
And, assuming it was UA 2016 (which as scheduled roughly fits OP's 2-hour layover claim, rather than spin88's < 1 hour connection), I'll venture that the 26 hour flight delay that OP keeps repeating is a 2-hour SAN/SFO delay + 24 hours for the next day's SFO/SIN flight after missing the connection, and being then taken off that flight (for whatever reason) which adds another 24 hours to board the following day's flight, resulting in the 48-hour delay arriving in SIN. Lacking specifics, Thursday 10/12 was a good candidate because of the smoke/visibility delays which ran late into the evening.
"Worst flight experience ever", we should all be so lucky. Never let facts get in the way of a good story.
Seriously, has anyone ever actually experienced or seen anything like this claim of requiring a medical certification of being fit to fly?
Oct 18, 2017, 12:49 am
#25
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 127
My bet is the crew was concerned the overly “fatigued” pax may have over indulged in some pre flight cocktails, thus presenting a possible egress problem in the event of an emergency.
Serious details missing from this story, OP or his wife needs to come clean.
Serious details missing from this story, OP or his wife needs to come clean.
Oct 18, 2017, 12:59 am
#26
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: SFO/SJC/OAK
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I can't believe people are blaming op for not rebooking on to god knows what other carriers. United is very difficult to deal with when it comes to rebooking on anyone outside of *A, so to expect a non frequent flyer to know how to rebook onto someone else is unfair. Has anyone here actually called UA's non elite desk in the past 5 years? You could get more done banging your head than speaking to those agents.
It's outrageous behavior on United's part, and they should have tried to find you other ways to get there (whether on UA/*A/or any other carrier). But it's not op's fault he didn't know they could do that. Good luck getting proper compensation beyond the downgrade though, I wouldn't be surprised if UA just invokes the original weather delay as an excuse for everything else.
It's outrageous behavior on United's part, and they should have tried to find you other ways to get there (whether on UA/*A/or any other carrier). But it's not op's fault he didn't know they could do that. Good luck getting proper compensation beyond the downgrade though, I wouldn't be surprised if UA just invokes the original weather delay as an excuse for everything else.
Oct 18, 2017, 1:27 am
#27
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
Programs: None anymore
Posts: 983
I can't believe people are blaming op for not rebooking on to god knows what other carriers. United is very difficult to deal with when it comes to rebooking on anyone outside of *A, so to expect a non frequent flyer to know how to rebook onto someone else is unfair. Has anyone here actually called UA's non elite desk in the past 5 years? You could get more done banging your head than speaking to those agents.
With that said, if she did take the last flight of the night and it was canceled and they put her on another flight the next day, why didn't she go home and sleep??? Why stay at SAN??? That makes no sense to me at all!
Oct 18, 2017, 1:48 am
#28
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,217
I totally agree with Kacee about his comments on UA GAs (and the rest of the staff) at SAN. However, if you do not get to the airport early enough there is not much they can do to put you on the earlier flight to SFO. I have had the check -in staff get on the phone to reroute me to other airlines and via other cities argue with the UA person on the other end of the phone for the rebooking/rerouting. SAN staff seem to go above and beyond in my experience and it has been more than once and they were always proactive.
However my SFO experiences have been a nightmare when things go wrong. For a hub they seem to be totally clueless and I have to agree with other comments that I have learnt my way round the system and how to deal with the issues and on very few occasions have they been proactive. I have been in tears a couple of times because I have missed special family moments.
So UA experiences vary and I feel for the wife of the OP. It sounds like a bit of a nightmare scenario that kept getting worse. Glad she finally made it to her family.
However my SFO experiences have been a nightmare when things go wrong. For a hub they seem to be totally clueless and I have to agree with other comments that I have learnt my way round the system and how to deal with the issues and on very few occasions have they been proactive. I have been in tears a couple of times because I have missed special family moments.
So UA experiences vary and I feel for the wife of the OP. It sounds like a bit of a nightmare scenario that kept getting worse. Glad she finally made it to her family.
Oct 18, 2017, 2:08 am
#29
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Seoul
Programs: None anymore
Posts: 983
However my SFO experiences have been a nightmare when things go wrong. For a hub they seem to be totally clueless and I have to agree with other comments that I have learnt my way round the system and how to deal with the issues and on very few occasions have they been proactive. I have been in tears a couple of times because I have missed special family moments.
Oct 18, 2017, 2:16 am
#30
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Melbourne MEL Calgary YYC
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Seriously??
You are posting in a forum that is practically flooded by UA frequent travelers. If your post is intended as a PSA, why not choosing reddit instead?
Mind elaborate more? I don't believe UA will keep delaying a domestic flight for 26 hours.
Because you should be the one asking for the refund:
https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...ds/refund.aspx
UA is within its authority to remove unfitted passengers.
Because it is not UA's problem.
SFFD is being nice in saving your money.
While it is understandable that you are angry, some important details are missing from the encounter. So while you are within your right to target UA, it may be best to support the encounter with important details, so that many here can see you are being reasonable.
UA did arrange necessary medical care. However, it is your wife's decision in taking SFFD's advice not to ride the ambulance.
1. Why the 26-hour delay, especially given that it only takes 8-9 hours of driving from SAN to SFO)?
2. There are plenty of alternative options. I am surprised if none was offered to your wife.
Both compensation and refund - again you have to ask for one.
Also - removal is not based on medical evidence. When UA has reasons to believe, UA is within its right to exercise the removal clause of the CoC.
Trust me - this is definitely not the case.
You are posting in a forum that is practically flooded by UA frequent travelers. If your post is intended as a PSA, why not choosing reddit instead?
Mind elaborate more? I don't believe UA will keep delaying a domestic flight for 26 hours.
Because you should be the one asking for the refund:
https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...ds/refund.aspx
UA is within its authority to remove unfitted passengers.
Because it is not UA's problem.
SFFD is being nice in saving your money.
While it is understandable that you are angry, some important details are missing from the encounter. So while you are within your right to target UA, it may be best to support the encounter with important details, so that many here can see you are being reasonable.
UA did arrange necessary medical care. However, it is your wife's decision in taking SFFD's advice not to ride the ambulance.
1. Why the 26-hour delay, especially given that it only takes 8-9 hours of driving from SAN to SFO)?
2. There are plenty of alternative options. I am surprised if none was offered to your wife.
Both compensation and refund - again you have to ask for one.
Also - removal is not based on medical evidence. When UA has reasons to believe, UA is within its right to exercise the removal clause of the CoC.
Trust me - this is definitely not the case.
And that is that, well debriefed!!!