Lori_Q

I have personal experience with this. Left on an earlier DEN-SFO flight for a DEN-SFO-stopover-FRA-TXL roundtrip. The system didn't unload me from the later DEN-SFO flight, so I appeared to be a no-show, and the rest of my itinerary was canceled. Discovered this when I tried to check in online for SFO-FRA-TXL later that night.

A Service Director was able to reinstate everything except the SFO-FRA upgrade, but she left a note in my record for the SFO agents. They were able to get me a seat in Business, and everything was set straight by the time I reached the airport the next morning. ^

bwong99

So back to my original question, what is a fair compensation? What does DOT rule allow me to get compensated for?

Kacee

I would start with a polite note to 1kvoice explaining that you were denied boarding on a flight where you had a confirmed seat due to a UA error in processing your flight change. If they don't provide comp that satisfies you, consider a DOT complaint. This may not technically qualify as an IDB, but DOT will forward the complaint to higher level UA cs personnel who are empowered to resolve the issue.

Hipplewm

Combine all of that with this: November 5 Ticketing issues

You might have just had the crappiest luck ever

Ticket probably should have been reissued, but it appears united had a TON of problem re issuing tickets

Bluehen1

Let me just say that this issue isn't exclusive to UA. It happened over the summer with my brother and his family on AA. They were flying ALB-PHL-MYR and due to delays they had to run and catch their PHL-MYR flight. AA had already rebooked them and when they didn't show up, their return flights were cancelled. Fortunately, I discovered it when we went to check them in online and couldn't do so. An angel at AA got them rebooked to their original itinerary.

BThumme

It's frustrating to see the amount of vigilantism that someone needs these days to be able to just fly a simple ticket (YVR-SFO-PVG is far from complex) that they paid for.

I'm glad that UA was able to do something for OP (as opposed to the other thread where they changed the VDB offer after that OP took it and they really had to fight for it), but these issues need to stop. I'm sure UA would be happy to blame AC for it, and AC to blame UA. They're airline partners for crying out loud.

Bottom line is, since the AC flight miles posted, OP was confirmed on his flight to SFO and there is 0 reason to cancel the rest of his downward flights. If your system can't show that OP traveled, that needs to be fixed immediately.

Often1

There is no compensation due. But either UA or AC ought to do something for OP as a customer service gesture. Nothing DOT can force in this situation.

The DOT complaint won't do anything presuming that UA truthfully showed the ticket as cancelled by AC for whatever reason. If AC cancelled the ticket for whatever reason, it ought to do something for OP, but likely won't or won't do much.

If it turns out that UA erroneously cancelled the ticket, then UA ought to issue a customer service gesture.

Most likely scenario here is that when OP changed his flight, the ticket was not reissued by AC and therefore when the ticketed flight departed without OP, his ticket was cancelled. UA would not be the reissuing carrier, so this one not likely on UA.

eng3

Just explain the situation and see what they offer you. Since you're 1K, probably $300 ECT maybe $500. If you arent happy with the compensation amount, complain some more. They might throw you a little more to get rid of you. The amount of compensation often has little to do with the actual event. I've gotten $300 for a 10hr delay and $250 for a missing pillow.

Miles Ahead

In my opinion, if you have a boarding pass for a flight, it's unreasonable to have to call United and ask if you are good to board. (And if they say "yes", do you have to call again and again?)

I am mostly with Kacee - a polite note to 1K voice is in order. I wouldn't mention the flight change, as it may not have anything to do with the problem. Don't theorize. Simply say you received a paper BP from AC and an electronic BP from UA and nevertheless was denied boarding. See what they come up with.

I would hope it would be above what they give for an IDB, but would expect it to be much lower.

goodeats21

Agree with both of the above. Understanding how an issue occurs (technical failures) is not the same as just accepting it.

sj22

:-:

I can almost guarantee you this can happen. AC and UA changes are often not reflected on each other's systems. It happens to me quite frequently in certain sectors (MDT-YYZ is one such sector where this will happen repeated with award tickets, BWI-YYZ is another). I change the UA ticket online or through 1k desk, AC doesn't see it, and UA tries to reissue the ticket and yet nothing. Some times, I have been stuck at the airport and have had the AC check-in agent speak to 1K agent on the phone and yet nothing. The only option in some of these tickets is to issue a new one from scratch (which is easy for award tickets but not so much for $ tickets).

So OP talk and escalate things, but I am afraid you will just get the blame the other carrier game.

Often1

That doesn't work either. OLCI means that any passenger could have a BP in hand at 24 hours (or earlier). One could hold a BP and voluntarily cancel and the BP would still "look" valid.

Miles Ahead

So you think it's the passenger's duty to keep calling UA asking "Is my BP still valid?"

COSPILOT

As Lori_Q pointed out, one doesn't need to have multiple airlines involved for this to happen. Any GA can screw up when you take an earlier flight, forgetting to remove you from your original flight. UA's programming and love affair with this issue has been going on for many years and has personally impacted me more than once. Calls to 1K first blamed me, but I always push back. How I'm supposed to know a GA made a mistake is beyond me... Put this in the "Shares sucks" folder.

NY-FLA

Almost exactly the same as OP's experience happened to me about 18 months ago. It was YVR-PDX on AC then on to ORD on UA. I took an earlier flight ex YVR, then went to the DL skyclub at PDX to while away a couple of hours. When I emerged, the gate display showed an upgrade for someone with first 3 of surname and first initial exactly the same as me. This was odd, since I was on an award ticket, made necessary by DL's stumbles earlier that day. When I went up to the gate agent, I learned that not only was that not my upgrade, I was nowhere on any of that night's UA flights. AC had cancelled my ticket when they saw a no-show on my original, later, YVR-PDX flight. The UA GA's, now needing to close the ORD flight, insisted that I had to contact AC since it was their ticket (it was actually an 016 ticket). AC had closed for the night at PDX, so I whined at the 1K line enough for them to restore my award ticket on a different flight back East.
I don't recall seeking compensation; UA had repaired the damage that I well know was caused by AC. Complaining to AC (in either of their accepted languages) is just not worth anyone's time. This was one of about a half dozen Air Canada instances that convinced me to swear off Air Canada for my travel with the exception of award tickets in AC business. That is, IME, the only worthy Air Canada endeavor.