Dec 29, 2017, 7:11 pm
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Please Read
It is the desire of the FT UA Moderation Team to keep this thread open, as there is still much to be learned. While realizing this incident has some elements that have led to some very active discussion; such as the Congresswoman is local to a major UA hub and familiar to many UA flyers, FT has certain rules for discussion. This forum is focused on travel with UA and there are better places for other types of discussion.
After some discussion among the FT UA Moderators, we wish to clarify what is appropriate and what is not.
Not appropriate and better elsewhere
And all the standard FT rules apply including not commenting on other posters and not posting unnecessarily inflammatory, inciting or provocative comments.
Generally, if you are not discussing the incident, good chance you may be Off Topic.
WineCountryUA
on behalf of the UA FT Moderation Team
It is the desire of the FT UA Moderation Team to keep this thread open, as there is still much to be learned. While realizing this incident has some elements that have led to some very active discussion; such as the Congresswoman is local to a major UA hub and familiar to many UA flyers, FT has certain rules for discussion. This forum is focused on travel with UA and there are better places for other types of discussion.
After some discussion among the FT UA Moderators, we wish to clarify what is appropriate and what is not.
Discussion of the actual incident and how it might have happened
Discussion of how UA has handled the event
Discussion if the congresswoman or others forced this to happen
Discussion of UA granting unearned GS status
Discussion of how UA has handled the event
Discussion if the congresswoman or others forced this to happen
Discussion of UA granting unearned GS status
Not appropriate and better elsewhere
Overly political or racial comments about the congresswoman (or anyone else)
General comments about politicians, government officials unrelated to the actual incident
General ethics discussion concerning corporate/government officials accepting complimentary status
General comments about politicians, government officials unrelated to the actual incident
General ethics discussion concerning corporate/government officials accepting complimentary status
And all the standard FT rules apply including not commenting on other posters and not posting unnecessarily inflammatory, inciting or provocative comments.
Generally, if you are not discussing the incident, good chance you may be Off Topic.
WineCountryUA
on behalf of the UA FT Moderation Team
Pax accuses UA of giving her F seat to US Rep
Dec 24, 2017, 11:33 pm
#46
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: LAS HNL
Programs: DL DM, 5.7 MM, UA 3.1 MM, MARRIOTT PLATINUM, AVIS FIRST, Amex Black Card
Posts: 4,479
UA really needs to hire a PR team to handle things like this. This PX was booted or downgraded. U.S. Rep Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) has been known to do this in the past. She represents the fine folk's in Houston. Management at UA blew into the windy city of Chicago from the Lone Star State. U.S. Rep Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) needs to sit in a Y seat, purchased by the fine taxpayers of the USA. UA really needs a new PR firm.
Dec 25, 2017, 1:09 am
#47
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: CO
Programs: UA OG-1K, Marriott Plat, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,360
Do Reps or govt people get the credit for the miles? If she it's 2300 miles round trip. Flying home most weekends and a few overseas flights and she is 1K, though I doubt GS.
Was she upgraded?
Was she upgraded?
Dec 25, 2017, 1:19 am
#48
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,324
UA really needs to hire a PR team to handle things like this. This PX was booted or downgraded. U.S. Rep Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) has been known to do this in the past. She represents the fine folk's in Houston. Management at UA blew into the windy city of Chicago from the Lone Star State. U.S. Rep Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) needs to sit in a Y seat, purchased by the fine taxpayers of the USA. UA really needs a new PR firm.
I have little idea what you're trying to say.
This suicide mission being advocated for UA to publicly shame a prominent US Congresswomen in the Congressional Black Caucus so a few frequent flyers can feel better about their plight is so detached from reality it's unbelievable. Saying that United's PR "firm" (what?, they're a dpeaprtment of the company) should be "fired" is way out there.
All I see is a 20 year old article being thrown around as definitive proof that this Congresswoman is somehow rotten, and therefore is most definitely a bully, is wrong, and United's is lying.
in reality, The company actually doesn't come out looking bad in this situation very much. This will pass quickly and it's not a big deal. Of course some here would love for it to be, and go on forever, but it isn't and it won't.
This immediate viceral herd-like reaction is really concerning to read.
Dec 25, 2017, 6:31 am
#49
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: Hertz PC
Posts: 657
Yes, the 28 year old with the high&tight haircut, wearing an overly baggy/long plaid shirt in 2A whilst holding his newspaper upside down, never sleeping on a 8 hour flight and not drinking. Oh, and also every time he walks by you can see the outline of his Sig P229. haha. Hard to miss.
Dec 25, 2017, 11:47 am
#50
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: EAU
Programs: UA 1K, CO Plat, NW Plat, Marriott Premiere Plat, SPG Plat, Priority Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,712
This wasn't an intentional bump by United or United employees. If it was, they wouldn't have just cancelled the ticket, they'd have put her in E+. And they probably would have put an upgraded passenger, not a paid ticket.
This is a consequence of United's policy to NEVER remove seated passengers... By the time the passenger realized there was a problem there just wasn't a seat to put her in.
Regardless, United fulfilled their obligations: they got her there and they gave her downgrade compensation.
This is a consequence of United's policy to NEVER remove seated passengers... By the time the passenger realized there was a problem there just wasn't a seat to put her in.
Regardless, United fulfilled their obligations: they got her there and they gave her downgrade compensation.
Dec 25, 2017, 11:55 am
#51
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: EAU
Programs: UA 1K, CO Plat, NW Plat, Marriott Premiere Plat, SPG Plat, Priority Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 4,712
Although, it should not be that easy to cancel a flight from the app, and the app needs to do a much better job of not displaying stale information, which it does frequently.
Dec 25, 2017, 12:25 pm
#52
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: LAS
Programs: 3 MMer
Posts: 458
What concerns me re this "Downgrade" --- ""It was just so completely humiliating," said Jean-Marie Simon, a 63-year-old attorney and private school teacher who used 140,000 miles on Dec. 3 to purchase the first-class tickets to take her from Washington D.C. to Guatemala and back home." (Notice the word PURCHASE, and NOT FREE!
SJL has many, priors doing this, and it isn't one isolated incident that occured 20 years ago, so it is apparent that this is her standard m.o., as stated by another Congressman who has been on 3 other flights, with this special person, and who told Ms. Simon to please push this all the way because SJL was an embarrassment to be around, as she does this EVERY TIME.
As posted above, this has hit nearly all the news sources, and it's gonna be very interesting how UA spins this, and tries to convince everyone that the flying public is as stupid as the agent/super's who continually cave in to this special pax! Ms. Simon is a very educated woman who may just make us all more comfortable in the future, knowing that "Gate Musical Chairs" is done on the up & up!!!
Dec 25, 2017, 12:31 pm
#53
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 3,267
Anyone stupid enough to:
1. Pay 140,000 miles for a one-way to Guatemala, and
2. Cancel her own reservation via mobile app (UA has proven this to be the case with screenshots of its internal software)
Deserves exactly what she gets.
1. Pay 140,000 miles for a one-way to Guatemala, and
2. Cancel her own reservation via mobile app (UA has proven this to be the case with screenshots of its internal software)
Deserves exactly what she gets.
Dec 25, 2017, 12:49 pm
#55
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 3,267
From the article in the OP's first post:
A United official said [the allegedly downgraded pax's] screenshot doesn't show the December flight as cancelled because she ultimately took the flight.
The official provided another screenshot of United's internal software system and said that it showed the flight had been cancelled on a mobile app, though a reporter was unable to independently verify that on Saturday because of the system's coding.
The official provided another screenshot of United's internal software system and said that it showed the flight had been cancelled on a mobile app, though a reporter was unable to independently verify that on Saturday because of the system's coding.
Dec 25, 2017, 12:55 pm
#56
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: LAS
Programs: 3 MMer
Posts: 458
Well then I change my interpretation of what happened, due to the fact that, "I'm a queen and demand to be treated like one," a former staffer recalled Lee saying.
Dec 25, 2017, 1:05 pm
#57
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: UA, Some Others
Posts: 286
.
in reality, The company actually doesn't come out looking bad in this situation very much. This will pass quickly and it's not a big deal. Of course some here would love for it to be, and go on forever, but it isn't and it won't.
This immediate viceral herd-like reaction is really concerning to read.
in reality, The company actually doesn't come out looking bad in this situation very much. This will pass quickly and it's not a big deal. Of course some here would love for it to be, and go on forever, but it isn't and it won't.
This immediate viceral herd-like reaction is really concerning to read.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/teac...213301253.html
5,000 comments, about zero supporting UAL or the Rep in this fiasco.
Dec 25, 2017, 1:09 pm
#58
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: LAX
Posts: 3,267
Here's the latest on the story:
1. The pax canceled her reservation after the original fight was delayed due to wx
2. The Congresswoman was subsequently auto-upgraded by the computer.
The moral of the story is: don't cancel your reservations and you'll be fine.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/united-...seat-1.3735153
Who cares what the commenters think? What has that got to do with the facts?
If a million people think that the sun revolves around the earth, does that make it true?
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 25, 2017 at 1:42 pm Reason: merging consecutive posts by same member
Dec 25, 2017, 1:26 pm
#60
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: UA, Some Others
Posts: 286
Whatever her personality is or isn't (let's not forget that a former staffer might have an axe to grind), it doesn't change the facts.
Here's the latest on the story:
1. The pax canceled her reservation after the original fight was delayed due to wx
2. The Congresswoman was subsequently auto-upgraded by the computer.
The moral of the story is: don't cancel your reservations and you'll be fine.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/united-...seat-1.3735153
Here's the latest on the story:
1. The pax canceled her reservation after the original fight was delayed due to wx
2. The Congresswoman was subsequently auto-upgraded by the computer.
The moral of the story is: don't cancel your reservations and you'll be fine.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/united-...seat-1.3735153
Lets not forget she was half way home. If you cancel your flight, you need to rebook another flight.