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 25, 2017, 11:11 pm
#91
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 is what happens when you make your airline policy "Never remove a seated passenger."
Somehow PAX lost their reservation on the flight, and the Congresscritter who has GS status and picks her flights last minute was on the top of the list and got the vacated seat. Once she was on the plane, per United policy, nothing could be done.
DG compensation happened because pax did pay for an F seat and didn' fly in it.
I doubt anyone intentionally bumped the PAX as this wouldn't be the way they'd do it if the goal was to get the Congresscritter a seat.
Somehow PAX lost their reservation on the flight, and the Congresscritter who has GS status and picks her flights last minute was on the top of the list and got the vacated seat. Once she was on the plane, per United policy, nothing could be done.
DG compensation happened because pax did pay for an F seat and didn' fly in it.
I doubt anyone intentionally bumped the PAX as this wouldn't be the way they'd do it if the goal was to get the Congresscritter a seat.
Dec 25, 2017, 11:29 pm
#92
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,417
The fact that the woman began her Facebook rant by bringing up Dao immediately makes me question her veracity, however. Without re-hashing that scenario, I’ll just say that there’s a giant gulf between what happened in April and being told that her reservation had been deleted and being reseated in E+.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 25, 2017 at 11:34 pm Reason: OT/OMNI content removed per Moderator note
Dec 25, 2017, 11:30 pm
#93
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: LAS
Programs: 3 MMer
Posts: 458
It's pretty safe to say that the Congresswoman usually doesn't need to hassle with a lowly g/a when she shows up for every one of her flights. She simply makes a call to her "Host" @ UA who takes care of things for her. Every airline and station have people that handle VIP's, and things get taken care of, no matter what it takes. Jackson Lee swings a lot of weight, as others have mentioned, and HQ doesn't want to deal with her, so it is up to the "Host" to handle matters on the qt and efficiently. Even though this incident got out of control, by a smarter than average pax, it will be handled efficiently, and nothing more will come of it until once again Ms. Lee pushes it too far, which she seems to be close to doing. But then again, who at UAL has the huevos to take her on?
Dec 26, 2017, 12:24 am
#95
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,682
The latter. She threw a fit. I gather that she didn't get a voucher at the time. She got nothing until she complained about it on FB, and UA sent her a voucher hours/days after the event:
United Airlines accused of 'erasing' teacher from first class to favour US congresswoman
United Airlines accused of 'erasing' teacher from first class to favour US congresswoman
Dec 26, 2017, 12:32 am
#96
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: WN, AA, UA, DL
Posts: 1,313
Who knows what the truth is. It's impossible for us to know since both sides have a very plausible explanation.
I think the only truth here under either story is that UA is the one getting screwed. They are in a no-win situation.
I think the only truth here under either story is that UA is the one getting screwed. They are in a no-win situation.
Dec 26, 2017, 1:44 am
#97
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: PWM
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 1,336
I don't care what UA wants to charge, I'm not paying extra money to help UA with load factors! I just made Gold last week. I've spent the last 3 years as a kettle/Silver and only done a handful of SBYs. No one has attempted to charge me. In fact, GAs should be embarrassed for trying to charge me to do them a favor.
Dec 26, 2017, 5:10 am
#98
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,417
I don't care what UA wants to charge, I'm not paying extra money to help UA with load factors! I just made Gold last week. I've spent the last 3 years as a kettle/Silver and only done a handful of SBYs. No one has attempted to charge me. In fact, GAs should be embarrassed for trying to charge me to do them a favor.
Also, unless your original flight was extremely oversold, it’s unlikely you were doing anyone a favor, least of all the gate agents. You likely just opened up a seat for them to move someone else into later or allow to go free.
If you’ve truly done ordinary, run-of-the-mill standby in the last three years without being charged, the gate agents have been doing you a favor, not vice versa.
Dec 26, 2017, 6:44 am
#99
Join Date: Jul 2011
Programs: AA Plat, UA 1K>Plat>moving to Silver
Posts: 2,090
Unfortunately for UA, I find it entirely plausible that they finagled the ticketing to accommodate a politician at the expense of an average person. On the other hand, I have long been under the impression that if you click on “change flights”, it puts your ticket into some type of limbo, and that if you do not properly exit out of it, you could lose your seat reservation.That is why I have always been careful to confirm no changes if I click on “change flights”, even if just looking and not selecting anything.Maybe someone else can confirm that.It might explain how the seat became available.Though I would still say this would still be UA’s fault, just the IT rather than a GA. I sincerely hope that someone (DOT, press) gets to the bottom of it. If the airline changed the reservation of a regular person to give the seat to a politician, they should pay serious compensation and it should be publicized.Reason number 1 million and 1 to watch your reservation like a hawk and board first (though that might not have helped since from the story, it looks like the politician was GS - which raises a question of whether UA gives very valuable GS status to politicians, and if so which ones. Hello Daily Mail?).
Dec 26, 2017, 6:46 am
#100
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: CLE
Programs: UA,WN,AA,DL, B6
Posts: 4,169
Fox News
Fox News is saying the Congresswoman had something to do with this. No evidence of that. Now that is Fake News.
Dec 26, 2017, 7:14 am
#101
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: LAS
Programs: 3 MMer
Posts: 458
Dec 26, 2017, 7:28 am
#102
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,138
The biggest question in all this to me - does UA really auto-upgrade within 90 minutes of departure? The company line is that the passenger canceled her flight at T-80 (or it was "canceled by united.com") and then the system upgraded the first person on the list. At AA, starting ~four hours before the flight, nothing clears until T-30 by the GA - I would have thought UA was the same.
Dec 26, 2017, 7:33 am
#103
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: LAS
Programs: 3 MMer
Posts: 458
The biggest question in all this to me - does UA really auto-upgrade within 90 minutes of departure? The company line is that the passenger canceled her flight at T-80 (or it was "canceled by united.com") and then the system upgraded the first person on the list. At AA, starting ~four hours before the flight, nothing clears until T-30 by the GA - I would have thought UA was the same.
Dec 26, 2017, 8:30 am
#104
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: NYC: UA 1K, DL Platinum, AAirpass, Avis PC
Posts: 4,599
The biggest question in all this to me - does UA really auto-upgrade within 90 minutes of departure? The company line is that the passenger canceled her flight at T-80 (or it was "canceled by united.com") and then the system upgraded the first person on the list. At AA, starting ~four hours before the flight, nothing clears until T-30 by the GA - I would have thought UA was the same.
Or could have been something out of the ordinary - a manual cancellation on the web followed by some keystrokes to process the upgrade.
Dec 26, 2017, 9:39 am
#105
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Redondo Beach, CA USA
Programs: UA 1KMM, Bonvoy LTE+A, HH D, Nat'l EE, Hertz Plat, Avis PC
Posts: 3,713
A question for the gurus who understand United's IT systems and policies far better than I do...
Is it possible that when the passenger went into the app to check for alternate flights her reservation was put into "limbo" as described by Artpen100 above. At the same moment, either by chance or an eagle-eyed VIP host, seat 1A was shown as available and they swooped on it to put the congressperson there. But then the original passenger backed out of the change flights phase (clicking "keep my original reservation" or whatever), leaving her reservation hosed up to the point where the system didn't know what to do with it. So now she tries to board with what she thinks is still a valid boarding pass, but the gate flashes red and the gate agent can only see the mess in her record. That could explain the various answers she was given ("You have no seat," "You have no reservation," "You have no ticket," etc.) because we all know run-of-the-mill United staff often can't decipher even fairly basic record information. There were no first-class seats to put her in, they knew that a high-maintenance VIP was now in the seat, and they offered more generous-than-usual downgrade compensation in the hopes the whole thing would blow over.
Possible? Plausible?
Is it possible that when the passenger went into the app to check for alternate flights her reservation was put into "limbo" as described by Artpen100 above. At the same moment, either by chance or an eagle-eyed VIP host, seat 1A was shown as available and they swooped on it to put the congressperson there. But then the original passenger backed out of the change flights phase (clicking "keep my original reservation" or whatever), leaving her reservation hosed up to the point where the system didn't know what to do with it. So now she tries to board with what she thinks is still a valid boarding pass, but the gate flashes red and the gate agent can only see the mess in her record. That could explain the various answers she was given ("You have no seat," "You have no reservation," "You have no ticket," etc.) because we all know run-of-the-mill United staff often can't decipher even fairly basic record information. There were no first-class seats to put her in, they knew that a high-maintenance VIP was now in the seat, and they offered more generous-than-usual downgrade compensation in the hopes the whole thing would blow over.
Possible? Plausible?