LimeyFlyer

Benefits of GS?

This last weekend.

Mrs Limey, "Business class" flight, GS, South America to PTY to FLL on Copa, then UA FLL to EWR.

Picked up bags in FLL, with wheelchair assistance, rechecked 2 bags for a flight to EWR 3 hour connection plus 1.5 hour delay... bags didn't make it to EWR.

EWR said that the bags were in FLL, and would be on next flight. (Didn't happen)

Called baggage services following day, told that the next flight from FLL arrived at EWR at whatever time... useless info since the person said they didn't see the bags being scanned at FLL (16 hours later), but the point was the person was trying to make out that the bags would be on that flight.

Call to GS to try and get help, told they could put me through to baggage services... said don't bother, already had worthless conversation with them. Expected GS to take ownership and get back to me.

Sure, bags showed up eventually. GS... no use.

As a reference point, colleague Delta 360: KLM lost bags, Delta 360 took on the assignment, chased, kept him informed and coughed up suit cost for meeting. Delta may have crappy mileage rewards but service is in a different league.

Emails to GS not returned...

Bottom line..... being GS no help at all. How a bag (re)checked at the main desk in FLL with a 3 hour plus 1.5 hour delay flight doesn't make the flight is baffling.

Last week on shuffling flights from EWR - LAX, the biggest help was the nice gentleman in the LAX lounge after I got off the phone to the GS desk.

Boarding process on the last 3 flights has been a scrum, with 1K and GS boarded at the same time.

It really is just the mileage award benefits, otherwise a good 1K agent gets you to the same place.

LIH

Most recent GS bail-out for me was that I took golf clubs to SAN (rarely do this on business trips) and 100% totally forgot that I had them with me by the time I landed at ORD. Walked right out to the cab line and crossed the threshold of my condo downtown before it hit me. It was 8PM on a Thursday and the last thing I wanted to do was round-trip myself back to ORD. Called the GS desk and after putting me on hold for 10 minutes the agent came back and said she had spoken to someone at baggage claim that had found them and tagged them for AM delivery the next morning. They showed up at 9AM.

wanderingkev

My most memorable experience was after a MX and a change to an ANA flight GS ground staff personally escorted my two checked bags to ANA during my 3 hour sit. When I got to NRT one bag came off and after some research I discovered they had sent the other (personally escorted) bag to Grand Rapids. GS is an elite program but you have calibrate that it is UA and as such the quality of as with anything UA attempts it is infinitely variable.

spartacusmcfly

If PN space available, could a GS upgrade a non-UA (Turkish, Singapore) mileage award reservation using a GPU. For example, SFO-FRA (on UA metal) using Turkish Airlines miles, then apply GPU?

greenpau

nomad420

Similarly new to GS but for me I would say not extremely impressed out the gate. Having said that I have had not used them for IRROPs (mercifully have had none so far), I have had a good experience with a flight change where they waved the fees, I have had ONE CPU so far with about 10 segs flown and on TWO of those segments I did have instruments clear which for me is a new experience compared to my experience as a 1K where I had my RPU/GPUs clear perhaps no more than 20% of my flights and probably ate 10 last year unused. This year between my wife and I we now only have a few left (several still pending clearance). I have had mixed experience with the GS agents some seem very knowledgeable and others seem like you seemingly called any general UA line, no different.

AugustusM

I've had 2 next flight benefits so far, including this Monday with the issues at BOS. I've also gotten 6 out of 8 CPUs when I wasn't upfront, including several 3 days out. Totally loving it so far, to the point where I am definitely booking a December TATL just to put me over what I spent last year.

WineCountryUA

As there was a Marriott status match discussion here duplicating a discussion in https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unit...ld-3mar19.html have moved the discussion from this thread to the more focused thread.

Let's use the above Marriott thread for Marriott status discussions.

WineCountryUA
UA coModerator

freshair82

wxguy

This happens a lot on the pmUA 772s with bunks up front too. The bunk door swings out to block the hall to the cockpit, effectively creating a "suite" of cockpit, bunk area, and lavatory. On one flight last year it was left in that position for two hours, leaving the two J lavs for all F and J passengers.

manstein58

3.99 mio miles. Bet you can taste it!!

wxguy

Three. More. Weeks!

uanj

Write in and complain. I have seen that happening more frequently the last few years, but always on 787s. I confirmed through GS CS that United does not have any policies that allow crew (including pilots) to block a lav for their exclusive use.

1015-1k

I had an interesting glimpse into some unprofessional chit chat by GS agents today, which has me wondering about how they may view a hierarchy within the GS customer ranks.

I had a reserved F seat in an old configuration 777 for weeks. The cabin wasn't booked full with two spare seats, and then they swapped for a new Polaris config 777 and I kept my preferred seat which happened to be the same number. Then, less than 24hrs later, they swapped back to an old config 777 and reassigned seats. I was notified of a seat change by a text message in the middle of the night. I check it out to see I was put in the J cabin with F booked full. Naturally, I'm not going to stand for this downgrade, so I call in to the GS desk.

The agent was very difficult, saying that it was in the hands of the airport and she checked with them and the cabin was full and that there was nothing they could do to change other peoples' seats. Of course I'm saying, "you just changed my seat 3 hours ago, so I know you can change the seats of other passengers that weren't previously booked in F". Reluctantly, she finally agreed to try to put me through to the airport GS.

After being on hold for a bit, it finally connects, and with no one talking to me, I quickly understand that I'm overhearing the conversation of two agents trying to work through the dilemma. On mute, I listen for about 3 minutes.

What i hear is a debate about who is a "big shot" and them going passenger by passenger, checking fare classes, making cracks about who they're going to boot back to business class, and even an unprofessional crack about my name. Really a lot of talk about "big shots" and trying to determine who was one. Then I got hung up on (probably them realizing the line was live). They called back 2 minutes later (ignoring the potential that I had overheard) and tried to professionally explain the situation, saying there are GS passengers they cannot move. Of course I say I'm GS (1MM, but didn't mention it) and had a reserved seat, so I would expect them to move any GS that did not have a reserved seat prior in my place They say they think something can happen but it will require a supervisor and will call me back. 3 hours later they call back and it was taken care of.

A lot to unpack here. How they prioritize the complimentary F cabin in such a condition (by GS, then fare class?). Why don't they look at previous seat assignments, are they able to, or is it simply automated (I doubt the latter, as it probably would've kept me in the same seat). Who has the power to actually change seats? Is there some sub-designations within GS ranks, other than MMs? Are annual spend or annual PQMs readily available to agents? In other words, what determines a "big shot"? Since they settled it in the end, I'm going to let the unprofessional talk slide...no need to stir the pot of the people that have the power to treat me well.

freshair82

I did write in, and note I managed to use the forward bathroom once, flight crew all the time and a few other passengers... here is extract of response I goto back:

After review of your email with our maintenance leadership team, I was informed the forward business class lavatory was inoperable due to a broken drain. I am sorry our flight crew did not make a announcement to provide explanation as to why the lavatory was not permitted to be used.



Flight operations, maintenance and the flight crew elected to operate the flight using the two lavatories in business class versus canceling the flight for today. We try to anticipate any issues on the aircraft before it goes into service for the day, and regret this was unable to be fixed before the departure of your flight. I apologize for failing to meet your expectations.