Broken Layflat on EWR-SFO
Feb 17, 2020, 8:03 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 1
Broken Layflat on EWR-SFO
Recently flew on a J fare business class ticket and my seat was broken in the upright position (it did not recline at all let alone go fully flat). When I asked the FA for help, she offered none and did not seem to care at all. I tried to reach out to United after the flight and after a few weeks finally got a response... a $300 dollar voucher. That was a $3k one-way ticket and I am quite upset about the meager compensation especially given I am a mid-level premier status. I told them that it wasn't acceptable and that I would be taking my transcon business class flights with another airline in the future and they did not care. Anyone else had a bad experience like this / any advice on trying to get this fixed??
Feb 17, 2020, 8:09 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 2016
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Recently flew on a J fare business class ticket and my seat was broken in the upright position (it did not recline at all let alone go fully flat). When I asked the FA for help, she offered none and did not seem to care at all. I tried to reach out to United after the flight and after a few weeks finally got a response... a $300 dollar voucher. That was a $3k one-way ticket and I am quite upset about the meager compensation especially given I am a mid-level premier status. I told them that it wasn't acceptable and that I would be taking my transcon business class flights with another airline in the future and they did not care. Anyone else had a bad experience like this / any advice on trying to get this fixed??
Feb 17, 2020, 8:13 pm
#3
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Recently flew on a J fare business class ticket and my seat was broken in the upright position (it did not recline at all let alone go fully flat). When I asked the FA for help, she offered none and did not seem to care at all. I tried to reach out to United after the flight and after a few weeks finally got a response... a $300 dollar voucher. That was a $3k one-way ticket and I am quite upset about the meager compensation especially given I am a mid-level premier status. I told them that it wasn't acceptable and that I would be taking my transcon business class flights with another airline in the future and they did not care. Anyone else had a bad experience like this / any advice on trying to get this fixed??
AA has a superior t-con product.
Feb 17, 2020, 8:22 pm
#4
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I would expect at least $500, $750 with some status and for a high status individual closer to $1000, as reported for a downgauge flight -- Equipment Swap from Scheduled Lie-flat to Domestic First
However it has been reported a tightening in compensation offers, Has United Suddenly Gotten Astonishingly Stingy on Comp?
I would be joging a note to oscar's office relating your future travel changes unless a more appropriate offer is made.
BTW, the Polaris seats where the motors are malfunctions, can be manual placed into lie flat model and then manually reset to upright position. Not all FAs know how to do this but should asked for help from a more knowledgeable FA.
However it has been reported a tightening in compensation offers, Has United Suddenly Gotten Astonishingly Stingy on Comp?
I would be joging a note to oscar's office relating your future travel changes unless a more appropriate offer is made.
BTW, the Polaris seats where the motors are malfunctions, can be manual placed into lie flat model and then manually reset to upright position. Not all FAs know how to do this but should asked for help from a more knowledgeable FA.
Feb 17, 2020, 8:26 pm
#5
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I would expect at least $500, $750 with some status and for a high status individual closer to $1000, as reported for a downgauge flight -- Equipment Swap from Scheduled Lie-flat to Domestic First
Feb 17, 2020, 8:35 pm
#6
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Feb 17, 2020, 8:46 pm
#7
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Years ago I had a broken seat in a last minute one-way first class ticket which I paid around $3500 for, and was offered $750 comp and 10,000 miles. Late in 2019 I had a broken seat on a similar itin and was offered $300 and no miles; and some reports indicate UA is going away from cash comp all together. I know it stinks, but you might just have to take what you can get and leave it at that. If they do budge and go higher, please let us know.
Feb 17, 2020, 9:05 pm
#8
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United knows that a mid-level premier at American received an unacceptable compensation offer and told the AA agent “I would be taking my transcon business flights with another airline in the future”.
Feb 17, 2020, 9:38 pm
#9
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I never think that threating to take your business to another airline is ever effective. No data on this, but I doubt that the person on the phone, making little money, really cares.
Feb 17, 2020, 9:52 pm
#10
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Every airline and agent has heard it.
Last edited by IAH-OIL-TRASH; Feb 17, 2020 at 10:26 pm
Feb 17, 2020, 10:08 pm
#11
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 812
Just last month I got $125 for a Y seat that wouldn't recline on a 3 hr 737 flight. $300 for a completely broken lay flat (one one the main reasons for booking that specific flight to begin with) is unacceptable. I'd be looking for $1k minimum. Imagine if you had a meeting to get to right after the flight.
Feb 17, 2020, 10:26 pm
#12
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In my view $300 for a broken lie-flat on a full fare J ticket is objectively unreasonable. It would be entirely appropriate for customers who receive such treatment to take their business elsewhere. And to let the airline know they are doing so.
Feb 17, 2020, 10:30 pm
#13
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Just last month I got $125 for a Y seat that wouldn't recline on a 3 hr 737 flight. $300 for a completely broken lay flat (one one the main reasons for booking that specific flight to begin with) is unacceptable. I'd be looking for $1k minimum. Imagine if you had a meeting to get to right after the flight.
Keep it basic - “The lie-flat I booked didn’t work”, not “I had a meeting to go to”.
Feb 17, 2020, 10:37 pm
#14
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Makes me wonder
Wonder if anyone who had to bear this failure to deliver promised product tried to do a chargeback with the CC?
Feb 17, 2020, 10:43 pm
#15
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On the other hand (now that I think about it), some agents might be annoyed by the response (again, not saying it’s right) and deep-six additional comp.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Feb 19, 2020 at 12:26 pm Reason: merged consecutive posts by same member