Originally Posted by Collierkr (Post 34375813)

add “and no status. To that list

Originally Posted by goodeats21 (Post 34374994)

Really sorry to hear about your struggles this trip. But you have coined my new favorite expression of the EWR experience: "endless carousel of misery"



This is soo true.
I was hit by irrops on Thursday morning and 1k desk could find no alternate way to get me from EWR to anywhere close to CVG all day, in any class of service. There is NO capacity to absorb disrupted passengers, and many cancellations. It is bad.
I ended up renting a car and driving 10 hours to get home.



Wow. That's a bad day. A stark reminder that Global Services faces the same fate as the rest of us at EWR...
Hope it didn't mess you up too badly.

Originally Posted by Aussienarelle (Post 34377332)

So I ask again and the agent says if he makes that change I will lose my upgraded seat LAX-SYD as the class is no longer available. I push back again and agent states he checked with a supervisor and I would lose the Polaris seat LAX-SYD if I switch to the earlier connecting SFO-LAX flight. At that stage I responded do not touch the reservation. I know the Chat Agent was wrong but I sure as heck did not want to sit in coach for 14 hours. So that was 90 minutes of my life I will not get back.

Originally Posted by Aussienarelle (Post 34377332)

I have a flight next week that had a schedule change a few months ago that results in a 56 MCT in LAX going from Terminal 8 to Terminal 7. I am catching the flight to SYD. I thought there may be another schedule change so held off contacting them. Reservation still notes eligible for a one time change.

My flights are: SAN-SFO-LAX-SYD.

Th reason it is not SAN-LAX is because that would result in me getting a 6am flight from SAN connecting to a 10.30pm flight to SYD.

So I was going to have an agent in the Polaris Lounge in IAD work on it last week but it was during the wild weather of the north east and they were dealing with pax trying to get home..

I called the 1K line when I got home and they asked if not traveling within 72 hours to use the Chat function. Okay I understand there are pax with urgent issues trying to get home. After waiting 60 minutes I get an agent. I explain to him I want to catch an earlier SFO-LAX flight telling him the flight number I want to swap from and the flight number i want to swap to. Chat agent starts off with so you want to change your EWR-LAX flight. Ummm no - are you looking at the reservation. Oh yes okay so you want to arrive into LAX at such and such a time (which is closish to the current time I will be arriving) and I say no and agent goes and yes sorry an hour earlier. I respond yes please. Agent says that will cost you a additional if you want to keep the business class seat to SYD. I push back and say it shouldn't cost me anything. Agent comes back and says yes you are right. So I ask again and the agent says if he makes that change I will lose my upgraded seat LAX-SYD as the class is no longer available. I push back again and agent states he checked with a supervisor and I would lose the Polaris seat LAX-SYD if I switch to the earlier connecting SFO-LAX flight. At that stage I responded do not touch the reservation. I know the Chat Agent was wrong but I sure as heck did not want to sit in coach for 14 hours. So that was 90 minutes of my life I will not get back.

I am now going to ask at SAN when I check in if they can put me on the earlier SFO-LAX flight.

It is a bad state of affairs at United atm. I feel for the agents but telling a customer they will lose their confirmed upgrade if they switch to an earlier connecting flight is a horrible feeling. I have been watching my reservation like a hawk as I know loads to Australia are high and I want ro keep 1A!

Originally Posted by PHLondoner (Post 34379030)

Why not just take an Uber from SAN to LAX and skip all the hullabaloo with multiple connections? I visit family every year in Carlsbad and Uber to and from LAX b/c i can get the transcon lie flats out of either PHL or EWR… anyways, you can do it in under 2 hours and costs you ~$130. One seat and relax.

Originally Posted by Aussienarelle (Post 34379938)

I have done this three times with Uber. The first time the Uber driver did not want to take me to LAX from San Diego.. Ended up paying for a town car as did not want to miss my flight..

I contacted Uber about the incident and they apologized and asked me to give them another chance. I did so and the driver arrives telling me they need gas and then starts heading for the San Diego Airport as they "know" better than the Uber app. The driver then proceeds to take all kinds of weird exits and I nearly miss my flight.

I tried a third time with Uber and they told me they had no drivers that wanted to drive to LAX so fortunately a very good friend drove me to LAX as I was quite upset I was going to miss my flight.

Needless to say those three Uber experiences put me off taking an Uber from San Diego to LAX.

Another friend has suggested doing a one way rental car but if I am by myself then I cannot use the HOV lanes.

Originally Posted by stelly (Post 34373936)

I've only flow UA once in the last 12 years or so.
We spent 12 hours at EWR recently trying to get a flight to London for which we were booked in Premium Plus, with Premier Access on our boarding passes.
The flight was ultimately cancelled. After 55 mins on hold I got through to a UA agent who rebooked us for 2 days later, and told me it was still PP seats.
Fast forward to checking in online - the seats are regular economy.
Called UA, 1h8 mins on hold and then agent tells us there is no PP seating on that flight, that's why.
Called UA again, 55 mins on hold. Agent tells us there is PP on the flight but it's full. We ask about getting PP on the flight home, they say it's full. I go online to see it's not full, they have seats. They then say they will put us in PP but put us in an economy plus seat. When I point out it's Economy Plus they keep telling me it's premium plus.
Another 55 mins on the phone and we speak to a supervisor who again, says they can't give us the seat class we've been booked in since Feb. They can't put priority bags on our luggage (like we had for our cancelled flight).
Is it always this bad? Are they always so slow to take calls, and have no discretion at all to help? Is it only the passengers who fly this roulette game every week and have thousands of miles racked up that they help?

Originally Posted by Roger Lococco (Post 34381638)

Is United always this bad? No. Is your experience unusual for United? Absolutely not.

Originally Posted by HepperSchepp (Post 34383326)

1. Could someone help me determine the reason for the initial cancelation, and subsequent delays that too a 1.5-2 hour flight to a 5+ hour orderal, united's fault? They seem to just blame everything on ATC nowadays