I get very Lucky (very bad mileage run turned very good!)
Dec 9, 2006, 6:44 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 23,999
I get very Lucky (very bad mileage run turned very good!)
With the overall "sour" attitude (understandable, IMO) on the UA forum lately, I wanted to write about a great experience that I had on United last weekend!
Background: I was doing a one day mileage run from TPA-ORD-SAN-IAD-TPA. This is very rare for me, since west coast mileage runs usually requires a redeye on the return for me. In this case, I managed to get very tight connections, and everything worked out perfectly. I never enjoy redeyes, so this was very nice. I was confirmed in F on ORD-SAN-IAD, which were breakfast and lunch flights, respectively. rch4u was going to do this mileage run with me, and we had seats booked next to each other.
The day before the trip there were a bunch of cancellations around ORD, due to weather. This was widely discussed on the UA forum, as I am sure everyone is aware. I checked in online at around 5PM, and all of my flights were still showing as on-time to my surprise, even though the ORD-TPA flight which usually flies my flight in the morning was cancelled. At around 6PM, I go to ual.bomb and see that my flight is cancelled from TPA-ORD, which causes SERIOUS problems, since that was the only connection that would work for me. At this point, rch4u's flight was cancelled, and he cancelled the itin as a whole, something I could not afford to do and still maintain 1K.
I surf ual.com, looking for any possible connections, and find nothing that could possibly work. To my surprise, I get a phone call from a very professional lady at the 1K desk, who tells me the problem, and asks what I would like to do. I explained to her that this was a mileage run for a last minute push to 1K, and she spends several minutes trying to find any possible solution. I recommend to her that I depart MCO instead, since I would take the nonstop to LAX and still connect in time. She rebooks me onto this flight in F, and presents no problem. She was a true professional! ^
Later on, after thinking about it, I decide that there is no way that I was going to drive all the way to MCO, since I would have to return to there as well, and I would be too tired to drive all the way home. I once again review my options, and see that there is a TPA-DEN-SAN, which could leave me an 18 minute connection in SAN to connect to my SAN-IAD-TPA. I figure that I wont make it, but I might as well book it this way since it at leasts gives me a chance at getting back the same day. If I would not have made the day flight, I would gladly have waited for the redeye, which was totally empty. I call UA, and they gladly rebook me onto this flight, although I don't think that the agent realized that my connection would only be 18 minutes.
Within five minutes, I get a call from a very professional man at the 1K desk. He politely asks me if I realize that my connection is only 18 minutes, to which I say yes, and I explain to him that this is a mileage run to get my final push for 1K requalification. He says "You are the 1K, you are the boss." He reassures me that if anything goes wrong, I could easily be rebooked on the redeye return, and that the way I am booked is the smartest way to do it. He was extremely polite and very professional! ^
Unfortunately, I can't check in online, so I had to get up a few minutes earlier the next morning. One of the nice things about living in a smaller station is that you can show up to the airport very late, and easily get on your flight. I typically arrive around 30 minutes before departure. So, I got a good nights sleep, packed a change of clothes for the worst, and was ready for what would be an interesting adventure! As I got online at around 4AM to check flight status, I saw that my DEN-SAN was already delayed 18 minutes for departure, but was scheduled to arrive only a few minutes late. This was six hours before the flights departure, so it was a very bad sign. I was certainly not expecting to make my flight anymore, so lost all optimism.
I drive to the airport, and although TPA was crowded, had a very calm and professional check-in agent. I hardly ever interact with the people in TPA, since I always do OLCI. This agent, who seemed to be somewhat new, was very good! ^
My TPA-DEN leg, one of the most dreaded flights for me, since it is nearly four hours of Ted, was great! I had an FA who was only doing his fourth flight ever, and was very attentive as a result! I had a whole row to myself, and they showed "Little Miss Sunshine". No comment on that.
Overall, very attentive and professional service, even on a Ted flight! ^
When I got to DEN I went to the customer service center, where I got a true angel! I had to check-in for my SAN-IAD-TPA return, since I would only have an 18 minute connection, and needed to be checked in a lot sooner than that. I told her my story, and she immediately tried to find me alternate flights which would better fit my schedule! She was very, very professional, and even offered to turn me right back to IAD, and give me vouchers for the EQM's I am losing out on. She had to write down all the mileage distances, calculated the differences, and then apologetically informed me that it would not be possible. I told her I would leave it as is, and she wished me good luck, and told me to enjoy the 1K benefits. A true frontline professional! ^
My DEN-SAN flight was staffed by one of the best crews I have ever had! They were extremely good, even on such a short flight. I sat next to a very senior Skywest FA, with whom I had a very interesting conversation. I learned a lot about Skywest, UA, management, why anyone would want to be an RJ FA, and the airline business in general! A truly knowledgable and friendly lady, who it was a pleasure to speak with! ^ Fortunately, while we left nearly 20 minutes late, we managed to make up some time. As we were beginning our final descent it was 12:50PM, and my connection was at 1:05PM. I knew it would be very very tight. We pulled into the gate at 12:54PM, and I sprinted out the jetway to make the connection. While I should have easily made it, we know some GA's that like to close the door at exactly ten minutes before departure, which made me nervous.
Fortunately, lucky got very lucky this time around, and was right in the knick of time. I was the last passenger to board, and was happier than ever to be aboard! ^
As I settled into my aisle seat, I knew it was going to be a great flight. I had the most attractive FA I have seen (for an American carrier) sitting next to me, who it was a pleasure to spend several hours with!
I will leave out some details here, so everyone is safe! 
Either way, the crew on this flight was once again excellent. For example, pre-departure beverage of choice were offered, even though it was a 757! Truly a wonderful crew!
I got to IAD, met SamZeb in the RCC (it was a pleasure to meet!), and by 9PM, was on my merry way back to TPA and a real bed. This flight was totally empty, with only a total of 56 pax, so I once again had a whole row to myself. The service on this flight was less than stellar. One of the FA's did not have his tie on, and had his top buttons opened. I assume that this is against policy, and he thought he could get away with it since he was flying to a small station? Obviously, that was not a problem with service, but he was just very non-chalant. The announcements read as if he was the most bored person in the world.
Overall, I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude to UA, and the wonderful CS which they provided on this trip! ^ While I have had my fair share of complaints lately with UA, I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and it certainly is here! Thanks to all the employees who helped me, and especially the "nice" FA next to me from SAN-IAD!
UA really does have many excellent employees. You just gotta get lucky... Now sitting here in IAD on my next mileage run, looking forward to a Messy Air and then a PS flight.
If you are still reading, thanks for reading, and pardon my rambling.
Background: I was doing a one day mileage run from TPA-ORD-SAN-IAD-TPA. This is very rare for me, since west coast mileage runs usually requires a redeye on the return for me. In this case, I managed to get very tight connections, and everything worked out perfectly. I never enjoy redeyes, so this was very nice. I was confirmed in F on ORD-SAN-IAD, which were breakfast and lunch flights, respectively. rch4u was going to do this mileage run with me, and we had seats booked next to each other.
The day before the trip there were a bunch of cancellations around ORD, due to weather. This was widely discussed on the UA forum, as I am sure everyone is aware. I checked in online at around 5PM, and all of my flights were still showing as on-time to my surprise, even though the ORD-TPA flight which usually flies my flight in the morning was cancelled. At around 6PM, I go to ual.bomb and see that my flight is cancelled from TPA-ORD, which causes SERIOUS problems, since that was the only connection that would work for me. At this point, rch4u's flight was cancelled, and he cancelled the itin as a whole, something I could not afford to do and still maintain 1K.
I surf ual.com, looking for any possible connections, and find nothing that could possibly work. To my surprise, I get a phone call from a very professional lady at the 1K desk, who tells me the problem, and asks what I would like to do. I explained to her that this was a mileage run for a last minute push to 1K, and she spends several minutes trying to find any possible solution. I recommend to her that I depart MCO instead, since I would take the nonstop to LAX and still connect in time. She rebooks me onto this flight in F, and presents no problem. She was a true professional! ^
Later on, after thinking about it, I decide that there is no way that I was going to drive all the way to MCO, since I would have to return to there as well, and I would be too tired to drive all the way home. I once again review my options, and see that there is a TPA-DEN-SAN, which could leave me an 18 minute connection in SAN to connect to my SAN-IAD-TPA. I figure that I wont make it, but I might as well book it this way since it at leasts gives me a chance at getting back the same day. If I would not have made the day flight, I would gladly have waited for the redeye, which was totally empty. I call UA, and they gladly rebook me onto this flight, although I don't think that the agent realized that my connection would only be 18 minutes.
Within five minutes, I get a call from a very professional man at the 1K desk. He politely asks me if I realize that my connection is only 18 minutes, to which I say yes, and I explain to him that this is a mileage run to get my final push for 1K requalification. He says "You are the 1K, you are the boss." He reassures me that if anything goes wrong, I could easily be rebooked on the redeye return, and that the way I am booked is the smartest way to do it. He was extremely polite and very professional! ^
Unfortunately, I can't check in online, so I had to get up a few minutes earlier the next morning. One of the nice things about living in a smaller station is that you can show up to the airport very late, and easily get on your flight. I typically arrive around 30 minutes before departure. So, I got a good nights sleep, packed a change of clothes for the worst, and was ready for what would be an interesting adventure! As I got online at around 4AM to check flight status, I saw that my DEN-SAN was already delayed 18 minutes for departure, but was scheduled to arrive only a few minutes late. This was six hours before the flights departure, so it was a very bad sign. I was certainly not expecting to make my flight anymore, so lost all optimism.
I drive to the airport, and although TPA was crowded, had a very calm and professional check-in agent. I hardly ever interact with the people in TPA, since I always do OLCI. This agent, who seemed to be somewhat new, was very good! ^
My TPA-DEN leg, one of the most dreaded flights for me, since it is nearly four hours of Ted, was great! I had an FA who was only doing his fourth flight ever, and was very attentive as a result! I had a whole row to myself, and they showed "Little Miss Sunshine". No comment on that.
Overall, very attentive and professional service, even on a Ted flight! ^When I got to DEN I went to the customer service center, where I got a true angel! I had to check-in for my SAN-IAD-TPA return, since I would only have an 18 minute connection, and needed to be checked in a lot sooner than that. I told her my story, and she immediately tried to find me alternate flights which would better fit my schedule! She was very, very professional, and even offered to turn me right back to IAD, and give me vouchers for the EQM's I am losing out on. She had to write down all the mileage distances, calculated the differences, and then apologetically informed me that it would not be possible. I told her I would leave it as is, and she wished me good luck, and told me to enjoy the 1K benefits. A true frontline professional! ^
My DEN-SAN flight was staffed by one of the best crews I have ever had! They were extremely good, even on such a short flight. I sat next to a very senior Skywest FA, with whom I had a very interesting conversation. I learned a lot about Skywest, UA, management, why anyone would want to be an RJ FA, and the airline business in general! A truly knowledgable and friendly lady, who it was a pleasure to speak with! ^ Fortunately, while we left nearly 20 minutes late, we managed to make up some time. As we were beginning our final descent it was 12:50PM, and my connection was at 1:05PM. I knew it would be very very tight. We pulled into the gate at 12:54PM, and I sprinted out the jetway to make the connection. While I should have easily made it, we know some GA's that like to close the door at exactly ten minutes before departure, which made me nervous.
Fortunately, lucky got very lucky this time around, and was right in the knick of time. I was the last passenger to board, and was happier than ever to be aboard! ^
As I settled into my aisle seat, I knew it was going to be a great flight. I had the most attractive FA I have seen (for an American carrier) sitting next to me, who it was a pleasure to spend several hours with!
I will leave out some details here, so everyone is safe! Either way, the crew on this flight was once again excellent. For example, pre-departure beverage of choice were offered, even though it was a 757! Truly a wonderful crew!
I got to IAD, met SamZeb in the RCC (it was a pleasure to meet!), and by 9PM, was on my merry way back to TPA and a real bed. This flight was totally empty, with only a total of 56 pax, so I once again had a whole row to myself. The service on this flight was less than stellar. One of the FA's did not have his tie on, and had his top buttons opened. I assume that this is against policy, and he thought he could get away with it since he was flying to a small station? Obviously, that was not a problem with service, but he was just very non-chalant. The announcements read as if he was the most bored person in the world.
Overall, I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude to UA, and the wonderful CS which they provided on this trip! ^ While I have had my fair share of complaints lately with UA, I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and it certainly is here! Thanks to all the employees who helped me, and especially the "nice" FA next to me from SAN-IAD!
UA really does have many excellent employees. You just gotta get lucky... Now sitting here in IAD on my next mileage run, looking forward to a Messy Air and then a PS flight.
If you are still reading, thanks for reading, and pardon my rambling.
Dec 9, 2006, 7:18 am
#2
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: PWM usually, DCA/IAD this year
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 307
Great post! Hope to be as lucky as you on my next MR.
Dec 9, 2006, 7:20 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 20,404
Nice that you get "very lucky."
Dec 9, 2006, 7:50 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 23,999
Two follow up questions:
1. Because of the reroute, I am seeking original mileage credit. Although I am usually against faxing in the request, I did it this time, since I desperately need the mileage. I faxed it in on Tuesday. Anyone know when I can expect to see my original miles?
2. Because of the changes, they pulled a CR1 instead of two 500'ers for DEN-SAN. I specifically called the night before to confirm that it was a request with 500'es, and that agent confirmed that this was the case. MP sent over a request for the refunding of my CR1 so that they pull my 500'ers, and said chances are good that they will grant it. They said I should hear by week end, but I have still not heard. Does anyone have a clue both what my chances of getting this are as well as how much longer I should wait?
Thanks folks!
1. Because of the reroute, I am seeking original mileage credit. Although I am usually against faxing in the request, I did it this time, since I desperately need the mileage. I faxed it in on Tuesday. Anyone know when I can expect to see my original miles?
2. Because of the changes, they pulled a CR1 instead of two 500'ers for DEN-SAN. I specifically called the night before to confirm that it was a request with 500'es, and that agent confirmed that this was the case. MP sent over a request for the refunding of my CR1 so that they pull my 500'ers, and said chances are good that they will grant it. They said I should hear by week end, but I have still not heard. Does anyone have a clue both what my chances of getting this are as well as how much longer I should wait?
Thanks folks!
Dec 9, 2006, 9:18 am
#5
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: LAX
Posts: 1,208
Little Miss Sunshine is an excellent movie. I saw it prerelease in NYC.
Dec 9, 2006, 10:08 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: SFO
Programs: UA MMGold, HH Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 1,263
I faxed in my re-route info (was a good experience too) and got posted 2 days later. The CS person I spoke with told me to expect 10 days for the posting.
Dec 9, 2006, 10:37 am
#9
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: TUS and any place close to a lav
Programs: UA 1.6MM
Posts: 5,423
Great report lucky!!!
Looking forward to my first trip to TPA next week for business.
I have a 1840 departure from TPA on Thursday.... driving in on I-275 from St. Petersburg... a little advice on how early to arrive to TPA.. return rental car...etc?
Looking forward to my first trip to TPA next week for business.
I have a 1840 departure from TPA on Thursday.... driving in on I-275 from St. Petersburg... a little advice on how early to arrive to TPA.. return rental car...etc?
Dec 9, 2006, 10:52 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 23,999
Unfortunately, lucky has to start a thread about a horrendous experience he has had for the past two hours!
Dec 9, 2006, 11:22 am
#11
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Osaka, JP
Programs: United-1P!!!! (WOW!)
Posts: 313
Nice to see that so many of the UA reps were not only receptive but also supportive of your MR intentions. True customer service.
Dec 9, 2006, 11:44 am
#12
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: ORD-DTW
Programs: UA, AA, NWA, Hilton, Starwood, Marriott
Posts: 174
Glad you made it!
For the 2nd question. I had similar experience, pulled 15k miles instead of 500'ers. But UA returned my miles and took 500'ers within 3-4 days after I called^ . So you should be fine.
For the 2nd question. I had similar experience, pulled 15k miles instead of 500'ers. But UA returned my miles and took 500'ers within 3-4 days after I called^ . So you should be fine.
Dec 9, 2006, 10:44 pm
#14
In memoriam
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Seattle WA
Programs: Kimpton IC, Hyatt Diamond, Gold Marriott, Lifetime Platinum Starwood
Posts: 8,665
It's been over 2 months and I'm still waiting for UA to redeposit 8K miles into my account. It was a screw-up on their part and although I have faxed, emailed, and written a letter to WHQ I continue to still not have received the 8K back into my account. I think this is one of those cases where YMMV unfortunately.