choefman

Does anyone have anything positive to share about united :-: ? We all seem to complain a lot but I think it's not all bad;

Today on my way back from Montana, was booked on a three leg trip, got to the airport and a direct flight to ORD was just about to start boarding. I was tired and didn't really want to do those three legs (I had booked cause it'd give me some extra miles and segments) GA: "Well sir, I know you have a ticket that has the $100 change fee and I should also charge you the fare difference but you know what, I'll just put you on this direct flight home" I didn't ask for the upgrade cause I had two seats to myself anyhow. But after the door closed the FA told me to just take the seat in business cause they had 4 open and they needed some more people up front for weight and balances

A few weeks ago when all flights from ROC to ORD were cancelled because of weather, quickly rebooked on a flight US/UA ROC-BOS-ORD, I know it's a little roundabout way to get home but I did and actually was home an hour earlier than my originally scheduled flight would have gotten me home.

Or the FA on a flight to EZE while in coach who kept bringing us wine from business because it was better than the crap (his words) he had to serve in coach (oh and he didn't want the $5 for each serving either)

and what about the time I made it to the airport early in LAX for the two leg trip to ORD and when I checked on my upgrade with the GA she pointed out, that the flight from DEN to ORD was going to be delayed but... how about I run across the terminal to the direct flight to ORD that was leaving 15 minutes later and she'd call ahead to let the know I was coming and change the ticket while I was heading over there.

Seriously, I know it's not all perfect. Just like everone else I have "bad experiences" too but how bad are they, a non working video display once in a while, no audio once in a while, delays because of weather (can't really blame UAL for that) or the occasional cancelled flight because there is something seriously wrong with the plane (and I rather not get on that thing if it's really broken anyway!)

and... if you than do complain, you get the 4K to 8K miles compensations, $100 to $350 in vouchers, vouchers that I than use to buy some MR tickets or go on a nice little weekend get-a-way

Seriously, I am not really complaining ^

adambadam

Always nice to hear stories like these on occasion. I think we all have our positive moments with UA, which is why I at least stick around. It is unfortunate that the negative stories are typically easier to point out and make a big deal of.

lucky9876coins

Very nice stories, and I agree with adambadam that if we didn't have good experinces we wouldn't be flying UA overall. BTW, the agent that said you should be charged the change fee was wrong. You can standby for a nonstop when booked on multiple segment routing.

choefman

Good to know, I didn't know that. Thanks for the info!

zzyster

i can't think of a time in the past 10 years that i've had a poor experience on UA. it's always been good to stellar. ^

sometimes i read these boards in awe and wonder if i live on another planet.
generally in life i find you get what you give.
being nice is reciprocated, and it requires a heckuva a lot less energy than being miserable.

zzyster

DAL4550

I have to echo the sentiments of zzyster. Perhaps it is because all of my travel is international (mostly Hong Kong), that I have had few problems with schedules and service. When there has been a problem, United was pro-active with a solution. I have had 1 flight in the last 600,000 miles where the service was poor. I have had 2 flights where my seat mal-functioned. I was given a skykit without asking for all incidents. I was happy.

I changed alliance from the major airline operating out of MSP after having been a Platinum member for 7 years. I was treated better on United as a 2P than I had been as a top tier elite. After reading complaint after complaint on FT I wondered if I was alone in my satisfaction with United. I am glad to read that there are others who share my sentiments.

UAyoungK

I've had the same lumps that everyone else has had with UA but my good experiences far trump the bad ones.

I once had a flight from jfk-lax-hkg. the connecting flight from jfk-lax got canceled because of weather. i was notified a whole day in advance so when i called in, the operator was able to fly me out that night to ensure that i would make my meeting in hkg. the problem is that i would have to layover in lax for the night. i asked if i could layover in sf instead and catch a flight to lax in the morning. After a lot of convincing (her to the supervisor) they agreed and i got to spend the night in my own bed, see my dog, get an additional segment and 500eqms and repack. For those of you that spend 100 nights in a hotel room a year, you understand that no amount of money or upgrades can replace the feeling of being HOME

The best part was that my parents upgraded me with one of their SWUs and she transferred it over to the new itinerary without having to re-apply. I made sure to tell her to send me a survey card so i could rate her service.

Kudos UA... You're not perfect but no one is

Diplomatico

Great post. I too have had generally positive experiences flying with United, which is the main reason I continue to provide it with the majority of my air travel business. ^

choefman

Well, it's good to hear that I am not the only one that does enjoy flying United!

flyswim

I agree with the above posters (especially about being HOME - I'll zip back to SF even if it's only for 15 hours just to be with my partner, pets and possessions).

I've almost always had positive experiences with United - and notice now the added steps they are taking. It's not perfect and I don't expect it ever will be given the size of company and number of flights, etc, but I also believe a smile takes you a lot farther than a frown.

I especially like when the F/As come around and thank me for my business as a 1k, it's just a nice little touch, even when I'm sitting in E+

1KPath

As I approach 3MM on UA (I will get there this Fall and have another million or so on other airlines)...I can honestly say my travel experiences on UA have been very positive on over 99% of my flights going back to the early 70's...yes, I have experienced the occasional surly GA or FA and mechanical delays or cancellations on occasion...I have even evacuated an aircraft and have had to don oxygen masks a few times but on the most part I have been very pleased with the professionalism of UA's crews and staff and treated very, very well...much more so than on AA or DL or any number of European airlines (I now refuse to fly BA)...I have been treated more poorly by supposedly "perfect" SQ over the years than any other airline...I just don't get it!

While improvements can be made, all I can say is that this UA FF is pretty satisfied with the service he has received!!

KiwiPanda

I have to agree with the above comments - at the risk of having a terrible next flight As a 1P domiciled in the USA, who mainly travels on his own dime, I think I get served very well given the offering from the competition. I think MP is a very good FF program, E+ is a huge bonus, RCC access when traveling internationally is great and semi-frequent op-ups to and from the UK help keep me loyal.

One caveat - I am not wealthy nor does my employer pay for F or C. If I traveled frequently in those classes then I might think differently but in Y, United works for me.

KiwiPanda

FreqFlyerPhil

As a defector from US, there's just no comparison between the two - especially on a transcon...glad to see others are sharing their good experiences as well!

ajb

I, too, have had mostly positive experiences on United over many years and I've never been more than a 1P (2P at the moment). Today was a good example. I went up to the Orlando gate agent to see if I could get on an earlier flight - he put me on the waiting list, even though the flight was fully checked in. I did get a seat, and he even gave me a choice between two seats, one of which was a middle exit row, which I grabbed. The flight attendants were friendly, helpful and prompt in their service and the pilot kept us informed of delays on the ground. He even invited everyone to listen to channel 9 to get first hand knowledge of his discussions with ATC. He kept the cabin temperature perfect the entire trip (my usual complaint is that the cabin is too warm) and the co-pilot did a fantastic job of getting us through a lot of turbulence.

channa

I have had very similar experiences to the OP. And these are exactly the types of things that scare me so much when I hear rumors about CO buying UA. The customer service culture over at CO is nowhere near that of UA.