MDtR-Chicago

Perhaps US flyers have been so well conditioned as to expect things will be broken on flights? That's even more sad than a "compensation culture" at UA...

TiredOfTooMuchTravel

Something tells me the OP means a flight that was in the evening when it was dark outside, not a "red-eye" flight. Otherwise if the OP is saying food was served on a red-eye flight, I'd question the story.

Its seems to me like UA flyers are even more conditioned for things to break and for things to go wrong at UA and thats why you have the whole "what will UA give me" culture.

mrredskin

maybe UAs aircraft is such crap that they just deal with all the issues and compensation since there are so many that there just aren't enough workers to deal with fixing everything?

since when has US served dinner on a redeye? did you buy something from BK and spill some mayo or ketchup on you? if you wanted to read, i'm sure one of the other people in the cabin who wanted to sleep would trade with you.

DBCme

OP must be confusing this with the UA forum

et_phonehome

No, it wasn't a red-eye; it was an evening flight, and full...

Also, we did have a long delay before the flight, and sat on the tarmac for about an hour while they fixed something...All cabin lights were on at that point, so I didn't even try my overhead until they turned off lights after take-off (otherwise I would have pointed it out then).

Seeing as they don't provide any type of in-flight entertainment, it was a very boring several hours spent in the dark!

Really, you think you would've been perfectly content sitting in the dark, unable to read or work, for several hours? I'm surprised many of you posters even bother to obtain elite, since it sounds like you would've been happy with the (lack) of amenities provided by Ryanair.

bkafrick

Best.post.ever.

dcpatti

In an ideal world, light bulbs would never be burned out, hotel rooms would always have a working hair dryer, restaurants would never serve a drink in a chipped glass, planes would always be set to the perfect temperature, and the folks in front of us would never recline while the folks behind us would never mind our reclining. Do the small things that go wrong detract from our travel experience? Of course they do. But for lots of things, the only "compensation" that is due is an apology. Not everything is worth a voucher or some miles. And I don't think this has to do with being "conditioned" to accept sub-par as the norm but rather "don't sweat the small stuff.". We're dealing with small details of things or places that are constantly being used, worn, dirtied and broken, and it's unrealistic to expect to never see signs of that use and wear every now and then,

As seasoned travelers, I think our energies are better spent understanding how to increase the odds for a pleasurable trip rather than being bitter or expecting a paycheck when we find little bumps. If you like to read (as I do) and don't sleep well on planes (just like me) then you value reading light; why rely on the airlines to provide it when you can spend a few dollars on a personal book light? Items like that will take up little space in your bag, require little maintenance, and prevent an irritation, for years. I bring my own pillowcases because I find hotel pillowcases leave me with more bed-head; my sister totes her hair dryer because she's frantic when she finds the hotel hair dryer is broken. My boyfriend brings his own crossword puzzle book and a stash of movies on his laptop (because even when we are on an airline with IFE, the programming is usually craptacular). I bring lotion and lip balm on long-hauls because they're important to my comfort and Im not guaranteed to get them in any airline's amenity kit. Your list of must-have items is going to be different than mine, but the key here is finding out what's important to YOU, and then figuring out how you will make it so you're never without them.

To the OP: I think it's wise to stop dwelling on how you didn't get a voucher and instead focus your energies into figuring out how to stay happy on your future flights. Things WILL go wrong in the future and if you out all of your faith in airlines and hotels to get the details right 100% of the time, you will end up hating travel sooner or later.

itsme110

Read this post. Maybe the OP is the norm for United travellers.


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...1-edition.html

miffSC

Yes - I see what you mean.

Good find itsme110! I wonder how the 2010 edition reads?

et_phonehome

So what, to any of you, would qualify for a low ($100) cert? Since being kept in the dark from 6pm till landing is so trivial? It's not like you see me complaining about the broken armrest on 3 of my flights that day...but I think expecting a working light--especially in first--is not unwarranted!

Why did no one seem to berate Gary when he posted same prob in View From the Wing 2010/12/22/thanksgiving-in-mumbai-united-first-class-from-frankfurt-to-washington-dulles/ and mentioned its a standard $200 cert?

dcpatti

I'd consider $25-50 a "low" voucher; $100 is often 1/3 to 1/2 of my fare (I'm a bargain hunter). But my definition of low and yours are two different things I guess! To warrant $100 I'd think something more clearly negligent and more offensive/upsetting had occurred. I once got $100 or thereabouts because the tray table in my upgraded F seat had been caked in vomit. There was nowhere to move me to. Someone had tried to clean it (the smell was a mix of vomit and windex), given up and re-stowed it. Pretty disgusting but it didn't ruin my flight so I thought a value of about a third of my ticket price was fair.

I also got $100 or so for a FA dropping a full drink tray right on me; not negligent, just clumsy but it was a clt-sfo flight and that's a long trip to be soaking wet.

I got a big voucher from AA (I think it was around $400) for a series of really stupid customer service and baggage handling mistakes that came to a head when the FA made my cousin (a grown-up woman, not a kid) cry after bickering with her over what's a vegetarian meal. My cousin had requested vegetarian, it wasn't loaded, she ended up with a choice of meat-based pasta dish or nothing, the FA told her to "just eat around the meat, it won't hurt you" and things went downhill past that. My cousin got the same voucher. Never used either because that trip was a cluster***k from AA at every turn, and we'd used vouchers from the previous AA flight to book it. No desire to try AA again.

At any rate: AA gives $400 for making you cry; UA gives $400 for a broken lamp/broken armrest combo. Maybe I've just been doing it wrong all these years.

dcpatti

Oh and BTW I did read Gary's blog when it came out; I didn't comment because I don't usually comment on blogs plus I think I read it on a link via Twitter app on my iPad which isn't always an easy typing combo; at any rate, I had heard a lot about SkyKits and ua's compensation scheme which still mystifies me, so it wasn't a shock to see their mention in the blog. What was a surprise was that the second skyKit wasn't requested. It's no secret in the UA forums that many regard SkyKits as a mini bonanza and will complain about things that don't even bother them, just to get the SkyKit. Personally that's just not my style.

The difference, though, is that Gary wasn't asking people what they thought was fair compensation for his troubles. You asked what compensation you were due and while there have been some snarky posts (hey it's the Internet, it's to ve expected) most folks have just disagreed with you and not berated you.

miffSC

I agree with you here dcpatti. From what I've seen $75 is the obligatory, gee, we did something to screw up your trip and we're sorry. Whereas a $150-250 voucher usually is given/expected/hoped for in a major itinerary mess-up.

It has just never occurred to me to ask for compensation for something that could easily be fixed before the flight leaves. A friend of mine religiously checks the overhead light and vent before the plane is loaded. If either one is not working she will ask for it to be fixed or to be moved to a different seat. A lightbulb is something that could easily be replaced before departure. I don't think that anyone in here has berated you at all - made a little fun of and expressed incredulity at your question maybe, but not berated.

And maybe dcpatti has a point - maybe we've been doing it wrong.

USFlyer26

I don't think I would waste my time complaining about a broken light bulb, becasue I know the answer I would get back from US. And, that's perfectly fine. Should it have worked? Of course, but things break. You're in a machine that gets beat up 18 hours per day. Be glad you arrived safely.

I, my girlfriend, and my parents each received a $300 voucher from US last year. We were all traveling on paid F tickets to Hawaii. Flight from PIT-PHX cancelled for MX. We were rebooked on DL through ATL and LAX...fun. Everyone else was in F except for me because they couldn't confirm me in F, but said I would have an F seat - just check in at the gate. All F seats are given away to DL Medallion Members, and my family. I fly coach from PIT-LAX...Cut to LAX, and I cannot board the plane and get in my COACH seat because the DL agent said no one reissued my ticket. Y was oversold, so I had to buy a first class ticket for $1350 from LAX-OGG. No bags in Maui until 2 days later. We all had a wonderful 2 weeks in Hawaii until we tried to get back to the mainland. Flight from OGG-PHX cancelled because of MX. Agent was able to rebook us in F for the next night's flight, but had to sit in Y from PHX-PIT. My bag was a no show in PIT. (Thanks priority tag) US did refund me the fare difference between F and Y for the portions I had to fly in Y, and also for the $1350 F ticket I had to purchase in LAX.

Phew. Now, I think that warranted a $300 voucher (maybe more).

Broken light bulb? Save it.