United Airlines customer service

You're right. I don't understand. You say "well the CSA says it was OK so it should have been ok". No, it wasn't ok and it would never be OK. I flat out do not believe that a CSA told answered the question this way unless he asked an entirely different question.

If I ask you "I like to drive on the interstate. Am I breaking the law if I drive over 55", you might say no way, the speed limit is higher. But my real situation is that I'm driving through a neighborhood. You told me driving over 55 was OK, should I have an expectation that it was?

I'm with Delta. 100%.

This is why I will dismiss anything you say and I will listen, even if I debate with Larry, Jordan and Greg, they aren't making definitive statements based on insufficient evidence, you are and your analogy, if you want to call it that, doesn't even make sense.
 
OK, I think we've beat this horse past its prime and it's time for a little levity. Remember this from a few months ago?

I wonder if the owner of these many falcons studied the contract of carriage, or if he just spoke to a customer service rep? Do you think any of these fowl passengers perched on a seat that was purchased in the name of a different bird?

Falcons.jpg


OK. Carry on...
 
Every year, around spring break time, it seems to be popular for TV crews to set up in the local airport and film the carnage.

LOL, no. I've got a BUNCH of friends in that biz, and they go wherever the stories pop up.

Setting up in an airport? Only time they do that is if the very same weather information they provide, and is available to anyone else in the terminal, says Mother Nature is going to be in a bad mood tomorrow. And that's just because the airport is warm and dry, and they'll get a "two-fer".

They'll shoot the talking head saying weather is bad and the airlines have cancelled flights (duh), and then wander around and stick some microphones in people's faces and get a nice little human-interest story of someone who's trying to go see a dying parent or get home for their first Christmas in decades, or whatever. There's always at least one.

It's nicer than the shots they'll do next, standing outside in it, on an overpass, showing the traffic jam or fender bender. They can also grab a to-go coffee on their way out. Haha.

All of the recent brawls and stupidity were shot on smartphones by non-news people. They just buy the footage.

Advertising revenue minus cost of footage...

Some people are even dumb enough to give them the footage for free. Never do that if you ever shoot something interesting. Ever. They'll always pay for it. Many ENG camera guys have $100 in their pocket at all times for such things, they get reimbursed.
 
Perhaps we can agree that no one really handled the situation well, but I really don't think we can brand the man a scofflaw.

He probably is not a scofflaw, but he's clearly an *******. Reasonable people don't make a stink to the extent that all the other passengers turn on their phones to record them "sitting their ground."
 
You replied within the quotes so now I can't quote your replies.

I don't work for Delta. If anything, my employment with a competitor would bias me against them.

We don't know what he asked the Delta agent nor what they replied. You take his word as true. My experience and knowledge tells me that his contention sounds ridiculous to anyone knowledgeable about ticketing rules. An agent would no more say that the seat could be used by another person than they'd say that a passenger could smoke on the flight.

It's not weak sauce. It is standard industry practice. Happens thousands of times everyday.
 
@Larry in TN , yeah I am forum tech challenged, sorry. Actually, I am not taking his word for it. I have nothing but a statement by Delta on their behalf. That statement basically says "we screwed up", why should I disbelieve them? Add the customer statement and video and I believe Delta screwed up. Show me something contradictory and I'll quickly change my mind. I'm not "out to get" the airlines, nor do I believe they are the evil monolith that others portray them as, but if you screw up, own it. What I mean by weak sauce is not what is supposed to happen, I get that. What is weak is the excuse that despite what he was told, he should just roll over because they say so. That's weak.

@Ravioli , let's just say our ******* detectors are calibrated differently and leave it at that.
 
HEY !!!!
Any of you doom and gloom knuckleheads see what UAL stock closed at today ?
They're UP almost 6 bucks a share ! They're within a couple cents of their 52 week high.

Yeah - this is really killing them.
 
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HEY !!!!
Any of you doom and gloom knuckleheads see what UAL stock closed at today ?
They're UP almost 6 bucks a share ! They're within a couple cents of they're 52 week high.

Yeah - this is really killing them.
They're 52 week high? What is that exactly? Yes this was a grammar flame.
 
That statement basically says "we screwed up", why should I disbelieve them?
In the current environment, what else could they say? Same with United. They didn't say that the customer was right. They followed the customer service strategy that I posted earlier. Here is their statement:

"We are sorry for the unfortunate experience our customers had with Delta, and we’ve reached out to them to refund their travel and provide additional compensation. Delta's goal is to always work with customers in an attempt to find solutions to their travel issues. That did not happen in this case and we apologize."

What is weak is the excuse that despite what he was told, he should just roll over because they say so. That's weak.
You are assuming that his statement is accurate.

Even if it were, you still have to deplane when the airline tells you to deplane. If the airline is wrong then you have a contractual dispute which can be resolved later. You don't resolve it by staging a sit-in. This is true for airlines and for any other customer service business.
 
Hang on, hang on - damn autocorrects! I'm fixing it now.
I've had an iPhone for only four months, but I'm breathing a sigh of relief now that I've figured out how to turn auto-correct OFF! :cheers:
 
I bet Judge Judy could sort out what happened!
 
HEY !!!!
Any of you doom and gloom knuckleheads see what UAL stock closed at today ?
They're UP almost 6 bucks a share ! They're within a couple cents of their 52 week high.

Yeah - this is really killing them.

Haha I was pointing that out a couple of days ago.

I had, shall we say, some "snowflake" acquaintances on FB who posted that UA was going down in flames the day after the Good Doc's little scam and the stock took a hit.

They don't appear to be following through on their boycott. LOL. Probably don't even know their mutual funds own UAL.

American got a big boost by being added to the S&P 500 recently. That forces a lot of index funds to buy it. 84 years to get there and only 4 years after the bankruptcy car wash. Not bad.

http://investsnips.com/airline-stocks-in-the-sp-500-index/
 
I leave it on for the entertainment value. :)
My biggest problem was that I didn't notice it making changes, because I was looking at the mini-keyboard when they happened. Then when I proofread it, I had to struggle with the clunky editing feature.
 
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Now the AF is having their own customer service issues. I sense they'll be some law suits as well. Been on many C-130 flights and never was treated in such a manner...disgusting.

http://www.duffelblog.com/2017/05/air-force-flight-removed/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Duffel Blog&utm_content=US Air Force criticized after removing 64 soldiers from flight
I have been reliably informed that service was much worse on the old starlifters before they were retired. One particularly harrowing story related their experience of boarding the aircraft in the US, then being held onboard for a day and then forced to deplane in a foreign country that was technically in a state of war. The aircraft didn't even land for them to deplane.
 
I have been reliably informed that service was much worse on the old starlifters before they were retired. One particularly harrowing story related their experience of boarding the aircraft in the US, then being held onboard for a day and then forced to deplane in a foreign country that was technically in a state of war. The aircraft didn't even land for them to deplane.

Equally disturbing. And then for the flight crew to not at least tell them their destination??? I'd be wondering if if I'm ever coming home myself.

I think this will definitely give the AF a black eye.
 
Why didn't you start a new thread with this?
There was a good percentage of posts here that directly stated an airline couldn't double sell a seat.. seemed pretty relevant. Besides, what better way to get this one to the 1k club.

I'm curious - If I want to buy two seats for myself, Can I? Will the airline try to "bump" my empty seat?
 
There was a good percentage of posts here that directly stated an airline couldn't double sell a seat.. seemed pretty relevant. Besides, what better way to get this one to the 1k club.

I'm curious - If I want to buy two seats for myself, Can I? Will the airline try to "bump" my empty seat?
Yes you can do this. Once your body mass approaches a quarter ton I think you have to do it. They won't bump the second seat but you will have to wear a backing alarm while in the aisle.
 
Yes you can do this. Once your body mass approaches a quarter ton I think you have to do it. They won't bump the second seat but you will have to wear a backing alarm while in the aisle.
And be forced to wear this on your back

IMG_0518_zpsxbykv6gf.png
 
Yes, but he did not own the seat. Do understand why you are not correct in your reasoning? I think...like the father...that you don't understand the airline. As soon as his son was rebooked, the seat became free. Until an hour or two before the flight, any passenger can switch their seat into that one...so if they had a middle seat and wanted to sit in an window or aisle.

It was not his son's seat anymore.
How would they know it was the same person? Certainly not first/last name.. I don't recall giving up my SSN/DL last time I flew.
 
I'm curious - If I want to buy two seats for myself, Can I?
Yes, under certain circumstances such as a very large person or someone traveling with a large musical instrument. Check with your airline for their specific requirements and procedures. i.e. Google "Delta extra seat"

Will the airline try to "bump" my empty seat?
You, and your extra seat, will be treated as a party of two which can not be separated such as a parent traveling with a child.

How would they know it was the same person? Certainly not first/last name.. I don't recall giving up my SSN/DL last time I flew.
If the older son's baording pass was still valid (depends on if he bought a separate ticket or did a same-day-change), The chance of being caught scanning the 18yr old's boarding pass as though it was his 1yr old child's BP would be low. (See my earlier posts in the thread) If I had done so, and weren't caught, the seat assigned to the 18yr old son would never have been released and assigned to another passenger.
 
United again gave away a paid-for seat of a child that has boarded and was seated:

http://www.sfgate.com/news/houston-...-child-mother-11267745.php?ipid=articlerecirc

They basically sold the seat twice. Once for $969, boarded the child, then resold it again for $75, and forced the child with the $969 ticket to get onto his mom's lap for the duration of the flight.

Looking forward to what the staunch defenders of United on this thread will come up with that makes this alright...
 
...Looking forward to what the staunch defenders of United on this thread will come up with that makes this alright...
United has already admitted that it was their fault. From your link:

United Airlines acknowledged that workers shouldn't have given the seat away to another passenger.

"On a recent flight from Houston to Boston, we inaccurately scanned the boarding pass of Ms. Yamauchi's son," United Airlines representatives said in a press release.

"As a result, her son's seat appeared to not be checked in, and staff released his seat to another customer and Ms. Yamauchi held her son for the flight. We deeply apologize to Ms. Yamauchi and her son for this experience. We are providing compensation as a goodwill gesture. We are also working with our employees to prevent this from ever happening again."
 
United has already admitted that it was their fault. From your link:

United Airlines acknowledged that workers shouldn't have given the seat away to another passenger.

"On a recent flight from Houston to Boston, we inaccurately scanned the boarding pass of Ms. Yamauchi's son," United Airlines representatives said in a press release.

"As a result, her son's seat appeared to not be checked in, and staff released his seat to another customer and Ms. Yamauchi held her son for the flight. We deeply apologize to Ms. Yamauchi and her son for this experience. We are providing compensation as a goodwill gesture. We are also working with our employees to prevent this from ever happening again."

United’s new business model now appears to be “screw the customer. Admit fault. Move on”


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I think United responded properly and above and beyond after the fact. But the passenger has fault here as well, simply showing a the boarding passes to a flight attendant indicating one seat was issued to two different passengers would have solved the problem. It happens to me two or three times a year.

And I scoff at her being too fearful to say anything, with the potential for treatment previously displayed on social media, yet not at all hesitant to bring herself into the public eye by contacting the media herself.
 
I think United responded properly and above and beyond after the fact. But the passenger has fault here as well, simply showing a the boarding passes to a flight attendant indicating one seat was issued to two different passengers would have solved the problem. It happens to me two or three times a year.

And I scoff at her being too fearful to say anything, with the potential for treatment previously displayed on social media, yet not at all hesitant to bring herself into the public eye by contacting the media herself.
There was no possibility of her being removed from the airplane when she contacted the media if the flight was over with at that point.
 
I think United responded properly and above and beyond after the fact. But the passenger has fault here as well, simply showing a the boarding passes to a flight attendant indicating one seat was issued to two different passengers would have solved the problem. It happens to me two or three times a year.

And I scoff at her being too fearful to say anything, with the potential for treatment previously displayed on social media, yet not at all hesitant to bring herself into the public eye by contacting the media herself.
Little to no fault for the passenger. The airline personnel should be asking to see the boarding pass for the child rather than demanding that the child be moved to the lap. It's the whole customer service thing. I'm sure the airline appologists will quickly say that the customer has to defend the seat after it is purchased and it's the airline's right to order customers to do their bidding.
 
Little to no fault for the passenger. The airline personnel should be asking to see the boarding pass for the child rather than demanding that the child be moved to the lap. It's the whole customer service thing. I'm sure the airline appologists will quickly say that the customer has to defend the seat after it is purchased and it's the airline's right to order customers to do their bidding.

The report I saw said that she was told to move the child by the other passenger. Perhaps there was some discussion with a flight attendant, but telling the difference between a large 23.5 month old lap child (legal) or a small 27 month old lap child (illegal) is tough. In any case, if one shows a boarding pass indicating a seat assignment for one's child (regardless of age) to anyone from the airline after another passenger arrives with the same seat assignment, and is told to put the child in one's lap, then, yes, fault to the airline.
 
Little to no fault for the passenger. The airline personnel should be asking to see the boarding pass for the child rather than demanding that the child be moved to the lap. It's the whole customer service thing. I'm sure the airline appologists will quickly say that the customer has to defend the seat after it is purchased and it's the airline's right to order customers to do their bidding.
No, but the customer needs to present and/or successfully scan both boarding passes. Otherwise the seat is shown as a no-show and is resold.
 
The report I saw said that she was told to move the child by the other passenger. Perhaps there was some discussion with a flight attendant, but telling the difference between a large 23.5 month old lap child (legal) or a small 27 month old lap child (illegal) is tough. In any case, if one shows a boarding pass indicating a seat assignment for one's child (regardless of age) to anyone from the airline after another passenger arrives with the same seat assignment, and is told to put the child in one's lap, then, yes, fault to the airline.
From the linked article: After Yamauchi and her son took their assigned seats, a flight attendant came over and asked if she was the boy's mother.
 
No, but the customer needs to present and/or successfully scan both boarding passes. Otherwise the seat is shown as a no-show and is resold.
Is it the customer's responsibility to make sure the boarding pass is scanned correctly? Is the customer qualified to operate or supervise the scanner? Why exactly does the gate agent stand beside the scanner and usually handles the boarding passes? Are the gate agents trained to verify no-shows? The customer is paying for transportation, the are not paying to have the opportunity to properly handle the airline's paperwork.
 
Is it the customer's responsibility to make sure the boarding pass is scanned correctly? Is the customer qualified to operate or supervise the scanner? Why exactly does the gate agent stand beside the scanner and usually handles the boarding passes? Are the gate agents trained to verify no-shows? The customer is paying for transportation, the are not paying to have the opportunity to properly handle the airline's paperwork.
Did the customer present two boarding passes or one? Neither of us know that answer.

She was traveling with a potential lap child. Either option would get her on the plane.
 
Did the customer present two boarding passes or one? Neither of us know that answer.

She was traveling with a potential lap child. Either option would get her on the plane.

C'mon. It makes no sense to "blame" the passenger. They're not the expert. If the airline's agents are going to use the failure to scan a potential lap child's boarding pass as a basis for instituting a seat conflict, then if presented with more humans than boarding passes, the agent should simply ask, "Does your child have a boarding pass, or will he be sitting in your lap?"

That's why they're paid the big bucks.
 
What if it hadn't been a little kid?

"Sir/Ma'am, I'll need to see your boarding pass so we can figure this out."

Instead it was "Hmm, kid, mom's lap, standby pax already on board, I think I see a solution."

I'm sure the initial suspicion was that the kid had been brought on as lap child and mom was trying scam an empty seat for him. Dunno why it was such a problem for anyone to just look at mom/kid boarding passes and figure it out.
 
What if it hadn't been a little kid?

"Sir/Ma'am, I'll need to see your boarding pass so we can figure this out."

Instead it was "Hmm, kid, mom's lap, standby pax already on board, I think I see a solution."

I'm sure the initial suspicion was that the kid had been brought on as lap child and mom was trying scam an empty seat for him. Dunno why it was such a problem for anyone to just look at mom/kid boarding passes and figure it out.
That's my point entirely. This is totally the airline's responsibility. Sure the passenger can speak up if the gate agent/flight attendant isn't in the "I'm in command, do what I say or you will be charged with interfering" mode. It's the old RHIPaR thing moved to the civilian world. In other words if you are going to be in charge then you better act responsibly.
 
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