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LostAngeles
December 27, 2008 12:39 AM
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Not only is this well beyond ridiculous, but Thomas didn't ask for anything approaching unreasonable either.

United owes you one hell of an apology and some money, Thomas.

The only reason I check my flight times constantly is because I know I'm forgetful and I'm afraid I'm going to forget the flight time.

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CaliforniaCajun
December 29, 2008 12:37 AM
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@LostAngeles: Even worse are the New Orleans airport staff. From the ticket counter agents to the TSA personnel, they are the worst of the worst when it comes to attitudes and quiet retribution against customers who simply want what they've paid for.

Southern hospitality, my ass.

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GearheadGeek
December 27, 2008 12:47 AM
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Most of the airlines suck. This is an unfortunate truism today, but this sounds pretty spectacular. I thought it was just OCD that made me reconfirm my reservations (usually online) a few days before a flight, and check the status of the flight either the night before (for flights early in the day) or first thing in the morning (for afternoon flights) but it looks like it at least helps prevent such unmitigated disasters.

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zyphlar
December 29, 2008 8:18 AM
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@GearheadGeek: I consciously never fly United, Delta, etc. if I can help it. I live in Phoenix and travel to the West Coast and Hawaii a lot, and spent most of my time on Southwest and Hawaiian Airlines. My trip on Japan Airlines was superb. I hear nothing but horror stories coming from the big names.

Sadly I agree with the previous commenter that our airline companies have gone the way of our car companies-- cared about money over quality for so long that foreigners & smaller businesses outstripped them many times over. Whatever happened to \"do whatever it takes to make the customer happy?\"

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 3:38 PM
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@GearheadGeek: @GearheadGeek:

\"Most Airlines Suck\". So true...however, they pretty much suck in North America - and mainly the US. I can't believe how backwards airports and airlines are in the US. WTF has happened? Why have we fallen behind so far? I thought we'd be in flying cars by now? We only have a few more years left until the hover skate board (Back to the Future 2015?)...and we still don't have our **** together with airlines.... :(

I travel quite a bit within the US, Canada and Europe. Honestly, the US feels like a third world country in this department - and it's not like we have many other options of travel...it's a frigging HUGE country/continent and flying is the most logical option - too bad the people running it are old and decrepit just like the airports, airplanes and airlines.

Time for a change...

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seishino
December 28, 2008 2:58 AM
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@ShylaEuterpe:US airlines are in roughly the shape that US car manufacturers were in the 80's, except that instead of choosing to evolve with foreign competition they locked them out of the market. I fly reasonably frequently, and I'm stunned how often flights are simply grossly mishandled in everything from flights delayed for 6 hours due to mysterious mechanical failures to having the gall to charge for terrible food and *running out of it almost immediately*.


British Airways has always been on time, had lots of legroom, and frequently given us free socks (to take off our shoes on the plane). All Nippon Airways offers warm hand towels before every meal. United and other domestic airlines tends to kick their users in the sensitive bits and wonder why they're all leaving. We really should throw the domestic market open to foreign competition and let the awful industry evolve into something sustaining or admit that mass plane travel is something that we as Americans are just not good at running.

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Julius Seizure
December 27, 2008 1:21 AM
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@GearheadGeek: We both have the same OCD - I booked us cheap, cheap CHEAP flights to Europe last year and checked the status/time of the flight on a weekly basis (daily in the last week.)

Yes, I'm an idiot watching it move 10mins fwd and 30min back for months. I myself found it comforting.

Sucks for Thomas, though. United should try to mitigate the loss. On a sort-of positive note, at least they didn't say \"you were a no-show, your money's ours. P*ss off.\" (That's part of your \"contract\" with Air Crapada up here. You don't at least call or show up, you forfeit the dough, Joe.)

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raleel
December 27, 2008 12:54 AM
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last week delta sent me notice that my plane had been delayed until 10:35pm whiel i was on a plane coming in. It was supposed to leave at 9:07. I got the email at 9:08 when I landed. So i didn't rush to get off the plane.

the plane left at 9:27 without me.

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Ein2015
December 29, 2008 11:55 PM
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@raleel: You got the email. Time to take Delta to small claims court.

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TechnoDestructo
December 27, 2008 12:57 AM
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If they have enough flights leave early, it cancels out all the ones that leave late, so on average, they're on-time.

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StevenB337
December 27, 2008 3:19 PM
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@TechnoDestructo: I work for a major American carrier, and that isn't true. There are only 3 reasons a flight would leave early.

- A flight may leave 20-30 minutes early if all the scheduled passengers and bags have arrived for the flight.
- A flight may leave very early due to weather conditions at the origin, destination, or along the route. An airline may consider the best option of at least getting some of the passengers to their destination, instead of cancelling the flight, and having to rebook an entire planeload of people.
- A flight may leave early if a crew is due to \"timeout\". Much like truckers, pilots and flight attendants are only allowed to be on the clock for so many hours in a day. This is to prevent fatigue and ensure safety. Mostly these flights leave after their original scheduled time, but before their estimated delayed departure time, unless there was a last minute crew change and they need to move quickly (but not four hours quickly).

We don't just say \"I am making this flight leave now.\" Major changes to flight plans require FAA approval and a flight plan to be created, including 2 alternate landing locations, etc.

The statistics don't \"cancel each other out\". We are measured by how many flights leave at their scheduled time, how many, if they came in late, left by their minimum turn time (there are standard times for how long it should take to fuel, load passengers and cargo, and push out). So you don't know what you're talking about.

It sounds like the OP's problem was weather related, as half of the country was experiencing adverse weather and travel conditions on that day. I mean, if it was snowing just recently down in New Orleans, you were flying to Denver, half of the West coast was shutdown to to horrible weather conditions, it seems irresponsible to not check up on your flight, and just assume that God and the airlines will make sure that your Christmas eve flight goes as smoothly as you wanted it to.

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tbax929
December 27, 2008 5:46 PM
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@StevenB337:


So it's the customer's fault he missed his plane?

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Superawesomerad
December 27, 2008 6:58 PM
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@tbax929: Not at all. But there are certainly things he could have done to mitigate the issue.

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Ein2015
December 29, 2008 11:57 PM
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@Superawesomerad: Why isn't it United's responsibility to notify customers?

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thrid001
December 27, 2008 6:38 PM
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@tbax929: NO its the weathers fault. I know that must somehow be Uniteds fault too for all the haters out there

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Robert McGregor
December 27, 2008 9:07 AM
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@TechnoDestructo: If that is really how it works then they have got one over on the regulators.

A flight that leaves hours early is still two hours WRONG, same as a flight leaving two hours late. Flight time changes should be locked out at least 48 hours before and advise to check final times should be BIG BOLD instructions on the front of the terms and conditions.

It is clear that the way this works is to try and fleece as many customers as possible while not breaking the technical rules.

Shocking and saddening...

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Thassodar
December 27, 2008 1:00 AM
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My my that was horrible. I'm guessing if his wife wasn't there there would have been some kind of customer-strangling-employees terrorist attack. I personally would have popped a blood vessel.

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Con Seannery
December 28, 2008 12:15 AM
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@Thassodar: I would have pulled out my laptop and launched an EECB right in front of the agent.

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johnarlington
December 27, 2008 1:05 AM
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I hear all the complaining about airlines in america, but until you've flown in developing and 3rd world nations, you have experienced nothing. Try first come, first serve seating and boarding. drunken fist fights, and smoking. Baggage handing is 2 guys in shorts and flip flops with an old pickup truck and the fuelers are smoking.

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Anonymous
December 29, 2008 2:37 PM
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@johnarlington: I have flown many a times in India (supposedly third world) and the airlines and flights in US are nothing compared to that. There are no fist fighting, drunken brawls as you mentioned. Of course u have never traveled anywhere outside US but try not to show your ignorance and foolishness in open. and you would be glad to know that in India they offer complete breakfast/snacks on every domestic flight even though they are also running in loss. Any US airline comes to your mind who is offering anything beyond water, these days ???

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Ratty
December 29, 2008 7:19 PM
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@VidalOyster: Alaska/Horizon gives free beer and/or wine every flight, and snacks!

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Ein2015
December 30, 2008 12:00 AM
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@Ratty: *makes mental note*

Good to hear! Thanks!

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Anonymous
December 29, 2008 12:20 PM
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@johnarlington: I live in Asia and I will take ANY Asian airline over any American airline anytime. I absolutely refuse to fly on any American airling outside of the US because their service is terrible, their high nosed waitresses all have an attitude and their pricing is outrageous.

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Landru
December 27, 2008 5:30 PM
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@johnarlington: It's not like that yet, but pretty soon, pretty soon...

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jamar0303
December 27, 2008 4:34 PM
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@johnarlington: Uh, I've flown in such conditions and to be quite honest I'd take it over Untied. Now to use up all my miles...

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SmaShT
December 27, 2008 7:59 AM
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@johnarlington: I fly 20+ times a year in Mexico (a third-world country) using purely Mexican companies, and I've never ever had a single problem with any one of them (other than maybe a 1 or 2 hour delay, but even that has been a while since it last happened). I honestly don't know anyone who has experienced something quite as awful as the stuff that I routinely read on this site about American companies.

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gc3160thtuk
December 27, 2008 7:29 AM
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@johnarlington: but we don't live in a third-world country and you therefore you can't compare the OP's experience to flying in a third-world country. BTW, for the shi* treatment he got, he may as well have been flying in a third world country. From the stories I am starting to hear on a regular basis on here and other net forums, the experiences of flying in the US are starting to rival those in third-world countries.

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TechnoDestructo
December 27, 2008 1:10 AM
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@johnarlington:

That's like saying \"I hear all the complaining about herpes, but until you've had cancer, you haven't experienced illness.\"

The fact of the matter is flying in the US does in fact suck compared to many other countries. The fact that there are places that are worse doesn't mean we should be happy with it.

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ohenry
December 27, 2008 1:09 AM
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That sucks, to be sure, but with all the crap happening with the weather delaying flights right now, why would you NOT check your flights at least the day before you leave? Not to blame the OP or anything, but that would have been the responsible thing to do.

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Con Seannery
December 28, 2008 12:18 AM
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@ohenry: \"Not to blame the OP or anything, ....\" but it's the OP's fault. That's what I read there.

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ohenry
December 29, 2008 1:26 AM
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@Con Seannery: Then you read it wrong.

I'm saying that the OP could have, and probably should have, taken steps (or in this case, one step) that is commonly done and would have saved a ton of trouble.

I specifically said also that it doesn't excuse the airline for not contacting them.

So yeah...it's not that it's the OP's fault, but they could have avoided it by following common modern flight protocol.

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Ein2015
December 30, 2008 12:03 AM
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@ohenry: If the airline is required to contact him (automated phone call?) letting him know of the delay, PLUS posts it on their site so he can check too, then this bullshit wouldn't happen.

Is it his fault? Maybe.

Is it the airline's fault? Certainly.

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wagnerism
December 27, 2008 1:35 AM
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@ohenry:

\"delaying\" - I don't think you know what this word means.

He booked a flight and it left earlier. Generally speaking, this is the opposite of \"delay\".

When weather hits and delays flights, you show up on time and wait until they get it together. He was not given notice that his flight time changed.

He did the responsible thing. He arrived at the airport at the proper time based on the time given when he made the reservation.

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ohenry
December 27, 2008 5:11 AM
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@wagnerism: Hey, how about reading my post before hurling insults at me.


I never said that weather delaying his flight made it leave four hours early. Obviousely, that's stupid.


I'm saying that because of the weather delays happening right now, he probably should have called the day before to check his flight. Even if he had called in with the intent of checking to see if his flight would be LATER, he would have found out at that time that his flight was EARLIER. It's called being a smart traveler.


Again, I'm not blaiming the OP, and it doesn't excuse the airline from not contacting the OP about the change in flight, but I think this whole situation could have been avoided with a little foresight.

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mythago
December 28, 2008 5:00 AM
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@ohenry: And you know that United did not change the flight any sooner than \"the day before\", so that if the OP had called the day before, he would not have been told his flight was leaving when it was supposed to?

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ohenry
December 27, 2008 5:12 AM
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@ohenry: ForeTHOUGHT, that is. I can't expect either party to be clarvoyant :)

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badhatharry can't wait to take his star to his 10-year reunion
December 27, 2008 1:21 AM
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@ohenry: Because the weather would not have made his flight leave earlier, only later, so he would be in no danger of missing it. Rescheduling the flight for four hours earlier and then not notifying the passengers is ridiculous.

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Superawesomerad
December 27, 2008 7:00 PM
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@badhatharry can't wait to take his star to his 10-year reun...: Actually, according to the airline employee who posted a few inches above us, a plane WILL leave early if it's necessary to avoid a storm system.

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badhatharry can't wait to take his star to his 10-year reunion
December 28, 2008 3:20 PM
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@Superawesomerad: You mean the one that was posted over 24 hours after mine? And I don't follow that logic at all. Only a few people would be there four hours before hand, past security, and ready to fly. The days of the \"two hour beforehand\" rule post 9-11 are over. The farce that is our airline security system can get passengers through faster than they used to, and most major airports have X-ray machines for the checked luggage, eliminating the need to hand-search all bags. Taking off four hours early gives them the headache of having to rebook an entire planeload of passengers, just the same as if the flight never took off at all. By delaying the flight, they save themselves the hassle and negative press.

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Superawesomerad
December 28, 2008 6:18 PM
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@badhatharry can't wait to take his star to his 10-year reun...: I wasn't referencing this particular story, I was simply correcting your statement that \"the weather would not have made his flight leave earlier, only later.\" Chill biscuit.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 1:15 AM
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I really don't see whats so bad about this. The flight schedule changed. That happens. Thats why all airlines recommend that you confirm your departure times at least 24 hours ahead of time. Its just common sense. As for the 4am departure being overbooked, that sucks, but again, this happens, and it seems like he was fairly compensated with travel vouchers. Also, this business about \"United assigning seats at checkin\" is only half-right. All airlines do it, and its usually only an issue when you get within a certain time period of the flight.

It sounds like he had a frustrating experience, but United did what they could. Lets not forget he missed his own flight because he didn't bother to confirm the flights. I'm sorry he had a crap day, but he's to blame, not United.

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Kaett Von M
December 30, 2008 7:39 PM
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@ArdonSimon: \"Fairly compensated with travel vouchers\"?? Why on earth would anyone want to fly United again after having such a horrible experience? And as far as the overbooking goes, the flight attendant assigned the OP his seat. It was not her prerogative to remove him from the line and then give his seat to another passenger for no reason whatsoever.

United should have immediately contacted him of the change in flight status, especially considering that they were leaving 2 hours EARLY, or rebooked him on the next flight with an upgraded seat. There is absolutely no excuse for what he and his wife had to endure.

Not all the airlines assign seats at check-in. Part of my job is to arrange travel for my bosses. Seat assignment happens as soon as the tickets are booked. The only airline that doesn't is Southwest.

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doctor_cos wants you to remain calm
December 29, 2008 10:38 PM
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@ArdonSimon: I believe our friend Cromartie is being easy on you.

Either you work for United, or you are smoking crack. This kind of behavior on the part of UA is totally unacceptable.
Thank goodness they and the other 'domestic' airlines get bailed out with MY tax money.

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cromartie
December 28, 2008 3:55 AM
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@ArdonSimon: Bullshit. If the flight is scheduled to leave at 6 p.m., and he bought a ticket for a 6 p.m. flight, then that flight should leave at 6, which is what is agreed to, or the onus is on United to notify him of the change.

Far more havoc is created when a flight leaves early (missed connections plus mixups at origin of departure) than when it leaves late (missed connections). Flights should never leave earlier than their scheduled departure time unless all paying customers are onboard.

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ajlei
December 27, 2008 1:21 AM
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I don't understand how it's okay in any way, shape or form for a flight to leave 4 hours early. Without notifying anyone. I feel very sorry for the OP, this is the kind of situation that might cause me to start kicking and screaming on a good day. I only fly Alaska when I can help it, but I rarely fly anyway.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 3:46 PM
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@ajlei:

Why is it not OK? Airlines change schedules all the time, this guy booked 3 months in advance, and probably didnt check until he tried to check in at the air port. His fault, not united's

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Julius Seizure
December 27, 2008 12:29 PM
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@ajlei: I don't believe United just changed that flight at the last minute.

He'd bought the tickets three months in advance - I can't be sure but I'll wager United rethought their flight schedule between purchase and flight date.

Still, shame on United for not trying to get in touch - they likely had one or two phone numbers plus an email. And how they treated him when he needed to reschedule was just unforgivable.

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MrsLopsided
December 27, 2008 8:00 PM
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@Jim (The Canuck One): From what I can tell the terminal was not full of fellow passengers who missed the \"early\" departure flight. The OP apparently was the only one who didn't re-confirm the departure time (on his 3 month old ticket) in the days before departure.

Traveling just before Christmas is always dicey and especially this year with the weather related schedule disruptions. I don't mind the delays but my beef with the airlines is that their customer contact personnel don't have the answers, are as much in the dark as you are, and are likely to make stuff up just to keep you calm until the end of their shift. Better & honest communication would help but I think the airlines are \"flying by the seat of their pants\" in trying to juggle planes & get back on schedule.

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coren
December 28, 2008 1:09 AM
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@MrsLopsided: Nothing in his message gave any indication about other passengers to draw a conclusion for either way, and his little ticket jacket said he didn't need to check...

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geoffhazel
December 27, 2008 1:36 AM
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Why would a flight leave early anyway? And I'm wondering also when did United know it was leaving early? United baming the OP for this seems like a stretch.

if that happened to me I would get nuts and my wife would get her \"daggers from the eyes\" stare on.

And to get left standing at the gate when you already have a seat? WTF?

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trujunglist
December 29, 2008 8:35 PM
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@geoffhazel:

i've never heard of this happening before. they must've changed it way back, like a month after he booked it, and then forgot to notify him or for some odd reason expected him to check and make sure that the product he bought was still valid.
It really doesn't matter at this point; United should be comping the ticket and figuring out some plan to make him happy for defaulting on their contract with him.

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Etoiles
December 27, 2008 5:24 AM
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@geoffhazel: I was once on a flight that left an hour early. It was -- no joke -- a plane full of September 11th widows and orphans going to Disney World on the Salvation Army's dime. (I was traveling with a mother and her two kids as the family's \"second adult,\" which each parent was allowed to bring along.)

Southwest didn't want to cancel that flight, but there was a massive blizzard over the northeast. (February vacation week, 2003.) They decided to have the plane take off early rather than not at all. We were the last flight out of PVD for over 24 hours and the less said about the first 90 minutes of that flight, the better. *shudder*

So, that doesn't explain United (what can?!) or the rest of the story, but it is a legitimate reason why a flight might take off early. The thing is, if a flight's *that* early the airline really owed the missing passengers at LEAST a phone call.

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Jevia
December 27, 2008 2:13 AM
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I had a similar experience last Christmas, when my family's flight home from visiting overseas relatives was rescheduled to a flight 4 hours earlier and we weren't notified. As with the OP, the airline (Lufthansa) told us we were responsible for calling the day before to recheck our flight times.

I suppose we were fortunate because even though the airline couldn't accommodate us on another a flight for two days, we at least had family we could stay with for the extra two days. The only inconvenience is that originally the flight home was on a Friday, intended to give us the weekend to recuperate before working on Monday. Instead, we flew home on Sunday, and had to work on Monday. :p

But it taught me a lesson to always call the day before to double check on the flight times.

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scoobydoo
December 27, 2008 2:27 AM
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Title is right; only United could screw something up this badly. They are a pathetic excuse for an airline.

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rworne
December 27, 2008 4:55 AM
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@scoobydoo:

Hilarious. Actually I usually insist on flying United when I travel for work. It's not because they are a great airline either - I find them rather mediocre. The big plus is United is consistent in their mediocrity and I NEVER get bad travel surprises from them. I like predictability in an airline and United (in my experience) has been quite predictable.

United:
Lines suck - check
Seats cramped - check
Flight attendants rude or apathetic - check

But the light green snack box isn't all that bad and I bring my own entertainment with me.

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benh57
December 27, 2008 2:35 AM
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@scoobydoo: No, i'm pretty sure most airlines could screw up this bad. ALL US Airlines have horror stories like this. The industry as a whole just doesn't care about their customers.

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wsycng
December 27, 2008 2:36 AM
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I know it ain't your fault...

But deep down, I cannot sympathize with people who insist on flying United...

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mythago
December 27, 2008 2:49 AM
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@wsycng: As opposed to all the other airlines with their stellar customer service. I hope you spend the rest of your life stuck flying USAir.

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bovinekid
December 27, 2008 2:47 AM
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@wsycng: I agree. I mean, I fly United because I can do it for cheap and/or free. However, I actually expect that they will do something wrong that will cost me at least 4 to 5 extra hours every other time I fly. They rarely disappoint in that respect. That means a voucher for a free flight next time, and the cycle begins anew!

Anyone who honestly expects that United will get them where they're supposed to be on CHRISTMAS FREAKIN' EVE probably also believes in Santa.

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wcnghj
December 27, 2008 2:43 AM
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Chargeback for dissatisfaction of services provided?

I sure would.

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PølάrβǽЯ
December 27, 2008 2:52 AM
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I'm not blaming the OP here, but the air industry is getting so bad that we (excluding myself; I don't fly as I'm not masochistic) either need to stand up and do something about it or accept shit like this as standard operating procedure. If a fellow had the time, he could start a major class action suit against United for all the times they've screwed people like this. United loses a few hundred million dollars and maybe they'll start treating their passengers like humans.

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shufflemoomin
December 27, 2008 9:26 PM
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@aaron8301: Jesus man, let the US get over it's stupid litigation culture. Sueing everything that looks at you the wrong way is ridiculous and not helping the rest of the world who're looking on to warm up to America. He should have checked his details, he didn't and that's by far no reason to sue the damn airline.

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mythago
December 28, 2008 12:43 AM
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@shufflemoomin: You're so right, we should just bend over and grab our ankles when a company does something wrong, instead of engaging in this silly \"civil resolution of disputes\" nonsense.

The damn airline moved the OP's flight BACK FOUR HOURS. There is nothing to indicate when they did so. They did not notify the OP so he could have shown up in time. This is the result of bad weather and holiday traffic - you know, things airlines deal with every damn year.

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SabreDC
December 27, 2008 4:26 PM
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@aaron8301: United doesn't even have a few hundred million dollars to lose. They would just lose any \"Monopoly money\" that they play with and ask the government for more and it would have little impact on their customer service.

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mythago
December 27, 2008 4:15 PM
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@aaron8301: Class-action suits are not as easy to start, much less win, as the Chamber of Commerce would like you to think.

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DanC922
December 27, 2008 2:55 AM
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How come this negative story about United is posted and my positive story of my experience with them wasn't a week ago? Please be unbiased Consumerist. If you're supposed to be helping consumers make informed choices, they need to know the good and bad.

For the record, my experience with United has been good. On my recent trip, they changed my flights for FREE and SAVED me 15 hours of sitting in airports.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 5:40 PM
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@DanC922: Because honestly, it is assumed that they business is going to do what you pay them to do. We do not need to be informed when something goes right. It's supposed t go right, that's what your paying them for.

No one posts reviews saying \"I drove 23 miles in my Ford today, and it didn't randomly blow up!!!\" That is a given. The fact that they get it right some of the time is no help. A great business gets it right ALL the time. Things like OP's story are what we, the consumer, need to sort out the average companies from the great companies. If something like this happens once or twice, it cancels out pretty much any good experience that you had with United because if someone, somewhere, is going to get this kind of treatment, even only once in a while, I don't to do business with them. They don't get a pat on the back for doing what we pay them to do. That's just fulfilling a contract between them and a consumer.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 5:25 PM
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@DanC922: Dan, I'm with you. Alex, I sent in a positive United story from last Friday's snowstorm as well: the gate staff were fantastic in getting me out of a hellish situation from American Airlines.

The cool part of it was that I sent a \"positive EECB\" to about 7 execs and got responses within two hours, including from CEO Glenn Tilton. Calling myself a Consumerist reader probably helped. Whatever you may think of the airlines, they have their bright spots, their caring employees, and their good moments. It's probably worth it to recognize and reinforce that behavior, so that we readers can see more of it.

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Alex Chasick
December 27, 2008 3:45 AM
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@DanC922: For what it's worth, I was looking through the tip line for bad Christmas stories to run today, since they'll have a pretty short shelf life. I didn't have access to the tip line last week, as I'm just filling in for the next week or so.

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Geekybiker
December 27, 2008 3:00 AM
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I thought it was common knowledge to check your flight times the night before your flight? I've had many many many schedule changes over the years- most of them minor. It'd be nice if the airline called everyone, but checking yourself will save you alot of headaches in the end.

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bpclay
December 27, 2008 2:41 PM
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@Geekybiker: Good point...it should also be standard operating procedure to sign up for text/email alerts as to the status of your flights as well. I know some people that only do it for \"critical\" flights the OP mentions, but I just have delta always alert me to any change in my flight's schedule.

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Etoiles
December 27, 2008 5:26 AM
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@Geekybiker: If your flight is scheduled properly, but later changes, and you've already left for the airport -- away from PCs and the news and whatever -- it could be early or cancelled while you're not in a position to hear about it. (I've had flights cancelled between my leaving the house and my getting to the airport when the airport was only 15 minutes away!)

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Cynicor
December 27, 2008 2:11 PM
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@EtoilePB: If you can do online check-in 24 hours before your flight leaves, it takes care of checking the flight time AND doing it at the airport.


And don't blame the airlines for not informing anyone that a flight has been cancelled. They're VERY BUSY and they're thinking of a whole lot of things all at once!

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mythago
December 27, 2008 4:16 PM
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@Cynicor: And if your flight is canceled or changed AFTER you check in, then what?

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thrid001
December 27, 2008 6:52 PM
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@mythago: Shit happens. Deal with it. If you have a job and are scheduled to arrive at 8am, and a snowstorm causes traffic to snarl so bad that a normal 20 minute trip takes 2 hours. Should your boss fire you for not planning ahead and informing them before you left the office if you do not carry a cell phone.

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mythago
December 28, 2008 12:44 AM
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@thrid001: In this case, it wasn't \"shit happens\", it was \"United did shit\". I don't understand why you're jabbering about carrying a cell phone.

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sleze69
December 27, 2008 3:08 AM
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I heard people get interviewed at the Philadelphia airport this holiday talk about how they were so excited that nothing went wrong. I think that is quite the wrong attitude. If the airlines do everything right, no one should notice.

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TechnoDestructo
December 27, 2008 5:34 AM
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@sleze69:

We are being intentionally conditioned to have lowered expectations.

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67alecto
December 27, 2008 3:11 AM
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United sucks for their representatives' response. No way around that.


However, the postscript on this is that the consumer should have checked on the flight status, if not 48 hours before, at least the day of.


Last summer, United changed all of my family's flights around - we got automated phone calls and emails stating this.

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spoork
December 27, 2008 5:17 AM
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@67alecto: You got automated phone calls and emails because you gave that info when you booked you tickets. It is unknown if the OP gave that info, but if he didn't how is United supposed to contact him of any changes?

Having said that, I know American requires at least a phone number when booking a flight.

But I do agree that United should have been more accommodating.

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mythago
December 28, 2008 3:26 AM
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@spoork: I would be very interested to learn of any airline that does NOT require you to provide contact information when you buy tickets. They are practically making you provide your blood type.

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Zclyh3
December 27, 2008 3:30 AM
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@67alecto:


I agree with this. I had just finished recording a short track speedskating meet. Luckily, the rink had access to wireless. I was to depart St. Louis at 630pm, then fly to Vegas, and back to Oakland, CA. I checked my flight status and BAM, flight to Vegas delayed for two hours. Connecting flight was delayed too and no way in hell I was going to make it. Checked other flights with Southwest to see if I can get on another flight and found out that the flight to Denver then to Oakland was on schedule. Got to the airport 2.5 hours ahead of time, got to the ticketing counter and talked to the rep. Rep confirmed my statements, then immediately changed my flight from Vegas to Denver, then on to Oakland. Needless to say I'm impressed with Southwest so far that I've flown with them and will continue to fly with them every chance I get.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 3:23 AM
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I'm flying United in a few days, and a week before my flight (which I booked 2+ months in advance), I got an itinerary reminder email, with a notice that some flight details had changed. Granted, in my case, I'm only leaving 10 minutes earlier...but still, I was notified.

I don't specifically see if this person did or did not check their flight status before leaving...but wouldn't that have been a good idea, especially with weather/overbooking possibilities this time of year?

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mythago
December 28, 2008 5:02 AM
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@LorettaBear: I fly on business regularly. I always check my flight time the day before, the morning of, etc. And you know what? Airlines sometimes change the flight time really, really close to the flight time. Sometimes, you get ON the plane and it's delayed. And sometimes when there are multiple flights, the less busy one (which may be the later one) gets canceled close to the flight time too.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 3:33 AM
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I really can't believe I have to say this, but if I buy a ticket for 4pm on Saturday, I expect to leave at 4pm on Saturday. I understand that there are occasionally delays so it might leave sometime after 4pm, but leaving early without all the passengers on board is just unacceptable. Every time I travel these days it amazes me that someone hasn't figured out a better way to run things than this.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 3:35 AM
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United sucks, but so do consumers for not getting political about a bill of rights. From United's point of view, they are making - don't laugh - \"smart\" business decisions by sucking up to and protecting their precious \"global service\" and \"1-K\" elite sh!ts (about twenty percent of the flying public) and screwing everyone else. The irony is that a percentage of global service flyers are ex-UAL Corporation big wigs flying in first class for free. Another percentage are self entitled butt-wipes. Go figure. Better yet, go vote-for consumer protection against idiot corporations, only one of which is UAHell.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 3:43 AM
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I don't know. Sounds like Thomas was in the wrong. When you buy your ticket, they tell you to confirm before hand. Also, no airlines leave early. They file flight plans with the FAA that must be stuck to.

Sounds like he thought he booked for one time in his head, but had really booked at the time the flight had taken off. When he missed the flight he tried to cover himself and said he booked for the later time.

I'd like to see the original reservation or e-mail confirmation before I go blaming the airline for what sounds like Thomas' bad memory of when he was supposed to leave.

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bearymore
December 29, 2008 7:23 PM
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@GreshamAgricola:

Flight plans can be filed and modified up to flight time. Its no deterrent to leaving early. Given the literacy of the OP's complaint, I would be willing to bet he was able to read the scheduled departure time on his ticket;

As GreshamAgricola says \"no airlines leave early.\" QED

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mythago
December 28, 2008 4:20 PM
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@GreshamAgricola: So given the choice between a) United screwed up and b) the OP must be lying on multiple levels, you are compelled to pick b)?

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Charlie Ulbrich
December 27, 2008 4:24 AM
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Last Christmas United jacked up my flight home and I ended up driving from Nebraska to Phoenix. At first they tried to tell me that I was on the flight, which clearly I wasn't and it took me 6 months to get my money back.

Every time I called their customer service I basically started from the beginning. Since then I refuse to fly or deal with the airline industry at all if I can help it.

I know I will have to fly again, but until I have to I'll just take a couple of extra days off of work and hit the road with the family.

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Jon Gunter
December 27, 2008 4:33 AM
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This is terrible. And it's not an isolated indecent. United changed the return flight (also around Christmas) for a friend of my parents without notifying her. Weirdly, she had a connecting flight and United re-arranged everything so that she would arrive AFTER the connecting flight took off (and they knew it was a connecting flight).

Luckily, reviewing flight info online the night before helped resolve this, though it took a few hours and United kept asking to call them back because their \"computer system was down\".

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muchemistry2
December 27, 2008 4:38 AM
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My wife and I are traveling to Canada in a couple of days. My wife happened to check our reservation this morning. We found that United had changed our reservation without any notification. We did not receive a phone call, email, or letter. Better yet, they had us arriving in Toronto at 9:35am and departing to Quebec City at 9:15am (same day.) I felt that my inability to time travel was going to prevent us from making the flight. I called and got the reservation changed but now we get to sit in Toronto for 6hrs. The customer service person was polite and apologetic (about the error). Clearly, United is having some serious issues.

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Thorny
December 27, 2008 4:44 AM
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This is why I don't usually fly on Christmas eve to begin with. I fly as far before Christmas as possible and leave right after Christmas. Then you don't risk missing any Christmas fun with the family or New Year's fun with the friends.

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Ian Littman
December 27, 2008 4:53 AM
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Haven't flown near holiday dates, so haven't run into this. Neither have I flown on United. Note to self: steer clear if possible.

I go to school in Golden, CO so I have three airlines who will get me most places non-stop: Frontier, United and Southwest. Of the three, Southwest is most generous with fare pricing, Frontier seems to have the best experience and united...is United.

Despite the slight price differential, I've flown Frontier so far on all but two flights involving DEN. Aside from a gate change that got me going for about five minutes on my evening flight, I've had little to no problem flying with the airline. Though my \"it fits the linear inches measurement, honest\" carryon did get gate checked on my Thanksgiving (Tue departure, Sun return) trip on both legs, and a half-hour-late flight left me strapped for time when picking up bags for a connecting bus ride. In fact, my last two flights have been a half-hour late, but no complaining here...

Frontier recently changed their fare structure to more closely mirror Southwest's (of whom I've heard good things from friends who fly them), so that $20 per flight seems to get you two checked bags. Hopefully this will not only allow Frontier to turn a profit (ha ha Southwest is losing money neener neener fuel hedging), but will free up some cabin space again...when people are charged to check luggage, they'll carry on more stuff. We'll see...

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MooseOfReason
December 27, 2008 5:20 AM
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How long was the drive to Colorado?

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TechnoDestructo
December 27, 2008 5:21 AM
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So...overall, how has the Christmas travel season been? I mean barring a few colossal fuckups like this...how many colossal fuckups have there been?

What with people not spending money, travel should be down, right? Shouldn't that decrease the likelihood of clusterfucks at airports?

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JustThatGuy3
December 27, 2008 4:19 PM
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@TechnoDestructo:

Weather's been awful across much of the country, particularly in the Northeast and Chicago, which has really screwed things up.

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floraposte
December 27, 2008 4:03 PM
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@TechnoDestructo: It's the most horrible seasonal weather in years, though. Flights have been cancelled left, right, and center all over, and then of course the chain reaction sets in even at the airports that aren't suffering weather problems.

United, American, and Northwest will all have been an absolute mess as their hubs are located in towns that were majorly storm-screwed.

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intellivised
December 27, 2008 5:37 AM
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Wow. Just wow. I'm guessing the OP was coming to visit the area of the world where I am currently living (Laramie, WY). This... this is why I stick to Frontier (don't think they do NOLA, though) when going in and out of Denver. Getting to DIA from Wyoming is a HUGE deal this time of year - at least be glad your parents didn't go out through the mountains needlessly.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 6:24 AM
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When you buy something, such as an airline ticket, you are creating a contract that you will pay the airline $X for a flight that leaves at a certain time and lands at a certain time. I understand that flights can be delayed. But it is in no way acceptable to leave early. There are many cases where you cannot make the earlier flight. You might have made alternate plans if the flight was 4 hours earlier.

If you all think it is at all acceptable for a flight to leave early, then airlines should just schedule you to fly on a given day and you can call the day before to find out when your time slot is.

Contest this with your CC, you did not get what you agreed to pay for.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 7:27 AM
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Everyone who travels enough knows that all US carriers lack in the service department from time to time. I can honestly say that I travel on United frequently and 95% of the time my trips arrive on time and many times early.

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Nick Morrissey
December 27, 2008 8:42 AM
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I took a flight from Calgary, Alberta to South Carolina 2 years ago, originating with United. Ultimately I had to take some stupid flight plan that included 3 different stopovers (One in Vegas, one in Chicago and one in North Carolina). I called well in advance to be sure that I wouldn't have any issues with the things I was planning on taking with me. I had unloaded $4,000 dollars worth of DVDs in to a binder and plunked it in my bag. Obviously, this was a bad idea in hindsight, but I already had 2 carry-ons and I wasn't about to carry a 3rd. I was told that it wouldn't be an issue, and that electronics of any form were OK to pack up.

I missed my first connection immediately. I got in to Vegas 20 minutes AFTER my flight had left. Fortunately I got put on standby after waiting in line for over an hour. The lady at the gate was very nice about the whole thing, once she realized that I was near tears because I didn't want to miss my WEDDING. She bumped me ahead of a bunch of people, and I made my way to North Carolina directly, and caught my original flight out of there. Disaster averted? Sort of.

My bags never made it. I made a claim, but I was burned out from traveling, so I made my way to my mother-in-laws place and got a good night of rest. I tried again the next day and got a bit of a run-around. They told me to give it some time. I got a call a couple of days later saying they'd found my bags and they'd be couriered out to me. I got one of them. I called again, complained, and they said to give it some more time. Ultimately I ended up back in Calgary and still making calls. I visited the United people in the airport, they told me that they had nothing there with my name on it, and it didn't \"exist\" in the system. That is when I started calling their office numbers. I was giving a claim number and told to keep up with them, call as I could.

First call back, I was told I was basically SOL, and that if they couldn't find it, they weren't going to be liable for it, they didn't cover electronics. I argued that I was told specifically that it was OK for me to take them and any issues arising from it would be handled on their end. I was told that I would basically have to get lucky and hope for an agent in a good mood to basically reimburse me for the total, otherwise the only thing I could claim was the roughly $100 dollars in clothes that was in the bag.

I kept up with them, they explained that after the Christmas season, they'd be gathering all of the lost luggage and storing it in a warehouse in North Carolina for claims purposes. If someone made a claim and it was there, they'd send it up, free of charge. I gave them my claim information and a detailed description of the bag, and they said they'd get back to me in a day or two. A week passed and I got to calling again. I was told to wait more. Eventually, I got annoyed. I waited for about a month, and when I called back, I was told that there was no such claim in their system, that my luggage never existed as far as they were concerned.

I was angry. I didn't quite know what to do, and basically just forgot about it instead. They didn't want to give up the stuff that was taken from me, even though they told me they'd cover it.

Yeah, nearly ruined my Christmas. I'll NEVER fly United again, and I've gone out of my way to recommend people not use the airline in the future either.

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FuryOfFirestorm
December 27, 2008 8:00 PM
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@Nick Morrissey: I'm pretty sure your shit got jacked by the luggage handlers (who are the only people to have access to it between flights, and SOME are known to steal whatever they can get their hands on), and instead of copping up to it, United just decided it was easier to just shrug their shoulders and say \"I dunno!\" then actually do SOMETHING about it.

Notice that I said SOME baggage handlers...not all of them are thieves, so don't start bitching to me, ok?

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 8:56 AM
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I'm sorry, but I just can't muster up any sympathy for Thomas.

Anyone that travels even once every few years (since 9/11 especially) knows that the airlines have the cumulative intelligence of a waffle.

Had Thomas done his part and had his own private twin engine turbo-prop on standby, with 2 pilots, this would never have happened.

Lastly, the STEWARDESS, yea that's right, I said it!! went back to check for more seats because on certain commercial aircraft, it's a well-known fact that sometimes the specific number of seats, regardless of what is 'supposed' to be there, or what was 'just counted', can actually change due to such unavoidable factors like an extremely high ambivalent temperature, very low relative humility, and spontaneous mechanical construction.

I once flied on a 737-300, wich of course holds 300 passingers normally, butt...due to an usually drie period when it wasn't raining, the plane spontaneously constructed 18 more seats.

We had 2 stop at Palm Beach, on the way too Cincinnatee (from Shicago), and grab sum more peepull.

Even Stewardesseses be knowing that. Thomas just ain't too brite!!

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 9:03 AM
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United screwed me and my Christmas up this year, big time. Multi-hour delay out of SFO to Denver (not because of weather, they were just way behind). Once I got to Denver I had another multi-hour delay. We took off and as we were about to land they turned us back and said \"oh, the airport has a curfew\" and we flew * BACK * to denver. United had no flights available the next day and told all of us to basically fend for ourselves to get on standby… with hundreds of other stranded travelers. Nice. We luckily met someone on the plane (a Microsoft employee!) who had a rented a car in case this happened, and we had to hitchhike for 5 hours with him to get to our destination just before sunrise. At that point our sleep schedule was pretty jacked for the rest of the trip.

There was also no food or snacks on our multi-hour flight, only 1 drink per customer. When I asked if they had pretzels or *anything* to eat because I was just stranded at the airport for hours after all of the restaurants closed and I was hungry… the stewardess complained pretty loudly that a lot of things have been cut because the airline is getting cheap. :-/

On the way home we got to the airport and the plane sat on the runway and got de-iced multiple times and they almost turned the plane back. We had to fly through LA and got stranded at LAX for hours. We finally got into SFO and got back home around 4AM instead of a 8PM.

Oh, and they charged us $15 per bag both ways and $125 because our bag was 53 pounds, but would have charged us $0 if it were 49 pounds. I'm used to paying an extra $15-20 if the bag is over 50 pounds, but $15 flat per bag + $125 for going 3 pounds over? Seriously?

We had major delays and screwups with all 4 flights on our trip, outrageous extra hidden fees, bad service… My last few flights were with Virgin America and they were cheaper and FAR better than United in pretty much every way. I don't think I'll be flying United again for a long time.

Even my really shady flights through Asia on budget chinese airlines were far better than United was for me this Christmas… and that's saying something…

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Brandon Bryant
December 27, 2008 9:10 AM
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I think in Egypt when they were using Jewish slave labor to build the pyramids, one of the first things they did was to take away all forms of transport. A populace on foot is easier to control. Every year, it gets more and more difficult to travel in the US. Gas prices are usually skyrocketing, train fares have gone up because the govt pulled their subsidies to bailout the airlines after 9/11 and I could almost match this guy in pain levels on my last passport experience. To travel to see family this year we spent 16 hours to get from NYC to LA. I can only hope, now that we actually have real leadership, we can start to back away from the culture of fear that has been nurtured these last 8 years.

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JustThatGuy3
December 27, 2008 4:22 PM
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@Brandon Bryant:

Gas prices need to go up a LOT. We should have gas taxes that set a floor of $5/gallon. Nothing else is going to generate the conservation we need. After all, SUV sales went right back up when gas prices came down.

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exilepc
December 27, 2008 9:15 AM
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Ok i am an EMT-B and i was flying up to Seattle, on united, and the woman nexted to me started to have dyspnea (Shortness of breath (sob for short)), i started to do want i would normally, i ask for an O2 bottle and a mask, and the flight staff looked at me like i was trying to hijack the plane, i pulled out me certs from my wallet, she looked over them then started to help me. i got off the plane with the paramedics, the lady on the side of me got my laptop and all my stuff. to make things worse they LOST my certs! the fight staff gave me a $25 off your next flight, then told me to get LOST!

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floraposte
December 27, 2008 4:05 PM
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@exilepc: Oh, man--that's really nasty. You went out of your way to help somebody in medical distress and your laptop got stolen as a result? People really suck.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 9:22 AM
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FUCK UNITED. This is bullshit.

This is why we need to let companies that provide bad service or products fail. Someone will step in and do it better.

If they only value us for our dollars then there's no reason we should value them for anything but what they can do for us.

FUCK UNITED.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 11:52 AM
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First, you should NOT have to reconfirm a flight with UA 12, 24, or 48 hours in advance. This is supposed to be a legacy carrier in the USA, and legacy carriers are bound by their contract of carriage to NOT pull crap like this. If the flight left 4 hours early without you aboard, they owe you $$$ and/or accommodation on another carrier.

Secondly, UA most certainly does have assigned seating, and it is not acceptable to split a party up that is traveling together or to bump you without compensation. A travel voucher is NOT compensation. Travel vouchers are goodwill gestures from the airline, but should never be substituted for actual CASH compensation, as required by the rules of their contract of carriage.

Third, unless you're a very frequent flyer with UA, your calls will get sent to contracted call centers in India that are staffed by people who CANNOT help you. The only way to get results is to write letters to UA's HQ in Chicago, and quote their contract back to them and document, document, document your case.

Fourth, definitely call your card issuer and get a FULL refund, even if you flew. When you bought your ticket you agreed to pay for a specific flight on a particular date and time. You did not agree to get screwed around and have your time wasted by incompetent fools. Don't pay for their crap. If enough people chargeback for crap services, UA will notice.

Last, don't even think of reporting them to the BBB or anything like that. You'll waste your time. UA is a company that is driven purely by spreadsheets and numbers, and unless you have 1,000 friends willing to all complain to the BBB at the same time, you'll be more productive doing other things with your life.

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Spinfusor
December 27, 2008 1:50 PM
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This is exactly why people should avoid going for the cheapest airline: you get treated like crap.

Pay a little more money for the Continental ticket (if available; I haven't had any hassles with them so far).

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Hawkins
December 27, 2008 2:40 PM
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STOP FLYING. It's the only solution. The original poster was flying from New Orleans to Denver, I think. That's less than 1400 miles, and could easily be done in under 20 hours.

I'm not kidding. If there was only one person going, the cost could be offset by sharing the ride with others. Consult your local ride-sharing board.

Yes, I know it's not for everybody. But the alternative is to be treated far worse than cattle (cattle get food and water on their way to the abbatoir).

Yes, 20 hours is a long time. But factor in the travel to the airport, the time getting your rectal probes, and the need to generally schedule your life around the convenience of the airline.

Yes, I value my time. But as Merlin Mann once said, I value my JOY. Life is too short to be treated like this.

Think about it.

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richcreamerybutter
December 27, 2008 6:44 PM
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@Hawkins: This is very practical advice for 1948, when people generally lived within 100 miles of their families. Now? Not so much. I mean, even my two immediate close friends spent the holidays with family in Portugal and the West Coast (we are in NYC). How exactly would this \"stop flying\" thing work for them?

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Hawkins
December 28, 2008 2:47 AM
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@richcreamerybutter: No, I don't mean that you should drive to Europe, or to L.A. from Boston.

My point is that, frequently, we DO have a choice. The choice may be a very long drive, and there may be bad weather. And obviously flying is safer than driving, per mile.

But we should think long and hard about that choice when we decide to travel, and even maybe think about whether or not we really need to go at all. Submitting ourselves to barking TSA goons, psychopathic flight attendants, and gate agents that make us homicidal, is not good for our psyches, our stomach linings, or for our democracy.

I'll rephrase my original premise: DON'T FLY (unless you have no choice, and even then maybe you should think about it pretty hard.)

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mythago
December 28, 2008 4:24 PM
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@Hawkins: Your original premise is still nonsense. Do you really think that people are intentionally choosing the well-known hell of flying over a safe, leisurely car ride? Or that you're just smarter than everyone else and the entire rest of the country is too dumb to realize that cars exist?

No, what we need to do is direct some of this rage at our politicians so we can drown out the noise of airline lobbyist money. Even Senators fly.

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JustThatGuy3
December 27, 2008 4:20 PM
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@Hawkins:

1400 miles in 20 hours? Yeah, well, I suppose so, if you have no bathroom breaks. Also, in case you hadn't noticed, there have been some brutal winter storms the last few days, so the OP would have had a very high chance of sitting in a motel in Nebraska. Thanks, I'll fly. Safer, faster, and much more comfortable.

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mythago
December 27, 2008 4:19 PM
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@Hawkins: Yes, it is not for everybody. Nor is ride-sharing. I don't really think the solution is to insist that people jam up the roads every time they have a business trip or need to visit relatives on the other coast.

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smarty
December 27, 2008 3:50 PM
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What was the purpose of mentioning the \"Indian accents\" twice? No mention of difficulty understanding them in the story.

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floraposte
December 27, 2008 4:24 PM
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@smarty: I don't think it's so much that the OP was opposed to speaking with people with accents as he felt this indicated he was speaking with outsourced employees. Whether that's worth noting or not is, of course, its own question.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 3:57 PM
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I used to do the Denver to Memphis thing during Christmas. 2 years ago we had huge blizzards and my initial flight was delayed for several days. I finally flew out late Christmas Day. Even getting back was horrible.

Since then I've sworn no holiday travel. I'm not doing that shit anymore. The airports suck. The airlines aren't any better. People are moody. Weather is unpredictable.

F*CK THE HOLIDAY TRAVEL.

I'll go in the summer or something.

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oneliketadow
December 27, 2008 4:07 PM
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I just checked the schedule for the 26th for New Orleans to Denver. There is a 2:20pm flight and a 6:20pm flight (approx). It sounds like what happened is that United re-booked you on the 2pm and didn't notify you, not that the 6pm flight took off 4 hours early. Even United isn't stupid enough to have the 2pm and the 6pm flights taking off at the same time, one plane full and one empty. However, they have in the past, combined flights when say both planes were 50% full, it saves them money and they don't care about the inconvenience to you.

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oneliketadow
December 27, 2008 4:12 PM
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@oneliketadow: And to follow-up to myself, I checked the 12/26 schedule/status because I can only go back 1 day on United's website.

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floraposte
December 27, 2008 4:07 PM
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I've had a departure moved earlier too, once, so I kind of stay on the lookout for that now. In my case they canceled my flight and put me on one two hours earlier--technically wasn't the same flight, but a similar situation notification-wise. Fortunately, they did in fact call me to tell me and I was able to make it.

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egoraven
December 27, 2008 4:15 PM
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The checking flight information 24-48 hours is BS. I was flying American and did exactly that because the year before I had gotten to the airport on time only to find out the flight had been pushed back by six hours. I didn't want it to happen again so I checked online to make sure everything was on time and okay.

By the time we got to the airport, they had pushed the flight back again but ultimately ended up canceling the flight, gave everyone a slip of paper with the 800 # and pretty much said \"Good Luck!\"

The 800# refused to admit that the flight was canceled because it wasn't in their system as canceled so they couldn't rebook us (Eventually they did but we lost TWO days of our FIVE day vacation because of constant flight cancellations)

On the way back, I called American to check the status of our flight - to which everything was okay. By the time we got to the airport we found out American had decided to change our flight to an earlier one (which they never called me about especially since I called to confirm the original flight a couple of hours before) - leaving within 20 minutes of us arriving at the airport.

What did American expect me to do? Call their customer service in India every 20 minutes just to make sure my flight is on time or not canceled at all?!

I vowed never to fly American again, but it doesn't look like I have that many alternatives.

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JustThatGuy3
December 27, 2008 4:18 PM
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As for the flight leaving early, the reason it sounds incredible that his 6pm flight left at 2pm is that it almost certainly didn't. United has three New Orleans-Denver flights: 6am, 2:23pm, and 6:28pm. My guess is that they cancelled the 6:28pm, rebooked him on the 2:23, and didn't tell him, so he didn't make the 2:23, so the next flight available was the 6am the next morning (Christmas Day). When he didn't get a seat on that standby, the next flight was the 2:23pm on Christmas Day).

United's website has a free email service, which will let you know if there's a change in flight status - definitely sign up for it.

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Michael Welch
December 27, 2008 4:25 PM
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This is horrible customer service and airline operations at its finest, no doubt.

My sister had Delta cancel her flight and then rebook her on another flight, without her ability to decide times or airports (she lives in NY). I guess airlines are now offering us a privilege, not a service.

However, I must agree with others' comments on this story...

How the hell do you not check your flight the day before and day of?

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mythago
December 27, 2008 5:54 PM
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@Michael Welch: How in the hell do you move somebody's flight FOUR HOURS EARLIER than originally booked and not notify them?

If he checked the flight day before and day of, that's no guarantee that he just so happened to catch United after (rather than before) they changed/canceled his flight.

But I suppose the usual Consumerist crowd would then be yelling at the OP for not checking his flight status every fifteen minutes, like they do.

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Wolf73b
December 27, 2008 4:27 PM
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Something about this doesn't sound right. I fly regularly (4-6 times per year), and I have never--NEVER--heard of an airline scheduling a flight for one time, and allowing it to leave early.


Think about it, a bit. It doesn't make sense. If the author missed his flight, there would be almost an entire plane full of people standing at the United check-in counter, screaming their heads off.


My guess is that the author simply missed his flight, but wants everyone to believe that it was the fault of the airline If that is the case, then perhaps he is simply getting what he deserves.

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mythago
December 28, 2008 4:28 PM
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@Wolf73b: As has been pointed out REPEATEDLY, probably what happened is that United canceled the 6 pm flight. Their system may have merged the two or otherwise confused them, so that what the customer saw was \"sorry, your flight already left,\" not \"sorry, we decided to cancel your flight because it was cheaper.\"

I fly more than 4-6 times per year and this makes perfect sense to me.

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Mike Funk
December 27, 2008 4:31 PM
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I'm not much of a flyer but I'm going to remember this and go out of my way to avoid United next time around. After this story I hope they end up losing significant money. Treating people this poorly will come back to bite you!

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ShreeparnaDirce
December 27, 2008 4:41 PM
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I've had United do this to me. One time, arriving in DIA from PHX we watched our connecting flight to Nashville *PULL AWAY FROM THE GATE AS WE ARRIVED*!! Had to chew the ticket agent lady out really good, we pulled the 'my wife is pregnant' card (she was really!) to get them to comp us a night in the hotel for the flight the next morning. After pulling that crap, I've never flown them again unless I absolutely have to.

The only domestic airline that is halfway decent anymore is Southwest Airlines.

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jeffsters
December 27, 2008 4:46 PM
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It's a crazy flying time of year and you know what $%@! happens! I fly all the time, Platinum on American and Executive Premiere on United so I've seen it all. Especially the wonderful families that fly once a year that don't have a clue and expect perfection the one time they do fly.

You know what, there really wasn't a heck of a lot they could do when the flight left early, and there are lots of reasons they do, and you wanted them to do something they're just not set up to do. No big surprise there and asking them to pay your parking is just silly and unreasonable.

Then you didn't recognize an overbooked flight when you should have and instead of demanding you be seated together allowed them to out you where ever and get out of there and deal with it in flight where people are often more than happy to move. You lost all sympathy with me there defeating your \"I just want to go see my parents\" line when if you can't sit together you'd rather wait 7 hours!

You got a free dinner and two free tickets for next Christmas so get over it and learn that that moving millions of people a day from point A to point B stuff happens, so deal with it!

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mythago
December 27, 2008 5:56 PM
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@jeffsters: Part of running a business is that you realize \"stuff happens\" and you will have to provide customer service nonetheless. It's not like this is the first Christmas flying season EVAR with bad weather and crowded flights...wowzers, you mean United might have anticipated problems and planned ahead? NOWAI!

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floraposte
December 28, 2008 2:38 AM
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@mythago: There's only so much planning ahead can do, though. It's not like they have extra planes, gate slots, or crew they can pull out to help mitigate the situation. I think mostly it's the on-the-ground people handling that they could tighten up.

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burnedout
January 2, 2009 3:31 PM
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@floraposte: Actually, they can do SOME planning ahead. For example, United cut a lot of flights and downsized their staff for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It doesn't take a genius to consider that weather *might* be an issue at Christmas and to keep a couple of planes / staff \"on call\" for just this sort of thing.

And they *did* have some planes available to roll out - a plane we were trying (unsuccessfully) to get on had some mechanical issues and they replaced it fairly quickly to get the flight out the door. If they could do that, why couldn't they get approval for a whole flight to get the 100+ folks on standby to their destination?

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mythago
December 28, 2008 4:30 PM
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@floraposte: They can plan for how they are going to handle things when a snowstorm hits and when there is a surge in passenger load. Of course there are going to be situations where planes are delayed or flight times changed; the issue is that the airline needs to be prepared to mitigate the resulting problems. Communication is really 90% of it.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 5:40 PM
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What I'd like to know is who made the booking for Thomas? Was it made directly with UA? Online with a major booking site? With a Mom 'n Pop travel agency?

Ultimately, it would be the booking office's job to notify Thomas. Clearly most of the people flying would have been notified or there would have been an empty plane. This would have been done _at_latest_ 2 weeks before the flight.

It's fine to take out your frustrations on UA, but the primary blame should be assigned to the booking office. (Which might also be UA, but it's not mentioned.)

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Andrew Hyde
December 27, 2008 5:47 PM
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My brother and Mother had a ticket through Denver to New Orleans on the same day. They were not notified until the day before that their new itinerary went through Seattle, Washington DC and then New Orleans (creating a 14 hour travel time).

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 5:59 PM
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United and American are both going to close in the next 5 years if they don't change their tune. They've cut their number of flights down so that you are now almost certainly forced to got through a hub. Their flights are all oversold so if there is a technical problem with a plane you can almost guarantee that you'll be spending the night in the hub city. And they're charging you for baggage (and possibly carry-ons in the future) saying that it is because of the high gas prices which leveled off a month ago. I remember when it was exciting to fly and there was a quality to it. These airlines and their employees (who are beaten down by unhappy customers due to the unsatisfactory experiences) don't care anymore.

Virgin America and Southwest will blow away the competition in the future.

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Anonymous
December 28, 2008 4:17 AM
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I really don't think Southwest and Virgin America will blow away the competition. Remember, once SWA have lots of retirees, they will have the same financial liability like UA and AA. They'll need to expand their network to include international destinations to be competitive with the legacy carriers, and they need to upgrade into a wide body aircraft and not just mainly 737s. I wonder how many of us here, are willing to make multiple layovers just to get fom point A to B?I myself only flyies on an airline with interline agreements with other airlines. I can not imagine pulling out my bags and have it recheck on my connecting airline just because SWA does not have interline aggreement with my connecting flt! thant'll be an option I may not consider especially if I'm heading overseas.

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Smashville
December 27, 2008 6:06 PM
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I can't find the part in the story where he called to confirm the flight.

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Bog
December 27, 2008 6:07 PM
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If you can get enough people traveling at once - you can often charter your own plane. A friend of mine and his extended family chartered small corporate jet with fifteen people. The did pay more then the cheap airline but it was less then business class with first class service.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 6:14 PM
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United won't do anything except,perhaps, offer a pitiful voucher. Last Christmas, my wife and I missed a connection flight because United had a maintenance issue with our plane. Long story short, between a missed flight and rental car to get us to our final destination (otherwise be stranded at the airport for 4 days at Christmas), we spent $800 extra. United offered us $300 in vouchers. (Like I could use that to pay off my Amex.)I mailed the vouchers back to them and they have lost my business.

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Sampsonian
December 27, 2008 6:17 PM
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Every time I read one of these airline mishaps stories, it occurs to me that some segment of travellers, i.e., the top executives at all these huge failing corporations, fly private charters to avoid all this nonsense.

Now, if these executives were forced to fly commercial and had to deal with all of this it would take care of a number of problems - we know how vocal and demanding these executives can be, so airline customer service would have to shape up unless they're willing to suffer the consequences of heavy upper management involvement. Hopefully that improvement will trickle down to us normal folk. Also, these companies can cut down on wasteful expenditures and not waste our valuable tax dollars.

We might even be so lucky as to have one \"lose it\" every once in a while, and get their sorry ass thrown in jail for obstructing airline operations or something like that. With the frustrations of modern air travel, it's almost inevitable. The idea is akin to going after organized crime for tax evasion - we want to punish these executives for their excesses that caused the financial meltdown, but since that's going to be harder to prove, we try to get 'em on something easier, say, assault and battery, with a little help from the pressure cooker that is commercial aviation.

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thrid001
December 27, 2008 6:48 PM
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It sounds to me the flight changed sometime between making his reservations three months ago. common sense tells you to check if your flight has changed. The airlines are very clear about this on all flights. If they left early due to weather, the airline is allowed to make that call, and do what is best for the greater amount of people. What if based on that same weather they had cancelled his flight? He would NOT be entitled to anything PERIOD. Either way, it is inherently racist to say they transferred you to India. Guess what, there are a LOT of people of Indian descent who live right here in this country. If he is flying from New Orleans like he says I could say the southern accent makes him something he may not be.
As for paying for parking, why in any sane world would the airline be responsible for that. It is YOUR choice how you get to the airport. You could have stayed at a hotel close to the airport and had the same plans from before.

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FatLynn
December 27, 2008 6:49 PM
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Did the OP check his spam folder for a flight change notification?

I have had itineraries changed many times, but they have always notified me via automated phone call if it was short notice, and e-mail if it was longer notice.

Also, a change of this type means that you can then cancel your reservation if you'd like. I had a $180 ticket to DC that they moved up an hour. When I was notified about the change, I priced the same flight at $120, so I was able to cancel and rebook to save $60.

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richcreamerybutter
December 27, 2008 6:49 PM
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This is truly nightmarish, but can somebody confirm whether they would have been able to make the second flight if they didn't insist upon sitting together (this isn't clear)? I sympathize with him up to that point. Unless the couple involves a parent and small child or one person with a medical problem, you don't HAVE to sit together.

I have a boyfriend, and we travel. There have been times that circumstances have not allowed us to sit together; we survived.

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 7:28 PM
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The situation sucks but it is his fault. Who honestly does not A) check on their flight before they head to the airport or B) check-in online. This entire deal would be a non issue if he had just done that and don't blame United, name me an airline that would handle this any differently, I can't.

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rinse
December 27, 2008 7:48 PM
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I'm amused that whoever submitted this entry to Digg had the editorial sense to remove \"Your\" from the headline \"United Airlines Ruins Your Christmas As Only A Crappy Airline Can\".

[digg.com]

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Anonymous
December 27, 2008 9:12 PM
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Spent about five minutes on a couple web sites and figured this whole thing out. From my perspective (and no, I don't work for any airline or travel-related business) it sounds to me like Thomas made a few rookie mistakes and United did their best to accommodate the guy ON CHRISTMAS-FREAKIN-EVE.

So, here's the thing. There WAS NO 6pm departure on United from New Orleans to Denver on the 24th of December. It wasn't canceled. It didn't leave early. It simply didn't exist.

There was a 6pm-ish departure on the 26th, but not the 24th or 25th. (There was, however, a scheduled 2pm-ish departure on the 24th which was the last direct flight between those two cities.)

Now that's not to say there was NEVER a 6pm flight scheduled for the 24th, but if it was canceled

Since I presume that Thomas booked his flight properly, I would guess that sometime in the three months between the time he says he made the reservation and the time he was scheduled to fly that United eliminated the flight.

This would correspond to the time frame in which airlines were aggressively paring back their schedules to save costs. It sounds like they also did the right thing by rebooking him on the closest departure (there were only two other direct flights on the 24th: 6am and 2pm).

Based on my own experience on United, I would imagine they probably tried to contact Thomas via whatever contact they had for him -- e-mail, phone, etc. -- but it sounds like he never got the message.

Booking a flight three months in advance and then just showing up at the airport without ever checking on your flight -- especially when flying to somewhere like Denver in the middle of winter -- is foolhardy.

Thomas seems to take no responsibility for any of this and expects compensation. Since the flight was obviously rebooked quite some time before the 24th and didn't just \"leave four hours early\" I would say that United owes him an accounting of the ways they tried to contact him and then nothing more.

Fellow travelers, use this as a cautionary tale. Don't just show up at the airport three months after booking a flight without checking on it. Online check-in, flight status sites -- there's no reason why this should have happened.

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maines19
December 27, 2008 9:15 PM
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I've had consistently good experiences with JetBlue and Southwest; even when there have been changes or delays, the people have been helpful and informative. When JetBlue changed the scheduled time of one of my flights, I received notification by email, text message to my cell, AND a recorded message to my home and cell numbers. And all that for a change in schedule of 15 minutes! So obviously it is possible to make the effort to inform passengers.

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shufflemoomin
December 27, 2008 9:24 PM
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I'm sorry, I stopped reading where he admitted to not checking his flight details beforehand. Flights can and do change time and if you leave for the airport without checking your flight status, especially when you've left such a short window to travel, then you're a damn moron and shouldn't blame other people for not doing standard things like making sure your itenerary hasn't changed. Why should the airline call everyone when they make the info easily available to anyone with a phone or internet connection? I solidely, and without regret, blame the fool who sent this in, not United.

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dougp26364
December 27, 2008 11:58 PM
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Welcome to the wonderful world of flying. I use to fly once per week but have since given up work that requires so much travel. Now we only fly 4 to 6 times per year. I don't think I've had a flight yet that didn't have some sort of change in schedule. Some minor but some major enough to cause us to miss a flight or spend hours sitting in the airport. It's become habit for me to check our flights several times before we leave. I often find flight times changed or equipement changes. With some airlines, if they change the flight number they also change your seat assignments.


United has made a mess of our planned trip to Hawaii next month. Origianlly, we were to connect through Denver both ways and, our flight home was suppose to be a daytime flight rather than an overnight flight. The day after booking the flight is when the fun began.


First, they cancelled our morning return flight and arbitarily booked us on a flight leaving around 11:00 PM. I've managed to get that changed to a flight around 6:00 PM (as far as I know for now at least). Then the routed us through Chicago coming home and changed our seat assignments. Then they changed our connnection going out to Chicago rather than Denver AND changed out seat assignments on all our flights again (not just the affected flight but all the flights).


There's more but, that's another story and, sad to say, I've come to expect this from the airlines. All I can say for certian is that we have paid for tickets and expect to be flying at some point on the dates we've booked. Past that it's anyone's guess.


There's an old saying that hold trues as far as I'm concenred. If you've got time to spare, go by air.

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Arthur Wasiak
December 28, 2008 3:15 AM
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Am i the only one that thinks if you want to definately get there with no problems then why not leave a day or two before.

Every transport system around the world experiences dramas during peak holiday times. Some learn to leave early, some stubbornly bash their heads against to wall.

You could book 2 years in advance and that would change none of the fundamental facts.

Moral of the story above? Some people don't learn.

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Anonymous
December 28, 2008 4:21 AM
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I'm a very frequent flier (more than 100 times per year), and it never ceases to amaze me how bad things have gotten. The author of this post did absolutely the best thing by raising the issue in a widely read forum and Digging it up.

Yesterday, in Charlotte, I watched a US Airways customer service manager call in the Charlotte police no fewer than four times. The customers weren't being abusive or threatening; they were just refusing to accept what the customer service people had offered. The customer service manager, rather than moving people to the side brought in the police JUST TO KEEP THE LINE MOVING. Then, at 11 pm, they shut down the line with people still waiting in it.

Nearly all of the airlines have become this awful. (Southwest is much better than the others, but they would still be out of business if they had to compete in any other industry.)

One of the core problems is that we have so much competition and nobody can make a profit. We all must stand together and make sure that, as long as two or three airlines survive, we do not bail out anyone.

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Thomas Stampfli
December 28, 2008 7:29 AM
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I hate the fact we share a name.

I'm gonna call \"SHE-NAN-E-GANS\" on this one. Let's look: a flight leaves 4-hours early, and you happen to be the ONLY person who's stranded at the airport getting placed on flights the next day.

Even if the airline was incompetent, does this imply every other passenger was smarter than you?

Also a bit confuses as to how your wife suddenly shows up with you the next day. Not really sure how she wasn't included in your flight plans the day before -- did you happen to leave out that you wanted her to fly with you now? I suspect (with no evidence, what-so-ever) that you tried to take the situation of the airline \"messing up\" and tack on a few freebies including free vouchers, an extra ticket for your wife and free parking. You paid for a flight, you got a flight. You're flying during the busiest time of the season, maybe the busiest day to be precise, and you have the gumption to complain?

Seriously... fly another airline if you're really that annoyed.

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Anonymous
December 28, 2008 3:45 PM
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On the up point for United. They were the only ones who offered our active duty soldiers a military discount through the holidays. These guys get their leave a week before they get off and ticket prices can be outrageous. Quite a few are shipping off for Afghanistan ( including my son) and wanted to see their families before they went. United also upgrades soldiers seats when ever they can. Delta, US airways and the rest coudln't give a damn about our soldiers!

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savdavid
December 28, 2008 6:41 PM
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Don't fly. I have learned that lesson the hard way. Drive, take a bus, walk. You never know what is going to happen with airlines and THEY DON'T CARE. Why give them your money?

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duffman13
December 28, 2008 8:14 PM
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i went on a trip with US Airways 2 years ago that I had booked 4 months in advance through Orbitz. I went online to double-check the flight info a week before I left, and my flight that was scheduled to leave at ~7:30PM was now scheduled to leave at ~5:30PM. Did I get any sort of notification? No.

Flight schedules change from time to time, it's a fact of life. Should the airline update you? Absolutely! Sometimes it doesn't happen though. I thought United did a decent job of handling this guy's problem given the sheer mass of people traveling and the weather delays all around the country.

I personally feel like it's naive and irresponsible to book more than a month in advance and not double-check the schedule a few days before you leave to make sure nothing has changed. It doesn't seem like anybody else on the flight had the same problem, probably because they were responsible travelers.

This is at the bottom of a cheaptickets itinerary:
\" You may receive an e-mail from CheapTickets if a schedule change occurs prior to or during your trip. Such changes also will be noted in \"My Trips\". We recommend you check there periodically before your trip.

If there are changes to the flight(s), bring a printout with the updated itinerary and ticket number(s) to the airport. We will send you an e-mail 2-3 days before departure.\"

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momma_andrea
December 28, 2008 9:13 PM
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Sorry for your airline troubles. I have also had issues like this in the past. My flight was delayed two hours in Tampa, so I went back to the main terminal to get some dinner. Apparently, Delta changed its mind and the flight left on time. They paged me in the terminal, but I didn't hear them in restaurant. They had my cell phone number in the reservation, but didn't think to call it. So I had to fly out ridiculously early the next morning and missed an extra day of work.


This is the reason that the hubby, kids, and I drove 24 hours to Florida this year instead of flying. Yes, it is painful, but I refuse to be held hostage by airlines who know that travelers will keep coming back no matter how poorly they are treated.

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Dustin D Coones
December 28, 2008 11:19 PM
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I don't understand how this UA fault...he should have checked his flight HIMSELF 24-48 hrs before. It sort of a standard thing to do....

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landr008
December 28, 2008 11:44 PM
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Should have taken the Southwest flight from NOLA to Denver like I did.

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egoods
December 29, 2008 12:22 AM
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One thing all my traveling has taught me is to triple check flight times. I only started receiving flight update calls when I became a Gold Elite on NWA. I still double/triple check flight times, I'm nervous like that. I've been sitting in an airport bar and heard my flight call final boarding an hour before boarding was due to begin, so stuff happens. Hope United gives you some money back!

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Jack Doyle
December 29, 2008 1:03 AM
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Man, there is something totally fishy about your story. We all know that United Airlines doesn't have any type of \"customer care.\"

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Meathamper
December 29, 2008 4:06 AM
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ALL THOSE WORDS SCARE ME!!!! I CAN'T READ!

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Testboy
December 29, 2008 11:30 AM
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Dude...who doesn't check their flight status when traveling around the holidays..this happens ALL the time..

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ckaught78
December 29, 2008 12:21 PM
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He should have checked his flight beforehand especially since he booked it 3 months prior. I have a habit of checking my flights with United weekly. I purchased my x-mas tickets months in advance and both my outgoing and return flights both changed several times.

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econobiker
December 29, 2008 5:04 PM
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United Airlines - the only airline to have a complete complaint website dedicated to it


www.untied.com


read it and weep more///

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noisetube
December 29, 2008 5:38 PM
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How about spending two days in an airport the plane was never supposed to land in?

Thanks, Delta, for detouring my \"direct\" flight and canceling it on me twice! Not to mention leaving me stranded some 1500 miles from home.

I just hate all airlines. Except Southwest.

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flyromeo3
December 29, 2008 6:18 PM
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I really dont see the problem here? I ALWAYS check my reservations way before my flight is scheduled to leave. In case SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS.
Does fault lie on United?. Somewhat, they should inform their passengers of changes in flight no matter what.
Is the passenger at fault? Yes, he should of been checking up on his reservations.


Theres a thing called being proactive.

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bearymore
December 29, 2008 7:19 PM
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When I fly on Alaska, which I do a few times a year, they always send e-mail updates about flight status starting a day or two ahead of the flight. These usually are just to inform you that the flight will leave as scheduled. There is no excuse not to notify passengers if the flight time is advanced 4 hours -- something which, in my experience, is unprecedented. 4 hours early???

I've had horrible experiences with United and will no longer fly with them.

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Anonymous
December 29, 2008 8:11 PM
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After working with the mighty Untidy for 20 years in the reservations dept, I know they do not leave 4 hours early. The are not allowed to by federal law with hugh fines if they do. Contiental used to do that and after paying the fines they stopped. Folks don't understand that when there are weather delays in 1 or 2 cities, the vicious circle begins with planes and crews out of sinc and the airlines play catch up trying to get some type of order and this can take a long time. With the wx all over the country, it can take days. The scheduled departure time is set becuz of the airport fees and if a plane is late by 15 min or more the airline gets fined by the airport as well as by the federal government. Even if the customer didn't see it written that he shud re-confirmed 24hrs prior, he himself said he has flown over Christmas for the last 6 years, he should have had alittle common sense and called. But most of you out there think these big companies need to take the time to call each and everyone that is on a delayed or cancelled flight. That takes a large amount of time and many employees to do it which costs a very large amount of $$. So wudn't it be easier for the common sense factor to come in instead of the airlines having to raise the cost of your ticket?The gate agents can only tell you the info they have and they are not advised of many factors cuz it doesn't help the situtation any. We all need to remember to have patience and tolerance and stop thinking we are the only person that is being effected. Happy New Year to all. Puyallup, Wa.

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frustratedincolorado
December 30, 2008 3:41 AM
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Lets take this to the next level. Not only did this exact same thing happen to my wife, I, and about 50 other passengers(on the 27th, flight 663)but the Service Director for United Airlines in Washington D.C. (Corwyn Jeffers)was screaming at the whole group of us and telling us that they had done nothing wrong and since we didnt check on our flight within 24hrs it was our own faults. However there were two people behind us that bought two tickets that morning. Anyway here is his picture and we tried to call and they said same thing as he did and they could do nothing to help us, not even a $25 off next flight (even though that is an insult anyway). There were several other things that were just unaccetable that I will mention later. I would like to know ... Is this just the way its going to be?

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burnedout
January 2, 2009 3:48 PM
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@frustratedincolorado: Yes. That is how it is and how it is going to be. The fact is United doesn't care - they have developed a corporate culture that is combative towards customers and its own employees and nothing can change that except a full and complete overhaul (fire EVERYONE and start over). Option B is replace all the execs and managers and get profound therapy for the mentally and emotionally damaged front-line workers. No one there realizes that their business depends on their customers and service providers and those are the two groups who are treated like (and treat each other like) garbage.

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Anonymous
January 2, 2009 1:46 AM
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\"I don't understand how it's okay in any way, shape or form for a flight to leave 4 hours early.\"

That's not what happened. It was a schedule change. The flight now leaves *every day* at this new time.

United should have notified all affected passengers, yes. But at the same time, doesn't everybody check flight status the day prior when they have made reservations so far in advance?


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niaray
January 5, 2009 11:48 PM
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While I have some sympathy for the OP, did he not check the weather? Westher related delays were being reported on the Dec. 23rd at numerous airports because of various storm fronts and other weather issues, and continued through the 27th and 28th! You cannot assume that all will go smoothly when you fly out on the holidays, especially Christmas because of potential weather issues that cause massive back ups no matter where you're flying out of, generally. I fly alot on United, and haven't had them change flight times on me, but if I buy a ticket three months in advance, I'm certainly going to check on it earlier than my departure date. Case in point: I was scheduled to fly our of DC on a 6 am flight to Chicago on Christmas morning. I like to fly Christmas morning, because it's usually not as hectic as the 23rd or 24th. However, storms across the West, Midwest and Northeast caused massive chaos at most major airports this holiday season. I got to DCA at 4:45 a.m to find my flight was cancelled, because the crew couldn't get in due to weather issues. At first they wanted to book me on a 10 am flight, but I balked, and they booked me on a 9 am United flight. I went right over to the United counter (there's something to be said about having good FF status), and asked to be booked standby on every flight prior to the 9 am departure. Guess what? They got me on United's 6 am flight, and I got to Chicago at about the same time, maybe a little earlier. Luckily for me no connections were necessary, because in those weather conditions it would've added hours. Of course we ran into the same problem trying to get from Chicago to Houston on Dec. 27th, after assessing the situation (potentially siting in O'Hare all day with the thousands of other stranded travelers), we drove (18 fun hours in the car to watch the Bears lose). It's crazy, but you've got to plan, and have a a plan B.

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coneinc
March 4, 2009 9:13 AM
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It probly didn't leave earlier. I work for the airline that usually doesn't happen like that. What probly happened was. They canceled his flight due to weather. So they rebooked everybody to the earlier airplane. He should have called and checked with united. I know everybody will say united should have called him and that is true. But for you people who do not understand how an airline is run he is not the only passenger united has to deal with. So if you're flying it's a good idea to check with the airline about your flight.


Now for all of you people complaining about how bad the American carriers are you need to stop it. You people want the lowest fares and the best service. You cannot have it both ways. If the airlines offer cheap fares they have to cut service out. What you are paying for is transportation from point a to point b. that's what your paying for. Ok the airlines are like no other business out there. Weather, maintance, crew legality all can cause delays. All the airlines in the us and other countries all deal with these issues. And what happens in another city can affect your flight. Until the contental commuter crash there had not been a fatal accident in by the us carriers in three years. So regardless what you complainers say the airlines are doing their job of getting you from point a to point b safely. If you want the service pay for first class are quit complaining about the fares. If the airlines gave away free tickets you people would still complain. So there is no pleasing you people. As a airline employ I'm sick and tired of people complaining about the airlines. Everybody seems to think the airlines owe them something. Well the airlines are in business like every company to make money. There not a charity organization. I do not here people complaining about other businesses bad service like I do with the airlines. If you do not like the airlines take a bus and take 3 are 4 days to get where you're going. Are driving there yourself. But the airlines are doing their job.

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