I have just returned from a flight process that should have taken 12 hours, but that instead took 30+, and that left me stranded in San Francisco overnight. United would NOT put me on a flight to Charlotte, even though there was room and time, because their merger with Continental has left them a disorganized mess. They could not communicate with Continental even though this was A) who I had originally booked my flight with and B) part of their own airline!
They then would not pay for my stay in San Fran, and offered me an airport bench. (Ok, I’m a small 25 year old woman – not happening. I wonder how the head of United would feel if someone suggested HIS daughter do that. Probably wouldn’t be too happy).
On my flight from San Fran to DC the next morning, they wouldn’t let me carry on my carry on suitcase, even though it was appropriately sized, because I was in the back of the plane, and they claimed to have no room. Rather than do a gate check on it, they told me that they would, as a “special favor!” check the bag. Kudos to them for trying to spin that, but I’m not buying it. This left me without my carry-on for the next 13 hours that it took for me to get to DC, have my flight delayed there for SIX HOURS, and then the other hour it took for them to sort out my luggage after it got delayed (which is why I didn’t want to check it).
United was incredibly unhelpful. The flight attendants were fine, but the gate representatives were abysmal and completely disorganized. In DC, when they kept pushing the flight back, they gave passengers no information. My boyfriend, sitting at home with his PC, had better luck knowing what was going on. There were several elderly people on our flight, as well as women with very small children. I wonder how the head of United would feel if those were HIS parents, or HIS wife, or HIS children? Gate attendants were not only unhelpful, but they were rude to passengers as well as two each other. One gate attendant had a particularly bad attitude – I think she may have had a behavior disorder similar to that seen in five year old bullies pushing kids into sand pits on play grounds – she kept yelling at her coworkers and snapping at them. I don’t know what she had going on in her life, maybe a lot, but so did the passengers.
So, Continental/ United/ whoever the hell you are now, congratulations. You have now completely exceeded my expectations of how absolutely terrible an airline can be. These days, that’s pretty hard, considering how entirely inept and pathetic so many carriers tend to be.
This is to say:
I am back with more posts.
And never EVER
EVER
EVER
book a flight with Continental and/or United!
Here’s a great story on the Huffington Post about how terrible United is!
