UNITED AIRLINES. It is impossible to contact a live person in their customer service dept. After three hours of trying, I have gone on the offensive and am starting a campaign.

United is the worst airline in the business, bar none. You suck. After making and paying for round trip tickets Columbus to Denver three weeks in advance, you sold our seats for the return flight with no other options for us. It cost a hotel and rental car and an extra day.

The complimentary free round trip ticket voucher is worthless. I followed the rules and booked three weeks in advance. Seats are available, but when the voucher is presented, suddenly, there are no seats. I have done this several times.

Never fly United. I hope you go broke.
John Graham

You should sing a country song about it and post it on youtube.

Sounds like a song one can sing for any of the majors

Didn't they already go broke????

MTV

Delta Airlines needs to be included in this rant. Like Homer Simpson says " they are the suckiest sucks that ever sucked!"

And even worse, their flight attendants are the ugliest! Thats where I draw the line-

I dispise flying commercial anymore. Had a talk with my wife about it last night since we need to go to Seattle area this fall. She want's to fly commercial, I want to drive...even though it's a two day drive.

Tadpole wrote:I dispise flying commercial anymore. Had a talk with my wife about it last night since we need to go to Seattle area this fall. She want's to fly commercial, I want to drive...even though it's a two day drive.

arghhh... foul... foul.... I call foul !

Tadpole, I am sincerely disappointed! Moments like that are precisely the opportunity to explain the need for a new airplane!

I have flown my cub wayyy farther than sensible, just to avoid airlines!

Tadpole wrote:we need to go to Seattle area this fall. She want's to fly commercial, I want to drive...even though it's a two day drive.

We did the exact same thing earlier this month. Fun two day drive through the high desert vs putting up with the drooling morons at the big airports. And it ain't gonna get better any time soon.

Gump

Rob wrote:

Tadpole wrote:I dispise flying commercial anymore. Had a talk with my wife about it last night since we need to go to Seattle area this fall. She want's to fly commercial, I want to drive...even though it's a two day drive.

arghhh... foul... foul.... I call foul !

Tadpole, I am sincerely disappointed! Moments like that are precisely the opportunity to explain the need for a new airplane!

I have flown my cub wayyy farther than sensible, just to avoid airlines!

EXACTALLY

Thought the same thing as Rob when i read your post Tadpole

slowhawk wrote:

Rob wrote:arghhh... foul... foul.... I call foul !

Tadpole, I am sincerely disappointed! Moments like that are precisely the opportunity to explain the need for a new airplane!

I have flown my cub wayyy farther than sensible, just to avoid airlines!

EXACTALLY

Thought the same thing as Rob when i read your post Tadpole

Can't be a foul when she's has no problem with us owning a plane. We've been window shopping for a bit...still shopping and being patient while I continue to save up more cash. I'm weird, I use cash to buy things...the only debt I have is a mortgage that should be paid off in 4 years....and I've only been in it 6 years.

Rob wrote:Tadpole, I am sincerely disappointed! Moments like that are precisely the opportunity to explain the need for a new airplane!

Except that it will cost you way more, take way more time, and provide nearly as much frustration dealing with individuals involved... With a sprinkling of pure joy now and then as a carrot.

The airlines were definitely not created equal. I haven't flown United in a very long time. When I did, it was standby only, and I slept on the terminal floor many times overnight after not getting onto a loaded flight.

I married a United Airline stew in 1970 (back when they were hot) She is till HOT.

For the old So Cal guys out thier, remember the PSA stews with the short skirts and gogo boots. Those were the days and they treated GI's really well. One time I was flying in uniform and one just up and gave me a kiss. She said her dad was a WWII navy vet and she loved the uniform. If a stew gave me a kiss today I would wash my mouth out with soap.

I think some of the regonals might be good.

Tim

Tim,

Oh, yeah, like Pinnacle, for example-with only two RJ's splashed by terminal dumb in the last couple years, or maybe Colgan Air....

I'd rather deal with old, grumpy FA's and terrible customer service than get splattered all over a grove of trees two miles from the runway, thank you very much.

So, go fly Alaska Air. Best airline, best customer service. Unfortunately, they don't fly everywhere I'd like to fly.

I've flown NW/Delta a number of times recently and frankly, while their customer service isn't exactly as friendly as I've seen, they were on time, and got me there in one piece.

TSA is a pain in the ass, but that is NOT the airlines' fault.

I have not flown on United recently.

MTV

Nothing is more dangerous than a pissed off customer with a computer and printer.

Many years ago my main airline made promises for me to give up my seat, but failed to fulfill them. Again stand-by ticket instead of promised confirmed ticket.

At that time I traveled a lot, Million Miler on Delta, etc. After a number of " we apologize and feel your pain" letters, I decided that showing them how much this was costing them was the best way to handle it. Every time I flew somewhere I took another airline. I copied my receipt and stapled it to the a letter addressed to the VP Sales and Marketing informing him that if it were not for the failed promise this would be revenue for their company rather than the competition.

Since the letter was on my computer all it cost me was a stamp and a couple of minutes. After about four months of getting the same letter and a couple thousand Dollars of lost revenue, they traded my stand-by certificate for a confirmed seat certificate.

I agree on the whole Alaska Airlines has the best customer service. Hopefully the absorption of Northwest will not kill the remaining vestiges of customer service on Delta. I fly United just enough to maintain my ff miles I have there.

TD

mtv wrote:
So, go fly Alaska Air. Best airline, best customer service. Unfortunately, they don't fly everywhere I'd like to fly.



MTV

I used to fly Alaska/Horizon between BOI and LAX often since I moved to Boise and still work in SoCal and I agree! Very friendly/best customer service! Never had a problem.

I'll be honest, too. Between BOI and LAX, I would also fly United (Skywest) once in a while, and never had any issues with them neither.

The only time I had a problem with United was when leaving BOI for Chicago over a year ago. The scheduled plane to be used was broken and I jumped on the phone right away to make sure I get on the next flight or make it to my destination that day/night. The customer service center was in India and I didn't understand a word the girl was saying. With all do respect, I was getting pretty ticked with her and finally asked for a English speaking person to help me out.

Alaska Airlines is no better than any of the others, especially when they have you by the balls by being the only carrier in your area.

They do have a pretty decent mileage plan, though.

gb

In fact, this is in today's news:

Alaska Airlines to charge for some travel changes
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Airlines says customers who decide during a round-trip to change their return dates will be subject to a new charge.

Spokeswoman Bobbie Egan says the airline will apply the value of the customer's ticket to the lowest fare available at the time of the change. The customer will be charged the fare difference and a $75 fee already in effect.

The travel agency Alaska Travel Source says that, for example, a customer on a round-trip from Anchorage to Chicago with a 14-day advance ticket might have to pay more than $500 to make such a change.

The airline is eliminating the $75 change fee for intra-Alaska travel, and Egan said the airline would continue to waive fees for several classes of preferred customers.
(Anchorage Daily News)

Its always those of us with planes that get pissed at the airlines first.

The cure for it all is simple, charge $1700.00 for each ticket. That will force grandma back on the train and the welfare crowd back on Greyhound.

Problem solved, service will once again be superb.

Tadpole, If I am in Vale, Or. you and your family are welcome to spend the night, on your trip to the Seattle area, It is only 16 miles off of I-84 just up the road from Ontario, Or.

mr scout wrote:Problem solved, service will once again be superb.

Commercial airline service will never be superb again, and long as TSA (Too Stupid for Arby's) has the front door blocked off. The sheep herding will continue business as usual, and as long as competition and natural selection are bypassed with tax payer bailouts, airline service itself will be nonexistent.

What will make a difference is TSA poking their noses into the biz jet world. The uber rich will not tolerate being treated like we the unwashed masses. And it will take just one uppity TSA worker pissing off the wrong billionaire's wife walking out to the G5, to make some radical changes back to common sense for private flying.

Gump

And speaking of Alaska Airlines!!! GB Flyer is exactly right. Their bush service sucks pond water (though they have the best 737 drivers in the world up there). Overpriced attitude is what you get. They have the locals over a barrel and they know it, and they just flat out don't give a shit.