We went to Iowa, it was good, and we have returned. I’ll fill all that in later, but first a brief word about how the business and operations plan known as United Airlines (UA) is actually a house of cards made from turds that will never again enjoy my patronage.
The day before our departure I log onto the UA website to check in online. I enter our confirmation code, and their webpage spits me out. I enter our confirmation code, and it spits me out. I enter our confirmation code, and it spits me out. I ring their 1-800 number and wait…
“Sorry, you are traveling with an infant, so you are required to check in at the counter”
OK, that’s fine, but it would have been good to know an hour, and much frustration, ago. It’s a noon flight, and since we are flying internationally we need to arrive 3 hours in advance. That sees us driving across town in peak hour so I add some more time. The kids are kids, so there is some more time added again. So, I roll out of bed at 6am, with the family following soon after, in order to catch out noon flight. We make it to the airport just after 9am - as required - to check in at the counter with our infant (aka Lillian) – as required. All the check in counters are staffed, except United. Instead, United has a small sign that simply reads ‘Back at 10am, please use kiosks to check in’.
Of course we are traveling with an infant and cannot use the kiosks. We wait. OK, I actually fume, but it looks a lot like waiting.
At 10am a single suitable po-faced women arrives to open the counter. She takes our details and issues our boarding passes for the Ottawa/Chicago flight, but explains that she can only get three of us onto the Chicago/Des Moines flight. After I imagined some random violence and recalled a certain Southpark episode, I wondered how exactly she expected us to divide the 3 seats between myself, Jane (non-driver) , Thomas (3yrs old) and Lillian (non-seated infant). Luckily, when we arrived in Chicago the people at that gate were able to get us all onto the flight. So ultimately, we made it from Ottawa to Des Moines on time, as planned and together. And so did our luggage (2 bags), though they charged us $40 each way for the temerity of taking luggage.
I have been flying United on a semi-regular basis since I was in the 5th grade, and I remember it not sucking. So much for memories.
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Yeah, you'd think hurting for income would equate to let's provide good service, but it appears not. Some of the smaller, regional carriers do a bit better on that front, but only a bit.
ReplyDeleteApprently hurting for income actually equates with 'cut costs by automating everything possible (badly) and laying off people.'
ReplyDeleteI hear Southwest Airlines is good and they do not charge extra for baggage. Of course they don't fly anywhere near here.
Eww. At least you made it. BTW - did you post my figs?
ReplyDeleteHmm. Are you familiar with the "United Kills Guitars" saga? If not, you should definitely do some Googling. Seems a singer/songwright travelling United got to watch the baggage apes mangling his much prized guitars... and then United tried to deny any and all culpability. So he went Viral on their asses in a vastly entertaining fashion. Good song, good clip.
ReplyDeleteI concur. Good song, good clip.
ReplyDeleteBart - I brought them back with me and am going to send them to Spenny for fwding within Aus. Short version = this means no international postage fees. Dirk, same applies to your gorillas. Also (Bart) they are smaller than I expected, more like power armor than walkers.
Ah, United how I hate thee. I remember my first exposure to them last year when they explained to me that a confirmed booking does not mean that I automaticaly get a seat on the flight .... Oh and then they killed my luggage and gave me a $25 sorry voucher. Which they wouldn't let me use to pay for the afore mentioned baggage fee as I could only use the voucher for booking my now wait for this ... the next time I fly with them ...lol
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day we did reach our intended destination as planned.
ReplyDeleteNone the less, international travel with chldren to a funeral is stressful enough without having to deal with an organisation that, while happy to accept a pile of our money, does not appear interested in either telling us their rules, nor in following them.
UA can get stuffed.
My one (and only ever, if I have it my way) experience with United involved all the same crap about no service, no assistance, lost luggage, delayed flights etc but can be best summarized by recounting the fact that on the same flight there was a heart surgeon, flying to Sydney to save someone's life, and they wouldn't hold a flight for ten minutes at LAX so he could connect. His patient died. They gave him a voucher for $25 off his next booking. He sued, and won.
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