UNITED AIRLINES MUST BE DESTROYED

I showed up at Denver International Airport at 5:30am this morning to catch my plane back to Boston. Wait in line. Give my last name - "Pitt."

"Sorry, sir, we have no ticket here for you."

"Try again. Here's my Expedia itinerary with all the information." I handed the paperwork with my full name, flight number, etc. over to the agent.

"Nope. No ticket."

(Fuck)

"All the other flights are filled. Let me check the other airlines...nope, all filled. There *is* a seat in first class for the flight you want."

"How much?"

"$1,800."

So...at this point I'm either stranded in Denver after six days on the road, or I'm dropping two grand to get home. I had no means to independently verify that there were no other flights; none of my friends with internet were at their phones back in Boston, and DIA is approximately the size of Pittsburg, so I would have had to wander the airport like Kane from Kung Fu to probably fail to find a flight.

"Screw it. I'll take it."

Before I got on the plane, I called the Denver organizer guy and tore him seven separate and distinct assholes in a voicemail message for screwing up my flight. Got on the plane. Very comfy. Lots of leg room.

:grr:

Get back on the ground in Boston and get a message from the Denver guy. THE TICKET WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME. The excuse he was given by United was that I did not provide my MIDDLE NAME when I went to the booth, so they could not find my ticket.

He did not know that I HANDED THEM MY ITINERARY WITH MY FULL NAME ON IT when I showed up at the booth. They had my full name and all the data.

I am on my second phone number with these bastards. I was on hold for 45 minutes with the first guy, who finally came back and said he could not authorize such a large refund. He gave me a new number. I called it, went through the voice robot to the refunds department, got promptly hung up on, called it, went through the voice robot to the refunds department, got promptly hung up on, called it, went through the voice robot to the refunds department, got promptly hung up on...and now I have called the number and stabbed '0' and am on hold again.

Oh, I will destroy them. Yes, they will be destroyed. Oh yes. Oh yes.

I will mail you some SAM's to help


DEMMAN

I didn't grasp it all, but this caller believed that United and American are in the gunsights of BushCO, something about wanting to drive them into ruin and buy them up for pennies, with all new planes, and no fuel surcharge..

put nothing past them, is my motto

That is a Bush policy I can support with my whole heart.

We do not like being sterotyped, so lets not do it. I work for American and the majority of the workers are hard working average Joe's and Jane's getting screwed by upper management. Bushco's plans could destroy so many lives and wipe out all our retirements. My husband and I have a combined seniority of over 40 years, and if we were to be wiped out with our colleagues that puts 100's of thousands out of work and out of the economy.

My sugestion is if you don't get anyone on the phone get the address to the marketing dept, address the letter to the CEO of the Company and make sure you accuse them of fraud and add a cc to your attorney at the bottom of your letter, and hammer the little shit that was so incompetent. If possible include their name, if you don't have it, the time and obviously date of the shift and of course a copy of your iteinerary.

I work as a purser on Intl flights from NYC to LHR on a reqular basis and if the 1st Class flight attendant did not ask if everything was satifactory with your trip then they were also not doing there job. It is in my job desription to "assist my passengers as needed" including helping them attain the information needed for their problems prior to boarding. Had they been helpful you might have been met by psgr svc and the problem could have been taken care of before you left the airport.

As for others responding to this post, please do not start rumors that are not true; the airlines are targeting activist. This is not true, what is true is that the state dept and other Gov't entities are listing names in the computers that come up in the airline database. So please don't wish me out of a job, or another paycut or the loss of our retirement. I promise Mr. Pitt if you are ever on one my flights at American Airlines you will be able to say that it was the greatest flight you've ever had!

Thanks Nashyra

airline's employee. I wish all the Best for you, your husband and your company.

We all have to work to get the destroyers out of power.

It is not a stereotype. It is policy. This is United, not American.

when they screwed up our flight to L.A. I will only fly American, though now I am spoiled and will continue to try to find ways to get first class upgrades ;-)

to post it when I saw yours!! The trouble with "bushco buying up all the old United and American planes for pennies on the dollar" is that they will fire and get rid of all the unions and charge more for airfare and have a real monopoly on our air travel.

This guy from the whiterosesociety.org said to watch out for the repugs trying get rid of federal exise tax on aviator fuel.

no-fly lists.

Three summers ago, a number of friends from all over the country and I were all meeting in Denver for a long weekend. Most people flew United and we basically all arrived late and in various states of disarray. My sister, who is mildly disabled, had the worst time. They were awful to her. They made her re-book everything (this was during the work slowdown they denied was happening) and then when she asked for assistance to the terminal said, "oh? You're disabled? We can get you a seat on your original flight." The point is, they can help, but they won't.

good luck, keep being tenacious and you will get something but probably not a full refund.

Yet these asshead airlines wonder why they're going bankrupt.

Take out Air Canada too, those fucks left me, a poor student at the time stranded in a similiar situation. I had to pay an extra $400 to get on the plane which only ended up getting me halfway home, then they made me miss my connection by wasting time trying to verify my ticket, leaving me stranded in T.O. tweo days before xmas, the hotel that night cost me $150, plus about $60 in booze to get over the whole ordeal. I've never gotten an apology or money back yet. Fuckewrs

Compared to some of the horrible experiences I've had on flights (US Airways aka Agony Airways), Air Canada looks pretty good. Now if we could only get them to stop claiming that they're going bankrupt so they don't have to pay pilots like my dad the back pay-equity settlement that they're owed, we might be onto something. (See, when Air Ontario, Air Nova, Air BC, and Air Alliance merged with Air Canada, the Air Canada pilots threw a pissy-fit saying that they deserved to be paid more than the connector pilots. When a federal transportation judge disagreed, AC just went ahead and paid the connector pilots less than the AC pilots of similar seniority *anyway*.)

Next time, HEyHEY, fly standby and leave lots of time. Get someone you love (hint hint) to get her dad to check load levels on your flights before you go (cough PM), and you'll be fine.

Now if the (airline formerly known as) Air Ontario brass were running Air Canada, there'd be none of this crap. AO makes a profit! AO knows what it's doing!

Will Pitt -- Complain your way up the hierarchy. Tell them exactly what happened. Provide documentation. Write to the CEO if necessary. Be patient, firm, and tenacious, and you too may reap great rewards. (Agony gave me a lottabuncha frequent-flyer miles. Too bad I'm never flying with them again!)

What are your plans for Sunday when you are done surfing? I can't make it down to San Diego saturday, I have a gig but would love to meet you Sunday if it's at all possible.

near there at 7pm.

in Boston safe and sound though!:hi: I'm sorry that happened.
BTW, why did you keep my guy out so late while you were in Arizona?
:P

Now Will, don't take it out on your cat, ok?

"GOT YOUR FACE!!!!!"

my husband and I yesterday had a similar experience with
a phone "hang up" on hold yesterday . Seems someone went to
Kaiser with my husbands name somewhere in santa terresa Calif.
Nor me or my husband has now or ever been a Kaiser member or
been to Santa terresa ....We called yesterday because we got
a bill in the mail for 102.00 ...The wierd thing is the date
of the supposed service was my husbands birthday .

After being on hold for over 30 min. the line hung up .
We did this twice , before demanding not to be put on
hold and wanting to talk to the person in charge .

We finally got it resovled , but the whole thing was
very agravating . I wish you luck .

I do not know why companies do this hang up on hold thing .

Go to www.untied.com
It's the website for people who hate United.
You can put your story there too.
Misery loves company.
BTW, got a mailing from your dad yesterday.
Alabama Democratic Victory Fund, with a nice "Victory 2004" decal with the DU kick ass:dem:
I'll send them a few bucks.

I have played with air lines as long as I wish.

corporate America's apathy and outright contempt for its customer!

You will experience a similar feeling upon:

- calling your landline telephone company
- calling your cellphone company
- calling you long-distance company
- calling AOL
- calling your warrantied large auto chain service shop

and people wonder why the economy sucks. Can you say gridlock?

somewhere for gratis!

Register a complaint. That will get them to respond when payment is denied from the credit card company.

Otherwise be prepared to write another book while you are placed on hold. You will be surprised how fast they react when their own money is at stake.

Good Luck

prepare to wait until hell freezes over. However, they will refund your money and give you a lot of sky miles or a free ticket or something. Forgive it please if 20 people have already said the same thing.

But that little sheet of paper printed out from Orbitz has ALWAYS gotten me onto the plane. If I'm not in their computer, tough. Then put me there. That service agent I think is the root of your problem. You had what is essentially a ticket (though not sure) and he did not honor the ticket - supposedly because you weren't on the computer. Did you give him your driver's license (I always do)? He should have read your complete name off of that or off of your itinerary. Except for the fact that he could not locate you in his database, it is beyond me that he did not drop you into first class for free - with the seat empty and available he can certainly do that. YOU HAD A "TICKET"!

Let's not let this thread digress into unrestrained airline bashing (though it may be too late). Lots of hardworking dems work for them. Their owners, of course, are probably another matter.

Phone call #1 (after 45 minutes) "I'm sorry, I'm not authorized to give this refund. Call this number. It is still a live ticket, and they can help."

Phone call #2 "I'm sorry, I'm not authorized to give this refund. Call this number. It is still a live ticket, and they can help."

Phone call #3 "I'm sorry, I'm not authorized to give this refund. Call this number. It is still a live ticket, and they can help. Ask for a service director."

Phone call #4 (after conversation devolved into a shouting match) "Because you already flew this tieket, I can't help you. Call this number."

The number he gave me was the number I called in Phone call #1.

Lawyers have been contacted. This is war.

I tell you, something is in the air. I'm keeping my head down as low as possible. Someone I've recently met locally that I was getting to like quite a bit died this week too. Bad shit is everywhere right now. I'm not superstitious but I don't think I'm leaving the house until things start to change.

Oh wait, that didn't help me, now did it?

Anything I can do to help? This is the first I've heard about this, as I've been at work in donation land.

Good reminder to "keep your head as low as possible"! Until whatever it is passes, too.

I made that vow several years ago. They suck! My friend is a travel agent and claims that Russia's airline uses vodka for fuel. I would fly on that one or any other before I would fly on the NASTY, RUDE skies of United!

Sic 'em. Persevere!

My company tends to use United for all their business travel, and though I rarely have to go to Kansas (where the company is) from New England, my experiences on United have just been awful.

I will say one thing, their name does ring true. After approximately 3.5 hours in line at check in, snappy flight attendants, and pilots who seemed to be practicing air show aerobatic maneuvers between hubs, we passengers were United all right.

Get us the hell off this plane!

Almost as efficient as Aeroflot, almost as safe as Valuejet, and almost as solvent as Enron. United, the almost airline. You'll almost wish you'd walked.

that occur. It's happening more frequently because of the cutbacks in personnel, their employees are overworked, and they're not allowed to make the on-the-spot decisions that need to bemade for customer satisfaction.

Let me sugest that first, you realzx and chill out so that you can plot your next step.

Second, a letter to the CEO of the company with copies to your lawyer (as suggested below) should get you the right kind kind of response. 1. Explain clearly and logically what happened. Try not to be hostile, just factual.
2. Attach a copy of your Orbitz itinerary and your First-class ticket and any other information that would apply.
3. Explain what you want them to do.
4. Include credit card statement or information so that they can refund your credit card if that's part of what you want them to do.
5. Contact your credit card company and tell them that the first-class charge is in dispute so they don't expect you to pay it.

This is all a pain, I know, and it's not as satisfying as screaming and yelling, but the advantage is that it's focused on getting you the results you need/want.

And Will, thanks for all you do. I follow your writings in TO and your postings here and they give me a great deal of encouragement and support.

Haven't flow United since 911, now I'm skeered to since they put you through hell.

But American put me through hell once. They have no idea how much they mess with your life when they screw up travel plans.

I pretty much only fly United and their bastard child, "United Express" ... and they've treated me just fine. I fly a lot (currently in Premier Executive class) and really ... no bumps, no cancelled flights, no ticket screw ups, no lost luggage.

Matter of fact, I'm flying down to SFO on United in a week.

But as soon as I said 'Lawyer' and 'Lawsuit' to the right person, they decided to be magnanimous and give me my money back.

:grr:

Still holding for final confirmation.

Three hours and twenty four minutes later, I am getting my money back.

Bastards.

What does that work out to per minute?

Your long distance bill and $250.00/hr systems analysis.

It took me a year to get a refund from Continental, which I'd damn well walk before I'd fly Continental again.

Glad you got your money back, but I did warn June maybe not to book flights for you on United for awhile!

They screwed up a trip East in summer 2000. I missed a whole day of a family reunion that had been in the planning for two years. I'd rather rot in a Jalabad prison than fly United again.

(yes, that's http://www.untied.com) is dedicated to documenting the horrors of United and seeking justice.