We had a wonderful weekend in CO but a disastrous time trying to get home. In the very beginning the problem was due to the weather, but that soon turned to mechanical, crew and general customer service issues. It took us 34 hours to get home which included spending a night on an airport bench because the airlines offered hotel & shuttle vouchers but there were no shuttles (or cabs, or UBERs or rental cars) to be had since we were in a tiny airport. We were told the airport usually closes at 10pm and had never had anyone spend the night before. It was clear nobody knew what to do with us - they turned off the heat, left the lights on and left the automatic recording (please watch your bags, some bags look alike…) on all night.
In the end we got on a different airline’s flight just so we could at least get home on day 2. This was paid for out of pocket because by the time the original airline let us off of the broken (for the second time) plane we one had 5 minutes to buy the new ticket which was not enough time for them to figure out how have the first airline pay. So glad we did that because our original flight was cancelled again and we would not have gotten home until day 3 if we had waited it out.
I’m guessing the best way is to call someone in customer service, but do you have any tips on who to contact or what to say? My friend had the same problem at a different airport in CO last year and the same airline offered him over $1000 even though the flight was less and he didn’t have to stay overnight in the airport. This time they offered us $300 credit - not even half the cost of our ticket!
Wow! Awful! I would want cash, not a voucher for all you endured. I guess I’d start with calling and then escalate, sticking with facts.
I have sent online e-letters to United Customer Service about problems we’ve experienced (much milder than yours) and generally gotten a voucher for $100-$300 per person for our issues.
It was United - I initially didn’t want to use them but my friends had used them recently and said everything was fine.
Here is the long version of the story.
It started out with weather problems - lots of other airlines (Delta, American) also had flights that day but they canceled right away so people had time to get back to town and to a hotel. Our plane was on its way and we were bale to track it as it circled above our airport (Hayden, CO) until it finally turned around and had to head back to Denver to refuel. Not sure why it couldn’t land - maybe too many other planes on the runway? United told us to wait as this plane would be coming back to get us. It finally made it to Hayden around 11pm. The other passengers got off, they told us to get ready to board while the crew cleaned the plane. About 1/2 hour later the pilot came out to the terminal and said the plane now had a mechanical problem that nobody could look at tonight and also the flight crew had timed out so they couldn’t fly again anyway. (wouldn’t they have known that long before they got to us?)
In this particular airport you are about 1/2 an hour to town - Steamboat Springs. There are about 5 Ubers in town, very few rental cars at the airport and two shuttle companies that stop working in the early evening. By the time the told us we were stuck until at least 11am the next morning there was no transportation out of the airport. United said they would give us hotel and shuttle vouchers and that they would set up the shuttles. They ended up getting 1 or 2 shuttles to come but only for the people they booked at the Holiday Inn. There were probably about 30 of us left hanging when they just said, sorry - no more shuttles are coming! They gave us blankets and said good night. The 30 of us just all found spots around the tiny airport and set up a very uncomfortable camp around 1:30-2am.
Besides the no heat, light on and recording going all night they also came and woke us up at 530am and told us we had to go back out front and go through security again. By then our flight had been delayed until 11:30am and we all just sat around like zombies waiting. Got on the plane at 11:30 and quickly noticed that the app had changed the departure time to 12:30. Asked what was going on and once again it was a maintenance problem - a new one from the night before. They had to wait at least 1/2 hour for the mechanic to get there and then would;t know how long it would take. As we sat there I found the second flight on American (just missed a Delta flight by about 10 minutes.) We waited for the mechanic to get there to see if this was a quick fix or not but finally I went up and asked if I cold go inside and book the other tickets couldn’t do online or in phone because it was too close to departure time.) They wouldn’t let me off but were very nice and apologetic and said we probably wold be let off soon. I wanted right by th front door until they finally let us off and sprinted to the American counter (which coincidentally was where I had slept the night before :)) ) The American people couldn’t have been nicer. The girl at the counter did;t think she could sell the ticket because they were boarding in 5 minutes, I told her what we had gone through and she called her supervisor who got everything done. We flew through Dallas and both flights were easy and on time.
Got home to FL and went to United baggage service to find out how we should put a claim in for our luggage (which was stuck on original plane) and once again this lady was so rude to us. Told us we had to call mercian because it was their problem even though we never checked bags with them? We called both American and United on the drive home and United finally got us to the right person who was able to tell us how to get our bags today.
Checked my email and United offered me $300 voucher. That is not even half the ticket price not even counting my checked bag fees, seat upgrades I pre paid for, hotel and shutter vouchers they gave us but were useless, food we had to buy since they never offered anything, extra day of parking in FL, price for the American ticket we had to buy…
I find a letter is always better than a phone call. Itemize and total up your bill and tell them you want to be reimbursed. I always use a credit card that has reimbursements fro lost luggage or flight delays.
Yes, put it all in writing. Diary form for what happened, plus an itemized and detailed list of expenses.
You can call United and add whatever you hear from them to the email or letter you are sending. United outsources their call center but they have US operators after a weather disaster here. D found that out after the snow and wind last weekend.
They are not responsible for much when it is weather, but it turned into a recurring mechanical problem and that is a different story. Plus, ditching 30+ people in a small and unheated airport! That is just crazy. Definitely go on twitter. Maybe their twitter person will give you a good number to call.
Don’t focus on the weather-they will use that as their kick out as they specifically claim no liability for weather events in their conditions of carriage. The chances are it also became a staffing issue because crew are limited in how long of a shift they may work so while the original issue was weather, it may have become that they did not find crew quickly enough. Communicate in writing to have a conversation trail. If your first reach out does not go far, take it to the top executive. Send them a note on Twitter that you are in need of assistance.
I can’t imagine there should be a problem getting your ticket refunded. They didn’t provide you the service, at bare minimum they owe you a refund for the ticket.
It’s weather related so you’ll have some resistance. At a minimum your original ticket should be good – you’ll get a voucher for that. Then work the other stuff. You’ll get some vouchers. If you get actual money I think you did good.
At the beginning the delay was weather related but after that it was mechanical and crew problems.
I just wrote a letter and am waiting for DH to check it over. I tried to be very concise and after a brief description of the situation I listed each problem with bullet points. I did list the amount of each thing I feel I should be compensated for but didn’t have a number for food and general time wasted.
Also sent an email to American Airlines to say thank you to the gate agents who helped us get out tickets with minutes to spare.
I had an issue with another airline (no where near as bad as yours), and was directed by the ticket agent to discuss the matter with another assistant standing nearby. Maybe she was simply diverting me, but interestingly the second agent shared that the local staff were equally upset about a similar issue as mine. He suggested the best way to get the airline’s attention was to post on social media (twitter, Facebook, etc.). I don’t use social media (unless CC counts), so no direct experience.
The last time I flew on United, there were mechanical problems on three out of four legs of a round trip ticket through major airports. Poor communication, outright misinformation, and delays ensued. The crews were pleasant (not their fault) but nothing in the way of an apology or minor gestures (free internet on plane would have been nice). It did not inspire trust in the company overall.
I also recommend writing instead of calling. The last time I had an issue with a flight that they cancelled and rebooked I spent nearly an hour and a half with a representative whose command of English was poor and who wanted me to pay a change fee for a change that the airline itself had initiated. Don’t waste your time.
We had a somewhat similar situation with an international Delta flight and my husband was able to get compensation and reimbursement for expenses by emailing Delta management. I agree with the suggestion of using elliot.org. They list airline contacts and give suggestions on how to request compensation. Good luck.