<p>We just had our own bad experience. We were coming back from Madrid on United (actually an Aer Lingus plane, but the gate people were all United). We were upgraded to business class, and were in line to get on the plane when the flight was cancelled. Everybody had to go get their luggage and return to the counter to rebook. The counter was woefully understaffed, and nobody announced anything. We managed to rebook on the phone for the next day (with difficulty), and were told to wait in the line for hotel vouchers. We later learned that we didn’t have to wait for vouchers, and went with a group of passengers to follow an official to a bus that took us to a hotel. No announcement was made–we just heard this from another passenger. I felt like part of the small group of escaping passengers in the Poseidon Adventure. The hotel and meals were fine.</p>
<p>The next day, no upgrade (of course). My wife, who has Premier Gold status, asked if at least we could have access to the lounge (which we had the day before). Answer: two of you, but not all four family members. Really stupid service decision.</p>
<p>We had bulkhead seats, which was nice. Before the flight left, a flight attendant came and asked if one of us would trade seats with a mother with a lap infant. Our milk of human kindness had run out, and we said no.</p>
<p>I wish we had more extensive / faster passenger railways going across the country. I’ve ridden Amtrak before and it has sooo much leg room compared to airlines (plus no baggage fees), but it’s also so much slower . . . Not feasible for vacations because all my vacation time would get used up in travel.</p>
<p>Oh, and my airline horror story was a flight getting canceled in Nowhereville, OH, with the result that I had to stay the night in the airport. Awful, awful, awful. No vouchers or any kind of compensation for this miserable experience.</p>
<p>Hunt’s story about having a flight cancelled and needing to rebook at the counter is the exact reason why I always have my airline’s service number programmed into a Contact on my phone. Over the holidays a few years ago there was snow in Las Vegas. Every flight routing through there was cancelled for the day (including mine). Within a minute of the announcement coming on I was on the phone with a Southwest representative rebooking for a flight the following day. I got the last two seats on our new connection.</p>
<p>That’s right–the people who had to go to the counter to rebook didn’t get on the same flight the next day. This is a reason to bring your status card with you–it has a phone number on the back.</p>
<p>One of my recent SW flights - just 12 days ago - was delayed for 3 hours according to the canned phone message I got that morning. So I sat down at the phone and computer and while I was on hold for 35 minutes, I changed us to a different flight that would leave just an hour after our original time but cost about $150 more for two people. I authorized the additional charge and then stayed on the phone until I got a person who, after some friendly persuasion, agreed that she would refund the difference. She said I should have done it on the phone, not online. I told her that it was absolutely imperative that I get there before my mother’s 80th birthday party and that if I had waited, the seats on the earlier flight might have been gone. I got my refund and I got to the party. My return flight was also delayed by several hours - so frustrating when it takes longer to fly than to drive. Again, at least the SW people were pleasant, helpful and reasonable.</p>
<p>I am a huge SW fan, and I fly SW when I can. D, however, finds United to be the “best” choice to fly to/from ORD/SFO weekly … not that it is a good choice, but the schedule works best for her needs (she has to be in Oakland by a certain time on Mondays & can’t leave until a certain time on Thursdays). She always has to gate-check her carry on, which really bugs here, since she sees plenty of people getting on before her who have excess carry on luggage. The flight generally leaves later than planned. Unfortunately, business travelers are at the mercy of the airlines. At least she will have status soon … not that it means a lot for United, but at least it will get her in an earlier boarding group … so she won’t have to gate check (thus saving her from picking up her bags on the carousel, as United requires for gate-checked bags).</p>
<p>Many times, United has told me that I will have to gate-check because the overhead bins are full. They were only full because people disregard the instructions and put their rollaboard bags in sideways. There was plenty of room! It was too late to get my bag back, but I learned my lesson. After the first time this happened, I have refused to let them take my bag, saying I will find room for it. This has worked 100% of the time – I just have to do the work of turning people’s darn bags around. That’s way better than trusting them with my bag.</p>
<p>^^Just make sure when you turn those darn bags around that they will fit with the compartment door closed. Sometimes the compartments are pretty small and I have to lay my suitcase in lengthwise. Then somebody turns my bag, leaving it sticking out so it can’t fit…and puts their purse up there. I always keep an eye on my bag in this situation, because before you know it, the flight attendant will pull it out and tell you to check it because it doesn’t fit!</p>
<p>Heading to Australia on business in October. Corporate travel got a great fare quote on United flight on Monday, however the fare was 60% higher today since we didn’t ticket within 24 hours. Hello Air Canada! (still get me United miles!)</p>
<p>ORD-SFO on UA is basically asking to be delayed every time (one can reasonably assume that whatever the schedule says, one will arrive 1-4 hours late). Why not MDW-OAK on WN (Southwest) instead (non-stops available)?</p>
<p>Emilybee, when I read that article, I can see all sorts of mistakes that the customers made in that situation. They may have been naive, but they really did a poor job taking care of themselves.</p>
<p>You never, ever, book yourself for the last flight that will make it to an important event. That is absolutely asking for disaster. You book yourself with plenty of time just in case. I realize they didn’t have much time (and that was inconsiderate of the person planning the funeral), but they could have gone earlier in the day. </p>
<p>They didn’t pull up their flight online and take a look at it. Look at email, look at what seats you have, what were you actually booked for. Big mistake.</p>
<p>I recently got tickets from Delta for my father in laws funeral. They gave me back 40K airmiles at the last minute to change it (they waived the rules), and gave us a low mileage cost ticket for the kids. The prices were outrageous, at the last minute, and they explained to me that the only bereavement fare break they give you, is to not charge you extra if you need to change dates. No discount.</p>
<p>That is no excuse for the agents to be rude or misleading…though yes, flight costs can change in the blink of an eye. But you need to look after your own interests when making a ticket reservation. Double check and don’t trust.</p>
<p>^ Nope, you can’t trust a single thing you’re told. Check everything! Arrive five hours before your flight … two-and-a-half simply isn’t enough. And don’t ever take the last flight out. And don’t check a bag if you need anything inside it!!!</p>
<p>Yes busdriver is correct, technically. A sorry indication how low airline service has sunk.</p>
<p>Busdriver, obviously you are not aware of the Jewish tradition of burial the day after a person dies or at the most two or three days after (depending on when during the day the person has passed away.) </p>
<p>regardless, what day they decided to leave is irrelevant and so is the fact they didn’t check their reservation online. None of that excuses what Delta did.</p>
<p>UCB, you are correct about the delays. D has a real aversion to the open seating on SWA, though, and there are no status perks. She will have status in a couple more flights, which will help in some ways (like getting through security faster). She flew SWA when she lived in Nashville, and they were delayed quite a bit. I am not sure there are any great airlines (although I have had really good luck on SWA and really like them).</p>
<p>Customer: I’m here to pick up my E300.
Salesman: I’m sorry sir, we have you picking up a Yugo.
Customer: But that’s ridiculous. I paid $43,000 for the car. I have a receipt.
Salesman: Perhaps there’s been a mix up. Let me go get my Supervisor.
Supervisor: The salesman says he offered to upgrade you to an S500, but that you turned it down.
Customer: Uh, no he didn’t. All I want is the E300 I paid for.
Supervisor: Our records show you paid for a Yugo. It’s outside. Goodbye, and thank you for your business.</p>
<p>Seems the sister needing to get to the funeral really should have gone earlier in the day. I can’t imagine taking a chance like that to get to an important event. Planning to take a red eye out and then leaving the night of the funeral seems like they were trying to avoid hotel cost? The whole thing seemed a little odd considering they seemed to have the money to stay for a week in Malibu ,which I can’t imagine is cheap. They left themselves absolutely no margin for error. Sorry, I’m sorry for their loss but something sounds a little off about the whole thing.</p>
<p>Seymon, they were in the middle of their vacation and were leaving their 3 kids in CA (they are all from NY) while they went to the funeral. It had nothing to do with being cheap or avoiding hotel expenses.</p>