United Airlines

✅ Verified Review | Washington to Zurich in Premium Economy, Seat 28B, an exit row. I am not sure the extra price of more than USD219 is really justified. Okay, you have plenty of legroom but you should be aware that the proximity of the Economy cabin lavatories means that you will have people tumbling over your legs the whole night. Apart from that the seat is lacking any cushioning (maybe because it is so worn after 16 years of service) so it becomes a pain after a while. And then you need to accept that all that premium eco thing does not buy you any better food service that is - compared with other airlines - simply really poor. Not that it tastes bad but the amount of food you receive is simply poor. Imagine getting a croissant in the morning coming along with a micro-sized jam pack but no butter. Imagine asking for a glass of wine >and< a glass or water and you will only have the choice between one of the two. All in all pretty disappointing, will try to avoid them next time.

❎ Unverified | Denver to Spokane. This was one of the most miserable flights I've ever had. We selected a seat in the middle of the plane yet when we arrived they saw fit to place us on the last row. I'm 5'9", my daughter is 5'11", and my fiancé is 6'1". We all had to turn sideways to fit. I could not reach my bag under the seat where I brought a magazine to read. Could not lower the tray table because it was too close. It was miserable!

✅ Verified Review | Flew UA business class Boston to Beijing in September 2016. Outbound was via Chicago, with a short [<2hrs] connection via Chicago scheduled on return. Given that my return time to Boston had become critical, staff at ORD suggested paying fee [$450] to return via San Francisco the day prior, which I then did. Beijing to San Francisco leg was delayed departing, and arrived at SFO gate with 50 mins before scheduled SFO-BOS leg. I made it to gate but was informed that my itinerary [in First] had been switched, to a coach seat 4hrs later. At this point, UA were still offering first class seats for sale [including mine] on both the original SFO-BOS leg and also the later SFO-BOS flight.  This generated some amusement from the UA baggage handlers and gate staff which was at best disrespectful. After 30 days back and forth they refunded the class difference sum [$220 from a total of >$3400] but refused to refund change fees or offer explanation regarding selling on available seats [including mine] or offering a First class seat option [which I had paid for]. As a result, this was my last ever UA flight. I have flown BOS-PEK and BOS-LHR eight times since this incident with other carriers and have been rewarded with premium level service in the air and on the ground. It would seem that corporate greed trumps customer service even on business/first at UA so this makes it a non-starter for corporate travel where relationships and dependability matter the utmost.

✅ Verified Review | On my return flight from Charleston to Newark United told me that even though I purchased a ticket three months ago, they overbooked the flight and if no one agrees to book off I would be bumped off of my flight. That's what happened so instead of having a direct flight home arriving at 6pm I now had to make a connection in DC and get in at 11:30pm. If buying a ticket doesn't assure you of a seat, how can you ever be sure getting to your destination in a timely fashion?? Will avoid United whenever possible.

✅ Verified Review | This is a horrible experience. My mother-in-law travel with United from Denver to Shanghai via San Francisco. The flight was supposed to depart at 10:50AM. However, it delayed to 2PM due to mechanic issues. What is more annoying is that they postpone the flight by every half hour, meaning that they said it would delayed to 11:xx. When it was getting closer to the delayed time, they delay again to 12:xx. Again, when it was almost 12:xx, they delay it to 1:xx. Several times! The most annoying thing is that they didn't even know when it could fly, and they came to ask your decision, if you wanted to fly today, or tomorrow! OK, if it was myself, I could handle it. But the traveller was a 72-year-old, non-English speaker. Because of this delay, she missed her second flight from SFO to Shanghai. She definitely needed assistance in SFO, either logde into an hotel or some place for rest. When I call United's customer service (headquarter), they couldn't connect me to their branch in SFO. My mother-in-law had to find the United counter by herself. When I asked what to do with her checked-in luggages. They said my mother-in-law needed to picked it up from carousel and re-check it! Isn't it you messed up the trip. In the past 2 years, UA has delayed my flight for at least 3 out of 5 times for mechanic issues. My advice is: stay away from UA and save your time.

✅ Verified Review | Every time I fly United I am delayed. Better yet, my final destination to Dayton, Ohio was delayed hours and coincidentally a direct flight to Cleveland was boarding right next to my delayed flight. In order to make my meeting on time, flying to Cleveland would have enabled me to make that happen. United wouldn't allow me to change my flight unless I paid $300, even though the flight to Cleveland wasn't full. Absolutely ridiculous. When Southwest has delays they take care of their customers with no penalty. United is horrible.

✅ Verified Review | Columbus to Washington. Boarded the plane at 6:00 am, supposed to depart at 6:20, they had us sitting until 7:00 then told us to leave the plane for mechanical problem. No instructions were provided of what to do next, they didn't get another plane so passengers were scrambling to find an alternative on their own. Staff was rude, I asked to take me to a different destination to catch my international flight, they refused, I asked for my baggage and took them an hour to get it back. I asked for a refund of what I paid for the baggage they said they do not do refunds in the airport.

❎ Unverified | Washington to Zurich. Being a night flight, I was trying to upgrade to Business Class using Miles & More miles. As Star Alliance Gold holder, I was very surprised to learn, that United gives zero priority to Star Alliance members outside of their own MileagePlus program. There was no way I could be put onto the upgrade wait list, although I had an up-gradable Economy ticket (B-Ticket). It seems United only allows their own MileagePlus holders to be put on wait list. For me this was very frustrating, as there were a couple of people who were upgraded to Business on the subjected flight. I honestly don't understand why United is even a member of Star Alliance if they don't treat all Star Alliance program holders equally. On top of that, the quality of service is mediocre and I cannot recommend United as carrier.

✅ Verified Review | I will never choose to fly United Airlines again. Just plain stupid that they would book such a small, uncomfortable plane for such a long flight (Maui to Los Angeles). Seats are ridiculously narrow with no leg room, air vents barely blew out any cool air. Oh yes, and they so generously served us a tiny packet of mixed pretzel / nuts for a 5-hour flight. This airline is cheap and not customer-service oriented. The outgoing flight was not any better. WiFi plugs did not work and no TV screens on such a long, boring flight. Flight attendants seemed put-out at the slightest request. I'm really dreading the last leg of this flight.

✅ Verified Review | Two nights in a row, March 1st/2nd United Airlines cancelled our 6:00 AM flight from Burlington to connect in Newark to an 8:40 AM flight to Santo Domingo because of "crew issues". On the second night we rented a car in Burlington and drove to Newark to make the 8:40 flight. The price of the rental and the loss of our first night's missed lodging in Santo Domingo was over $300. United reimbursed us $175 total for our two tickets on the the Burlington to Newark leg and offered 2 x $150 flight vouchers (which, after a minimum $15/ticket ticket servicing fee reduced the value to at best $135 each). The hassle, aggravation and lost vacation time were truly a disappointment. United's recompense was minimal. I've been a United mileage plus member for years. I've used my Chase Mileage Plus Visa card as my primary credit card. No longer. United, you've lost a customer.