United Airlines

Minneapolis to Charlotte via Chicago O'Hare. How a 40 minute layover turned into five and a half hours. After a late arrival, a shuttle to a connecting flight 350p that left early. Not to fear, United Airlines rebooked me on a flight leaving 2 hrs later. So I thought. The new flight was delayed 5 times before I called customer sevcice to find another flight. I was then booked on a 3rd flight out of Chicago, the CSR never sent the confirmation I requested. Finally at the counter to check in for a 9pm flight arriving in Charlotte at midnight, I was greeted with an attitude, my question ignored and now I sit waiting for boarding to begin late. Terrible!

✅ Verified Review | Flew United Raleigh Durham to Chicago (UA1561) in First Class and returned in Premium Economy (UA4487). I was nervous about flying United as it does not have a great reputation but the schedule was good and it worked out. The outbound flight was fine and the First Class seats were comfortable (better than the American First Class cabins I have flown recently) but did need a bit of cleaning. Crew was fine, boarding was easy as flight was not full and we arrived early. The return flight was a very pleasant surprise. The captain greeted boarding passengers and came into the cabin to use the PA and provide flight info. He advised a strong tailwind would get us in early but we might get some chop due to it. He introduced all the crew and also explained that he was holding the flight for a passenger on an international connection since this was the last flight to RDU that evening. But even with the hold we would get to RDU early. Flight was reasonably smooth with occasional bumpiness but the captain changed altitude several times to find smoother air. Cabin staff were pleasant and the premium economy seating was fine (though it was the most expensive premium economy I have purchased on any of the 3 legacy carriers.) Apparently IFE is available for free if you download the United app but I did not bother so cannot comment on the quality of the IFE. This particular flight was very good, largely due to the captain and crew.

The Polaris disaster with United Airlines. Washington IAD to Zurich on a 767-400ER. Same seat as before, but with a bunch more stuff, including a “polar bear” teddy bear, so there’s no space to put anything. Of course, having a teddy bear didn’t guarantee that I’d have a menu (which I had to ask for) nor an amenity kit with ear plugs - which I sorely needed because the guy beside me started to snore loudly just after takeoff. Once the bell indicated that the crew could get out of their seats and start the service, I used the FA call button to ask for an amenity kit to get some ear plugs. The FA working in my section came to me and said that I should not to use the call button because it was loud and would disturb other passengers. His telling me that woke up the guy beside me. So much for not disturbing other passengers. I was amazed and annoyed. I’ve never been told in a premium cabin on any carrier not to use the call button. Why did I have to use the call button? I got on board and had no menu, no amenity kit yet somehow I had a teddy bear, pillow, two blankets and a rude flight attendant who told me to just signal him when he’s in the aisle. I did that and got an arms crossed “what would you like” rude stare. The movie selection consisted of exactly six movies. My tray table would not come out, so I had to leave my seat while the same FA who told me not to use my call button yanked on it to the point where it finally ejected from its slot, but, in the process, toppled over my drink. Now a piece of the siding underneath where the table is stowed is unhinged and flapping loosely. Who’s got a piece of tape? To top it off, my appetizer was frozen (including the salad) and the bread was cold and stale. Good luck, UA, with Polaris. So far, not impressed. Same miserable UA crew with bad attitudes (although the Cabin Service Director was polite and apologetic when I told him what his colleague had said to me about the call button). This has been a rude awakening after regularly flying Qatar Airways for the last two years. While this flight is qualifying me for 1K status for all of next year, fortunately, it is the only UA-operated segment I have on this around-the-world work trip. Good riddance, United. You blew it with this otherwise loyal customer. A dreadful experience all around.

✅ Verified Review | ROC-ORD-SFO-HNL-GUM-PVG, economy I feel United has lost its plot. It used to be the best US airline but it is clearly not anymore. I had a single ticket for 5 flights and had lots of issues. After receiving my tickets in ROC, my name did not appear on the boarding list in SFO, thus I had to wait for nearly one hour before getting a seat. There was no IFE in most of flights: although Wi-Fi was supposed to provide access to movies, it did not work in any of the flights I took. On the flight GUM-PVG the IFE was in the form of small screens at the back of the seat. Movie selection was poor. Flights were mostly late: SFO-HNL was more than 1 our late. I was upgraded to premium seats on the SFO-HNL and HNL-GUM flights. Seats are OK. Although we were supposed to receive a meal on the GUM-PVG flight, I did not receive any food. The positive aspect is the cabin crew, that has always been attentive and professional. The flight cost was OK.

✅ Verified Review | Cancun – Shannon via Newark: Booked with United as they offered the most convenient connections back to Ireland. Check in at Cancun was self check in with a bag drop. There were no queues at the United desks which made for a pleasant experience. Boarding was organised into groups which was convenient for me as I was in group 2. The flight was uneventful and on time, leg room was a little on the tight side, I used the Direct TV which had a large offering of videos and TV stations for a fee. United only serve a small snack and drink on the flight for free and pay for sandwiches and alcoholic drinks. Transit in Newark was quick for immigration but very slow for TSA, but I had plenty of time. Flight to Ireland was a better experience with good leg room, choice of movies on demand and a good quality meal which consisted of a starter and main course, followed by an Ice cream and bottle of water as a separate serving, which was a nice touch. The flight had turbulence mid way over the Atlantic, but the Captain kept us well informed and ascended throughout the flight to avoid as much of the turbulence as possible. Crew were very friendly, helpful and professional throughout the flight. Landed ahead of time in Shannon, Captain even met the passengers on the airbridge and thanked us for flying with them, a very nice touch. Overall United offer a good experience especially on the transatlantic sector and fantastic route connections in Newark.

✅ Verified Review | I was flying to Chicago for a conference. My flight was to depart from San Diego at 1.30 and arrive at 7.30 local time. Upon arrival at SD I was informed the plane was experiencing "mechanical issues" AKA "we undersold the flight and are going to merge it with another". The attendant offered online vouchers which he said would be available after the flight had departed. They weren't. I am a celiac and I did not pack food because I was having dinner in Chicago that night which, I missed. Airplane food at best is inedible but add gluten free and you're stuffed. I packed nothing because I didn't think I was going to need to. Error! The flight landed in O'Hare at 10.30pm and of course everything on a Monday was shut. By the time I got to my Hotel room and went back out to look for food it was 12.30. Upon return that week I wrote to United as speaking to a human is impossible. Anyway they were so generous in offering me a whole $50 dollars in flight vouchers. Luckily I won't be able to cash them in because I would never fly (voluntarily) United. It was the second time this year and the last for a long time I hope. The few dollars saved just didn't add up the the trauma of flying with this outfit. Never again.

✅ Verified Review | Richmond to Lansing via Chicago with United Airlines. Last year, I accidentally scheduled my flight home on Christmas eve night, instead of in the morning. I was very upset because that would have meant I would miss out on Christmas eve dinner and all our family Christmas eve traditions. I was so disappointed at my mistake, especially since I don’t get to see my family very often. I called United, expecting them to only offer to sell me another ticket or charge me a large fee because that is my experience with most airlines. But to my surprise, the woman on the phone was very friendly and helpful and offered to change my flight, with no fees, to the morning so that I could make it home for our family’s Christmas celebrations. I was so relieved! This past October I flew United to Europe and will continue to use them in the future and highly recommend them to others.

✅ Verified Review | Tokyo Narita to San Francisco in First Class in a B747-400. United's new First Class seat is very comfortable, the TV screen is large and there are plenty of storage areas. The hard product is good but not top of its class. The service was friendly and efficient, but again compared to the world's best United came up short. To summarize: United First was a pleasant, but not exceptional, experience.

✅ Verified Review | I will never fly United again and this is why. I was to depart Cleveland to Chicago on 26 November at 6:35pm. We did not leave the runway until 8:25pm for a fuel overfilling. I have never heard of such a thing! There 4 updates given and they were not timely and obviously they were not accurate. We arrived in Chicago at 8:38p. My connecting flight was to depart Chicago at 8:50pm and boarding stopped at 8:35pm. I asked several flight attendants if my gate could be called and I was told they couldn't control that. It seemed like I was the only person on this plane with that connecting flight. There were others going to Istanbul Turkey that United called ahead for them not to miss their connection. An announcement was even made that they didn't need to rush. When we landed in Chicago I had to run from gate B14 to E1. I have never run so fast, in heels, in my life. When I arrived at E1 the plane had pulled away. I was livid! I went to a customer service counter for assistance and was told there were no more flights leaving Chicago to Milwaukee that night and that I could take a bus. A bus? I didn't want to but I was ready to go home to say the least. The time then was 9:00pm. I was told the bus wasn't leaving until 10:45p and it was the last bus. Arriving Milwaukee at 12:30am. I inquired about my luggage and was given instructions on how to get it. After going to another service counter, I was able to get my luggage, 20 minutes later. The second service counter attendant told me the bus shuttle was right outside the door and to follow the red Bus Shuttle sign. She even pointed to a Coach bus going by telling me that's where I'd get on the bus. I hadn't been on a bus since I was 12 years old. She offered and gave $20 worth of food vouchers but I didn't use them. I was too distraught. I sat in the terminal waiting to go to the bus stop. At 10:15 something told me to go and find out exactly where I needed to stand. I asked an airport shuttle driver and he told me to follow him. He pointed to shuttles/buses that were across the street and about a 10 minute walk away! I had to run again, this time with luggage. As I entered the bus terminal there was no one available to ask which stop, 4, 5,6, etc, I was supposed to stand near. I asked the transit cop and he told me to stand at #4. I asked what time was the bus coming. He said the bus usually gets there at 10:30pm. My watch said 10:32p. He then said he must be running a little late. I didn't want to take any chances so I stool outside the terminal, right in front of the #4 stand, waiting for the bus. Once on the bus, the driver announced since this was the last bus of the night he had to wait an additional 10 minutes before departing. I arrived at the bus station in Milwaukee WI at 12:38am. For a travel trip that should not have been more than 50 minutes in the air, I ended up spending almost 9 hours to reach my destination. To say this is unacceptable is an understatement.

✅ Verified Review | Phoenix to Bangkok via Tokyo with United Airlines. I purchased my tickets predicated on scheduled departure, layover time and cost. After committing to my flights 5 months prior to the departure date the departure and layover times were changed 4 times. I contacted my booking agent and United Airlines and neither were sympathetic to my problem. They have you sign off on each change to ensure you don't take advantage of the accumulated delays which would warrant some compensation in the form of changing flights more to my requirements. Now for the entertainment on the flight. The video would stall every 10 minutes and you would loose 10 seconds of the movie. Overhead old style screens made it difficult to view from my window seat. United online movies would have been an option but without a power charging jack it was not an option. Food was terrible on the United leg of the flight. Soggy breaded chicken swimming in sodium laddened gravy. The ANA flights provided exceptional quality on both food and entertainment. Price was good but I question the true value. I will opt to fly on a more expensive higher quality airline next time.