United Airlines

United Airlines from Albany with a connecting flight in Newark to Montego Bay in Jamaica. We got to the airport early, boarded our plane on time (United Express Plane), first flight of the morning, and had to deplane due to a hydraulic pump failure. So all 11 of us went back into the airport and we're told it was a quick fix. About a half hour later we got back on the same plane, took off and we were in the air for 10 minutes, and then told we had to go back to Albany due to the same pump failing again. Why was this not tested in the morning before the first flight goes out? Why would we get back on the same plane with mechanical issues? So after getting off the plane for a second time we went back to speak with the gate staff who were less than helpful. None of them knew what was going on, no updates were provide and none of them spoke English clearly. We ended up mapping our own way from Albany to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Miami, spending the night in Miami, and getting to Jamaica the next day by noon. All of these inconveniences will be paid for by United, and they even sent us each $50 vouchers, which we will not be using because we plan to never fly with United again. The story doesn't end here, our flight from Jamaica to Newark boarded late, no big deal we got there. As soon as we landed we were notified that our final flight from Newark to Albany had been delayed over 2 hours with no explanation. So, we sat in the airport for another 5 hours, not receiving updates as the gate staff still did not speak English, and were sarcastic and rude, as if our questions were stupid. Finally we boarded the express plane (that smelled like it had never been cleaned before) at 10:30, just making it out of Newark for the night and landed in Albany a little before midnight. We lost a day and a half of our vacation, spent hundreds of extra unplanned dollars and even considered just going home all because of United Airlines. We will not be using our vouchers they gave us because we will not be flying with them ever again. We will be flying with Southwest from now on like we used to. We tried United due to the travel agent and the package selected by our family members. United was an absolutely horrific experience. Their planes are old and they have an incredibly unfriendly staff.

✅ Verified Review | Honolulu to San Francisco with United Airlines. Flight attendants rude - had multiple flight attendants bump into me with carts with no apologies. Offered 1 complimentary soda, with optional water now and then. Seat tv controls were located on top of the armrest which provided no room for my arms to rest without adjusting multiple aspects of tv. That was only if the any type of entertainment was offered for the 6 hour flight. Had to use my ipad for entertainment. On the way back they would not offer internet due to unavailable for transocean flight, (even though it was on the previous flight to Hawaii) which price for both flights were identical. United offer a direct tv option only with excessive credit card charges. It should also be mentioned that they even showed pricing for flights that were over 2 hours were charged more per movie. Boarding agent almost would not to let me take my normal sized carry on, due to space limitations. When all I had was on small bag that fit in all there metal measuring racks. After telling her I was not checking my bag got on the plane and there was so much space in the overheads that some remained open after passengers were all seated. I cannot believe how far standards have dropped for airlines.

✅ Verified Review | Flew from Washington to Manchester via Newark. Much improved service since I last flew United Airlines internationally. Clean aircraft, good IFE, good service. The only down-side was the short, DCA-EWR trip. The incoming aircraft was 20 mins late, but then, ground staff did not appear to do anything to help speed things up. We then had to put cabin baggage in the hold, adding time to an already tight connection. We only just made the connection.

✅ Verified Review | Orlando to Venice via Newark. We sat on the tarmac in Orlando for 2 hours with very little air conditioning. The delay was because of lightning and I do understand that but we were given a plastic cup of tepid water during those 2 hours. When we spoke to the flight attend to let her know we had a connecting flight in Newark to Venice (there were others on the flight who also had connecting flights overseas). When we told her she assured us that because it was another United Flight they would call ahead and let them know we would be delayed and to hold the flight. She also told us we would be arriving at the same terminal as our departure terminal C. She assured us she would allow the passengers with connecting overseas flights to disembark first. None of this happened! The fight arrived at 6:35, we arrived at terminal B, she did not get us off the flight first, and no one had called ahead to hold the flight. I have heart problems and my husband And I ran through the airport where I started to feel like I was going to have a heart attack. We managed to wave down a cart and he took us the rest of the way. We got to the terminal where our flight was leaving from at 6:45 the lady at the desk said run down and get on the flight - only to find the door had been closed. The flight departure time was 6:55! I was so worn out by this time we walked back to the front desk and she said she would call operations - they got permission to open the door and let us on. When we went to find our seats there were people sitting in them so we stood trying to see what to do. Eventually I said to a flight attendant who was ignoring the situation do you think you can help us. She came and walked us round and round to try to find seats for us. I spotted two seats across the aisle from each other and said we will take those seats. I would also like to remind you that we booked this flight and our seats in May 2016. Not very happy with the experience and have written to United Airlines head office with no response at all. I guess they are thinking we will go away. That will not happen I will put this on social media I can find until I get a response.

✅ Verified Review | Newark to Savannah with United Airlines. This flight followed on from a transatlantic flight with the same airline. After I arrived in the USA I had to collect a boarding pass and was rudely dealt with by the first United staff member I spoke to. The second was better with a sense of professionalism and courtesy too. I found the gate staff to be friendly and efficient and was warmly welcomed aboard the flight by cabin crew. I found the small aircraft to be comfortable and enjoyed a coffee served by the cabin crew, The captain was informative and the flight arrived on time. No complaints!

✅ Verified Review | Flew San Francisco to Singapore. New aircraft, attentive and friendly crew. Food was ok. I had very good rest throughout the flight. Apparently the aircraft was manned by crew from Continental Airline (now merged with United) and they have high service standard. Two meals and a snack was given, but passengers were welcomed to go to the galley for more. Passengers were advised not to congregate at the alley, but for such a long flight, it will be good to allow passengers to walk around, mingle with the crew (provided not disturbing their duties) and also mingle among the passengers themselves, to sit still throughout 16+ hours on own seat will be kinda tough. Will recommend this flight.

✅ Verified Review | San Francisco to Oklahoma City. Horrible, garbage airline. The only reason I opted to fly United for my annual trip to San Francisco on the anniversary of my mother's death is because I had a $120 voucher from my last United flight experience being so atrocious. Flight was due to depart at 10:45 this morning; it's not 1:20, I should be landing in OKC right now. Instead, I'm still in SFO airport because of the laundry-list of things that have gone wrong with United today. Crew wasn't in the airport until after noon, with no back-up crew. Boarded at 12:20; de-boarded at 12:30 due to "maintenance issues" that were not elucidated upon. (No one could have checked the plane that was sitting on the runway for two hours during the first delay?) Issues "should" be fixed by 1:45, but at this point, I'm not exactly holding my breath. No offers of compensation/complimentary alcoholic beverages, etc. All this just compiles my last two horrible flights with United, where my luggage was lost twice and customer service just stared at me like cows chewing cud when I asked if I could be compensated for that mess. The hardest-working people for United are the outsourced staff in Pakistan and India, who were the most helpful people I have spoken to when I've had to contact United customer service. This airline is abysmal, unfriendly, and not worth your time, money, and business. Run, don't walk, to another airline.

✅ Verified Review | This was the worst airplane experience I have ever encountered. My friend and I were going to Orlando and chose United Airlines because they were most convenient. On our way down to MCO we had a connecting flight in Newark, NJ. We boarded the plane as normal in Hartford and we were on it for 2 minutes before being told to get off because there was something wrong. We departed the plane and was out for another 2 minutes before telling us to reboard. We couldn't take off right away which made us late and when we finally did we knew we weren't going to catch the next flight. They told us to just go to customer service and get a new flight. When we reach Newark, we did just that. We got another flight pretty close to the other one. We boarded like normal, and five minutes in, they tell us they have to change the brakes. They said it would be a 30 min job. After that, they said they had to change a tire. That was supposed to be another 15mins. After that, they broke a piece and we weren't going anywhere. After that, they got a new piece and we were going. 20 mins after that we were finally in the air. We didn't land in Orlando until after 2pm, when we were supposed to be there at 11am. They offered us free alcoholic drinks because of the long wait. When my friend and I ordered she rudely asked for ID like we were lying or something and then made us split a drink instead of giving us one each. 4 days go by and it was time to go home. I received a text the morning of my flight (3am) saying that my flight will be delayed. This was the 3rd flight to be delayed. I had to go to Newark before Hartford as it was my connecting flight again. When we arrived at the airport and got to our terminal we asked about the delay and what to do about our connecting flight. The man at the desk said, "I believe you will still make it, I can move your seats closer to the front to make sure you get off the plane in time." We obviously believed him. It took us a while to get in the air and when we landed we rushed off and ran to our gate. It was closed. When I asked the man at the counter about it he said "listen, I didn't work the flight." I never asked if he did. I was then told to go to customer service. When I did so, the woman said she would put us on the 9:30pm flight to Hartford since that was the one leaving next. I was supposed to be in Hartford at 4pm. I didn't want to be in the airport for another 6 hours and get home by 10pm. I mentioned renting a car because Newark was 2 hours from my home and she said that United will not pay for it because they're offering me a 9:30pm flight as compensation. She then stated, and I quote, "Well, you know what, you're here. At least you are here." I was not only taken aback by the airlines ability to have broken planes every time I was supposed to board one, or the fact that they kept making me miss my flights, but I was unbelievably astounded at the constant rudeness, unhelpfulness, and overall attitude I received the entire time.

New Orleans to Seattle via Houston with United Airlines. My flight was supposed to be total 7 hours and I've been delayed in New Orleans for 3 hours and I've been delayed in Houston for an extra hour. I've never been thru so many problems and delays with an airline before. Plus their tickets are non-transferreble unless you pay $200. Long story short I've spent half a day or more at the airports. I could have got an cheaper ticket if I didn't mind being in the airport for so long but I do. I will never fly with United again. Southwest from here on out, free checked bags and free transfer - what was I thinking flying with United Airlines?

✅ Verified Review | United Airlines (UA131) from Dublin to Newark proved to be quite an experience. Dublin airport offers pre-clearance and as such I was attracted to the flight with United Airlines. First impressions count and I am afraid that I was not at all impressed with the gate staff – some of whom were in United uniforms and boarded the flight after their gate duties. Their rudeness towards an elderly couple was disgusting and simply ignorant. Boarding was done in groups. Some passengers did not have their groups shown on their tickets and the staff had an aloof manners towards those who simply asked for the process to be explained. One staff member was particularly rude and obnoxious and seemed to enjoy being so. The flight is operated using a Boeing 757. The aircraft is rather comfortable but compact. The safety procedures were taken seriously and a video shown. During this flight I had to contend with an malfunctioning inflight entertainment system. Only a few TVs worked and the sound / volume was not controllable. The journey map did not work properly as only the distances were displayed. The couple next to me gave up on their IFE as theirs’s did not work either. My arm rest was not working correctly either. The catering was good and drinks were served regularly during the flight. I was impressed with the captain who made clear announcements and was very professional and welcoming. The Captain made a point of saying farewell to departing passengers in person. I had to collect my second boarding pass in Newark and the first uniformed United staff member I spoke to was indifferent and made no effort to even speak to me but pointed me along the concourse. The second uniformed United staff member I spoke to get my boarding pass was actually very friendly and polite and informative too. I also had positive impressions of ground staff who operated the transfer bus between terminals and could not praise them enough for being helpful. The price I paid for the ticket was not the cheapest and I think in future I shall try a rival company.