United Airlines

Customer Reviews

3 star Skytrax Rating
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Seat Comfort 12345
Staff Service 12345
Value for Money 12345
Customer rating from 4843 reviews
3/10
3 star Skytrax Rating
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2/10

"there was no entertainment"

(Norway)

I purchased a ticket for my daughter from Oslo, Norway to Seattle, via London and San Francisco. Her United Airlines flight out of London was more than five hours delayed, which made her miss her flight in San Francisco. The plane from London to San Francisco was without any entertainment, on a flight that took more than ten hours. I joined her on our flight from Seattle to Oslo, via San Francisco and Frankfurt. The flight out of San Francisco was almost two hours late and they managed to arrive late in Frankfurt. We barely made our flight to Oslo, but our luggage did not. The worst part of the UA experience was the flight from San Francisco. There was no entertainment and the promised wi-fi did not work. Some of the flight attendants promised to help with the wi-fi, but never returned. Some of the flight attendants were nice, but some were also rude. In the future, I will go to the greatest lengths to avoid UA and will definitely warn others against using this airline.
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteSEA to OSL via SFO and FRA
Date FlownAugust 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
3/10

"extremely upset and disappointed"

(United States)

Our flight was supposed to be leaving Washington DC at 8.15am. Once we boarded, the captain informed us we would have to get off because they were having some problems. First the re-boarding time was 9am, then it changed to 10.30am, then to 1pm. Upset, I went to the help desk to see if they could put me on a different flight or give me any information at all. The woman I spoke with was extremely rude and no help whatsoever. Halfway through our conversation she actually walked away from me to go ask someone when she could take her lunch. She gave me a food voucher and shooed me away. Extremely upset and disappointed.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteIAD to YYZ
Date FlownAugust 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
8/10

"crew friendly and attentive"

(Austria)

Verified Review | Newark to Las Vegas with United Airlines. Check in was a bit awkward as they have self-checkin terminals even for First Class. We needed assistance as I wanted to change my FF card and this took some time as not all agents seem to know what to do. Boarding was on-time. Seats absolutely OK with fine recline and space. Plane was full in First and Coach. Due to some issues with baggage flight was boarded but delayed by nearly 1 hour. Captain updated us frequently on the procedure which was very much appreciated. Crew over all very friendly and attentive. My expectations on food were low reading all the bad reviews about United - but I was positively surprised. We got salmon and this was absolutely fine. On my next trip to US I will for sure fly United again - and invest the extra money for First as this might be the difference.
AircraftBoeing 737-900
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeFirst Class
RouteEWR to LAS
Date FlownAugust 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"added $150 unaccompanied minor fee"

(United States)

San Francisco to Newark with United Airlines. UA added a $150 unaccompanied minor fee for my nearly 16 year old daughter and almost cancelled the flight on me. If you are going to charge this ridiculous fee, let your customers know up front they have to pay it. My 15 year old who has flown all over the world and has never been charged a fee but could not fly alone on a non-stop flight to SFO. You should not add a fee on after and threaten to cancel her flight. I have a half a million United miles on my accounts and have been loyal for years but after today I have to say I will never fly United if I have a choice and will happily spread the word about this terrible customer service.
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteSFO to EWR
Date FlownAugust 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"of course my bag was lost"

(Canada)

I had a horrible experience with United Airlines and will not be flying with them again. The staff were rude at all encounters. Firstly, I was told the cabin was too full for my carry-on bag so I had to give it to a crew member to put it with the checked baggage. My connecting flight from Newark to Halifax was cancelled until the next day due to the weather. We stood in a line for an hour and half to talk to an incredibly rude staff member, who told us they would do nothing to help accommodate us for the night of expenses. They refused to return my checked luggage to me which I needed, and assured me it would be on my flight the next day. When we were on the flight the next day going to Halifax, we paid the fee to rent a movie, as United Airlines does not provide free movies like other airlines. We then found out that even if you pay you cannot start at the beginning of the movie, you start wherever the movie is at, as they run on a repeating cycle. Therefore we accidentally watched the last 5 minutes of the movie we paid to see. Also want to mention that of the four planes taken on this trip only one had a TV which was not free. Two of these flights were two hours long and two were five hours long. United Airlines also advertises free wifi on the plane, which doesn't work. Upon arriving to Halifax, of course my bag was lost.
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteAUA to YHZ via EWR
Date FlownAugust 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
7/10

"good crew made all the difference"

(United States)

Miami to Newark. Very full flight but the crew working this flight was exceptional in that they were proactive with helping with hand carry stowage, smiling and genuinely friendly as far as I could see for the duration of the flight. Standard beverage service with the tiny bag of snacks and a water run prior to landing. Economy cabin with the sky interior, the new leather slimline seats, power outlets and free Wifi entertainment. Seats looked smart but begin to feel hard after 2 hours. I think it'd be a pain going trans con in this. Entertainment was ok with a good enough selection for a 2:20 flight duration. I accessed thru the United app on my phone. Having free entertainment is the way to go. After all the nickel and diming for everything else. A good crew here made all the difference. More snacks like on JetBlue would have made it even better.
AircraftBoeing 737-900
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteMIA to EWR
Date FlownAugust 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
8/10

"offers great value for money"

(Spain)

Verified Review | Washington to Barcelona with United. It is generally true for United that things were better in pre-Continental merger but it all ain't that bad either. I have flown the B767-400ER and B777 on several transatlantic routes this summer in both classes. I was surprised at how much more comfortable the B764 was as compared to the B777. The B777 felt packed (3-3-3 configuration in coach and awkward backward facing seats in business), while the B764 felt very spacious, clean and modern (2-3-2 in coach and 2-1-2 in business, all forward facing and not too many seats, so quieter). There were also no bothersome IFE equipment boxes under the window seats in coach. I would recommend searching routes that operate the B764 over the B777 - I really believe it is superior in terms of cabin layout and passenger comfort. BusinessFirst very comfortable flat bed seats (I am 179cm). Food quality ok, the main course was very good (beef with steamed vegetables) as well as the cheese and desert (nice detail they cut the cheese at your seat, so it feels fresh). The starter salad was very uncreative and plain bad actually, and no olive oil option as a dressing. But OK, it's an US airline so just don't expect any proper food to come out of that. Food in coach was also good with 3 separate serving rounds for appetiser, meal and desert+coffee. Great idea to hand out water bottles before the sleeping phase of the flight. Next time I will opt for the express dining option in business, as the full dining service takes so much time that you have little left for sleeping. Some people argue the seat configuration in business should be 1-2-1 rather than 2-1-2, but I disagree, while 1-2-1 is perfect for solo business travelers as everyone has isle access, I feel that when traveling with my partner (or any other person) I want to sit together by the window, so 2-1-2 does make sense to me. The business experience in United may not be up to the standards of European and Asian carriers, but (at least on my flights) you also pay less, so I think it offers great value for money. Would fly in United BusinessFirst again, but preferably on the B764.
AircraftBoeing 767-400ER
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteIAD to BCN
Date FlownAugust 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes
1/10

"sick and fed up with United Airlines"

(Singapore)

Verified Review | I am sick and fed up with United Airlines. I have taken an internal flight from Portland to San Francisco and to Singapore. I have clearly indicated that my mileage are to be credited to Kris Flyer account and it is printed on my boarding pass. However, when I checked my mileage, United made a mistake and credited the miles to my United account instead. When I reach out to their customer service, all they can do is to say that they cannot do anything at all. This level of service is totally unacceptable.
AircraftBoeing 777
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteSFO to SIN
Date FlownAugust 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Ground Service 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
1/10

"tired, disappointed and supremely angry"

(United States)

Cleveland to Birmingham via Newark with United Airlines. Since the merger with Continental I have never seen a company go so far downhill in its customer service. Having flown for a number of years on this route I can actually compare. I am shocked, disappointed and extremely angry by the customer service provided on the ground. Flights delayed (no shock there, we were at Newark) but the inability for ground staff to give any information. Then we come to the actual flight. When I see these advertisements on T.V I am beyond frustrated. We pay a huge chunk of money to fly transatlantic and get put on planes that are old. No space. and we then pay this huge amount of money to feel like sardines in a can. We are lucky to be treated like people, spoken to like idiots, and then have to watch a fantastic safety video (on a screen that probably doesn't work), which also cost millions to make. We are then told that all these changes make our flying lives more comfortable. Tired, disappointed and supremely angry. Unless I have no choice, I never want to fly United again.
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Seat TypeEconomy Class
RouteCLE to BHX via EWR
Date FlownJuly 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
no
2/10

"businessfirst cabin is cramped"

(United States)

Verified Review | Washington to Amsterdam. This was one of my leisure travels where I was traveling with family and a younger sibling. BusinessFirst" does consist of nice lie flat beds, you can lie flat and sleep for the most part; as well as the meals being consistently nice. This is something that I can say that United has done well over the past few years. As for the negatives. The businessfirst cabin is cramped. Cram as many people together as close together to the point you can't but help to stare at your neighbors. Economy plus has a little bit more legroom but hardly worth the extra money if you have to pay for it. This older 767 has dated IFE, screens that are 4 inches wide and may you be lucky if they work. Seats in Econ+ are old, and often broken and hindered in legroom by the IFE boxes. That being said there is extreme value in the price of a UA ticket. The tickets are often $200 cheaper than competing airlines. Furthermore the cabins are grungy, dirty and not clean. You notice a felling of stale air and dirt the second you come into the cabin. I flew with my sibling who is a minor, very much a minor as he is still in elementary school. He was booked in United Economy on an award ticket, I in United Businessfirst paid. I asked the United Agents at checkin if he could sit with me in the business cabin as there where plenty of seats in the cabin still available. I was declined because of the "scarcity" of meals and asked once again when boarded if he could take an empty seat. The purser was kind enough to ask and with some humiliation, when I pressed him for an answer, he answered that there were not enough seats. As for experience onboard with the staff, it can vary 50/50. Staff are usually quite friendly in the business cabin; but this can also be a polar opposite with glaring stares, cold shoulder treatment and curt responses. Delays on United are not a surprise, they are the rule. I have missed countless engagements, meetings etc because of United's inability to stick to schedule. Again this flight was no different. We boarded, and were advised there was a faulty fresh water valve failure. We were on board for 1 hour before the pursers and FAs advised us to deplane and wait outside whilst they resolved the issue or found a resolution. I went to sit in the Global First Lounge - every other lounge that I've been to is nicer - to await the resolution. Another 3 hours progresses before we are able to board another plane (aircraft swap) to continue on our way to Amsterdam. Albeit this isn't the most disappointing trip I've made with United, the narrative does become a golden rule to flying with United. Hope this helps others make informed choice.
AircraftBoeing 767-300
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Seat TypeBusiness Class
RouteIAD to AMS
Date FlownJuly 2016
Seat Comfort 12345
Cabin Staff Service 12345
Food & Beverages 12345
Inflight Entertainment 12345
Ground Service 12345
Wifi & Connectivity 12345
Value For Money 12345
yes