United Airlines

I recently returned from a round-trip from Charlotte-Rochester NY with change of planes in Dulles on the outbound and Newark on the inbound. The trip was fine. Flight attendants on all flights were very professional. Ticketing crew in Charlotte and Rochester were nice. I used the lounge in Newark and was pleasantly surprised. Food was limited to snacks but that was to be expected (why US airlines do not have lounges with food selections akin to those of international airlines is beyond me). But two unexpected plusses were the presence of showers (which I did not use) and free alcoholic beverages (albeit of limited varieties). Still the lounge was a pleasant alternative of the hub-bub of Newark. I am a fan of propeller planes and was not disappointed. Both flights in and out of Rochester were on props. I will fly United again.

The first leg of our flight was substantially delayed so when we landed in Houston there was no time to eat. Had we known that the next leg was also going to be delayed we would have just delayed boarding and grabbed something. From Houston to Aruba the flight attendants were unfriendly and cranky. They began to offer food for purchase only to find that there was only enough food for the first 1/3 of the plane. On this long flight they only came through the cabin once for beverages. A week later found us at the United counter because one member of our group of three had mysteriously been dropped from the reservation. It took over an hour to get United to see the error. Then of course the flight from Aruba to Houston was delayed but at least we didn't have to wait on the plane this time. Flight attendants were at least cordial and offered beverage service twice. They offered food as well but we had learned our lesson and ate in Aruba! Late getting into Houston so had to run (again) to catch our next plane for our final destination. The gold has definitely worn off the United name it's just sad that they have taken Continental (which I used to love to fly) down with them.

Right now sitting at LAX on the taxi way for 40 minutes waiting for gate to open - ridiculous. This is after 5+ hour flight from Lihue HI. This is very poor management.

Hong Kong to Newark in Business Class. Good flight attendant and a very comfortable bed. Unfortunately the Fasten Seatbelt Sign came on at least 8 times during the 14 hour flight and many times for the smallest turbulence which most passengers ignored. However a very loud recorded message came on every time that said "Ladies and Gentlemen the captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign please make sure your seatbelt is securely fastened". Because of this announcement I could never sleep more than 90 minutes at a time.

Flew SFO LAX and ICN - SFO in Business as part of a RTW ticket. I continue to see improvement at United. On the short hop to LAX I was in F and the drinks were served in glass as opposed to my last experience when they were in plastic. The FA was friendly and very present. On the transpacific leg I was on the Upper Deck. I continue to really like the UA Business Class seat. It has more positions and the space is well designed. The dinner was quite good - Cioppino - and nicely served. Most US crews lack the energy and enthusiasm that one finds on foreign carriers but the service was friendly and attentive. I have no complaints.

Paid over $6000 for business class ticket to Honolulu. This is an 8.5 hour flight. Seat was smaller than any other business class seat I've experienced - no recline and very uncomfortable. Meals were worse than usual airline food a sad dish of penne pasta and tomato sauce. Second meal was a burrito wrap! Entertainment was pathetic. No monitor only WiFi which did not offer any new releases and service was sketchy lost connection several times. Staff was average competent but certainly not $6000+ of friendly skies. Will avoid flying this airline if at all possible. So not looking forward to the return trip. Would change plans but united charges $200.00 for any changes.

We flew from SYD to LAX in United Airlines Business Class B777 service in December 2014. We were quite pleased with the overall experience. The seats proved to be comfortable in the sitting position. They were a bit too narrow though for comfortable sleeping even for a 5'2" woman. In comparison my wife stated that her recent Business class long-haul flights on Qantas and Emirates had much better seats for sleeping primarily due to the greater width. She found it very difficult to get to sleep on the United seat although she noted that the United seats were more comfortable in the seated position. The length was felt to be adequate. Storage space was minimal but adequate for our needs. TV screens were very generously sized and of good quality. Food service was excellent in quality as well as the attentiveness of service and friendliness of the staff throughout the flight - deemed to be slightly better than both Qantas and Emirates in that respect. Overall a good experience so perhaps United is making effort (apparently successfully) to improve its quality of service in recent months.

I flew BFS-EWR on November 3rd and returned December 3rd 2014. United is one of the worst airlines that I've ever travelled with. IFE was broken on both flights the cabin crew were indifferent and some were down right nasty the food was horrible. I will never fly United again.

Flew to Cancun in early December from NYC. To return to NYC we arrived at the airport in Cancun more than 2 hours before flight to find the United service desks in complete chaos. The line to check in stretched the entire length of the airport. No one was sure if they were on the right line as the signage was very confusing. No other airline had such problems. Very stressful and unpleasant. Will not fly United to Cancun again.

I have been thinking of switching my loyalty from US Airways where I am a Million Miler. I am a mere silver on United but decided to add some miles on a round-trip from JFK to LAX with a return through IAH to get a rare domestic ride on a flat BX seat in the internationally-configured 787. Completed the outbound yesterday in a 1 year old 737-900 with 20 "first class" seats. When the FA's started taking meal orders. The FA first goes to a young lady in the seat in front of me and informs her of the two menu choices. He then moves back to my row (4) and asks the woman next to me which she wants. He then looks at me and says he will be back. Then he works the other side of the aisle. He appears to be randomly moving between seats. Finally he gets to me and there is only one choice and he explained they have been instructed to service the FC cabin in order of United priority. In other word the 16 nonrevenue upgrades get their choice compared to the schmuck without a lot of status who used real money (and not a small amount).