United Airlines

I have been flying UAL for nearly 30 years now but I increasingly find them to be worse and worse. I have written to them twice now to protest their terrible baggage policies that encourage people to game the system and bring large heavy luggage to the gate so that they can get it on for free rather than paying for checking. This means long delays and dangerous conditions on board as people try to lift bags that are too heavy for them over the heads of other passengers putting them in danger. Indeed this last flight I took a direct hit on my head from a passenger's backpack that was too heavy for her. No attendant came to see if I was safe and uninjured. Attendants told me they could not announce that passengers should be careful of other passengers when loading luggage because it would be a "deviation from the script" and get them in trouble. This is no longer an airline that I can say puts the client first.

My family and I flew United from Austin TX to Portland ME on June 30th. Or at least we tried to fly into Portland. We boarded our flight in Austin and arrived to Chicago with no problems. In Chicago we boarded our connecting flight but were told we were going to have to sit on the runway for a while because of the thunderstorms going on. About 30 minutes later we had to deplane for our safety. When we got off the plane we discovered numerous flights had been canceled due to weather. About 15 minutes later they got us back on the plane and told us we just had to fuel up and that they were going to get us to Portland that night. So then we waited out the weather for 6 hours and finally it was clear enough to take off at midnight. However one of the flight attendants timed out right when we were about to push back from the gate at midnight so they canceled it and told us to go wait in the customer service line to rebook. The line stretched over 10 gates and wasn't really helping any customers. Called customer service instead and was told there were no flights from Chicago to Portland until 3 days later and the best they could do for us was fly us to Hartford Connecticut - a 4 hour drive from Portland. Told our luggage would be sent to our destination Portland and would be waiting for us once we drove there. When we finally arrived in Portland at 6pm 24 hours after we were supposed to 3/4 bags hadn't even arrived. They have lost my family as customers.

In the last month I and my family have flown United four times. Three of the four flights were unmitigated disasters causing terrible disruptions in our plans and incredible inconvenience. To make matters worse it seems as if United is totally focused on the passenger bearing all the downside to their poor execution. We got off a cancelled flight in Chicago ay 12.30 am and were greeted with nothing more than a toll free number to call for help. Not only the most pathetic customer service I've seen for an airline but the worst service I can recall for any business I've been associated with. I will fly United from now on only as a last resort.

Flew UA1453 on June 29 2014 from Dulles to Seattle. Worst experience ever. Took 90 minutes to check bags. Flight left 3 hours late. Had to board twice. They had to reassign seats for four different families with little kids because they didn't get seated together when issued tickets. Had to unload because they had a flat tyre. Apparently they don't check things like that before loading planes. Watched Laurel and Hardy change the tyres. Missed my connecting flight in Seattle (of course).

Flight from New Orleans LA to Houston Texas delayed multiple times due to weather. Frequent gate changes plus delays required interaction with agents required to arrange connecting flights. 3 times waited in line for over an hour. One agent actually yelled at us about "why didn't we all just call the reservations line?" Which of course we were all trying to do but could not get through. I ended up spending the night at the Houston airport. I asked United personnel if I could get a blanket and pillow and was told they did not have any. However the next morning on another Untied concourse there were at least a dozen people on cots - with pillows and blankets! I also was unable to get anything to eat or drink as all of the businesses in the airport seemed to close at 10pm and we arrived at ~ 10.03. I am diabetic and have MS (had not eaten since 9am) and was unable to get any United personnel to help me out with this matter. I remain appalled at the lack of customer service and professionalism of United's staff.

June 25 2014 - flight delayed in Norfolk Virginia due to high winds at our destination. Not enough personnel to assist travelers at the counter. Computers were not operable. Attendant repeatedly assured us we were next in line but continued to help other people. After a 45 min wait another attendant arrived and made every effort to help but it was too late. Spent night at airport since local hotels were booked. Passengers were given a blanket and told to look for a place to sleep. Airport was extremely cold and loud music played all night. Witnessed the treatment from a United Supervisor towards a passenger at the Customer service counter - rude! Prior to this ordeal we attempted to change flight one day earlier but refused to pay the $200 - $300 per ticket. This was our second experience with United and were told that since they were purchased/merged with Continental the customer service has declined. Will try to avoid flying with them until this is corrected.

The trip from Little Rock to Moline was fairly uneventful except for a delay due to weather in Chicago. That is understandable. However the return trip from Moline to Little Rock was a complete disaster! Our flight from Moline to Chicago was delayed for crew time-out. Really? Our flight had been scheduled for over 2 months. Surely that is enough time to prepare for an available crew. Naturally even though we ran as fast as we could not easy for 60+ year old people we missed our connecting flight. Then we spent another 2 hours waiting in line to find another airline. Not allowed to mention lost luggage. Horrible experience.

I flew San Francisco to Hong Kong and the old 747-400 didn't even have a good entertainment system. The audio outlets on the seats did not work the food was horrible! Alcoholic drinks are not free. On top of the $2000 USD fare that I am paying to fly economy I still have to pay $6 dollars for a beer. On top of that since I was coming from Bogota via Houston then to San Francisco when I arrived into Hong Kong my bag was not there! On my way back from Hong Kong to Newark and then to Bogota I happened to have the last row and the seats do not recline. On top of that I get to Bogota and my luggage was not there again.

June 27th 2014 - I usually avoid United because I have very rarely had a flight that wasn't delayed or cancelled outright with little to no notice. Today was no exception with a delay causing over a 90 minute delay. Nearly 25% of the other passengers on this flight were unable to get to connecting flights with this delay and were summarily told to pound salt when asked what United could/would do for them. Myself being only minorly inconvenienced could only hang my head in sympathy for passengers who would inevitably be left in Chicago O'Hare (also with it's share of issues) but when other passengers began comparing experiences on United they all agreed that this was relatively common regardless of destination. I cannot recommend United to anyone and suggest they actively avoid using this airline unless they absolutely don't need to get to their destination on time. Avoid using United Airlines unless you don't care about being on time or even arriving the same scheduled day. The fares are a poor bait and switch tactic and I would be surprised if the FAA does not step in soon.

A very old 737-700 was used on this 5-hour flight from Washington D.C. To Vancouver. The first class seat although spacious is very drab. The whole cabin has a very utilitarian design with nothing that says flying with United is an exciting experience. I have to say though that elements of the experience have improved over the last few years. A cloth hot towel has been re-introduced and even though they ran our of food items in the first class cabin the breakfast selection was good. Besides a scrambled eggs option they had a healthy oat bran choice as well that I really enjoyed. Moreover they also came by during the flight with a fruit basket. Great to see healthy food options being provided. Reminder: don't sit in the last row of the cabin like I did as the seat doesn't fully recline back.