United Airlines

This was my first and hopefully last time on a US airline. The short 45 minute flight from Dubai to Doha was an ordeal. Draconian security for this flight only terrible old plane unkempt rude flight staff a 2 hour delay with no apologies. Some Americans might rate United Airlines highly maybe because they are used to the generally low quality of most if not all airlines in the United States but for someone used to the superior services of Qatar Emirates Etihad etc this proved to be a really bad experience.

ORD-DCA and BWI-ORD. Overall the experience was very good. All flights departed and arrived on time and all employees were friendly. The trip was through a tour so the price or value cannot be determined. Security on Monday at O'Hare was very crowded so be sure to allot enough time. Boarding was organized and most bags were checked at the gate because the overhead bins would have been to crowded. The seats on board were very comfortable and recline was decent. The plane was an A319 that has not been reconfigured with the slimline seating. Crew was very nice and efficient and Inwas given an entire can of apple juice. We arrived at National Airport on time and the bags were very fast to come off of the carousel. The airport is very convenient to access downtown DC. Return was at BWI which is only 20 miles outside DC however traffic was a nightmare and it took almost an hour to get there. Gate agents at the airport were very friendly and efficient. Security is very smooth here and the airport is overall pleasant. Boarding was quick and the flight was operated by a 737-900ER. The seats were comfortable and no one bought the direct TV. Recline wasn't much which made sleeping difficult but I was not in economy plus. The crew on board were nice but not as good as others. The flight arrived on time and bags were quick to come out of the carousel. United seems like they are beginning to overcome merger issues now.

April 26 FLL-CLE. My friend flew with miles and I flew for $400. Not bad considering that it was booked 3 weeks in advance and during a popular travel time. Check in crew and gate agents at FLL are outstanding. So friendly and willing to help out. The check in crew were smiling and friendly and helped out with checked bag issue. The gate agent was the best I've seen. She was so helpful to the passengers in wheelchairs and kept everyone fully informed. The crew onboard were friendly and very attentive. Always asking customers if everything was ok and picked up trash frequently. Somehow the flight departed 40 minutes late due to there being only one operational runway in FLL. We didn't hear the captain inform us about it or speak once during the flight. The flight was completely full. The flight was on a A320 with the new slimline seats. The legroom was adequate for my height of 5' 10" however the seat was very hard and didn't recline very far. I purchased the wifi and for $5 was a great deal. No music or overhead screens on this plane. Connection through Cleveland was very easy and the airport was very easy to connect through. Flight from CLE to ORD was 60% full and had another great crew. They were very enthusiastic. The flight was operated by a 737-700 with very comfortable seats. Not one person on board purchased the over priced direct TV. Flight arrived on time bags quickly arrived at carousel. Overall United was decent. A bit overpriced but was on time with friendly service.

LHR-EWR and back. You do get what you pay for with this airline but they really should do something to improve on the overall quality of their planes and service. The 757s look extremely dated now - once white plastic fascias now looking grey/brown. Curtain divider between Economy and Business a tatty net curtain that doesn't cover the width of the doorway. On both flights the toilet illumination signs were flickering constantly and added to the air of shabbyness. The only long haul airline I have flown in the last 5 years where in Economy you do not get any inflight entertainment system. All you get is films on a loop. I had to wait 20mins for the loop to start again. Flew LHR-SFO last October and on the EWR-LHR route this time the same film selection was playing as in October. Particularly galling as I paid a cheaper price for a trip to Thailand on Thai Airways last year and the IFE was excellent. Staff whilst pleasant are genuinely uninterested took 10 mins to answer my call to ask them to get my bag out of the overhead locker as the passengers either side of me were asleep. You have to pay for the alcoholic beverages - $7 for a 125ml bottle of red wine is an unbelievable rip off. The seat was the most uncomfortable seat I have sat in with the exception of Ryanair where you expect an uncomfortable ride. On the plus side there is an extremely good availability of economy plus seats and the legroom really is superb in these seats but this does not make up for the overall comfort of the seat. The price to upgrade to Economy plus is the same as paying for an extra legroom seat on Virgin Atlantic and is less than half as good.

Newark to London Heathrow 4 June. Found them ok in all areas. Plane very clean drinks brought around regularly. Seat comfortable with plenty of legroom.

Horrible experience. I made the mistake of booking United for the short 40 minute trip from Doha to Dubai (United has a daily Washington DC-Doha-Dubai flight). Security at Doha airport for this particular flight was exhausting with United staff fingerprinting passengers taking off shoes etc as if we were going to the US instead of just Dubai. The plane was a tired creaky old B-777. Flight attendants whose average age was nearly 60 were grumpy and rude. Only a stale bagel was served. Definitely one of the worst flight experiences I had ever to endure.

BOS and MCI and again from BOS to YYT. Overall a below average - average airline. Gate staff and flight attendants can be surly but occasionally a helpful and attentive one can be found. I generally will not fly United unless they are significantly cheaper or have markedly better connections/flight times than everyone else.

LAX to Quebec City Canada. May 22 and 28 2014: What a nightmare full of delays and lack of updated information so I a 77 year old grandmother had to run from one end of an airport to the other to catch a plane sat in airports for many wasted precious travel hours. The movies on board were horrible choices. I hope to never need to fly United again in my life. And I have done a LOT of traveling.

May 21 Denver to Los Angeles: The A320 was having mechanical problems which delayed departure by over an hour. Meantime a violent thunderstorm/tornado warning further delayed departure until we were 2.5 hours late leaving. Needless to say our connection to Hilo HI was way gone before we arrived. We were bumped from one customer service desk to another. The line at Gate 71 never moved for an hour. Children were tired and screaming while the customer service reps mumbled useless statements waited for phone returns and after an hour declared we had no hotel or meal compensation because DIA coded the departure as late due to "weather". If the plane had been ready at departure time there would have been no delay. The rude and helpless reception at Los Angeles resulted in several of us sleeping in the airport all night missing a full day of reserved vacation time a change in destination from Hilo to Kona a change in car rental arrangements and a long drive around the island instead of 30 miles as originally planned. The scene at the customer service desk was hellish and I was prepared to see any one of the passengers leap across the counter at the inept and uncaring mumbling representatives. I will never travel on United again.

June 3 EWR-SFO Economy on a new 737-900. We departed two hours late due to a storm and flight crew distributed water and was generally helpful and good humored. These planes offer standard economy seating not as comfortable as other planes United flies. Bathrooms are extremely tiny and cramped. As opposed to a wide variety of seatback entertainment on UA's 757s from JFK to California this new 737-900 offer no entertainment options at all a major disappointment on such a long flight. These planes may be perfect for a 1-2 hour trip but not for a transcontinental journey.