Let me just say that United Airlines sucks the big one, and their agents are unhelpful morons and their policies on just what they do for stranded passengers is pathetic. No, I don't think that's putting it too strongly.
When the first leg of our flight was delayed by forty-five minutes, giving us twenty minutes to make a connection from a gate at the far end of the F concourse to a gate at the far end of the B concourse at O'Hare, and they did not rebook us on the flight now leaving before ours two gates away, that should have been a clue.
When they cheerfully informed us that no, they would not hold a flight for ten minutes for three travellers who would then miss their international flight, forcing United to pay for hotel rooms and food and the worst PR I can whip up, that should have been a clue too.
Naturally our delayed flight was even later than advertised, and naturally we missed our connection to San Francisco and thus our flight to Sydney.
Let me just say that we weren't the only people in the airport who missed flights and were inconvenienced, so I'm not claiming our circumstances were all that special, but I still think our treatment was shoddy, as was that of everyone to whom I spoke.
The line at the Customer Service Center was very long and extraordinarily slow.
Joanne was as helpful as her rudimentary English skills and United's crappy policy on stranded passengers would allow. Yes, I'm implying that we were not entirely satisfied.
She did at least rebook us to Australia.
The next day. On United instead of Qantas, which we'd chosen over United in the first place because United blows.
In all fairness, she did get us (middle section) emergency row seating, but it's still United instead of Qantas.
As Archie Bunker would have said, whoop-ti-do.
We received free hotel rooms (with $12.95 wireless. You try changing international travel plans at the last minute without an internet connection) and $15 meal vouchers, but $15 buys you dinner only and we're leaving at 2:34 in the afternoon and will most likely be wanting breakfast and lunch since the next meal we can otherwise expect will be a sad, late dinner outbound from Los Angeles in our (middle section) emergency row seats.
Then there's the matter of luggage and toiletries and changes of clothes.
Standing in line at the Customer Service Center (and let me say here that the notion of "Service" in this instance is only very loosely applied) we kept on hearing largely incomprehensible airport-wide announcements regarding what would not be available to travellers who had missed their flights.
Baggage clam service.
That means: no toiletries (and yes, I do require more than the hotel-provided soap, shampoo, conditioner and generally-useless lotion), no change of clothes, no change of underwear.
No clothing or toiletries or incidentals vouchers from United, naturally. Remember, we're not getting breakfast or lunch either, so it shouldn't be a surprise.
I really don't like starting my day knowing that I'm wearing yesterday's underwear and no deodorant or makeup or hair stuff. So sue me: yes, I am that vain. I've been around for long enough that I'm entitled.
So those are all annoyances, inconveniences, relatively minor costs that we'll incur. The big one?
Missing our non-refundable flights from Sydney to Cairns two hours after we were supposed to arrive.
My brother Anthony is awesome. When I woke up this morning I had an email with our new e-tickets.
On the upside?
More knitting time, which means finishing Julien's sweater,
and standing a chance of making really good progress on Charlie's shrug.
Not to mention still getting to Australia, still getting to spend two of those days with all my brothers, their wives and kids and my mom.
But it wasn't supposed to start like this.
1 comment:
Delta is just as bad. We got stranded in Salt Lake City after we missed a connection to NJ because of a late flight. They gave us a discount on a hotel room and no meal voucher. We did manage to procure our bag with our toothpaste, however. And the cat was glad we decided to carry on his litter box...
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