With the horror of flying these day United has managed to keep me happy. There planes are generally on time, the attendants are very nice and professional. I like their plane seats, they seem to be a little larger than some other airlines. They also have good snacks. read more

The fact they preboard children ahead of first class is both ridiculous and unacceptable. United if it gets any shittier with customer service will be the equivalent of Frontier. Ever see that that SNL skit where the people are group 1 for boarding and are all excited and then there's 17 different categories before group 1? That could be United. Unacceptable. And their slogan "You deserve to talk to a real human" referring to their so-called "customer service"? How about a real human who can speak English? read more

I've never posted on Yelp but decided to after a great customer service experience. Talked with a guy named Rico at UA. He really helped me out and was a complete pro. That man deserves a promotion! read more

I love United Airlines, they provide fast, efficient, safe, and reliable transportation to a lot of customers. I fly with them often and I always feel comfortable flying on their new and clean aircraft. They also provide us with in flight entertainment screens which are an unusual sight nowadays on aircraft. I usually don't experience many delays on this airline. I highly recommend this airline for new travelers and really anyone in general. I like flying out of O'Hare on United Airlines as well. We do it very often. read more

Worst of the major airlines. Avoid them if you can and never connect via Chicago. They are not interested in the human connection only pointing you towards an App that solves nothing leading to even more frustration. They straight up cancelled my latest flight, lost my luggage and had the nerve to reschedule me for 28 hours later !!! Naturally, I rescheduled with American and everything went smooth. The cancellation also cost me a rental car and a $210 plus hotel room- United was completely unapologetic and numb as they are just too used to terrific others in this fashion as a daily practice. I recommend not even considering them in your travel plans - my name is Blair Smith, and this is a real review which can be verified by contacting me at blairsmith0505@gmail.com read more

We had a flight cancelled due to weather and the next day we flew out. The flight attendants were wonderful. Javon, Justin, and Vickie could not have been more fun. They were sympathetic to our plight and accommodating in every way possible with a complimentary glass of wine and cheese platter. They made our travel fun and a wonderful experience after a rough day! I hope they each get a raise. Because of them, I will fly United again!! read more

I get great service whenever I fly United! Flight attendants are attentive, friendly and make me feel safe. Pilots always introduce themselves and are well trained. United also does an excellent job of communicating when there are delays and cancellations why those are occurring, and their app is extremely easy and user friendly. Definitely my favorite airline to fly! read more

Great Job by Ms.Mary in Phillipines- i was so shocked whenever calls go out of the country it is different, she is steadfast and persistent - if there is a way to appreciate please do so and Ms. Lisa in Premeri support for partners in Chicago call center was amazing-she has the patience and ability to manage multiple, hold on for a secnd since i was getting left and right calls back and forth please ensure they are appreciated or if there is an email address i can send -happy to do it. Thanks Sri Rang read more

None of these airlines are helping the customers with their travels. Instead they stress travelers by overselling seats on their planes, punishing them with excessive fees when their bags are literally one pound over! One united worker pulled me out of the TSA line by telling me "TSA? Right this way!" And since i was the last person in a very long TSA line i thought maybe they were opening another line... no, he told me to get back in line! The line i was already in!! My shocked look did not escape anyone. What a joke! I gave them two stars because united leads the other circus freak shows by being the best freak show at O'Hare. read more

Absolutely terrible experience. My id got lost in the xray machine, and I was told 2 people were looking for it, only to realize, they only changed shift, and weren't. Then I got treated like crap and talked to like I was stupid when I tried asking different tsa people if they'd seen it. Anywho, I get to my gate, and miss my plane because NO ONE helped me. I was having a full on panic attack when I get to the gate, and when I tried asking for helped, I was rudely interrupted, by an old Asian woman at the gate and told "Don't cry" and was interrupted and treated like I was stupid through everything else. Nothing but a bunch of rude people who don't like being around people working for united. Y'all need to put them where they aren't working directly with people read more

Amazing experience,very professional and excellent service,after having the worst experience with Frontier Airlines,what a difference Will travel with United Airlines read more

United Airlines is the Worst of the Worst. They told my carry-on is ok, but when I got to the gate, they Forced me we check my luggage in so they can make a few bucks. $70 for luggage check-in !!! I am beyond disappointed and angry!!! read more

Worst experience of all time. The last flight I went on the thermostat broke and the entire flight had to sit in 85 degree heat. Combine this with awful delays and a much smaller seat than any comparable airline and it really doesn't make any sense. I absolutely pray that any person looking at United flies anywhere else - It can't get worse read more

All the airline workers from the gate, to the flight attendants and crew were all nice and provided great service. We were boarded promptly. Traffic on the tarmac delayed our departure. We waited a good 20mins prior to flight. read more

United Airlines - Concourse F4 - Airlines Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It is always something that goes wrong on every Inited trip. Not always a major issue but always something!

I have been flying United for quite some time now. Mostly for business but would highly recommend! Had a thoughtful crew today and wanted to share my gratitude and experience. Thank you to the UA 2302 flight crew today 2/4/23! read more

United Airlines - Customer service - Airlines Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A Chicago hop(10/24/2024 to Dulles airport and then to Rome resulted in no luggage in Rome. A slow surprising start to our vacation. To top it off, we had a tight schedule to catch our connecting flight at Dulles and I asked chief steward Cheryl about handling that. Her response was that it was not her problem. On past flights, quite often folks with tight connections were allowed to get off the plane first. I was a bit put off with her rude, uncaring response. read more

Flew by United several times. As a matter of fact, most of the flights, both domestic and international, I have taken over the past 20 years were by United. Do not remember having any trouble before until my recent flight. I was supposed to fly to O'Hare airport in Chicago to take a connecting flight to Delhi, India. My flight to Chicago got delayed due to technical failures and another flight was brought in. But it took about 5 hours to arrive. I have missed my international connection and united took care of rebooking the flights and providing overnight hotel accommodations and meal vouchers. My baggage was rerouted to the new flight which was next day. I am happy with the way airlines handled things which required little intervention from my side. But the whole experience was still frustrating and disappointing. Knowing that these flights are broken is not comforting at all. read more

We haven't flown United Airlines in several years and we were softly reminded why we don't. It was a bad experience flying too and from. The flight was late going there and returning. read more

I'm starting off with my experience from LAX to Chicago. I don't fly often, 2 years ago to NY. I don't remember it being so bad. I can't remember what airlines we used at that time. The agents at the check in desk at LAX looked irritated and were very short, definitely no smiles. I got basic economy and got a lesson from a fellow flyer about why you should avoid basic economy at all cost. Lesson learned, boarding the flight was first class and of course they have leg room. I get back to 26c and two people are already sitting in the row of three. I have the isle, I only have a purse because I was told carry on was not allowed. I tried to sit down with people pushing in the isle and I couldn't believe how close we are to each other and the seat in front of us. I was so close the tv screen it was so blurry I couldn't watch it. The person next to me had their arm on the arm rest, so my arms were squished to my side. I get the isle the few times I have flown so I have room. Every time the flight attendants walked down the isle they bumped me, along with other passengers. I was getting so angry, then to make matters worse somebody in my vicinity had major gas issues. So the plane stunk so bad, also sounded like everyone was sick. Coughing and sneezing, thank god for my DŌTERRA oils. Maybe on guard will keep me from getting sick. That part is not United's fault. So now I'm in Chicago with a sore neck and back and this is how I start my vacation. Let's hope this next flight is better. Flight from Chicago to Ohio was definitely a lot better. When you board the plane it is one seat to the right and the left has two seats next to each other. Way more leg room. Smaller plane, awesome flight attendant. I was giving United one star but this last flight bumped it up. I actually fell asleep which I don't usually do. Woke up refreshed to see my grandkids. read more

United Airlines - This was interesting just outside my gate - Airlines Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Check-in went pretty smoothly. I had pretty much pre checked bags and it went smooth. One thing that I had to double check was the Pre TSA. It did not show on my ticket. The desk person stated that they were having issues with it but re-checked my ticket and it worked. Other than that it went pretty smooth. read more

How can you still be charging fees for flight change or cancellation? While still asking for handouts from the govt in the form of bailouts! Disgusting. Called today about my June 2 flight asked what my options were based on the fact that I knew I was a basic economy ticket. I was informed that if I just paid a small one time $50 fee that they could go ahead and cancel my flight and I would receive full credit of my fares minus the $50. In this uncertain economy and health crisis I am amazed that a company would be so asinine! I will survive and the cost is probably industry standard but ridiculous none the less! I should've stuck with an amazing airline for their policies and their service SOUTHWEST has been my go to for over ten years and I caved in a cheap flight for this one! Damn! read more

United Airlines - Disgusted! - Airlines Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I flew United today from Ohio to Duluth. It was uneventful which is just how I like to travel. Flights were on time and the flight attendants were friendly and professional. However, here's how they could improve: 1. My knees were at the seat in front of me while I sat against the chair. Need a bit more space. 2. The snack was a little bag of pretzels or maple cookie. This could easily be better. 3. The basic economy ticket class is not good. Give it up. read more

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I have been a United Airlines customer for years... I am actually 1K member, but I am thinking I might take my business somewhere else. First class is a dump... the seats are old and the arm rests do not close. At first I thought it was just a one time situation but the last 5 flights first class is dirty and the seats are about to fall apart. The menu has been the same for the past year. COVID is over you can upgrade the seats and improve the food choices. And the service is not great... maybe get some happier flight attendants. I had to take a Delta flight and boy there was a huge difference. Delta here I come. read more

I've had a few unpleasant customer service experiences with United but last Saturday's encounter was the absolute worst. I was supposed to be on an overnight flight on Friday that ended up being cancelled due to a combination of bad weather and mechanical issues. We had been sitting on the plane for over 6 hours when we got the news and the crew said United would automatically rebook our flights and we needed to wait for an email or text message. We didn't receive any messages so my dad and I decided to try and talk to someone at the customer service center in the main terminal. We get to the main terminal and the line for the customer service center is very long. It was hard to tell for sure, but I'd say the line was at least a quarter of a mile long, if not longer. After a couple of hours of waiting, my dad received a notification from United saying he was rebooked on a flight to our destination with one layover. A couple hours later I received a notification from United saying I was booked on a similar flight to our destination and had the same layover city, but my flight was not the same as my dad's so we weren't going to be on the same plane. We wouldn't be reaching our destinations at the same time either. We couldn't change the fights from our apps so we stayed in line for customer service. Now we get to the truly unpleasant part of this ordeal. After waiting in line for 5.5 hours, we finally have a chance to speak with someone from customer service, and a supervisor no less, but this lady was rude, irritable, and completely unsympathetic to our concerns. She didn't even greet us - as soon as we got to the counter she demanded a confirmation number. I gave mine and she asked (in a very accusatory tone) why I was here when I have a confirmed booking on a flight. I told her United cancelled our flight and rebooked us but I was hoping I could be assigned to my dad's flight instead of the one I was given. This supervisor demanded the flight number and my dad provided it. She typed some stuff on her computer and it spit out a boarding pass but when I looked at it, she got me on my dad's flight to our layover city but I was going to be on a different flight to our destination city and it was going to get there even later than the one United originally put me on. I told the supervisor she made a mistake and this wasn't the right flight and she accused me and my dad with giving her the wrong flight number. The number she typed in wasn't even close to what my dad said so I'm certain she wasn't paying attention when my dad gave the number. He was also holding out his phone with the flight details on the screen but the supervisor didn't even look at it. When she found my dad's flight to the destination city, she said there were no available seats. I asked if she could keep me on the flight to our layover city and put me back on the flight I originally had to the destination city and the supervisor got very irritated and said "I don't have time to keep switching your flights". She doesn't have the time? Really? I was very tired and being very patient throughout this ordeal and here I was being belittled by a representative of United Airlines for wasting THEIR time. When she said she wasn't going to change my flights again, my dad asked if she could put him on my flight so we could be together. The supervisor got irritated again and demanded to know why my dad was making the request and we said we're a family and we want to travel together, or at least try and sync up our arrival and departure times as best we can. She scoffed at us and said that wasn't a valid reason to switch my dad to my flight and finally dismissed us by saying there were no available seats anyway. I was ready to fight with this obnoxious supervisor but my dad pulled me aside and said we'd try to figure out this mess ourselves. I was so mad I didn't even think to ask for the supervisor's name and when I looked back her nametag was obscured. We tried to find suitable alternatives all day but we were getting nowhere so we decided to try and get help in our layover city. When we got there (many, many hours later) we spoke to a gate agent and they were able to change my reservation and rebook me on my dad's flight. It took them about 2 minutes. They weren't sure why the supervisor in Chicago was having such a hard time figuring this out because the gate agent told us the flight was only half full. Basically, don't rely on the word or "expertise" of one employee. Keep looking for people to help you out until someone can be of assistance. read more

By far some of the worst experiences while traveling with this airline!.....the workers are some of the meanest, rudest, disrespectful, laziest people to work in airlines!!! I simply ask for directions and lady is extremely rude and tell me to f*****g use the signs! Who does that!?!?! I hate this airline so much now! read more

Continually Disappointed Every time we fly United, we're disappointed. Last year I upgraded my elderly parents to business class, and then United canceled their flight and rebooked them in economy and refused to refund them their money. And it is near impossible to get anyone on the line to talk to you live. We literally could not get a hold of anybody after being on hold for an hour in Armenia. This trip we flew United internationally for a Habitat for Humanity trip. Saved our money to fly business class so we could sleep on the redeye. We had four different layovers, and United put us on their partner airlines Austrian air. Then they changed our flight to have a 5 hour layover in Chicago O'Hare after 17 hours of travel but refused to let us use their business lounge even though we spent a stupid amount of money to fly business. They claim Austrian air doesn't support it even though United is who we booked through. This will be the last United trip we take. read more

They cancelled my reservation without letting me know in advance and without giving me a credit. I tried Customer Service so many times i can't stand it. Now I think they re-booked me but for the wrong date. Im not even sure they really re-booked me and I can't get to anyone with any authority. They put my husband and me on different dates!!! None of this was with any knowledge or prior approval by me, the customer. I'm a Million Miler and Platinum. I've flown no other airline for 30 years. How can they treat me so stupidly??? read more

Great airline. The best reliable! Love United "Good leads the way " always. Go UA great service

FLY THE UNFRIENDLY SKIES Even if you aren't randomly selected to be beaten & dragged off the plane, your flight could still suck. I'm American by birth and fly American by choice (hehehe), alas my recent trip to Puerto Rico had me flying United on a Boeing 737 class aircraft. The roundtrip experience was far from enjoyable, even by today's less-than-luxurious standards of travel. Separate reviews were written for Terminal 1 and O'Hare, so this focuses on all the good, bad, and ugly of the airline itself. Let's start with the simple: I liked the ambient lighting inside the main cabin. Other good news: takeoff was successful and we didn't crash upon landing! For the bad: on the first leg of our trip we encountered a super grouchy flight attendant (formerly known as a "stewardess", and back in the freewheelin' 60's, a "sky ho"). She probably was pulling double duty with long hours, but no smiles (not even a fake one?) and general unhappy demeanor made a lousy first impression. Our return flight to Chicago wasn't much better. Same plane, same result--only this time employees were marginally nicer. There was a briefly terrifying moment when they announced "are there any medical staff on board? Please identify yourselves." Apparently a dude had fainted/passed out in the aft lavatory, which itself isn't scary. What worried me was the lead flight attendant's response to the rest of the cabin crew who were gathered at the back of the plane. She sternly told them "go back to your zones right now. This could be a diversion." Sweet jesus a diversion from WHAT?!?!? I've seen Executive Decision, Passenger 57, Air Force One, Turbulence.....yeah that moment gave me a mini panic attack. Lastly, the ugly: our plane. Being an exclusive AA traveler (not AA member, mind you, at least not yet) I've come to expect limited legroom on the Airbus A320-200. What I dealt with on these flight segments was even more restricting than what my long legs are used to, and that sucked big time. Couldn't get comfy at all, and the minimal "sleep" I got was horrendous. The 737-900's are stripped down to offer the most bare bones consumer experience possible. Inexplicably, there were NO TV's -- overhead or otherwise -- and when it was refreshment time, they refused to give out cans of pop, just a sh*tty plastic cup filled halfway. Why? What kind of in-flight rampage could I go on with an unopened Diet Coke?? Seeing the air whor-I mean flight attendants do their "this is how a seatbelt works" routine live & in person was oddly humbling, retro, and silly. American shows a cool video, I miss that. Rumor has it, Qantas does a comedy act with prop gags and uses audience participation (source needed). * TL;DR * I was miserable most of the time during the Chicago to San Juan roundtripper. Though many of the United staff were fine, one extra crabby employee ruined it for the rest of them. Compared to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A320 series (both of which I've ridden), our Boeing 737-900 was a cut rate hunk of flying trash. It wasn't old and dilapidated. it. just. sucked. ass. How could the experience have been improved? Three helpful suggestions: 1) Let us slide down the inflatable bouncy chutes as we disembark (wheeeee!) 2) Distribute those adorable tiny liquor bottles free of charge (limit five per customer). 3) Allow passengers to toke up once we reach cruising altitude and hotbox the sh*t outta Flight 420 (available on L.A, Denver and Seattle flights only). Apart from those recommendations, pfffftttt. Did not like and do not want again. Shoulda taken the bus. read more

This airlines sucks. They booked us on another airline for the second part of our trip. They apparently partner with this airline, Silver Airways, which is a really bad and unprofessional company that should not be allowed to even operate. This is the airline that United chose to entrust with their customers. United lost our baggage for several days. Told us to buy some clothes that they would pay for and are now blaming it on Silver Airways and refusing to reimburse us. Such bad customer service. This is no way to treat people. They don't care. Even trying to get them on the phone takes hours. Have had to do this several times. United, congratulations, your company sucks, your karma is bad and you have no regard for treating people with kindness and respect. I sincerely hope that your crappy company goes out of business sooner than later, so that you are unable to continue screwing over customers. read more

United Airlines - United with Trump. - Airlines Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I called United Airlines in an attempt to make a reservation for a flight to Hawaii in March. I have very severe nut allergies - so much so that even if the protein is in the air, I could go into anaphylactic shock and need an epi pen. I asked the attendant if they served nuts on their planes and if they offered accommodations for those with severe allergies to not actively serve nuts on the plane. I understand that anyone can bring whatever food they like so United cannot guarantee a nut free environment which I understand and respect. But when I asked the attendant about the nuts, he said they do serve them. When I asked about accommodations, this kid LAUGHED. He literally giggled! I said I had a severe allergy and was wondering if it's possible NOT to serve nuts themselves during the flight. He said that was not an option and to just make sure I carried an epi pen. As if I don't already. United Airlines has alienated 3 million Americans who have severe nut allergies. Their complete disregard for the public, for the safety of their passengers, and their behavior about the subject is APPALLING. You guys do know that even after someone uses an epi pen (which are extremely expensive and can be dangerous for heart conditions) you have to make an immediate landing to get that victim to a hospital as soon as possible. So in all, to just eliminate the nuts in general is 1000000% less expensive than just making someone potentially lose their life. I am terrified for those who aren't aware or children who may have even worse symptoms. Your competitors not only make accommodations, they also don't even serve nuts to begin with, the most common allergen on the planet. I will NEVER use United Airlines and will be using my allergy and immunology activist pages to make sure that the public is aware of this absolute disgusting oversight. Run a better business. read more

Flew Chicago to LAX in first-class. Paid big money. An old 737, no view screen, no headphones. Food was not eatable. Service was bad even for coach. Actually charged for wifi in first class!!! No welcome drink. Service was slow. We will never fly United again. Been flying for over 50 years.Tthis was the worst first class experience I have ever had. read more

Do to a delay cause by inclement weather, I was told by gate officials that my connecting flight would be held until we landed from St Louis. As I left terminal 2 to head to terminal 1 I was informed my connecting flight was on time and was not held. I along with others had to make the full journey from one terminal to the other with 12 mins. I had made it on the plane and informed the flight attendants that others were coming. The flight attendants were not concerned and I seen several people miss their flight. Now with this being said I employ more than several people in Houston and have always head horror stories from this airport and United airlines. I can promise after I seen it with my own eyes I will never use O'Hare as a connecting hub or United Airlines every again... So much for saving all of those flight points. read more

Waiting for a plane to take me home. Bad news. The gate agent announced the flight is delayed because the airplane hadn't arrived from Denver. Okay, I thought. It's not a big deal. Well, several minutes later the gate agent made another announcement. Maintenance is working on a plane in the hangar and the plane will be at the gate momentarily. No, the gate agent did not just say that! She sure did. In unison we all looked at each other with worried expressions on our faces. Some people cracked jokes and I laughed with them. The agent made another announcement. This time it wasn't about a plane. She announced a gate change to gate 21. We go to gate 21 and find out we need to be at gate 28. Like a herd of cattle we proceed to gate 28. Interesting morning this has been. Good news. The plane from Denver is here and I am in desperate need of a nap. read more

United Airlines - Bored woman. - Airlines Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I'm a very long-time customer since the Continental days currently flying on a free ticket. I fly multiple airlines and travel domestically and internationally. I have to advise everyone to avoid this airline because it is a terrible product at any price, even when you fly for free. The low Yelp star rating tells the story, and their product really is a universal failure, which is the only way to get scored so lowly on this platform. Literally nothing works well at United, so from staffing to systems to on-time reliability, everything sucks. What to do instead? Domestically, American Airlines performed better than United in my recent experience, but this country deserves an airline better than either. We deserve something like Emirates, and those who have flown Emirates know I'm right. Our prices should look like European short flights. So political corruption is the same reason that in airtravel, like health care, education, etc, we Americans get the worst service and outcomes while paying the most money. We all know what needs to be done and nobody likes work, especially ugly work, but there are no short cuts. read more

2018 was nothing but problems and issues with American Airlines so I decided to give United Airlines another go! 2019 I've completely stopped using American and for all domestic flights I now use mostly United Airlines & Southwest. 1) United App is super easy to use and very useful for notifications on boarding pass, gate info & boarding times 2) the United Lounges have all been #1 a great escape before flights - I'm so happy to find a new second home (since I travel so much now) Thanks United Airlines For getting me safely to all of my fight destinations I'm very grateful!! read more

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This airline needs to get a negative star rating maybe a double negative I do not recommend this airline. I have never had such a horrible experience, including cheaper airlines that were completely depressing. This is much worse I don't feel taken care of valued or any of the kind.. all of us passengers are just sitting ducks at the airport wino place no recommendation nothing for us to do. The flight is delayed. There's no pilot and no crew and no plane and most importantly no information no help. Nobody wants to try to put us on another flight or help us or tell us what to do. We're all tiredthirsty and we're just sitting here in the airport with no options read more

Flights were decent. I think my biggest complaint was all the protocals for COVID and their total lack of knowing what was going on. They kept sending me stuff online to fill out and send and we kept sending stuff and they could never tell us why we were lacking anything. Seems like ti would not be hard to just say come in and check in and you probably have what we need. We just can't respond online. WE even phoned in and got the runaround. This Covid stuff is a pain and hopefully one day things change to make this easier. But until then they need to have a way to answer customer's questions better than what they have now. Air Canada answered quickly and easily but they were only 1 oof 4 legs of the trip. United, not so much! read more

United Airlines - Just another non working outlet. - Airlines Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I'm a fan of United Airlines. Out of all the airlines I've flown, I've flown the most on United. Through years of trips to Asia originating from the east coast U.S. and lots of United MileagePlus credit card usage, I've accumulated a ton of United miles which I have spent on (virtually) free plane tickets, upgrades, car rentals, and hotel stays. The credit card has other perks which I think are well worth it for travelers. Living in Atlanta, I should be flying hometown Delta more than United. However, I don't have status on Delta nor nowhere near as many miles. Most of my trips on United from Atlanta connect me to one of the following United hubs: Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Washington Dulles (IAD), Denver (DEN), or George Bush International in Houston (IAH). The extra flights have definitely been an inconvenience, but the lower flight costs (in both dollars and airline miles) and seat upgrades have been a nice trade-off. Also, in most instances, United has the best fares round-trip from Atlanta to Bangkok, Thailand (BKK) even over Delta. One big advantage United has over Delta is award travel. Not only does United charge half as many miles for the same trip on Delta, but in my experience, United also has better selection of award travel dates and destinations. Plus, with my United MileagePlus credit card, I get priority seating which means I'm usually one of the first passengers on the plane. This paragraph sounds like a commercial for United, but it's true and it's more reason why I've decided to stick with United. Case in point, a round-trip ticket from Atlanta (ATL) to San Francisco (SFO) only costs 25,000 miles (Economy Saver Award) on United while it costs 50,000 miles on Delta (Level 1 Award). I'm also able to book car rentals with my United miles. You can't do that with Delta. It's always a treat to get seat upgrades, especially when they're free and/or on cross-country or international flights. Some experiences I recall are flying United First on a Boeing 767 (domestic) and United BusinessFirst on a Boeing 777 (international). In both instances, every seat in each cabin reclined 180 degrees to lay-flat beds. It didn't always used to be that way, especially in Business. When you have a lay-flat bed, you've got to decide whether to get a good night's sleep or take in all the special amenities (e.g. hot towel service, amenity kit, 120/240V power outlets, pre and mid-flight drinks, snacks, desserts), interactive on-demand entertainment system (TV shows, movies, music, games), noise-reducing headsets, better food and drink (e.g. steaks, sushi, Japanese bento boxes!) with real silverware, and more personable service (they address you by name). The difference between Economy and First/Business is significant. I don't think First/Business tickets are worth their exorbitant cost in dollars or miles, but they're certainly worth the effort trying to swing for an upgrade. As far as flight delays and flight cancellations are concerned, I've run into my fair share with United, only because I've flown a lot with them over the years. Never, at any point, have I been extremely frustrated or upset with the airline. However, there was one Christmas where our family's flight from Chicago to Tokyo (NRT), en route to Bangkok, was canceled. It caused us to miss spending Christmas Day with our relatives in Thailand. On both domestic and international trips, we've run into instances where checked baggage didn't arrive to our final destination. This has occurred most often on international trips back to the States. In these instances, most likely, the checked bags got held up at customs and were not able to make it on the connecting flights home. When this has happened, United has actually sent a shuttle from the local airport to personally deliver the delayed luggage. I've run into some close calls while trying to catch connecting flights (after arriving on a delayed flight) and in two situations, I recall the United gate agents being nice and friendly. One situation happened in Tokyo where the doors to the departing plane had all but shut. However, the gate agent made a special exception and let us on. Another situation in Houston, the gate agent actually told me the crew was waiting on me and a few others from our flight. Our inbound flight caused the outbound flight to be delayed. The United Club airport lounges are excellent. Of course, some lounges are better than others. Over the years, the lounges have grown increasingly crowded. My favorite United lounge is the one in Narita (Tokyo) -- complimentary sushi and clean showers! I ran into David Hasselhoff at the UA lounge at London Heathrow (LHR). If you have access to the United Club, you most likely have access to other Star Alliance member airline clubs as well. For example All Nippon Airways, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Thai Airways. read more