After reading all the previous reviews, I'm sure you have established that United Airlines is an awful company and rest assured, the reviews have not let you down, they are just about the worst airline to fly on in the continental U.S. If you have any other flying option, go for it; jet-pack, hot air balloon, you name it, it is better than flying with United (and probably much cheaper too). What truly grinds my gears is the blatant lack for customer service in ANY way (there is no possible way they offer any sort of legitimate customer service training curriculum). I recently drove my grandfather to the airport. He had been booked a trip by my uncle via United Airlines for a family visit. Thank God, I took him inside the airport and made sure he was all set. I have a hard enough time figuring out how to use United's self-service computers, never mind my 75 year old grandfather! He made the mistake of walking up to a person, only to be scolded and told to wait in line for a computer first. There were about 3 United workers and the rest were machines. Everyone was being treated like cattle, in this big, discombobulated, mess of people and my poor grandfather was thoroughly confused.I was able to assist him enough to get him to the security checkpoint but I was thoroughly nervous leaving him in the incompetent hands of United Airlines. Even if they are the cheapest flight option, pay extra and use another airline, you've been warned. read more

Thanks for canceling my flight just 10 hours from its scheduled departure. You cited bad weather, but how come no other flights (departing at around the same time with similar planes) were able to get out just fine? Fog is really common here in the winter. The flight's seating chart leads me to believe that the flight was canceled because it was "only" 50 percent full. How nice when weather can become a nice excuse! Thanks for making the exchange and refund process very convoluted and confusing. I guess you're just hoping I'll just let it slide and you can keep my money? I also had a very difficult time getting my baggage fees, "trip protection" fees and "pay 100 bucks just to sit in an exit row" fees refunded. I'm still waiting on nearly $300 of fees (two tickets) with no communication and no sign of any resolution, other than a vague reassurance from a ticketing agent that "it will happen eventually." Thanks for outsourcing all of your customer service jobs to India. Thanks for being a fine example of the wreck that is our air travel industry. And finally, thanks for making me cancel my trip that I'm not going to be able to reschedule for a few months. I'll probably end up flying with you guys again but it's only going to be out of necessity. Actually, no, I'd rather rent a car and drive to Portland or Reno instead so I can fly with someone else. Thanks, champs! read more

Disclaimer - many, many, many years ago I worked for United, so perhaps I'm a bit more patient with airline snafus, I dunno. My job over the last few years has required extensive (85%) travel. I always fly United and have had overwhelmingly positive experiences. I've had problems too, it's inevitable when traveling, but for the most part I've been satisfied with the service I've received. Sure, I have status - it pays to give perks to your best customers and I fly 100k BIS miles a year - and that helps a great deal, but this is an employee owned airline that's based out of Chicago. I like supporting it. Also, I'm way more likely to get home on United due to the Chicago hub than I am on any other airline. read more

Hi, I just wanted to let ya'll know, United airlines still sucks my but* read more

No I am not with a competitor and no I do not have an ax to grind. My wife and I were United Airlines customers until July 19, 2015 when we were screwed over by this airline company. They were unable to come up with a flight crew and as a result we were abandoned in steamboat springs Colorado. As a result every connection there after went right down the toilet. There solution was a $71 hotel room, $7 meal voucher and a flight the following day. To you United Airlines: I will walk, rent a car, make other plans, go by horse or donkey, but never will I ever fly with this company again. Your customer service associates were cold and offered no reasonable alternatives. Rot in hell United. Carmen Napolitano read more

I want to say I'll never fly here again but it realistically depends on the price. But if at all comparable, I'm definitely not going with United. We sat on the runway after landing in Chicago. We sat there for about half an hour. I'm about tie at my phone I'm so hungry. Screw you United. The hostesses were very nice. But even their cheeriness is like nails on a chalkboard when they fail at the essential goal. Get me to my destination on time. Not 100 yards from it. Booooooo. The way back to BWI was even worse. We all boarded the plane on time, but then the pilots weren't there. They apparently didn't realize this until we were all on the plane. At first they said it would be a 30-minute delay as I supposed they checked the bar to see if they were there. They finally realized our pilot was on a plane ... from San Francisco! We all had to get off the plane and delayed 3 hours. This was for a 9:45 flight, so we didn't take off till about 12:45 or 1. Didn't get back into Baltimore until 3-something. I understand delays happen. But to be so inept was shocking. And they didn't seem at all remorseful. They kept pointing out that the airplane staff was from DC, so we should apparently feel bad for them too. Just apologize profusely!!! read more

I often have to fly out of O'Hare on Thursday evenings for work, and with United I am delayed about 75-85% of the time. My average delay is 1-4 hours. This is not a small sample size either (10-15 flights over 1 calendar year so far). These delays usually are not from a weather-related event. I recently received Silver Status with United, but the hindrance on my quality of life has caused me to rethink whether or not I'll ever use them ever again. Especially after flying with Jet Blue or Southwest Airlines, which are two FAR SUPERIOR airlines. So if you're flying from Chicago and you have to use O'Hare, avoid United like the plague! read more

The flight was delayed. That's fine, it happens, I get it. As far as I'm concerned, that just means more time for airport food and beverages. My friend and I went to the gate around the delayed time, and it had already boarded everyone. As we rushed to get on, there were carry-ons lined up to be checked due to no more room in the overhead bins. They checked mine as well. After checking all of the bags, the flight attendant went onto the plane, came back out, and said "wow, there's lots of room for carry-ons". Then I proceeded to walk to the back of the plane, passing empty overhead bin after empty overhead bin. Couldn't they have checked to see if they actually ran out of room before checking 10+ bags? This wouldn't have been so bad if after the flight, everyone didn't have to wait a half hour plus to get their bags from the baggage claim. That was a half hour of waiting, after a long delayed flight, that myself and ten others wouldn't have had to wait if our bags hadn't been checked. Tons of grumpy people around the baggage claim to say the least. I know it's something as simple as checking a bag when it didn't need to be, but it was 10+ peoples bags, and some kid behind me kicked my seat the entire time. I was way too tired to stand around that baggage claim listening to everyone swear up a storm because no ones baggage was coming out. It killed my vacation buzz. read more

After driving six hours to get to O'Hare (don't ask), I finally arrive just short of noon. There is a flight to Providence (that when I checked early in the morning had plenty of seating) at 1:20 that I was hoping to get bumped to. I get in line but ask an agent who's walking around if there's a way to get ahead or do it myself so I have a chance of getting on this flight. I am curtly told no and that I needed to wait for a counter agent. While waiting in line, I watch the earlier flight arrive and board via board (it was delayed a little and was just boarding by the time I get to the counter). The counter agent tells me I'm too late and had I been there an hour earlier... I said I WAS there an hour earlier and he told me I could have done it myself in self check in. I pointed to the guy that told me I couldn't and the counter agent just said "oh well." At 1:15, it's clear I have to wait for my original flight (6:20 Chicago time). I am sleep deprived and just want to rest but O'Hare is not Logan: the seats are cramped and there's no place to plug in electronics. I try to doze off but there is absolutely no way to get comfortable and no room to just give up and lie on the floor, so I decide to check out the Red Carpet Lounge. I ask how much a day pass is and the receptionist coolly tells me it's $50 in a tone that implies I wouldn't be able to pay. I do pay (despite the rudeness, because I just want a comfy chair) and watch as both receptionists (one male one female) as overtly polite to members than keep passing by and treat me like I'm a burden and take their sweet time setting me up without telling me when the hold up is). There is a clear and distinct difference in the way I am treated and the way others are treated and you can see in the expression of some members that they noticed as well. I finally get in and find a comfy chair and rest but do not really get to sleep and I watch the board *religiously*. My flight is delayed 20 minutes.. then another 5... then another 5... every time I get up to go there is another delay, but the gate remains the same and the club I am in is near the gate. I finally go to the gate 20 minutes before departure (mind you, the flight board suggests only ten minutes) but my flight isn't there. I ask an agent who says it's change to B19 (from B2, which was NEVER SHOWN IN THE RED CARPET CLUB BOARDS) and I ask her to tell them I'm on my way and I RUN.. I MEAN RUN! angry sweaty running with my pants falling off and my laptop boring into my shoulder!. You won't believe the size of this terminal... and it' was the opposite side around off shoots and curves... I get there and the plane's there but the door is shut and they won't let me in. The door had just closed and I explain what happened and the agent at the gate told me I should have paid better attention to the flight board. I told him it didn't change in the Red Carpet Club and he told me that the "regular passengers managed just fine with the regular screens" and maybe I should have gone out and looked at them too. I am crying at this point. I finally get on standby on the next flight (scheduled at 930) leaving from gate C something.. another terminal. I cry the whole way there while people push me out of their way. I get to the gate and there are SOOOO many people waiting for my stand-by flight that they are sitting on the floor and such. I ask the attendant at the new gate what my chances are of getting on the flight, and, he, very nicely.. said very very good. I didn't believe him.. but he was the first person who worked for United who was nice to me so I had a small glimmer of hope. I got on the plane and I finally got to Providence after midnight (EST). My luggage was there waiting for me, since it was on an earlier flight, except it no longer had wheels and the black metal along the back was now silver (from scraping). I was told United wasn't liable for wheels. (I've only taken that luggage on a flight once before and it was in PERFECT condition before I boarded). In short. I will never fly United again. I will also, to be safe, never fly in or out of O'Hare again. read more

United Airlines is awful, and combining them with Chicago O'Hare is the worst. They've consistently been the worst airline that I have ever flown on, cancelling flights due to "weather" when it's more like the system they use to get their planes around results in cancellations because their planes just can't make it to the next locations on time. Recently I got hung up on when notified that my flight had been cancelled, after being on hold for an hour! They often give you flights that have less than hour's connection time and claim that it's enough, even though their flights are consistently late and therefore you always end up missing your connections. I got routed though Houston on my way back to England, missed that flight, and then routed through Washington DC with an overnight layover, and no offer to pay for my hotel stay or anything. United Airlines is THE WORST experience I have ever had. Old planes with seats falling apart, broken entertainment systems, and overall bad customer service. Avoid them like the plague, the money you save on them is not worth it. read more

Horrible service. Look elsewhere for a flight. I would be willing to pay the extra $15 to fly another airline with the same flight schedule. Attendant (female) elbowed my one-year-old daughter in the head. She did not even consider apologizing. Another attendant (male) was extremely rude in general. We ate all the BS like good little passengers. I'm not sure why. The "customer service" rep, Maureen, was to lazy to give us connecting flight info at the gate when we got off our flight. They also damaged our daughter's stroller. The stroller damage would not have bothered me as much if the service wasn't such crap. The ironic part about the flight is that it begins with a video and message from the CEO and other employees patting them selves on the back for all the great things they do for us. It makes me want to vomit. Let us be the judge of the service. I don't ask much. Just do your job and don't physically assault the children. I fly a LOT for someone who is not in the business world. All of my horror stories, with the exception of one memorable event, are about United. I'm not sure why I am even giving them two stars. Don't give them your money. They don't deserve it. read more

I rarely fly United and I can see why. Never on time delay after delay after delay. And no compensation. All the money that we pay for a flight and nothing for it. I feel that the airline companies should compensate us for something. But like all of these guys take take take. Too sad. It's 9:20pm I was supposed to leave at 7pm. Now flight has been changed to 11pm because they can't find the pilots. This is ridiculous. Please run or fly away from this airline. Was just told by their manager here that they would not help me at all. They continue to tell me to leave and take my complaint else where. The manager told me that he is good at what he does which is to turn clients away. This is unreal. Nothing keeps apologizing for something he has not done except for pushing me away. I repeatedly asked to speak to a supervisor and was pushed away saying to leave the area. So after boarding the plane the pilots still did not show and it is 1am here in Chicago and they gave us two 7.00 vouchers and a voucher for a room at the holiday inn. Unbelievable and with an attitude. Asked for what comes next and they said on your own. read more

See all

Oh man, this was some bad customer service..but sadly not the worst. My flight to Chicago was super delayed so I missed my connection. Even though my connecting flight was there when I landed, and I would have been happy to run to catch it, they had already closed the doors -- so annoying that they knew there were passengers from a connecting flight coming in and they chose to take off 5 mins early rather than wait those 5 mins in which I could have ran to the other plane and made it and they still would have been on time. Anyway..they re-booked me on another flight for that night. The problem was, I had taken a red eye the night before to get in that MORNING. Spending an entire day in Chicago before my connecting flight would have defeated the purpose of my taking the red eye the night before, and would have made me miss the event I was flying across the country for. So I explained to the customer service agent that I was in a wedding and needed to be at my destination by 5pm, so their evening flight they re-booked me on wasn't going to cut it. Her response was that I should not have flown on the day of a wedding. What?! No apologies from your crappy airline for screwing things up..just blame-shifting onto the customer. First of all, my flight was the night prior, to get me in that morning at 9am...which would give me plenty of time to get to an evening wedding. It was just a rude, unnecessary, and unprofessional thing to say to a customer that already had a negative experience with your company. In the end, I wound up taking another airline that could get me there when I needed to be there. I guess be ware of this airline if you are flying to an event -- they want you to fly the day BEFORE your event, not day of (WHICH I DID -- that's why I took a red eye and not a flight the day of!) and even then you might not make it. read more

Worst customer service ever at United Airlines counter at Chicago O'hare. She got so rude that I unfortunately got even ruder Luggage was 1 freaking pound over and she wanted to charge me $100 when they have historically overlooked a couple lbs in the past even in Hawaii! I can't blame a whole company for one person but it's a very disappointing feeling when you had been so loyal to an airline for many years It really ruined my whole day. US Airlines are still in decline in every aspect for the past 15 years. Very sad. Daniel Zavarce-Mabrey read more

United you shithead. So I fly rather frequently (25+ flights a year) so I have status. My father (who flies 30+ flights a year) booked us Chicago-Seattle flights 2 months in advance with seats in front of the plane. We get our boarding passes and we have the 2 middle seats in the last row next to the bathroom. Wtf United. We ask what to do. They couldn't do anything. So I sit in my shitty middle seat with my arms scrunched in like a t-rex and the seat next to me apparently has 2 people assigned to it. A fight ensues. Several other people come complain to the flight attendant that there is another person, and in one case 3 people booked to their seat. Get it together. Not to mention the airplanes themselves are dirty and I worry about getting lice/rabies/stomach flu/etc. from the seats and in some case fellow passengers. read more

We had a good flight to Orlando, and a good flight back home to Chicago. I feel that all airlines are now created equal. There is no good or bad, just travel. Yes, there have been some really bad travel experiences but this was not one of them. An average flight with average service. A-OK. read more

I definitely have a love-hate relationship with United Airlines. I HATE that you need a Ouija Board to figure out how they price anything! My Ouija Board told me that yesterday's last minute one-way fare from Dulles to O'Hare was $233, which was too high, and I didn't want to pay that. (I didn't ask the Ouija Board much about flights from DCA, because they are all sky high, since I think DCA charges airlines more money to use the place, and United has about a zillion flights from Dulles to Chicago, anyway.) So, I asked the Ouija Board how much the fare was from Dulles to Milwaukee, because chances were and I turned out to be correct, there would be a layover in Chicago. And the Ouija Board said: $99. NO SHIT? I LOVE this, I think. Put my hands back on the Board, closed my eyes, and it said....., again.....$99, and that there was of course only 1 ticket left at that price. Quickly I studied the flight schedule: Land in Chicago 6:34, and leave for Milwaukee at 8:10 on a different plane. HOT DAMN. I LOVE I can get off the plane, and be gone...for $99 plus tax + $120 all in. I HATE that I had seat 38A on a Boeing 7Gazillion7, i.e., biggest goddamn plane around, I think, and that by the time I got all the way to the back with my carry-on bag, in the stuffed-to-the-gills plane, of course there was nowhere to put my bag. Now I really HATE that the Flight Attendant, thinking he was being helpful, says: 'No problem, we'll gate check it; give me your boarding pass, and just give it to me. We need to get going. I'll take it up there." My mind was racing. Holy crap, if I gate check my bag, they are going to see my final Milwaukee destination on my boarding pass. And I will be screwed. They don't check bags part way. The Flight Attendant saw me panic. I looked at him. He looked at me. We both knew this was the moment of truth. He reached for my bag. I held it back, and said: "Wait, I need something out of here. I have to unpack it." He almost said: "WTF," but he restrained himself. "What do you need? You can't unpack that thing now." "My coat." "Why?" And he is really getting impatient because the whole plane is packed, everyone is almost seated, and he is under pressure. So I Ieveled with him: "Because my ticket was half the price if I booked all the way to Milwaukee instead of Chicago, and I have no intention of going to Milwaukee tonight. My winter coat is in my carry-on. If you have to gate check this thing, and I have to get my bag back from Milwaukee tomorrow, then at least I want a coat when we get to Chicago." "Oh, really?" Chatty, now. Not so impatient, all of a sudden. "No kidding, they priced it that way?" "Yes." I LOVE that the Flight Attendant felt my panic and said: "Oh, screw that. Leave the coat in there. I'll tag it 'Chicago.' NO problem." And he laughed a little laugh, took my bag and brought me a baggage claim ticket - that DID NOT say Chicago. I LOVE that the pilot announced he was going to fly the plane as fast as possible (he never said why), and that we were 30 minutes early. And, I LOVE that my bag showed up and I got my coat. read more

Are you in a locked and upright position? Is your seat belt securely fastened? Not so fast. Let's wait for maintenance to trot on board, while we're strapped in soundly, to attempt to secure a unsuitable, seemingly unstoppable, swinging lavatory door. This thing had a mind of its own; it lulled the poor man into a false sense of security 4 times before it squealed shut. As perspiration gathered on his brow, I wondered if we would have to sacrifice a chicken to remedy the situation. I only know this because it was 6 inches from my seat. Sometimes an aisle seat is not necessarily appetizing. Imagine doing your business at 30,000 feet and having that thing pop open. Speaking of appetizing, are you still hoping for a napkin to wipe your hands off from the 2 inch banana nut muffin (and I say that with suspicion) that you received in First Class, which you were forced to balance on your knee, after you tried to unwrap it with your teeth, while juggling astonishingly old coffee dregs, in an overly filled cup, with your other hand, while also attempting to open 2 packets of sugar with your thighs? It's these select mishaps, missteps, and totally awkward airtime moments that provide the potential to get better acquainted with your seat mate. This being the guy who triumphantly anchored his coffee stir stick in the waistband of his pants. The flight to DC is so quick that it seems almost unnecessary to masquerade this "service that once was". It will be interesting to see how the merger with Continental goes. Will all flight attendants be able to wear non standard foot wear? From Crocs to 5 inch platforms, to the point where the poor woman walks from bow to stern bent over, seems a little cruel, don't you think? Our Captain was personable enough; they all tend to sound the same, don't they? Unfortunately, they don't land the same. If I didn't know better I would have thought we landed on an aircraft carrier Nimitz in the middle of the north Atlantic. If you didn't have cervical neck problems before, you are going to have them now. For some reason, today, everyone seemed exceptionally pensive, waiting for the fateful "ping" to sound. It was almost as if they were giving out prizes for the "fastest removal of overhead baggage from a locked compartment". It was the experience that can only come during a full moon. read more

Terrible flight, got a seat right next to the bathroom, no bathroom discount, and my chair didn't recline. Every time someone visited the bathroom, I got hit with a fresh spray of that bathroom 'blue' deodorizer smell. To top it off, I had to pay $25 for a single bag when traveling to Canada, as the agent told me it was a 'domestic' flight, yet my ticket said 'International'. Next time I'm paying a little bit more and sticking to Delta! IMHO, if you sit someone next to the bathroom, discount their seat! Its only fair if you charge more for the 'emergency exit' seats and their 'premium leg room' (ha!) read more

How is it acceptable to delay a flight FIVE hours? Why tf don't you have spare airplanes. Never again will I fly United. Been burned way too many times. No stars. Would not recommend. read more

Horrible experience flying home from Chicago to Erie, PA over Christmas. I got to Ohare over an hour and a half early. My flight did not leave until 40 minutes after the scheduled departure time. DELTA GAVE NO EXPLANATION. My connecting flight was in Detroit, missed it. As I got off the plane some rude lady told me where to go schedule a new flight. As I approach the counter to rebook I'm told I'm staying the night in the hotel. NOT ONE PERSON apologized or seemed to care in the least. The next morning I get to the airport and of course they over book the flight, so 3 people were forced to stay behind and wait until the 7pm flight (on Christmas eve). My returning flight: get to airport an hour early (plenty of time in Erie). For some reason, when we landed in Detroit, we sat on the plan waiting and waiting for a gate. They did apologize this time. When we finally got off I had to sprint to my connecting gate. Thankfully, I made it and got into Ohare at the scheduled time.... My bags did not. I went to the Delta customer service office by baggage claim. When I told the man my problem (bags were missing) you would have thought he had never heard of it before. I got soo much attitude from him I questioned if it was even his job. Delta is TERRIBLE!!!!!! They do not care a single bit about their customers. read more

United has always been rather the "evil stepchild" of the airline industry. This was never made more apparent until after their announced bankruptcy. Every flight I have ever taken with them (I am guessing at somewhere around 20+) has been a disaster of some kind. Although my last (and favourite) flight will always stick with me, almost like that little piece of popcorn lodged in your back molar that you cant reach. Two years ago November: I arrived at O'Hare with two and a half hours until my flight out (as per airport guidelines!). I used the self-check in kiosk and then waited for my name to be called from the desk. (I should mention that right at this very moment, every flight to Denver was being canceled due to a terrific storm, and people were descending on the check in desk like a swarm of locusts). The employees decided that this really wasn't their problem, and continued to service the people in line verrrrry slowly. A supervisor appeared, and began to direct people to certain lines. I was sent to the "check-in" line. The girl there said the kiosk I used had not sent my information to them and I should go to the "problem" line. The "problem" line already had 20 or so freaked out Denver people in it, but I went and stood there anyway. The girl running this line was very fast and efficient, rescheduling people and sending them on their way. By the time I was up, there was just me and 4 other people waiting. I go up to her and say, "hi, yeah, I guess there's been a problem with..." when she turns around and walks off! I say "oh, hey, wait! I need to ask a question!" She yells back over her shoulder "my shift is up". The five of us are astounded, but we race to another line. By the time I got my bags checked, got through security and made it to the gate, I had missed the flight by two minutes. And what did I get for my two and a half hours of trouble? No sorry, no coupon, not anything, except for being placed on a flight 3 hours later at the very back of the plane next to the bathrooms. United, you suck and I hate you. Not just because of the above story, but also because you employed and overpaid a guy I once dated who had to be one of the dumbest, immature, biggest screw ups on the planet. This jerkstick was in charge of refueling and repairing planes! How they ever stayed in the air after he was done with them is anyones guess. read more

No star is not possible!too bad minus would be better even! Stood in the customer service lane for 1.5 hrs after our flight was canceled because they had no pilot! No joke, the stewardesses were there at normal boarding time, co pilot and plane also all good. Heard the flight attendances whisper that he called in sick and then they delayed the flight 3 times apparently looking for a pilot . After all the waiting it got canceled late enough to not be able to get on any other flight. Got 14 $ each for food( unfortunately there is no real food at 11 pm ) and a room . Can't get our luggage either too complicated they say, comb and toothbrush they gave us , now isn't that sweet! Need to get up at 4 am in the morning for another marathon! Thanks for nothing United!! read more

United Airlines PetSafe program great. Especially working directly with Cheryne Elliott -cheryne.elliott@united.com- They might have had a few glitches at the start, maybe from merging with Continental but from dropping off our pet in Maui to her arrival safely in Boston, I can't say enough about the service. read more

Sorry to say, but airline travel really sucks lately, and United Airlines is no slouch in sucking. Frequent flyer seats are very often "sold out", read "not available", on popular flights no matter how many months in advance you try to book, the seats when you actually get them, are really small (I'm not a fat person), and the leg room is nonexistent. I am a normal height adult and my knees brush against the seat in front of me. It's not comfortable for that person as well. When the person in front of me leans their seat back, I can't get out of my seat to go to the bathroom without bothering everyone to move this way or that way. This is flying with United. United Airlines really packs people in like sardines. Trouble is, I'm a person and not a sardine. I loathe giving out single stars, but I am glad to do so when it is earned. read more

Terrible, I have flown almost a million miles with them, Old planes, bad service, cannot ever use your miles, their new Mileage program sucks, doesn't matter how many miles you fly, you have to spend so much money! They charge you for everything, Luggage, faster check-in, preferred seats. and if you don't pay you'll check-in in group 8 and will be in a middle seat way in the back. read more

Flight was delayed; when we were finally boarded and ready to go (an hour late), pilot informs passengers there had been a miscommunication between United reps. from the incoming flight. In conclusion: we were deplaned and made to wait on the jet bridge for 20minutes carrying all of our belongings until they did a security check on the aircraft. What incompetence! And on my earlier flight into Chicago I sat in First Class 1A and stewardess did not want to serve me. She'd offer service to the older white gentleman sitting in 1B but chose to ignore me altogether; later in the flight I heard her talking about me with the male attendant-super unprofessional!!!- it was so loud that I could hear her "Does she really have a dog in there?!?" she complained. "Actually l, yes I do, would you like to see the paperwork?" I responded. She was startled that I had heard her complain. My dogs are expert flyers, not a peep comes out of them from the time we get to airport until the time we get in our rental cars! I am blessed with the coolest and smartest little pups, so the attendants complaining was unwarranted. Fortunately I travel "priority" because I have accumulated lots of miles from all my work travels, but if it's a bad experience for someone who is supposed to be "elite" I can't even begin to imagine what terrible experience the "non-elites" must be subjected to. Oh United! One thing you've got going for you is that your CEO is cute and charismatic, but that won't get you through! Just because you are merging doesn't mean you can slack and offer appalling service. Get your act together! ...and answer your customer service phone line!!!!! read more

The plane was broken. And they had no solutions. United seems to have a great deal of mechanical problems in reading other customer complaints. They didn't even have an inkling as to when we would get to leave. It was also 100 degrees in the C terminal at O'Hare. Total delayed time = 5.5 hours thus wasting an entire Memorial Day at the airport. read more

They ran out of room on the plane from Omaha to Chicago so they checked my bag after they made me go back to gate gave me wrong bag check claim and sent my bag to Chicago now I'm leaving to Charleston and they don't have my bag on the plane - the plane that is leaving an hour later they couldn't get my bag off the carousel and get it through security and back onto plane I'm supposed to work in morning no such luck they sent it to Dallas!!! WTF over all support staff handled it well but they took the wrong actions and now I've got to go to work in jeans and a pair of sneakers ... read more

United Airlines - Airlines Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Not to sound protectionist or hyper-patriotic but I only fly American. Well that's not entirely true since I'm writing this review. It has been a while since I've taken United though. I decided for the first time in over a year to give United a chance to earn my business back on my recent trip to New York City. They had the latest flight home to Chicago out of Newark, so to buy some last minute time in NYC, United it was. The latest flight out of Newark on United - 8:32 p.m. - turned into 11:00 p.m. At least that was when we left the gate. The plane's tail rudder was malfunctioning so it was more like midnight. Now I understand weather delays being a frequent flyer (it was raining both in the New York and Chicago areas); but the problem was there were no updates on status the entire time we sat at the gate as Newark Liberty closed around us. And had the flight been cancelled, United had already told other passengers they would not comp the hotels (due to a light rain being considered weather on United while other airlines were leaving the airport). Were this a one time occurance, I would not even be writing a review. But stuff like this happens EVERY time I fly United. Seriously. There was one time where I took United to Philadelphia and then on the same trip took American home from New York LaGuardia. The United flight was late; and the American flight? On time. One woman who was fuming near me had a conspiracy theory that United intentionally overbooks their gates. I don't necessarily buy that but it's seeming like less and less of a coincidence every time United is late. Here's another juicy, annoying little tidibit. United now charges $15 for the FIRST checked bag (though to be fair so does American). And they don't bother alerting anyone of this fact until they're at the kiosk. And don't even get me started on mileage credits. United no longer has a minimum mileage guarantee on shorter flights, and it once took six months and a formal letter to get United miles for a trip I took on BMI (I've never had similar problems on American's airline partners). Were United somehow not nearly the same airline fleet as American - the days when United was a step up with their equipment and services is long gone - all the extra hassle might be worth it. As it stands, were it not for the job loss in Chicago it would create, giving the city's economy a major punch in the face, I would wish nothing short of corporate death on United in these economic times. I hope they stay in business but I'm still giving all my flight money to that Dallas based airline in the future. read more

Zero Stars is my true rating. For the last 2 years I haven't had to fly for business, but still had some miles in my Mileage Plus account that had a 3-yr inactivity/expiration date. But in Dec, 2007 United decides to change their policy to 18-month expiration date, sends out some press release and expects you to see it. So I go to use my miles today and guess what, they expired under the new 18-month rule. That sucks -- and they probably received some "bankruptcy" bailout money from my tax dollars along the way." read more

I used to think United was the best around. What happened to air travel?? -Want to check a piece of luggage.......extra charge -Yay, I sat down and my plane has direct TV in the seat just like Jet Blue....not so fast, you only get 10 minutes to preview....that will be an $8 charge if you want to continue. -Hungry?....fork over the credit card -Thirsty?.....of course you can have all the free sugar liquids you want.....because it's so cheap. Airlines need to be slapped back into customer service land! Ever flown a european airline or high end asian airline....now that's style and service! Why can't America figure it out? At least on my last trip everyone I interacted with was friendly.....I was shocked! read more

As I boarded I put my bag in the first overhead bin even though my seat was in the middle of the plane. After all I hear the "put your bag in any available space" all the time and thought it would be OK. At landing, as I moved towards the front there were two flight attendants standing by my bag. I grabbed it and one of them said, "oh, there you are, we were wondering who's bag this was" and I said "why does it matter?" And they both--in unison--YELLED, "because its first-class!!!" I then thanked them for chewing me out and left. In that moment I think I had a minute glimpse of how Rosa Parks may have felt. These attendants elitist attitudes are shameful. God created us all; each life has immeasurable value. UPDATE: In a twist of Providence (sorry no room for Yelp karma here), I currently find myself in 1F on the return flight! How Unitical! :D read more

I believe all airlines are alike. Just always get a travel insurance...AirFare prices should have gone down and it should allign to gasoline prices. I wish we are closer to making battery powered airplanes to replace these corrupt airlines... read more

United Airlines is a great example of customer service at its worst. While traveling with a newborn for the first time, and scrambling to gather everything (car seat, bottles, diapers, bags, etc.) we left an iPad in the seat back. Unable to reach support in our first 50 or so attempts, we finally connect, and are greeted by someone who says "do you have any idea how many people lose iPads every day? I'm sorry, but I think you're out of luck. Please fill out a form online if you're still interested." We had only been off the plane for an hour, and they showed absolutely NO INTEREST in helping us. Another example of poor support: we're one month out from a trip to Mexico, and United changes our flights from 9am to 5am, and tells us we have two days to accept their changes. No apology, no offer to reimburse for the inconvenience. We'll enjoy starting our vacation with a 2am wake-up call! There are many basic human courtesies that are just completely missed by this organization. I know the airline industry is tough, but I've spoken with really nice people at JetBlue, Virgin, and Southwest. I'll continue to send my business their way in the future. read more

Trapped in chicago ohare on the way from Tokyo to New York City. They decided to cancel 3 out of 4 planes to NYC leaving me number 154 on a standby list. No offer to pay for a hotel or a rental car and not even an apology from the company. Called in to the "elite" member hotline and waited over two hours on hold only to be hung up on. I wonder what the regular customer service is like?!?!?!? Funny, they declined to send me a flight satisfaction survey like they usually do. I guess they don't bother if they think the news will be bad. Ended up getting one of the last tickets out to DC and paying an extra 200 dollars to rent a car and drive 5 hours from DC back to New York. They did not offer any form of compensation for my trouble and I will no longer offer them any form of compensation for their horrible service!!! read more

Yes, a one star review- and believe me- you earned it buster. Where, oh where to start? I don't fly you often, I prefer the friendlier skies. THAT IS NOT you, but my assistant made a mistake- so- here I was. Today- when I came to check in, you had 5, yes 5 agents working the economy destinations. Seriously? On a MONDAY? and after Greek Easter? Was your scheduler high? One of the loud mouths kept yelling- use curbside check in- 2$ a bag, no waiting. Well- there was waiting. That even took 15 minutes! So I checked in, and went to wait for security.... oh boy... I am still working on that review. But lets get to the flight itself. YUP- packed, delayed, and scrunched. Oh well, that is what I get for flying an airline where I have over 70k in miles, but no status! Bumpy- you cannot control that- BUT- you can control the cabin pressure. AS we were rocking our way to the ground, the cabin pressure went wierd. How do I know? WELL- Huge pinching pain in my head, and immediate gusher from my nose. (yes, my head is really sensitive to pressure- talk to my neurosurgeon about it) Ok- that happens, but, really- no one wants to be around blood. And if my head starts bleeding internally- there will be blood!! So, the person next to me kindly hit the call button. We waited, my shirt got soaked, we waited longer, a bit got on the seat, the lady next to me pulled out a maxi pad- I put it on my face. We kept waiting. I was ready to stand up, with the bloody maxi pad on my face and do an all call for any others, tissues, or tampons- since your crew was ignoring the button! You see- YOUR CABIN CREW NEVER CAME!!! it was not that bumpy- and the landing gear was not down. WHAT A CROCK! Talk about danger to everyone! I know that I have NO communicable diseases- I have spent more than enough time in the hospital the past 2 years and had every blood test and other test known to man. However, the other passengers do not know that! AND NEITHER DID YOU! So united, your crappy service could have endangered the passengers all around me. I am so lucky that I had really cool people sitting next to me, they did not freak, and seemed to grasp that this was not a normal occurrence. However, your flight crew- boy oh boy did they drop the ball on this one. They just looked, wide eyed as I grabbed my laptop and tromped out. Good thing I had on a red shirt to begin with- but I still looked like I could have been a walking advertisement for Rugby or an extra in movie accident scene. read more

I wish zero stars was an option. First, they booked us with less than an hour to get through O'Hare passport and customs control. Then when we rechecked our bags the united rep gave us the wrong gate. We sprinted to that gate at the b terminal then back to the c gate to find our 2:19 departure closed the gate at 2:09. Two minutes before we got to the gate. Then the women at customer service were less than courteous and blamed ME for the way the flight was booked when I booked it through the airline website. I always fly southwest domestic and I will be willing to pay however much I need to avoid united international in the future Also the food was just awful going both ways. read more

I wish there was an option for negative stars b/c that is honestly how I feel about this airline. Let me tell you a few stories of why I hate them so much. 1. They almost always overbook. 2. I was told that their pilots aren't qualified to fly in bad weather which is why they have more canceled flights in bad weather than anyone else. 3. Phone customer service is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE if not horrifying. I fly more frequently than an average person but less than a consultant, about once or twice a month for work. Working in a corporate environment leads me to fly United or American more than any other airlines especially if I fly with others in the company. So you can imagine I have successful and unsuccessful flights which is totally normal b/c these are human operations within natural environment. I expect and understand that. And airlines almost always issue an apology and an appreciation voucher in case of unfortunate delays, etc. So my troubles began when I tried to exercise vouchers or miles that I have collected/earned. Rewards are exactly what they are. We get paid in incentive for being loyal to a brand. But when I tried to use these incentives, they become like iron gates that you cannot penetrate unless you follow the exact rules to the tee. Even then, it seems like pulling teeth every step of the way. it's almost not even worth it to collect these miles. The problem only gets worse when you tried to resolve your discontent with their customer service. What other choice do I have but to call the 1-800 number? So I call, hoping things will turn around and I'll love United again. But United out sources their customer service and they NEVER fail to deliver me some MORE bad news. How is that possible? First, you press a whole bunch of numbers then are greeted by a Tom, Linda, Steve or Susan with an obvious Indian accent. The you get passed around to different departments until you hit a dead end. Believe me. I understand the pain of speaking a non-native language for I, too, learned the English language at the age of 12. But there's a certain level of expectation that you have to meet when you're servicing customers. After all, you are the agent of the company that is paying you to do a job properly. So here's what I request... "Please don't be offended if a customer is asking you to transfer him or her to another agent who can properly communicate with you due to your thick accent. Do NOT hang up on the customer." "Please do not hang up on me because I asked you if I could combine the voucher your company issued due to a failure in delivering the promised service. " "Please do not hang up on me because I asked you to transfer me to your supervisor." "Please do not give me more empty promises hoping that I'll just forget and go away. " I fully understand the effects of economic downturn and I also understand it is nearly impossible for airline companies to make profits. But if you claim that you're a service industry, please deliver on the service because I am really growing tired of your never ending unpleasantry." read more

The United Plus 'Membership' Account - I called trying to make sure I get a checked bag for free, as it states on my printed ticket. --Extremely poor phone customer customer service experience. I don't travel much these days, so my mileage plus account was old, and my United credit card was issued before they started naming them Explorer cards. My card is valid until 2021, but these people wouldn't acknowledge it as a United card so I couldn't get the free checked baggage! If they could have updated my membership and linked my credit card to the account, which it was not, all would be good. Instead, they (I spoke to 2 people) kept saying, 'you should have linked this card to your account!' You Should You Should!! I said, 'how would I have known to do that?!' Simply unbelievable customer service. You'd think they would be trying super hard to keep customers....considering the 737 mess! Just another huge corporation slapping us in the face, again and again. Disgusting. read more