Thanks Sally and everyone for your helpful into. Sally, I think we all understand how you feel and how tough your job must be. It's too bad that there is so much mistrust between airlines and their passengers and that sometimes passengers are given incorrect information. It's tough for everyone.

I read this post with much interest, as I have started flying United more and more. I travel two or three weeks each month. With the onset of summer, I've been tired of flying the Greyhound of the Air, Southwest and being crammed into Midway Airport in Chicago and on one of their planes that is ALWAYS late. American's prices have not been competitive IMHO. <BR> <BR>But after reading this post, it explains my day from hell, this past Sunday. I flew from Grand Rapids to Chicago on United. The flight was delayed 3 1/2 hours...for 'weather' in Chicago. Then, when we were finally cleared for takeoff, there was a mechanical problem with the plane. We arrived in Chicago and it hadn't rained in the recent past. Of course, we missed our connecting flight to Dulles. Was put on another flight and IT was 2 1/2 hours late. We couldn't help but think that there was no good reason for the problems. This may explain it.... <BR> <BR>

<BR> <BR>All: <BR> <BR>Part of what Sally said is incorrect. I have twice been put in a hotel for weather-related cancellations at DFW. I would have been other times, but I arrived so late that all of AA's room vouchers had been distributed. <BR> <BR>I do sympathize with the employees, however. While waiting in line at 2 am to have my ticket changed, I have seen passengers at their absoloute worst--people berating airline agents who are working a second shift, and who are unable to do anything about the situation. If only I would have had a video camera.

I agree with Sally/John...doesn't matter how nasty the problem gets, yelling at a gate agent won't help. What I forgot to mention about my flight this past Monday is that I was nice to the gate agent. He later came over to find me in the boarding area (note: I did not go up to him for this) and asked for my boarding pass. He upgraded me to first class. <BR> <BR>It made the delay worthwhile. I'd flown F.C. before, but never had a gate agent come over to ME to upgrade me. It was nice, and it was probably because I was sweet and entertaining to him. Or maybe it was because I'm cute (but they never stick around after they find out I have an enormous ego...) <BR> <BR>Be NICE to the gate agents, unless they're mean to you. Then give them hell. =P

Dear Sally: The other planes in that airport were flying in and out for about 4 hours while we were told it was weather reasons for our "hold." It was not weather reasons. THEY ARE VALID. It was a lie. There was one huge family who missed their sister's wedding in Chicago and were crying like crazy. In <BR>fact, it became rather hard for the rest of us as we were really worried about this one elderely women who seemed almost pyscho over it. I did not flame any employees as I AM IN A SERVICE BUSINESS and know what it feels like on the receiving end. BUT it was a LIE. AND it kept us past a time of no return for getting out of LaGuardia before it closed (shuttles and all) for the night. When I flew on a companion pass, I was so polite that I made myself sick. (HA-HA) And my 20 year old <BR>was even nicer, but only 1 person during the whole day (literally) trip ever really gave us a nice word or any exact information (at the Boston end.) AND our luggage got lost- which I was stupid enough to check in as I had never flown on a companion pass before. <BR>I have lived and learned. <BR>

Sally, I understand that some people can be complete jerks about delays/cancellations. However, that comes with the territory. If you can't handle the good with the bad and can't handle irate passengers, maybe you should be in another line of work. I have flown in and out of O'Hare numerous times and always seems to encounter gate agents with an attitude! Must be something in the water! As for United's on time record--it is one of the WORST! I am getting my facts straight from the DOT Consumer Aviation Website. It is their job to track these things. <BR> <BR>By the way, your spelling is terrible. United's standards must be slipping!

Well, let's get past the personal attacks Miss Belinda and say that I deal with irrate passengers and have for the past 17 years and 15 more in the customer service industry and its just amazing to me that some people actually still question when a plane has a mechanical problem I guess those people have been traveling on aircrafts toooo long and the altitude has gone to there brain. Sorry I guess when they were taking about spelling in school I must have been in a mind your manners class, guess you missed that one huh???? OOOOPS sorry I thought we were getting past the personal attacks. OH WELL.

A word about weather delays -- it can just as often be bad weather at your DESTINATION as at the city where you are waiting to take off. In recent years, the practice has been to wait until the destination airport can reasonably accept incoming flights before approving take-off. Frankly I'd MUCH prefer to wait at the departure gate on the ground than circling and circling in lousy weather, hoping for approval to land. <BR> <BR>But this means you might be looking out the airport window at sunshine and other flights may be taking off, but yours is delayed because of lousy weather where you are going. <BR> <BR>Re: crummy spelling, punctuation, etc. -- sometimes it's a matter of the machine you are working on -- some of my communications from remote servers have come through in complete gibberish. And sometimes a gate agent is just plain exhausted. Hang in there, Sally.

Yes, it is too true that it is much better to be waiting in the terminal than on the plane or circling. But it is also much, much better to be told that your flight is cancelled instead <BR>of losing an entire day with various <BR>information being given which in each turn became obviously erroneous. We were on our THIRD supper voucher when <BR>the sandwich shop had nothing left with which to exchange it for, this last time. The gate agents were changed many times during this whole ordeal. We should have processed what we were looking at,proceeded to get our luggage back and on our way to other avenues of transport at least 10 hours before we <BR>actually did. Next time I most probably will do that and deal with trying to get <BR>my losses back at a later time.

Well, I'm back. Our nonstop Dulles-Denver flight last night was cancelled, along with many, many others. In our case, the plane for our flight did not arrive due to weather in Boston. Whatever. We were unable to get our checked luggage back, because so many flights going all over the place were cancelled that they couldn't deliver it all back to everyone. Denver, LAX, London, Hartford, Indianapolis, Vermont. Some storm, huh? <BR> <BR>Anyway, we went home with no luggage, having booked an 11:20 a.m. flight. At 8:30 a.m., United called us to tell us it had been cancelled -- get this -- due to weather. So even though the sun is shining, they know things will really be rocking three hours ahead of time. Oh, and many flights connecting through Chicago that could get us to Denver are also cancelled due to, um, weather. Although we are willing to depart from any of the three local airports, they refuse to put us on another airline because the cancellations are due to, um, weather. Every other United flight is full or cancelled. So we've lost a day of vacation, but they're willing to give us another evening United flight so we can do the whole thing again. Darn the weather, anyway!

Sally is just one more example of the attitude problem prevelant in gate agents. Your long years of service as a gate agent Sally dear have left you cranky and bitter. I think it's time you retired and let someone who is better equipped handle the pressure.

That's funny MR. or Madam XX I don't remember being cranky!!! As a matter of fact I was answering to the post actually laughing because like I said it amazes me that passengers really believe that we are lying about a situation so we can put ourselves through more hell than we go thru. <BR> <BR> <BR>Cindy, I am sorry for the problems that you went thru. Just a tip for the future, you should have been put on another airline if there was one going to your final destination no matter what the reason weather or mechanical. We have been hiring alot, I mean alot of new agents and I will be the first to admit that we have a not so great training program (we are working on a new program that should take effect soon) and many of them do not know the proper way to handle these situations. In the future when a problem arises and you feel that you should be accomodated in other ways please ask for a service director (manager) or a supervisor. I am sure that your problem will be solved as far as we can go. SD's and supervisors do go thru special training to handle passengers who feel that they have been disserviced. I am a service director and I find that I do things that the previous agent could have done but they did not know any better or were just plain lazy (I hate to say this but we need to face the facts and I along with many other people have taken this matter to management and therefore the new training program). It's funny that I receieved an email from one of my friends in Denver and she said that she had been working a flight that had been cancelled due to weather on the east coast yesterday and instead of helping passengers get on other carriers she was wasting 20 minutes with each person explaining that it was not the pilots it was weather. Therefore many people did not get to the other flight it was to later. This will always be but like I said before we are there to service our customers not lie to them. Once again I do apologize for the problems you had and if I could I would see that your problem was heard. May I suggest that you go to UA.com and register a compalaint. That website is screened by the government so all complaints must be answered.

Cindy, if all the flights to Denver were canceled due to, um, weather, maybe there was an, um, weather problem. Weather problems that affect flights can occur in the departure city, the arrival city, or somewhere on the potential routes. If there's a weather problem on one possible route, other routes get clogged and flights are delayed for air traffic safety. I'm not a fan of airlines, but um, weather can be a real monkeywrench in the works. Better safe than in an accident.

Have flown several USA domestic carriers in the past 5 years. United has some of the very worst flight attendants in the air. <BR>From now on, I URGE all passengers to do the only things that will put a stop to the type of behaviors complained of in the previous posts. <BR>1. When confronted with less than courteous behavior on the part of any of the flight crew, get their full name or badge ID number. <BR>2. Insist on speaking to the supervisor; on a plane, it's the senior flight attendant. <BR>3. Politely but firmly (don't shout, get sarcastic or belligerent) repeat your complaint and what you expect to have the situation/problem solved. <BR>4. If they are not forthcoming, get THEIR name, and seek out the customer relation's office upon landing. <BR>5. Follow up with a letter detailing your complaint(s), name names, and what they did NOT do to rectify the situation as it occurred. <BR>Do not use foul language, sarcasm, belligerent words, etc. It will completely negate your letter. <BR>6. Tell them exactly what you expect them to do; a written apology, a reprimand in those employee's personnel folders, pay for dry cleaning, etc. <BR>7. Be sure to learn the NAME of the appropriate person to address and send your letter to. Send copies to other(s) departments as necessary. <BR>AND <BR>8. Follow Sally's (the UA Gate Agent) advice and post your letter on United Airline's website. I believe she gave it as: www.ua.com <BR>--------------------------- <BR>Until more people take the time and make the effort to follow 'all the way' through with their complaints, the situation won't change. <BR>Conversely, when enough people complain (and complain properly) we WILL see changes in how we are treated....we are their customers.....their jobs depend upon us. <BR>------------------------ <BR>I'm mad as h... and I'm not going to take it anymore! <BR> <BR> <BR>

Just for the information of the most recent posters, the weather situation over Fri.-early Sat. (7/14-15) made hash of the air traffic over much of the country, just at a really heavy time -- midsummer, Fri. rush hour. <BR> <BR>I was at RDU (to negotiate a ticketing change for a future trip), where United has a VERY small representation, and foolishly thought Sat. mid-afternoon wouldn't be a busy time for anyone. The place was a zoo, involving all airlines, and the UA ticket-counter people said that things had been bad for the previous 24 hrs., that they still had people stranded at midnight the night before whom they couldn't get out until Sunday. They said it was about like a blizzard for messing up the system, but lots more people were traveling because it was a summer weekend. <BR> <BR>Now who in their right mind would assume that the airline -- much less the ticket/gate/reservations agents -- would willingly create such chaos, just for the sheer pleasure of lying about it to the public? <BR> <BR>BTW: Pilots don't have to deal with the public, so perhaps they are more willing to throw monkey-wrenches into things, but the agent told me that the pilots were not a problem over this crunch period -- that things are coming along, there.

Someone on the Europe Forum just posted a possible reason for all the late departures. Said that while negotiating for a new contract, pilots are *very* carefully going through mechanical inspections, causing flights to depart late, and then, if there is another stop along the way, depart late as well from that airport. A flight I am scheduled to take today in 3 hours is already listed as 35 minutes late due to equipment not arriving. This same flight departed yesterday 1 and 1/2 hours late for the same reason.

As of today, 16 July, the best source of info. is the Sunday New York Times cover story on all these issues re:airport delays, why, etc. (You can probably get it on-line unless they want you to register before you get in to the site.)

Given that United has one of the worst on-time records, lowest customer satisfaction and the numer of complaints on this and other sites, it amazes me that a United gate agent would openly identify themself on this forum. It makes me very suspicious! Add to that the history of trolls and whackos on this forum, I am doubtful that our Sally is really who she says she is. Why would an airline employee such as herself defend her airline and keep posting contiuously here? I think our Sally is a pathetic troll with the need to feel important. Go troll somewhere else!

Troll-Pot calling kettle black? Ease up on Sally -- I know several UA agents and they try to be at least a little proud of the company -- after all they are employee-owners. And they are the frontline that takes a tremendous amount of Stuff from angry, frustrated people. She has a tough job and of course she'd try to explain and even defend the indefensible. <BR>

Looks like a troll, smells like a troll, chances are it's a troll. Friendly-you must work for United also. Explain to me why United has the worst customer service and the worst on-time record of any major carrier? And why we should be sympathetic?