Today United Airlines is asking the federal government for 1.8 billion dollars worth of assistance.

Why don't they start by offering their CUSTOMERS a little assistance of their own! Have you called this airline lately? The worst customer service that you could ever imagine. Every one of them sounds like you just interrupted their office poker game. They seem genuinely unhappy that you called.

Why don't they just come right out and say it. "Please book online instead, so that all of us here at the phone center can lose our jobs and collect unemployment. In addition to the 1.8 billion dollars of your tax money that we are requesting to keep our sad excuse for an airline afloat".

You are correct!!!
They are pathetic. Not only over the telephone, but live and in person at airports when you request upgrades using miles, or for better seats, etc.
I have 100's of 000's of miles and they never give me squat-because I'm not a current year Premier. In addition to your comments, its a "what have you done for me lately?" attitude.
UAL's treatment of passengers has really gone way downhill.
Mark

Mark,

Of course the 1K's get special treatment. They fly more often and pay higher fares than others. They deserve it.

Why should UAL or any other company give special treatment to you. You had your 15 minutes of fame while you were flying on regular basis.

Now it's the people that are still doing heavy flying that are getting the special perks. Sorry, but that's just the way business works.

Apparently you have lost your "Road Warrior" status..

Lets be accurate about UAL's request: a loan guarantee, not a handout, of $1.8 B in PRIVATE loans - money being raised privately for growth purposes. The Federal government has numerous loan guarantee programs, including programs to gurantee the mortgages of every ship flying the US flag. Following 9-11, Congress enacted legislation creating a board empowered to guarantee loans to airlines if they requested it. So far there have been eight such requests - and UAL was not the first. Two have already been rejected. Among the ones still pending, US Airways' request for an identical loan guarantee of $900 M. Yes, I've found UAL agents to be a bit rude as well - but nothing like Delta. And if you noticed, UAL didn't follow SW's heavy people buy two seats policy. But lets not make it seem that the taxpayer is bailing out United. Think back to Chrysler in the early 1980s - and since then, the government has helped many ailing industries. Next time you pass a Harley hog, just remember not too many years ago the US m/c was on the road to extinction. Lots of industries need help from time to time - thus we collect taxes nationally and distribute them nationally to help the nation. Now, pick up your pencils, we're going to have a little pop quiz.

Why is it when complaints about airlines before 9-11 were so frequent that Congress was considering some legislation to address chronic flight delays, overbooking, cramped and unhealthy seating and all the other ills of airline travel? The airlines claimed they were a PRIVATE industry and should investigate and address consumer complaints on their own without government "interference."

Yet when there's taxpayer money to be distributed, who is lining up with their hands out for it? The airlines. Watch United go belly up, put thousands out of work and the executives walk away with hundreds of millions. All the other corporations are doing it, why shouldn't they?

Funny, I thought taxes were supposed to be collected and distribued to assist the taxpayers, not the corporations and their millionaire CEOs.

XXX, the issue of how best to use public revenues in the private sector has been thrashed out over and over. It's moot at this point - the government will probably approved UAL's request. I suppose it all depends on your own private prespective. My own is that we need the airlines so I am willing to see tax revenues used to guranatee loans. In the past we have also had direct payments to small airlines to allow them to maintian service to our smaller communities. Did anyone complain then, I wonder. I do wonder why you're so certain United will go belly up. You'd better hope that doesn't happen. Think of the impact on our economy, not to mention life style.

Actually, I just had a very good customer service experience with United. Was booking a business class flight to London, using miles to upgrade, and the guy I talked to was very knowledgeable and helpful.

Compared with the mental giants at British Airways, American, Northwest, Virgin and Aer Lingus that I have dealt with in the past, United customer service people are the best in the business.

My sister had a 6am flight connecting in D.C, and when she showed up at the counter she was told that they couldn't put her on the plane because she would miss her connection-all flights in D.C were grounded for the morning (some federal air threat that day).

The rule is supposed to be something like this:, when your flight will miss the connection, they are supposed to put you on another flight within 2 hours even if they have to put you on another airline. They told my sister that nothing was available (she checked by phone later on with other airlines and they DID indeed have plenty of room)and put her on a flight leaving SEVEN hours later. They had already checked out of their airport hotel and were stuck. Then, the later flight was delayed 3 more hours.

At this point my sister asked if they could at least get an upgrade when they finally got out - and the United agents acted like she had asked to fly the plane or something! They practically laughed in her face.

Onboard, she noticed that there were 5 empty seats in First Class. Now, I ask you, why in the world, after delaying someone for almost 11 hours, would United rather have an EMPTY first class seat than a seat with a satisfied customer in it???

My advice to people is THIS, based on past experience. DO NOT get on a flight if it is delayed so that you will miss your connection. GET ON THE PHONE and CALL the airline, asking for a supervisor. Tell them that they are not supposed to put you on a plane that will not make its connection, and ask them to find you another flight. DO NOT deal with the idiots at the gate who probably have a long line of other people in the same boat.

Always travel with the 800 number of your airline close at hand, so that any problems can be dealt with the easier way. AND, it always pays to check around to see what other airlines are flying that day to your destination. I have often just called, say U.S.Air, and said "The U.S. Air flight that you have me on is leaving late and I will miss my connection. Delta has a flight in one hour that will work for me and I'd like you to please arrange for me to have a seat". They will check their options and often will speed you right along. You will have to stop at the ticket areas if you are changing airlines, but it is much easier to do when everything is already confirmed for you in the airline's computer.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! Every airline is required to have a booklet available to you listing their "Rules of Carriage". With United, you have to SHOVE THE RULES IN THEIR FACES, but eventually they usually comply. If only my sister had known!

Predictions on the next corporate giants to go belly up and have executives walk away with millions:

United Airlines
Qwest Communications
Hewlett Packard
Kmart

You read it here first.

Although I agree with most of you that airline employees do often seem grumpy (even rude at times) I also have some sympathy for them as well. Having done similar work (sitting 8 hours and talking on the phone all day for a nationwide travel company) I can understand why they sound used up and tired. It gets very monotonous to do that all day and you would not believe the amount of weird/rude people you get on the phone. The airlines (especially) are given scripts; certain things they have to say to every single person that calls. Another reason they probably are unhappy is because they don't make a lot of money for what they do but are still expected to give you exemplary service. I don't mean to say these are excuses for them to act poorly but they are reasons why they do. When I had to deal with the airlines directly if I asked how they were doing or said something nice to them they sort of livened up. There have been other times when I have talked with really nice airline staff as well. Also, it is not fair to say that their customer service staff should be nicer to you because United is asking for monetary assistance. Most of those employees will never see any of that money. If their employees were happier about their jobs, you would see a difference. You need to look at Corporate United for changes in attitude and often times it is corporate actions that have lowered morale in the first place.

P.S. XXX-
Those are predictions that many have already made!

Dick,
I do not dispute the fact that 1K members are due the perks over non-Premiers. I can't compete with them head-on. But I do have the issue when you cannot get "out' of a middle seat three weeks before the flight and then again hours before the flight when you are one of the first persons to check in, only to see other aisles and windows available once the flight takes off. I also have many miles for upgrades and things yet I remain "wait-listed" weeks in advance!
I have no issue with the meagerly paid customer service agents. My issue is with corporate policy and management-you know, the same group that is driving the airline into bankruptcy?

Premier-status flyers aren't spending their own money.

United is one of the worst at holding their breath in case premier-types might happen to want to fly UAL, while all the "peons" that have already paid for their passage are treated like used Kleenex.

United started to replace very professional and experienced res. agents with minimum-wage 8th-graders several years ago, and they wonder why their reputation for service went down the pipes. There's a great New Yorker cartoon, with suits sitting around conference table and plummeting sales chart: "Our sales started to fall off at exactly the moment we eliminated our sales force."

Strangely enough.

MEANWHILE, Amtrak is going begging.

Who says big money doesn't run our government?

I'm a premier member on United and still get treated like s***. I hate United, and have a million and one "hate" stories that would all take too long to tell here (and I don't want to get my blood pressure up!) Two reasons why I continue to fly United - 1. My family lives in Colorado and United is the only airline which flies into the airport where they live (United squeezed Continental out years ago...) 2. Look at the alternatives (at least for coast to coast travel!) I just have to steel myself for bad, surly service both from the ground staff and the flight staff - whether I'm flying business or economy!

I phoned United this morning, asking for the lowest fare from LAX to Chicago on July 25th around 4pm, returning July 29th around 4pm. (oops, forgot to say that at 7:45am I was on hold for 9 minutes). Anyway, the agent, in an already-grumpy-in-the-morning voice said "well what do ya know, I finally got someone who knows when they wanna fly. I must be dreamin'." She then proceeded to screw up my reservation by booking it backwards, from Chicago to LA instead of vice versa. I felt like saying "well lady, you got lucky and got a customer who knows where he wants to go, but managed to get it wrong anyway!"

They are bad. REAL BAD. No customer service training whatsoever, it seems. But, at least they haven't resorted to (I hope!) setting up a phone bank in a prison to take reservations like TWA did a few years back. I guess the prisoners worked for a buck an hour or something. Just the type of fellows I'd like to give my credit card number too - NOT!

Dave, why wouldn't you just use United.com? No surly agent and the lowest fares. A real no-brainer, if you ask me! I NEVER call the airlines anymore, and that goes for all of them!!

United is the only airline that I have spoken to and have not been able to understand what the agent was saying because of a heavy, heavy accent that I couldn't make out the English words. They are also the only airline that I have made reservations with and all was hunky dory except when I called the next day to request seating, my locator number was totally unknown and apparently the charming young man I had spoken to had thrown the whole reservation in the trash can.Even the terminals at O'Hare are awful---all glass and when the temps go up in summer you feel like you're in an oven. Dirty planes the last two times I've flown and a restroom (can you call it that?) where my feet stuck to the floor--guess why. And, someone please tell them that the cold hard rolls with smoked turkey and dijonnaise are nauseating in the air. Better no food that that which makes you want to throw up. BTW, for those interested SWA is improving it's check in process in a very creative way. Haven't flown American lately---is it as bad as UA?

Just Dont Fly......

Vote with your car. It is probably cheaper, maybe faster, probably less stressful, and you can smile that you are not feeding the airline monster. If you have an economy car like me you can also smile that you are not feeding the obnoxious flambuoyant Texas oilmen either.

Keep money near home, take a vacation near your home town. THe economy needs improvement. Don't subsidize foreign countries. We will throw you a bone when we are rich. Otherwise, take a hike. Same with the airlines.

Airline employees....we pay your salaries. You'll probably be on welfare if you wouldn't have customers.

Whadda bunch of complainers! I fly United a lot and rarely have a problem. Just be patient and alter your expectations. And think, if they had had Arthur Anderson as their accountants, they probably wouldn't need a loan. They'd be doing just fine!

Excuse me???? Alter your expectations? I think not! Maybe that's why customer service is getting worse and worse, everywhere. We have come to accept mediocrity.

I am not going to lower my expectations, they are going to have to improve, or they don't get my business. Period.