UPDATE: Not one to be late to the party, U.S. Airways has proved it’s a joiner by also increasing its flight change fee to $200. The change appeared on the site just today. Oof. This doesn’t look good, folks. [More]
cover your eyesLast week, some United passengers claimed their plane was diverted and they were taken off the flight because they complained about a violent movie being shown on screens that everyone could see. Now the director of that movie says those parents were right to be unhappy about their young boys seeing the film. [More]
Even If You’re Not A Celebrity, You Can Pay To Be Treated Like One At The Airport
By April 11, 2013
Times used to be, breezing through airport security in front of everyone else and skipping lines during the boarding process was just for the hoity-toity types — the wealthy and celebrities, mainly. But now that regular passengers can pay for fast-track access, airlines are scrambling to provide an even hoity-toitier (new word, deal with it) experience for anyone willing to pay a hefty price. [More]
Virgin America Soars Above The Rest In Annual Airline Survey While United Sinks To The Bottom
By April 8, 2013
Every day, airlines shuttle passengers from here to there, through friendly (and not so friendly) skies, ferrying bags and losing luggage and touching down at airports all around the country. Some of those airlines are consistently a cut above the rest, while others just can’t seem to do anything right. According to this year’s Airline Quality Rating Survey, Virgin America is the cream of the crop while United Airlines is a long, long way from the top. [More]
United Says It’s Reviewed Its In-Flight Entertainment After Kicking Family Off Flight For Complaining
By April 4, 2013
We told you yesterday about the parents who claim their complaints about the appropriateness of the movie shown on a United flight resulted in their plane being re-routed and them being questioned by authorities. Today, the airline gives a very brief statement of its side of the story. [More]
Passengers Claim United Flight Was Diverted After They Complained About In-Flight Movie
By April 3, 2013
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From the red-eye where my two choices of movie were the Jimmy Fallon/Queen Latifah vehicle “Taxi” or Halle Berry’s unique take on Catwoman, to my hungover experience of watching Meet Joe Black dubbed in Turkish, I’ve watched some horrible movies on planes. I’d never once thought to actually complain about it, and now I’m quite glad. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 1: United Airlines Vs. Carnival Cruise Lines
March 26, 2013
For one of these travel-industry titans, it’s time to book a one-way ticket. No refunds, no changes; just butt-kicking. [More]
United Airlines Thinks Dog Would Rather Take A Trip To Ireland Than Fly To Phoenix
By March 18, 2013
While plenty of people would love the chance to visit Ireland, land of at least four green fields and a rich cultural history, maybe sending a six-year-old dog on his own to the Emerald Isle isn’t a great idea. Especially when United Airlines was supposed to send the pooch, Hendrix, from Newark to Phoenix. [More]
United Holds Connecting Flight So Passenger Can Get To Dying Mother
By March 4, 2013
Given the current state of the airline industry and the nature of the stories that people send to us, it’s nice to hear the occasional account of airline staffers going to extra lengths to help a passenger out. [More]
Court Rules Airline Doesn’t Need To Accept Cash For In-Flight Purchases
By February 25, 2013
There’s a widely held belief that because dollar bills are legal tender that all cash must be accepted by any business for any purchase. This simply isn’t true, but try telling that to the man who sued Continental Airlines for refusing to let him buy $8 worth of stuff with cash during a flight. [More]
United Passengers Perform CPR For 30 Minutes In Attempt To Save Dying Traveler
By February 12, 2013
Most stories about travelers attempting to save one of their fellow passengers involves in-flight emergencies where there are few options for medical care. But this tragic incident didn’t begin until the plane had already touched down. [More]
United Airlines Mobile Boarding Passes: Save Time And Trees, Lose Frequent-Flyer Points
By February 1, 2013
It’s incredibly convenient to carry your airline boarding passes on your smartphone. They save paper, save the airline money, and save really absentminded people from misplacing their tickets. The problem, though, is that using them means that Ralph loses out on a lot of frequent flyer miles that United Airlines owes him. He doesn’t have any boarding passes to show and prove that he traveled when he said he did, and evidently United doesn’t keep track of that kind of thing. [More]
Other Airlines Apparently Uninterested In Joining Any Of United’s Fare-Hiking Games
By January 17, 2013
Every year the airlines seem to go through the same little fare-hiking dance, multiple times and with varying results. This time it’s United Airlines, which is trying to raise prices on domestic routes ranging from $4 to $20 roundtrip. The only fly in its pricing ointment is that it doesn’t look like the other airlines are going to follow suit. [More]
FAA Orders U.S. Airlines To Ground All 787 Boeing Dreamliners
By January 17, 2013
Another day, another bit of bad news for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the airlines that fly the aircraft: The Federal Aviation Administration’s regulators have ordered U.S. airlines to temporarily ground any Dreamliner planes they fly, pending a further investigation into recent safety issues that have cropped up. [More]
United, American Airlines Accused Of Using Sham Businesses To Avoid Millions In Taxes
By January 14, 2013
Somewhere in Sycamore, IL, about an hour west of Chicago, both United and American Airlines have offices for subsidiary businesses. But some say these offices are nothing more than tax-dodges that help the carriers avoid millions of dollars in taxes each year. [More]
List Of Companies With Worst Customer Service Scores Is Full Of Familiar Names
By January 8, 2013
Bank of America, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Delta, Charter, American Airlines — these are just a few of the all-too-familiar companies sitting comfortably in the back of the pack in terms of customer service for 2012. [More]
Hundreds Of Flights Canceled As Bad Weather Wreaks Havoc On Holiday Travel
By December 26, 2012
Given the sheer number of flights that have been canceled today — and stand to be canceled and delayed in the coming hours — it’s possible you’re reading this from the discomfort of an airport or in the house of that family member you’d hoped to be saying goodbye to for another year. [More]
How Do You Fly 1 Million Miles In A Year? Ask This Guy
By December 14, 2012
So you say you want to fly a million miles in one year? Easy-peasy lemon squeezy! Just hop on about 400 flights to far-flung destinations and you can match the feat of a Chicago man who’s clocked in a million miles on United Airlines in just a single year. If you’re flying for business and have already racked up 13 million miles and earned tons of airline rewards, that’ll make things easier. [More]
