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]
united airlines
List Of Companies With Worst Customer Service Scores Is Full Of Familiar Names
By 1.8.13 — Updated: 3.19.13
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 12.26.12
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 12.14.12
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]
Court Rules Passengers Can’t Sue Continental For Sex Toy Taped To Outside Of Bag
By 12.4.12
In May 2011, two men flying on Continental from Costa Rica to Virginia, via Houston, went to claim their luggage and discovered a sex toy had been removed from one bag, smeared with some sort of substance, then taped to the outside of the bag. Last week, the judge in the case threw the suit out, saying an international accord prevents the suit from going forward. [More]
United Suing Passenger Complaint Site But Says It’s Not Because Of All That Complaining
By 11.28.12
What’s an airline company to do when passengers air their grievances via the World Wide Web? If it’s United, it gets all huffy about a 15-year-old complaint site that the airline claims has violated its copyright, trademarks and privacy of senior employees. United Continental Holdings is suing Untied.com for those very reasons, and not, it says, because passengers are complaining. [More]
Chicago Woman Claims There’s No Way She Racked Up Record $105K In Parking Tickets
By 11.27.12
If there’s a car in your name racking up parking tickets but you haven’t been driving it or parking it, should you have to pay? A Chicago woman who claims her ex-boyfriend registered a $600 clunker in her name insists she shouldn’t be on the hook for the whopping $105,761.80 the city says she owes for the car, which sat in an O’Hare Airport parking lot for three years. [More]
United Airlines Computer Glitch Traps, Strands & Delays Thousands Of Passengers Worldwide
By 11.15.12
The tiny elves that operate all the wheels, levers, switches and pulleys inside United Airlines’ computer system must be upset about something, because the airline suffered another huge outage today. That glitch (elven-caused or not) stranded thousands of travelers around the globe, some in airports and other stuck on planes as the airline dealt with the system-wide problem. [More]
‘Passenger Of Size’ Policies For The Largest Domestic Airlines
By 11.8.12 — Updated: 11.17.12
For passengers who don’t easily fit into the narrow seats on most commercial jets, it helps to know in advance what each carrier’s policies. [More]
Whether This Nor’Easter Will Be Awful Or Not, Airlines Are Canceling Flights Because Of It
By 11.7.12
It’s heading for the East Coast, but whether or not the predicted nor’easter will pummel residents or simply blow by, airlines aren’t taking any chances. United and Delta have already canceled 650 flights total in preparation for the weather blitz, and it’s likely not going to end there, as many people already devastated by Sandy brace for Mother Nature’s newest challenge. [More]
United Takes Boeing 787 Dreamliner For First U.S. Commercial Spin: What’s All The Hype About?
By 11.5.12
Long gone are the days of luxury flying for the average customer as seen on sentimental period TV dramas, but that doesn’t mean people don’t get excited about taking to the skies anymore. For the most part we’re burned out on the everyday, average flight, but yesterday United Airlines took to the skies with a horse of a different color. And by horse I mean plane, a very fancy one indeed: The Boeing Dreamliner 787, which was the first commercial flight for the plane in the U.S. [More]
Some Airlines Make It Awfully Tricky To Get A Refund Within 24 Hours Of Buying A Ticket
By 10.24.12 — Updated: 11.1.12
It’s important to know your rights when it comes to airline travel, or you could be missing out on getting a full refund on a fare you don’t need. We’ve reported before on the Department of Transportation regulation that requires airlines to give customers a full refund within 24 hours of booking a flight (if it’s booked a week or more beforehand), but some airlines make it really difficult for you to do that. [More]
Caught In The Middle Of A Game Of ‘Blame The Other Company’
By 10.2.12 — Updated: 10.8.12
Aldo learned something interesting this week: airlines will sell two tickets issued to the same person on the same flight from different vendors. It’s one thing to buy two adjacent seats at the same time if you’re a person with an above-average rear end, but Aldo and his wife each bought him a ticket for his flight. He went directly through United, and she used Expedia. This turned out to be a terrible mistake, since it meant that United and Expedia could play the always-exciting game of “blame the company, then pawn the customer off on them.” [More]
Passengers Tackle Man On Flight Because Grabbing Ladies Just Isn’t To Be Tolerated
By 9.27.12
Committing acts of harassment in a confined public space is going to lead to one inevitable outcome: You’re gonna get caught because there’s nowhere to go. That’s what happened to a man on a flight from Chicago to Orange County, Calif. when his fellow passengers tackled him for behaving aggressively and grabbing women while in the air. Getting away is not an option when you’re at that altitude, people. [More]
Two Dog Owners Speak Out About Pets Killed During United Flights
By 9.26.12
Two dog owners from different parts of the country have spoken out against United Airlines this week, telling news outlets that the airline broke its promises of pet safety while they took cross-country flights with their dogs in cargo. Both dogs were young: a golden retriever and a Neapolitan Mastiff, each only two years old. [More]
United Airlines Now Responsible For One-In-Three Consumer Complaints
By 8.10.12 — Updated: 3.26.13
When United and Continental decided to become a couple, they weren’t just combining their bank accounts and airplane collections, they also had to combine all the complaints people file against them. But even that doesn’t account for the huge increase in consumer complaints filed against the united United. [More]
Why One Traveler Says He’ll Never Fly United Airlines Again
By 7.25.12 — Updated: 3.26.13
After many years as a satisfied Continental customer, Consumerist reader Billy says he’s been less than pleased with his experiences since that airline merged with United. But it wasn’t until his family’s most recent ordeal on United that he reached the “never again” point. [More]
Disabled Vet Says United Employees Kicked His Service Dog, Asked Him If He Was Retarded
By 7.20.12 — Updated: 3.26.13
The founder of a group that places service dogs with disabled vets says he went through a 48-hour ordeal at Dulles airport outside Washington, D.C., this week and that not only did United Airlines employees kick his service dog twice, but one staffer actually insulted him in public. [More]
