[donviejo]

We booked a Thanksgiving trip from Denver to Kona more than six months in advance using Mileage Plus miles and knowing that if we waited too long we would not find available seats. We received email confirmations as well as confirmed seats.

Four months from our flight we received a call from United telling us that there was a schedule change. That was putting it mildly. They actually cancelled out the Kona to LA leg of our return trip without any replacement. After several phone calls I did get to talk to an agent who said that the only flight for that leg that they could book had a nine-hour layover in LA. Given that my wife is disabled, a nine-hour layover, following a five-plus-hour flight, then followed by a two-plus-hour flight to Denver, was totally unacceptable. In fact, it was impossible.

I would never have booked such an itinerary and suggested that there must be seats available for the missing leg that do not have a nine-hour layover, and that the absence of available seats was due to our using miles. They vehemently denied the charge. They siad nothing was available but did offer a flight going first to Newark and then connecting back to Denver. Some deal.

Since the offered arragements were impossible for us, I had no choice but to cancel the entire trip., including a hefty cancelation fee paid to the hotel. United "graciously" refunded our miles and then offered 3,000 mles to each of us for our Mileage Plus accounts. Some trade!!

The next day I checked the United flight schedules from Kona to Denver and found there were numerous flights with available seats, connecting through Honolulu, some even direct to Denver.

Either their agents are incompetent or they are plain liars. You take the choice. We took it by losing out on a highly anticipated trip due to a United canceled leg, as well as in the pocketbook by having to pay a hotel cancelation fee.

I suggest that anyone reading this complain be very cautious about United and their schedules. Do not trust them. They are either incompetent or lie.