[tlynn7321]

January 25, 2013

Via Certified Mail – Return Receipt Required

Mr. Martin Hand
United Airlines
Senior Vice President Customer Experience
233 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60601

Dear Mr. Hand,

Where to begin…I was scheduled on a return flight from Franklin, PA at 5:40PM, Thursday, 12/27/2012, flight UA4069. My flight UA3267 was due to arrive in Atlanta at 6:23PM with a layover in Cleveland. The weather reports indicated a heavy snowstorm for Wednesday the 26th and sure enough flights were delayed and cancelled Wednesday and into Thursday. I began receiving updates on my cell phone around 10:00AM Thursday morning. The three updates I received were inaccurate as they had me leaving Franklin, PA at 6:15PM, arriving in Cleveland at 6:25PM, leaving Cleveland at 6:25PM and arriving in Atlanta, GA at 6:30PM. Obviously that time frame doesn’t allow for a flight from Franklin, PA to Atlanta, GA. The last alert indicated that the flight was delayed out of Franklin until 8:15PM. Needless to say the Franklin, PA flight never left the ground that evening.

After receiving the updates on Thursday morning, I phoned United Airlines to reschedule my flight to Atlanta knowing that if the flight out of Franklin, PA did take off, I would still miss my flight out of Cleveland at 6:58PM. This was something that, I thought, would assist the airline in that I was being proactive.

I first spoke with Kay who was extremely kind and worked with me to get me on the first flight out of Franklin on Friday morning, December 29th, at 9:35AM, flight number UA4067 with a connection in Cleveland. Once in Cleveland I would have to change planes and take American into Atlanta. Cool - not a problem!!! She even informed me that there would be no charge. I was going to be home by late afternoon! I was so excited!

Then the nightmare began…I was disconnected! I did not receive a phone call back or an email confirming my flight. So I called back. This time instead of Kay, who spoke perfect English, I was now speaking with someone out of India, with whom I was having a very hard time understanding, to the extent that I had to ask her to spell her name as I was unable to grasp what she was saying. I spent three and a half hourson the phone with her! She put me on hold numerous times; not for a few seconds but for several minutes and at one point as long as twenty minutes! She stated that the flight I was previously offered was no longer available. One option she provided me was to fly out on Sunday, 12/30 with a twelve hour layover in Dallas!!! Really?!!

I was now reviewing my options on line. I just could not believe there wasn’t an alternative to getting me on a plane on Friday morning or at best Saturday morning. I was trying to be helpful and, don’t you know, low and behold, there was an alternative flight! The kicker - it was in first class. This flight was never offered to me as an option. In fact, she told me it was not an option; that she could not authorize putting me on a flight in first class. Well, I had had enough of the nonsense and I asked to speak with her supervisor, or someone else whom I could better understand. This went on for a good hour and finally at 3:41PM she put me on the phone with her "supervisor", ARCHANA.

The communication was not much better in speaking with Archana. However, I hung in there and spent another hour and a half trying to get a flight out of Franklin into Cleveland and into Atlanta. Archana was very condescending and rude, to say the least and was of little more help.

She could not offer me the first class flight but did offer me the very same flight Kay had offered me earlier! I remind you that when I was disconnected from Kay and got someone else on the line, I was told this flight was not available. Archana put me on hold and then came back on the phone and said, in fact, the flight was not available. Totally exasperated, I would have been willing to sit in the middle of the aisle!!! Keep in mind I was seeing available flights on line all through my conversations with both agents. I pointed out a flight where I could leave Franklin Friday morning at 9:35AM, connect in Chicago, change airlines to Delta and arrive in Atlanta at 4:13PM. Why wasn’t this flight offered this to me? Once again, not until I made the suggestion was it even an option. She said it would take a few minutes for her to contact Delta. By a few minutes she meant an hour!!! I was in the middle of asking her why it was going to take so long when I was disconnected, AGAIN!!!

No phone call back to me or an email! Where is the customer service with this Airline???

Now I was feeling utterly helpless! Not knowing what else to do, not wanting to spend another four hours on the telephone with someone I could barely understand, having already spent most of the call asking for the agent to speak slowly and asking to have everything the agent said repeated, and, not wanting to take the chance of losing an available flight, I booked flight 4067 on United out of Franklin at 9:35AM for Friday, 12/28, connecting in Cleveland, flight 3833 to Chicago arriving at 3:10PM. I was to pick up Delta, flight 1877 and arrive in Atlanta at 8:01PM. And because I was so desperate to get back to Atlanta, where work was waiting, I spent another $716.89 for a one way ticket to Atlanta!!! My original, round trip fare from Atlanta, GA to Franklin, PA was $507.10!

I am now confirmed on that flight…I’ll lose a day of work, but I’ll be back in Atlanta on Friday. Things are starting to look a little bit better.

Wishful thinking. It was not to be. I arrived at Franklin Regional Airport at 8:30AM, 12/28. Plenty of time to catch a 9:35AM flight to Cleveland. We are all on the plane and ready to go…the pilot turns the plane off and tells us that there is something wrong, something about hooking up the generator. I am still not sure what was wrong with the plane.

We were asked to go back into the terminal. At 10:10AM, only after asking the agents, were we told that a mechanic was going to check out the aircraft. "Once the mechanic gets in there, it will only be a matter of minutes" said Zach, one of two agents. At 11:00AM I went back to the agents and asked the prognosis. A mechanic was now coming from Dubois to work on the plane, an hour and a half away by car! I had a 3:00PM connecting from Cleveland to Chicago…I asked if they were they going to order a car to drive me the three hour ride so I could make the flight? Larissa said that they can’t do anything unless the flight has been cancelled but they were watching the time and if I didn’t make the 3:00PM flight there was another flight they could put me on at 5:00PM. This plane would get me into Atlanta at around 11:00PM.

I have to tell you I was not thrilled about the prospect of getting on this plane at all, especially after it had been sitting on the runway for almost three hours with mechanical problems. But, I waited, and I waited. I did finally have lunch at 12:30PM. At 1:50PM I went back to Zach and Larissa for an update. Obviously they were not coming to me - and it’s a pretty small airport - I wouldn’t have been hard to find.

The mechanic had arrived about 1:00PM and was still working on the plane. It would be impossible for me to make the 3:00PM flight and perhaps also the 5:00PM flight because the flight STILL had not been cancelled and they could not get in touch with their boss to authorize a car to drive me to the airport. WHAT??? I felt so sorry for these two kids, they were beside themselves with what to do.

I suggested getting me to Pittsburgh, an hour and a half away…could they get me on a flight there? Zach stepped up to the plate and made an executive decision. He ordered a car, set me up on flight 4082 with American Airlines out of Pittsburgh at 7:35PM and into Chicago at 8:25PM. Leave Chicago on flight 3767 at 9:00PM and arrive in Atlanta at 11:50PM.

I was finally moving…I had been sitting in the Franklin Airport for 7 hours!!! As far as I know the plane never left the ground that day.

This should be the end of my story, it’s not. I arrived at the Pittsburgh Airport at 6:10PM and headed straight for American Airlines. Because Zach did not confirm me on the Pittsburgh to Chicago flight, I didn’t have a seat and the plane was full, so said the American Airline ticketing agent. She pointed her finger to the United line and said, "you are going to have to speak with them, I can’t help you".

My patience was truly being tested. The United Agent wasn’t much help. He could get me out on a flight Saturday afternoon, 24 hours from now, that was the best he could do. When I asked him what I was to do until then, he hesitated, quite unsure of himself and what his answer should be, finally suggesting hotel accommodations. Totally unacceptable!!! I just could not believe what I was hearing…twenty minutes went by. He made a couple of phone calls, offered to have me speak with his manager but she/he was going to tell me the same thing he had. Something had to be done and I asked if first class was available??? I was told nothing was available.

The American Airlines agent that I first spoke with upon my arrival, jumped in and said to the United Agent, "what if we do this?" HE was grateful! She gave me two boarding passes on American leaving Pittsburgh at 6:30PM, but the flight had been delayed until 7:00PM (so I would be able to make it), flight 4050 to Chicago and then 3767 from Chicago to Atlanta at 9:00PM.

I couldn’t believe it, someone had actually made it happen, I was on a flight for sure…well wait a minute, I didn’t have a seat assignment on the flight from Pittsburgh to Chicago? She informed me that I would get a seat at the gate. I hesitated but made my way to the gate. Sure enough she was there and got me on that flight!

I sat in row 4, seat c, an aisle seat. I flew from Pittsburgh to Chicago with the seat on my right vacant and the seat on my left vacant. I was previously told there were no seats available.
Yet, there they were --- seats open to my right and to my left.

After delays in Pittsburgh and de-icing and re-fueling in Chicago, I finally arrived in Atlanta at 3:10AM on Saturday, 12/29. It took me 20 hours to get home to Atlanta!

Inclement weather and mechanical problems were bad enough to deal with but the lack of customer service and incompetency was inexcusable. I work in hospitality for Hilton Hotels and our life is customer service. I cannot fathom subjecting any individual to what I have experienced with United Airlines.

For all that I had to endure, I expect that within the next two weeks I shall receive a full refund for all my tickets purchased through United in the amount of $1223.99.

I also expect immediate reimbursement for loss of pay ($160.00) for Friday, December 28th, taxi service ($60.00), my meal while waiting in Franklin and postage for the sending of this document via certified/receipt requested. I will supply receipts for all of these items.






I prefer that I receive any and all comments and replies from United IN WRITING. I look forward to hearing from you by Friday, February 8, 2013.



Sincerely,






Cc: Mr. Peter McDonald
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

[The_Judge]

You will most likely get a voucher for 100 bucks and an insincere apology. I could go point by point through your letter with you but it would senseless as most here don't understand the behind the scenes of an airline. Good luck.