[deelight]

We we started our vacation from our home town to Colorado onto Hawaii (Oahu first)
It was the 3 of us, my husband, my 17year old son and myself. We were very excited to spend 16 wonderful days in Hawaii. My husband had been working long hours and with the flooding in our home town he had been under a lot of stress. We weren’t sure what would happen to his work while we were gone.

First let’s be positive our trip home with United went very well and we were treated how we thought one should be treated. Nothing too special but we were greeted with kindness.. Even with that I can say I will never, never, never fly with United again.
Here is a brief story about our trip to Hawaii.
From our home town to Colorado was okay a little weird.
Before we boarded they had several employees standing guard at the boarding gate ready to search baggage.
They announced they may ask for a random extra search, if they do please cooperate. They did not ask us but it felt very weird and military like. It was a very unfriendly environment. The flight attendants were rushed and not overly friendly but none of this bothered us we kind of expected it. We knew they would not be jovial and fun like Southwest.

From Colorado to Hawaii was a nightmare!
Our layover in Co. was a planned 3 hours. As the time grew nearer to our boarding time we noticed frantic movement at the ticket desk. But no announcement was coming so we assumed they were just trying to find flights for the stand by’s. Note our plane at been parked at the jet way for 3 hours and did not move. We also noticed the plane being loaded with supplies and dealt with very close to boarding time. Anyway boarding was very slow and weird. We were 3’s so we were one of the last ones to board. As we got up to where you give your ticket to the lady to board we wondered why this is taking so long and why some people are taking longer than others to go on the jet way. Well our son gave the lady his ticket and we found out, oh lordy did we. The lady was scanning his ticket several times, typing stuff and grunting.We are kind of being funny to our son about maybe he will get his wish and not have to go with us. The lady looks at us and mumbles something about his seat was sold to someone else and we have to go the desk.. The ticket desk people do a poor job of telling us our plane was broken they had to bring a new one, and now the seating is been all rearranged and none of us are seated together. We purchased these tickets in December, how can they do this to us. United responds we can and did. This is a 7 hour flight. We find this and their service unacceptable and tell them so. Well they turn the tables on us and decide we are being belligerent and they tell us that they cannot allow us to board the plane because of our attitude and unless we settle down we will not be allowed to fly today and will have to fly to Hawaii tomorrow. We are mad and we raise our voice but we did not threaten them or cuss. After they close the door on us at the boarding gate and leave us like children put in the corner we chill and realize this is horrible but must comply or we will be screwed. They say okay we have to talk to a supervisor before we let you on. They come back and say well we will let you on but some passengers said they overheard you say you will not sit by some stupid children. First of all, we thought we were sitting with our child and never had a chance to think who we would be sitting by. I say, we would never say that we have a child. My son speaks up and says, now you guys are just making up lies and that is not right. So we board the plane like leapers as everyone stares at us. The flight attendants take our carry-on luggage and place them somewhere; I have no idea where because there is confusion to where my son would sit. He was supposed to sit in front of me but someone took his 2nd assigned seat and the flight attendant was too rushed to deal with it. My son was then seated 6 rows in back of me. I could not speak up because I was branded as a threat and I thought I would be thrown down and cuffed if I said anything. My husband was seated on row up and 3 people away from me. For 7 hours I sat with a stranger rather than my family. I just sat and cried for a while out of frustration, humiliation and sadness that my family vacation was starting out as a nightmare. I also started to think what if the plane crashes over the ocean I would never know what happened to my son because he is seated so far away from me. For hours during our layover we teased who was going to be monkey in the middle, who would make a better pillow for me, what movie we were going to watch and who was going to beat who on the PSP. We got none of that. I did get to worry for hours where my carry-on luggage went and how was I going to find it. Due to the baggage fees I had carryon’s which I never do and had put my purse in one of them. I overly sweetly asked one of the flight attendants, if she knew and from her response she was not one that helped us. She basically said I have no idea where you put your carry- on luggage. I tried to explain that some flight attendants helped me and that is why I don’t know. Her response was why would I know? I thanked her and scurried to my seat in fear of being seen as being difficult and cried again. The poor guy next to me probably thought I was loony. I did not talk to him much because I was afraid that if I said something wrong I would be in serious trouble. I just wanted to get to Hawaii and be out of that plane. We landed and searched for our luggage which was in first class, which I kind of knew and had asked another flight attendant to look there earlier. She was nice really nice and flitted about to look but she couldn’t find it. This is what got me so worried because I thought I had an idea at least. Once in Hawaii things went well.

It would have been nice for United to page us up to the desk and let us know about the new seating arrangement,instead of hitting us in the face with it as we are trying to board. We are reasonable people we know things get messed up but we are also big planners and it is always better to tell us something is changing up front. If United would have told us we could have asked for a different flight or maybe would have upgraded or planned how to get our seats together but we got hit with it as we are trying to board, it was a shocker. We are not lambs but we are not lions either.
Were we upset, yes. Again we could have moved seats when we got on the plane but we have not flown with an airline with assigned seats in years and back in the day they usually got very upset if you moved from your assigned seat. For 16 days I worried what will happen to us on our return flight and luckily nothing but good things. I was much relieved but I lost a lot of sleep on my vacation worrying about it. United could give me free tickets and I would refuse them. I will never give them any of my hard earned money again or the chance to treat me like a criminal again.

[deelight]

The only reason I think the trip home went well is because it wasn't as bad as our trip to Hawaii. I feared the flight home for 16 days. When the plane landed in our hometown, I was glad to get home but I was happier that I was free from United. Never Never Never again!

[cortney]

wow. i know when i travelled with my family back in the day (late 90's) when i was a teen, we didnt care about sitting together. we often had assigned seats then all of sudden...gone. the first part of the complaint is beyond uniteds or any airline for that matters control...that is all done by TSA. i flew delta and my flight was picked for random searches as you boarded the plane....nothing major. just that wonderful extra security. but i do get your point....even for me as an airline employee when i fly on business you need to watch how/what you say....1 minor slip and your being pounded. did you write a letter to UA? did you ask any other passengers on the plane if they wouldnt mind changing seats with you?

[deelight]

The TSA thing was weird at the gate. I fly 4 to 5 times a year with Southwest and I have never experienced that. No big deal just weird.

No I did not ask someone to trade seats with us because once I was allowed to board the plane I just wanted to get to my seat and hide. I wanted to be invisible because I was so upset.

I wonder why as consumes we allow the airlines to have so much control over our vacations, lives. I believe alot of it has to with safety but I also believe corporate americas greed as alot to do with it also.

So if I go to a restaurant and order a steak and they serve me a hamburger instead without asking me because they feel it is safer or because they have run out of steak I should thank them? No they should come to me and say I am sorry we are currently out of steak what else can we get for you. I work at a bank and if I told everyone who yells at me that if you don't just deal with it you will not bank with us, I would be fired. We are trained to try to find solutions and cater to the customer the best we can. Maybe Joe Blow does not care about the fee but Sally does so I need to find a solution for Sally.
United treated us like cargo rather than people going on a family trip. They treated us like cattle being herded and not like people who have planned a long expensive trip and were excited to spend some quality family time together. They will never get another dime of my money!!!!!!

[deelight]

Sorry I have a few more things to add. I would have asked someone to trade seats if I would have had time to. But due to being branded a trouble maker, I was too afraid and embarassed to do anything more about our seat arrangements.I try very hard to follow all the rules that TSA and the airlines impose on us. I never ask for ridiculous things or get upset. All I ask for is some respect as a person, I give the empoyees of TSA and the airlines respect. If you have to rearrange my seat talk to me, let me know ahead of time and help me find a solution. Don't just rudely say deal with it we had to do it. I know it is a privledge to fly but I also paid alot of money for it so it's not like it was a gift. I normally fly Southwest so this seat rearrangement came to me as a suprise. I expected a cancel flight or a delayed flight with United but not for my family to be seated seperately. I now know and if it were to happen again I would be prepared. I guess with United I should have been prepared for anything.