#  >  > Non Asia Travel Forums >  >  > Travel the World Travellers Tales Forum >  >  Is United Airlines the worst airline in the World?

## Buckaroo Banzai

I will try to make this as brief as possible.   
So Wife is in our FL home , I am in NY  in preparation to coming to Thailand  a few months ago she flies from FL to NYC  with United. She was charged extra to check in a bag, and extra to pick a seat, then   they boarded on time but were delayed 40 min   waiting for an other delayed flight.
Ok these things happen
   Then we purchase two tickets from NYC to BKK,  I request an aisle  seat  cause I like to get up often, much to our surprise  i was assigned a window seat and my wife the middle,   seats were very tight,the food sucked, and the crew looked like they were not very happy to be there.  we were not happy but we managed.
connecting flight in Japan Ok and arrived to Thailand.
  Returned flight to US they got the sitting right, Aisle seat for me and middle seat for wife. Window seat occupied by a morbidly obese  person spilling over his seat in to the middle seat. Plane full United cant make adjustments. I seat in the middle cause I don't want wife dealing with obese person 16 hr trip from hell.
    Wife spends a couple of weeks in NYC and wants to go back to FL , I search for airfare for her and the only thing I can find at the hours and airport desired is United again! Wife dont want to fly with them again but I talke he in to it, it is a direct flight, only a couple of hours , how can they screw it up?
  Arrive at newark airport , look at signs for United air terminal, sign says terminal C. so we go there. wife goes to check in and I leave. On my way home I get a call from wife that she is at the wrong terminal , she can check in there but needs to go to terminal  A  for her pane, so back to airport I go to drive her to terminal A .
I leave her at terminal A ans start driving home. on my way home I get call from wife, her flight is delayed Two hours . I call our daughter who was picking her up from the airport informing her of the late arrival. 
 What can we do at this point?  I arrive home and go to bed as I need to get up early next day and go to work.  An hour later I get call from wife, Flight has being canceled, all early flight  early next day are full, they want to put her up at hotel for 24 hrs.
Unexceptable!!  cancel the ticket , refund the fee, and we will get a flight with another airline.  I drive back to airport (1 hr drive) to pick her up.  she is informed that her checked in bag will not be available for a couple of hours, Would we like to wait or they can deliver it next day, very late , we don't want to wait, please deliver her bag to our NY home.
Next day, No bag delivered, we decide to wait another day, next day No bag delivered so we call United. we are forwarded to Baggage department, fellow with very heavy Indian accent answer, checks, apologises profusely and says   that  he will make sure we get her bag next day.
next day, NO BAG. call United, back to India, fellow with heavy indian accent apologises profusely and says he will check. he checks and says bag is in Florida!!! WHAT!!!   ok can you deliver bag to our FL home and we give him FL address . No problem it will be done tomorrow.  
next day no bag at FL home.  call back to United. back to India, many apologies, but bag is being send back to NY. WHAT!!!
Her flight was canceled on Tuesday, it is now Saturday Morning and I call United again , Indian girl says bag is at Newark airport and would we like it delivered . NOT ON YOUR LIFE. we are coming to pick it up so we drive back to airport, we go to baggage claim office,  
Bag is not there !!!  it is still on a plane and would we like to wait for a couple of hours or it can be delivered.
 At Least we are talking to an American person, who seems to know what goes on . We dont want to waste the rest of my saturday waiting for bag so we opt for delivery again. 
three PM  message from delivery man. "bag is in truck, will be delivered by 9pm the latest.
10 PM NO BAG!!, we go to sleep. 1:30 am telephone rings , "bag is here"
GRRRRRRRR.
Will not fly with United  again for free!!!

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## Jack meoff

Fly business class next time you tightwad.  :Smile:

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> Fly business class next time you tightwad.


If it was only me, maybe .
would had being $2,000 more for each one of as. I dont make two thousand a day so I see it as a job, seat on economy for a day instead of Business class and have  $4,000 more to spend at Thailand.
I am 5'9" and the wife is a small person, economy is normally good enough .  I have being flying to Thailand for the past 15 years and we never have a problem, but we never fly with US based airlines. 
Qatar is great, Turkey air with a week layover in Greece was great, Asian, NA, Cathay pacific. 
Food was great, The hostess seemed to like their job, and were helpful and pleasant.
Next time I look into buying three tickets and keeping the middle seat empty. I have to ask the airline, if I own that seat or if they will give it away if no one checked in for it.
Has anyone ever done that?
US based airlines seem to squeeze costs so much they compromise service, Never again!

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## Buckaroo Banzai

^^^Regardless of Economy or Business class , the flight would has still being canceled and the baggage lost.

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## reddog

Buckaroo,that old song titled United breaks Guitars, should of gave you a hint that it is a crap airline.

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## Maanaam

From what I've read, UK's Ryan Air stoops lower than that.
Having said that, you and Mrs Buck have had some very frustrating times with United!
It may be time to be more flexible in your leaving times so as to select a better carrier.

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## Davis Knowlton

Pretty much all US airlines are at the bottom of my list. As international carriers, they suck. Delta and United are both horrible. I don't fly domestically within the US, but friends say their domestic 'service' is even worse.

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## happynz

I haven't been on a United flight in years. Going by BB's recent troubles, that's a good thing I haven't.

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## SeventhSoul

Cathay all the way! Even better than Singapore.

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## cyrille

What about all the 'horrible sub humans' as you describe them?

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## Buckaroo Banzai

Wife flew to Orland last night , Direct flight  from Stewart airport , it is a very small regional airport about an hour north of the city. The flight was uneventful and on time.
I think in their attempt to keep prices down , US carriers are cutting expenses to the bone and consequently service suffers. 
   An acquaintance of mine who was a retired pilot told me that Continental (United and Continental merged a few years ago) maintained the minimum number of pilots posible, and if there were any delays ,the would run out of hours, and flights would get canceled. I don;t know how true it is.
Anyway, Wife is in Florida and I miss her already.

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## Maanaam

> if there were any delays ,the would run out of hours,


If there is a delay on the ground, surely that time does not count to the pilot's logged time albeit he's on the clock in terms of paid time?

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## tomcat

> Pretty much all US airlines are at the bottom of my list


...mine, too...we fly ANA to the States and regional airlines within SEA...I feel sorry for US airlines' personnel who have to face an angry, frustrated and claustrophobic public so that airline profit margins can be maintained...capitalism is sometimes a curse for the less well off...

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## aging one

They have become shit. The cheapest tickets to the west coast of the USA are dominated by UA. They basically give the seats away. Last year we flew ANA to the states with one Star Alliance leg UA SFO/TYO. It was awful I mean really bad. I did it to save 200 bucks by not flying all legs on ANA. 

This year UA transpac with Cathay Pacific was 200 dollars cheaper than any other flights. But no way we, are taking Cathay all the way to SFO and back, its just such a horrible long flight with UA.

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## Davis Knowlton

During the decades I worked abroad for the USG, we were required to use US carriers on all flights paid for by the USG - only way they could keep the international legs full.

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## mudcat

We use UA for US domestic flights using Mileage Plus miles as it allows routing into smaller cities without extortionate fares while leaving open the possibility of returning from another airport (e.g. Bangor Maine returning from Washington D.C. or Victoria, BC before or after a relocation cruise from San Francisco).  
International from the West Coast to Bangkok we have been using EVA through Taipei - better Bangkok arrival times (no more midnight arrivals) and the fares (current roundtrip fare of USD657 bought long in advance) quite reasonable with the bonus being frequent flier miles are still based on distance traveled  instead of UA's dollars spent accrual.

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## SeventhSoul

Yeah, Cathay tend to outperform most airlines, even though they're having budget cut issues these days too.

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> If there is a delay on the ground, surely that time does not count to the pilot's logged time albeit he's on the clock in terms of paid time?


I was not sure about this myself also  so I googled it . I don't know any of the below independently , I am simply quoting.
" _Typically a pilot are not permitted to fly more than 1,000 hours in a year, 125 hours in a month and 30 hours in a week. However, pilots are required to report at despatch about 60 to 90 minutes before departure. They must necessarily get at least one day off after seven consecutive days of duty._"

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## bowie

Been flying United Airlines for 35+ years, mostly due to employers decisions.

Their extremely low customer satisfaction ratings are well deserved. They work very hard to earn their miserable ratings - kinda like Thai traffic safety ratings, well deserved. 

Enough bad incidents to write a book - operations mostly modeled after the Keystone Cops.

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## Norton

> we were required to use US carriers on all flights paid for by the USG


Same here Davis. Stay well clear of them now. On my infrequent trips to west coast US, I always fly EVA. Good service and connection are perfect. Air Asia Roiet to Don Mueng, shuttle DM to Swampy, EVA to Taipei, Taipei to LA. Door to door about 36 exhausting hours.

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## HuangLao

> Pretty much all US airlines are at the bottom of my list. As international carriers, they suck. Delta and United are both horrible. I don't fly domestically within the US, but friends say their domestic 'service' is even worse.


So true, Davis.
American carriers have long had a terrible reputation regarding their international routes/services, reflecting the usual foul domestic service - across the board. 

Is it any wonder that American airline international routes are being cut back considerably, as they can't compete comparatively with most everyone else. 
Much ado towards their general policies which are not customer friendly - on top of the fact that most of the more substantial American carriers have been in financial trouble for decades, not really knowing how to do sustaining business on that scale.

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## OhOh

> Air Asia Roiet to Don Mueng, shuttle DM to Swampy, EVA to Taipei, Taipei to LA. Door to door about 36 exhausting hours.


Try Xaimen Airways BKK to LAX, THB 17,000 21hr out, 24hr return. 

I posted my experience in the Airline News thread.

https://teakdoor.com/world-news/25498-airline-news-108.html#post3934148 (Airline News)


My trip included two  LAX/DFW American Airways domestic legs. Both late, the return leg very late, resulting in the loss/non delivery of checked baggage.

One week later no response to my emailed enquiry regarding their possession or delivery to BKK. I now understand why most take it into the planes. 

I've since claimed from my travel insurance, let's see what clause I have not complied with.

Fourth world standards indeed.

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## OhOh

> My trip included two LAX/DFW American Airways domestic legs. Both late, the return leg very late, resulting in the loss/non delivery of checked baggage.
> 
> One week later no response to my emailed enquiry regarding their possession or delivery to BKK. I now understand why most take it into the planes.
> 
> I've since claimed from my travel insurance, let's see what clause I have not complied with.
> 
> Fourth world standards indeed.


Update on my baggage. It arrived from LAX at Trat Airport after visiting Tokyo and Bangkok. Battered and bruised but all the contents delivered safe and sound.

The baggage return part of AA does work, albeit in it's own time. Suggestions always take your baggage on board in USA always have a change of clothes in your cabin baggage.

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## bsnub

> I don't fly domestically within the US, but friends say their domestic 'service' is even worse.


I try only to fly Alaskan or Virgin domestically. All the others are shit.

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## Buckaroo Banzai

> The baggage return part of AA does work, albeit in it's own time. Suggestions always take your baggage on board in USA always have a change of clothes in your cabin baggage.


Excellent advice. I usually fly lite as I have most of what I need for Thailand in my Thai home and what I need for the US in my US home , most of the things in my suitcase are the od things that I cant find in Thailand. 
 In My Carry ON I always have a laptop,charging gear for cells, snacks, toiletries, and always a complete change of clothes.  You never know if they will lose your luggage, if you might miss your connecting flight and have to wait longer or spend the night , or spill something on yourself in the plane and need to change.
 In the US  I always chose direct flights , I had several misadventures with connecting flights .

We arrive in BKK and always catch a connecting flight to Khon Kaen , Always with Thai Smile. for a few baht more they have a "first class", it is really an enhanced  economy class, looks like the same seats as everyone else, only you get to seat in the front, and perhaps be served a couple of drinks more, it is a short flight so I don't really care. I do it because you have access to the Thai airline lounge at the airport, where you can relax while you wait for your flight, and they feed you to death, just the food and drinks at the lounge is worth the extra money IMO.

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## harrybarracuda

> I try only to fly Alaskan or Virgin domestically. All the others are shit.


Who wants to go on Virgin Airlines? I wouldn't want to fly on an airline that doesn't go all the way.

_rat-a-tat-*ching*_

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## happynz

:smiley laughing:

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## docmartin

Who wants to fly Thai ?
I don’t. 
Despite cheaper fares and more suitable departure and arrival times with Thai I’ve booked Qantas for the July trip. 
Too many previous issues with Air Muppetshow.  Like taking a week to change a return flight date.

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## OhOh

> Who wants to fly Thai ?


You have some spare tickets?

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## HuangLao

> You have some spare tickets?


Thai Airways vs. United Airlines

Comparative winner?

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## aging one

Thai hands down..

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## Buckaroo Banzai

Thai airlines might have had a bad track record, I don't know I have not flown with them back then, but they are a much improved airline. 



https://www.worldairlineawards.com/worlds-best-economy-class-airlines-2019/

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## OhOh

The Japanese know how to smoothly handle irate delayed passengers as well.

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## docmartin

And just what makes economy seats ‘best’ ?
The only variable is pitch (legroom). 
The seat width is defined by fuselage diameter and that isn’t adjustable. 
Economy seats are designed for children and midgets.

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## OhOh

> The only variable is pitch (legroom).


Isle width, thickness of seat padding, thickness of back rest padding, girth of stewardesses, frequency of cleaning, number/thickness of in-flight magazines taking up knee room, availability of extra blankets to make a snug nest, fully lifting arm rests to enable your newly met female passenger to raise the two up between you both and rest her head in your lap,  tie tags on the headrests to tie up an extra blanket to stop your aisle neighbour from watching you, same seat width/style for mid seat in a three abreast setting, well designed personal light illumination, effective air supply vents, decent free headphones, galley space to sit and talk with the stewardesses during the night, extra wide toilets with knee pads and grab handles....

No ants, scorpions, snakes or durian in the overhead bins




> Economy seats are designed for children and midgets.


Septic, by any chance?

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## docmartin

No. 
And not a fat bastard either. 
1.83 m   87 kg
So if I sit next to someone the same size it’s too cosy.

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## OhOh

> 1.83 m 87 kg


A good set of stats.

My apologies for assuming both.

 :Smile:

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## docmartin

No offence taken.  It must be a nightmare flying in the United States given the obesity rates and plethora of support peacocks and other biohazards.

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## OhOh

It's more the lack of passengers using checked baggage. What with planes not departing on time, the slow slow baggage delivery to the carousels and security checks it's not good.

I would say 80% use carry on. Which slows boarding and de-planing. 

Everybody takes the maximum size allowable. The planes I think do not have the capacity, inside the plane. Which leads to the last passengers having their personal bags taken into the hold. All the active military get on first in the non business cabin,

If you can fly directly to your destination airport and avoid indirect flights.

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