United airlines no more

[Jaegger]

@godwincp … UNBELIEVABLE!

1st: To Jennifer @ Travel Express for her care & magic once again! What a turbulent year to date for them & 110% blame on unreliable air carriers!
2nd: It appears, you/crew are on your way … enjoy the hunt!

“What can we do …” honestly, have a collaborative voice & effort to same their name - “United”, on their customer service website, social media front & amongst family/friends. Boycott their business …

United is on a Blind & Blatant Path:

*Blind to travelers & customer support, a true I don’t give a shit attitude.
*Blatant focused attention on preserving their profit margin, at all costs.

A flight cancellation & kicked 24-hrs later without explanation is a ploy to take two (2) 1/2 booked flights & consolidate to one (1) fully booked flight. Bottom $$ driven & what’s sad … it’s NOT an isolated incident for United this year but a progressive trend! Sad ass customer focus …

Happy Trails.

 

[sgt_zim]

United has sucked for a long time. I refuse to fly them.

 

[Bonk]

@Bonk Are you finding that mechanical safety is still sound or is that a concern?

Mechanical safety is absolutely NOT a concern. Two reasons. One, pilots simply will not accept an aircraft they aren't 100% comfortable with. No gray area. It's ether it's good or it isn't. That's one area where I have absolute power. It doesn't fly until I say it can fly. Remember, our butts are on that plane too. We won't fly an airplane we aren't convinced is 100% safe. The safety track record in the United States proves that.

The other reason is the process by which maintenance issues are recorded, resolved and tracked is scrupulously adhered to because oversight by the feds is pretty rigorous. In addition to the obvious moral obligation to operate safe airplanes the feds will shut us down in a second if they think there's a systemic problem. We can all talk about the ineptitude and corruption of federal agencies but, in general, FAA oversight of airline maintenance is pretty good. In fact sometimes they get overly excited about what I might consider an innocuous issue. I suppose that's better that than the alternative.

Maintenance cancellations are up these days and that's a good thing. Supply chain problems and lack of maintenance staffing is causing cancellation of a few more flights than in years past. The good news is the flights are cancelling and no one is flying airplanes that shouldn't be flying. This part of aviation is working as it's supposed to but the lack of staffing and parts has increased mechanical cancellations.

If your flight doesn't cancel rest assured it is a 100% technically sound airplane and the crews are 100% qualified to get you where you want to go. Your seat may not recline or the coffee maker may be broken but the airplane is absolutely safe to fly. Well, that's not entirely true. If the coffee maker is broken I'm declaring an emergency and returning to the gate. ;-)

One last thing. Despite me eviscerating airline management for being uncaring money grubbing hacks the one thing I do believe they're genuine about is safety. They preach it and they honor their commitment to it. I've been doing this a while and I've never caught flack for refusing to fly for safety reasons. I'm comfortable saying without any reservation that all U.S. airlines, big and small, are 100% committed to operating safely. They may bitch about the cost but they all do the right thing.

 

[R.M.C.]

Sorry to hear about all the trouble! I was worried United was gonna screw me but I got home from Africa the other day and had no troubles. I flew Newark to joberg and it was on time and everything. Unbelievably, my rifle and suitcase arrived with me without issue. It's a crap shoot no matter who you fly with in my opinion, there aren't many good ones and even fewer fly direct to joberg. Hope things work out in the future, Africa is worth some bullshit

 

[godwincp]

United Update
I’m sitting at Africa Sky which means we obviously made it! Went to the airport in St Louis early and was able to get us all three on the flight to Newark and even got myself back in Polaris class. Two seats had become available. The Polaris lounge in Newark was packed and the amenities were nice but nothing special. The international flight left about an hour late and arrived about an hour late. The food very poor. For dinner I chose beef which was actually fake meat that was awful. I think they should tell you they’re serving that crap. The flight crew was nice enough and the flight was uneventful
JNB immigration is a real cluster. Took well over an hour to clear. They had only two agents clearing a terminal full of people. Reminded me very quickly we were now on Africa time! My buddies checked bag made it and Africa Sky was as efficient as always.
Meeting Jacques in a few hours and this debacle will be a distant memory. Good to be back in Africa and very much looking forward to a great hunt and introducing my two buddies to their first Safari. Keep you posted

 

[Traveler1]

How long would take to go by boat? Is that even option now a days?

 

[flatwater bill]

Had a United Business class ticket. They cancelled it. Put me in economy. Took me 4 months to get a refund. And JNB? When 5 or 6 large international flights arrive, they often have one or two of the 13 immigration styles open.......But you're in Africa, so have fun.....................FWB

 

[JimP]

I found the secrete to getting through immigration in Joberg quite quickly is to arrive at 3 or 4 am, and then waiting a few minutes after getting off of the plane.

We did this in June and those two immigration clerks looked quite lonesome just sitting there waiting for out group to come through.

 

[Sourdough]

How long would take to go by boat? Is that even option now a days?

Funny you should ask that. I checked and could find one cruise line that makes the trip. Cost is about the same as flying first class. Time is right at 30 days as it stops in a number of ports. Did not bother checking about bringing firearms because quite frankly I don't want to be around anyone for 30 days, especially not people who take cruises. ;-)

 

[Traveler1]

because quite frankly I don't want to be around anyone for 30 days, especially not people who take cruises. ;-)

You and me both!

 

[TucsonFX4]

These airline stories really frustrate me to no end.

Our country/society is dependent on air travel, but shouldn’t be dependent on horrendous business practices. I truly hope capitalism can find a way to override government overreach and fix the industry.

 

[Andrew62]

Glad you made it, sorry for your drama and maddening frustration. While I have had decent experience with United, I was sweating bullets earlier this year in May when they had the jet fuel issue which caused several canceled days of flights. Thankfully, I got over and back without experiencing a canceled flight. I am heading back over in 2 weeks and this sure has me nervous!! Oh yes, I booked a 2 1/2 hour layover in Newark, that has now grown to 7 hours, frustrating, but, not much I can do about that.

 

[TucsonFX4]

Glad you made it, sorry for your drama and maddening frustration. While I have had decent experience with United, I was sweating bullets earlier this year in May when they had the jet fuel issue which caused several canceled days of flights. Thankfully, I got over and back without experiencing a canceled flight. I am heading back over in 2 weeks and this sure has me nervous!! Oh yes, I booked a 2 1/2 hour layover in Newark, that has now grown to 7 hours, frustrating, but, not much I can do about that.

For a big international flight, I think I’d prefer a 7 hour layover over a 2.5 hour layover. Greater margin for delays.

 

[wesheltonj]

. . . The Polaris lounge in Newark was packed and the amenities were nice but nothing special. The international flight left about an hour late and arrived about an hour late. The food very poor. For dinner I chose beef which was actually fake meat that was awful. I think they should tell you they’re serving that crap. The flight crew was nice enough and the flight was uneventful
JNB immigration is a real cluster. . .

You mean a typical United flight. And SOP for JNB.