I have no funny or particularly insightful things to say about my disappointment in the airline I flew over 40 times this year. I just felt like I needed to get this down.
Weeks ago, I booked tickets for my husband and I to take a three-pronged trip: to LA/San Diego to see his family, then to Chicago for Christmas with mine, then back home. Though I did what good travelers do and tried to book months in advance, prices were prohibitive, akin to flying to the furthest reaches of Africa, or to some little-known third-world country, not the most major hubs that my airline of choice (read: where I have the most miles) serves.
After inserting a number of permutations into Kayak I found an itinerary that, while still expensive, was just over half the price of all the others. Immediately I booked the trip. Closer to the time, H-band, with an unusual, spontaneous interest in our itinerary, called me rather perturbed.
"Babe, why did you book our tickets for 9 pm? My grandparents' anniversary party is at 5."
"I didn't. I booked it for 9 a.m." As the words came out of my mouth it occurred to me, why I suddenly found reasonably priced tickets. I had accidentally booked a night flight.
I called to rectify the situation. I practically live on standby when I travel on business, and I nearly always get on earlier flights. Plus, I have well over 200,000 miles on United this year alone, making me what you call a "1K" member in United Loyalty Program parlance. This means that I still pay exorbitantly for flights and have to still get waitlisted from time to time while trying to upgrade on flights from Europe (Still bitter? Yes.) But when little issues like booking the wrong flight occur, I can be reassured that I can get on the flight I intended to be on. Or so I thought.
I learned that since I had booked a series of flights at a certain fare, I couldn't swap flights until the day of travel unless I opted to pay the current, market-rate fares of all of the other legs of our flights, plus a per-flight change fee. The customer service rep assured me that the flight I wanted to get on was only half full. Surely it wouldn't fill up completely in the next few weeks. H-band wasn't as confident as the customer service rep.
"We can't just wait until the day of travel!" he said, panicking. You are a 1K member, did you remind them of that?"
"Yes," I said. "But since we got a discount fare I can't re-book without having all of our connecting flights re-booked."
"Call them again," H-band said, so I did. I asked what changing that one leg of our flight--from San Francisco to San Diego--would cost. They said $2,200.
I said to H-band. I think we have to take our chances. Look on the bright side babe. The flight we want is only half-full.
As the time of our desired flight grew nearer, I checked the availability. The flight was completely booked, as was an earlier flight, as were all flights afterward.
"We're screwed!" H-band said. I was in New York and was calling for reassurance from him that when I returned to San Francisco our vacation would go off without a hitch.
"You're being so negative," I said.
"They can't treat you this way, you are a 1K member! Did you tell them that?"
"Yes, hun. I did."
I arrived at JFK, hoping to make it out of the East Coast with no delays. I would land at SFO, sleep a few hours, and then go back to sit on standby for the flight I wanted. I got home, surprisingly, just 90 minutes later than expected. Still H-band was tense.
"Did you ask at the airport if we could get on an earlier flight?" he said. I had promised that once I got to JFK I would go to the Red Carpet Club, where I am a member, and ask about getting on an earlier flight. Supposedly Club Members get booking/re-booking services as a perk of club membership. I've used it many times in San Francisco. I approached the lone rep at the club and asked if she could assist me.
"No," she said.
"But isn't this one of the services provided for club members?" I asked.
"It's a courtesy if there are several people behind the desk," she said. "But I'm the only one here." She didn't have much else distracting her. I was the only person in the Club.
"I can't believe they treated you that way!" H-band said, when I explained why I didn't ask about re-booking." You are a Red Carpet Member.
"And a 1K," I said.
We called United at midnight, since one rep had told me I only needed to call the same day as the flight I wanted, though others said I couldn't call more than 3 hours before. We figured we'd hedge our bets; with me being a 1K member and all, someone might make nebulous these rules in my favor. Our worst fears were confirmed. All flights that day were booked. There was no chance of getting on an earlier flight. I asked about flying into LAX or Orange County. To switch our one leg would mean that we would still have to pay the $2,200 to re-book the other flights.
H-band was mouthing angrily while I spoke with the Customer Service Rep:
"Fine," he said. "We won't show up for that leg. We'll rent a car."
I told the rep that's what we planned to do.
"You'll lose all of the other legs of your trip then," she said.
I hung up dejected. H-band couldn't believe I didn't fight them.
"You think you could do better?" I said, handing him the phone. "Call them!"
He called and explained the problem for the umpteenth time. When he was told what we'd been told already, that we would have to pay $2,200 to change one leg of our flight, he reminded them of my status, and that I would not continue to fly on United if they didn't work with us. So drastic, I thought. But then, I have been continuously disappointed with United over slights. Perhaps this needed to happen.
They agreed to not charge us market rates for the other legs of the flight. We paid $300 to cancel the one leg of our flight, then another $300 to book a flight to San Diego on Southwest. I felt icky shelling $600 bucks for a booking error, but at least we saw our families.
My Red Carpet Club membership is up in January. Thinking if I should renew.