Topic: United Airlines

What is it with United Airlines, they hike their prices because of fuel costs, fair enough! then they turn around and say they are cutting the free baggage allowance to 50% of what it was. On the one hand they say it's to offset rising costs (I thought they had already done that) then they say only 8% of passengers check in two bags anyway. That might possibly be because only 8% of their passengers are long haul!! Well our group of ten that are travelling to the Bahamas from UK are mightily p****d off I can tell you! Two weeks in the Bahamas sounds great, but it's a bit of a problem getting all your clothes and diving kit into 23 kgs (46lbs aprox). Sure, we can pay excess - on each leg of the journey - that's a minimum of $100, and probably have to buy our food on board and pay for drinks too I guess. I checked and non of the other carriers from the UK including AA and Delta have reduced their check in numbers to one bag. Sorry, but I won't be using this airline again!

Ok Calm down Geoff, calm down!!!!

Geoff O

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Re: United Airlines

Oh my!  Poor Geoff! 

Personally, I know NOT the meaning of the word moderation, PARTICULARLY when it comes to PACKING!!!  My formula goes something like this......

Two week vacation = about a year's worth of clothes = 5 days to pack

I can hear you laughing, but, it's NO JOKE!!!  I've had women look in my closet while on vacation and tell me that I brought more clothes than they OWN!  It's my indecisiveness.  Gets me EVERY time.

Guess I won't be flying with United as long as this policy is in effect.  They are one of my favorites too.  Boo Hoo.  sad

smile  Libby  smile

I know that Joe could play one of those kid's guitars with the plastic strings and make it sound good-
Bill S.

Re: United Airlines

BluesMan wrote:

Geoff,

Bummer!! The problem is "you can't get there from here" without a plane. They've got us trapped and if you want to travel, then that's what you've got to pay. What I don't like is the way they handle the baggage. When I flew out to California, I had everything packed really well, and by the time I got my luggage it looked like a heard of elephants ran over it. Then on the return trip, I had my suitcase locked. Well, they apparently opened my case with a master key to search it, which is fine. But the idiots didn't bother locking it again. Thank goodness the levers held, otherwise my clothing would have been all over the cargo area in the plane. You pay the high rates and that's the service you get? Like I said, they've got us over a barrel!

Roy

They search your stuff without you being present too?! Huh?
I always thought they´re not allowed to do that ... Sometimes they let someone get off the plane again, because something looks ominous on their computer screens and they want to open the suitcase to see what it is. But I don´t think they´re allowed to open it without you.
Hm, maybe they do now with all the new security rules ...

Eva

4 (edited by Mindy 2008-03-20 09:04:46)

Re: United Airlines

Ohhh.....Geoff....don't even get me started on United.  I just flew with them last month and the experience was less than desirable. I won't get into it all because there'd be pages, let's just say there were a LOT of unhappy people flying with them, not just me.  And it had nothing to do with baggage. LOL  Not a good move IMO to limit the baggage.  Who's going to see that as an advantage to fly with them?

If heartaches were nickels
I'd be the richest fool alive

Re: United Airlines

Ahh the airline business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side

tongue

Well, the night I was born
Lord I swear the moon turned a fire red

Re: United Airlines

BluesMan wrote:

Hmmmm, I just thought of something. I'm metal covered by flesh, does that me the Terminator? Hey, and if I'm the Terminator, am I then the Governor too? Darn, I didn't realize I was this important! lol

Roy

Get it, Roy: If you WERE the Terminator and consequently the Governor you would see no SNOW when you look out your window!

Wake up, man! lol

Eva

Re: United Airlines

BluesMan wrote:

Geoff,

Bummer!! The problem is "you can't get there from here" without a plane. They've got us trapped and if you want to travel, then that's what you've got to pay. What I don't like is the way they handle the baggage. When I flew out to California, I had everything packed really well, and by the time I got my luggage it looked like a heard of elephants ran over it. Then on the return trip, I had my suitcase locked. Well, they apparently opened my case with a master key to search it, which is fine. But the idiots didn't bother locking it again. Thank goodness the levers held, otherwise my clothing would have been all over the cargo area in the plane. You pay the high rates and that's the service you get? Like I said, they've got us over a barrel!

Roy

Roy, was your Austin Powers/Swedish penis extender pump still in there when you got home or did they confiscate it again?

                                                                                             Think Green,

                                                                                             J Dawg

What is success? Is it do yo' own thang, or is it to join the rest?   -Allen Toussaint

Re: United Airlines

eva wrote:

They search your stuff without you being present too?! Huh?
I always thought they´re not allowed to do that ... Sometimes they let someone get off the plane again, because something looks ominous on their computer screens and they want to open the suitcase to see what it is. But I don´t think they´re allowed to open it without you.
Hm, maybe they do now with all the new security rules ...

Eva

They randomly search the checked baggage. When we got back from Vegas I had a little note in one of the suitcases stating it had been searched. Of course my carefully packed clothes were all mixed together. I felt so violated. tongue

I'm just saying.

Re: United Airlines

My experience of United goes back to October 06, when my late wife and I flew over to see the brand new grand daughter.

We had loads of stuff for the baby as well as presents for two families spread over two large cases. We hadn't worried as we had seen that the allowance was 46 kg per person. What nobody told us was that each item of luggage couldn't be heavier than 23 kg. One case was significantly heavier and they wanted an extra 40 euros from me - or, I could go to the airport luggage shop and buy something really expensive to shift the extra weight into. I reckoned the excess weight charge was cheaper.

Went to the United desk to pay, complained loudly and forcefully. I also voiced my great disappointment at the fact that they wouldn't reserve seats with extra legroom for my wife, despite various medical documents. I got really pissed with them. I paid the excess charge, and as we were about to head back down to passport control, a United lady appeared from somewhere to tell us that in view of the misunderstanding and my wife's condition, she had reserved economy plus seats (extra legroom on long hauls) for us at no extra charge. As it turned out, she had also immediately done the same for the return journey. So my United experience goes both ways. On the way back, we had four cases. big_smile

Just a little heads up, which will probably not apply to anyone here, but possibly worth knowing. The line for US citizens at O'Hare was much shorter than the non-citizen queue, so I was long done while my wife was still far back in her queue. We were desperately short of time to make our connection, so I asked one of the uniformed marshal types if he could  possibly get her to the front so that we wouldn't miss our connection. He replied, "You should have taken her with you through the US line. Foreign wives of citizens are allowed that privilege." And with that he turned, took her out of the line and escorted her to an available immigration officer. I was gobsmacked.

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith

10 (edited by ohiodawg13 2008-03-20 19:05:50)

Re: United Airlines

BluesMan wrote:
ohiodawg13 wrote:
BluesMan wrote:

Geoff,

Bummer!! The problem is "you can't get there from here" without a plane. They've got us trapped and if you want to travel, then that's what you've got to pay. What I don't like is the way they handle the baggage. When I flew out to California, I had everything packed really well, and by the time I got my luggage it looked like a heard of elephants ran over it. Then on the return trip, I had my suitcase locked. Well, they apparently opened my case with a master key to search it, which is fine. But the idiots didn't bother locking it again. Thank goodness the levers held, otherwise my clothing would have been all over the cargo area in the plane. You pay the high rates and that's the service you get? Like I said, they've got us over a barrel!

Roy

Roy, was your Austin Powers/Swedish penis extender pump still in there when you got home or did they confiscate it again?

                                                                                             Think Green,

                                                                                             J Dawg

John,

You awful Bast**d! Did you ever see the movie "Fight Club"? Edward Norton, "My suitcase vibrated?" Bagage guy "Yes, but usually it's a rechargable razor. But sometimes, it's a Dildo. Now of course we never assume ownership by saying Your dildo was vibrating, more A dildo was found vibrating."

I think that's kind of how the conversation went. Really made me laugh, but very stange movie. That's why I own it! smile

Roy

Captain, remember, what is the first rule about the fight club? Lt. Eva has plenty of respect for her elders, but first you have to earn it.

                                                                                  A R-E-S-P-E-C-T-E-D Elder,

                                                                                  The 'Ol J Dawg

Damn!!!! Look at the size of this post!

What is success? Is it do yo' own thang, or is it to join the rest?   -Allen Toussaint

11

Re: United Airlines

BluesMan wrote:

Listen girl, I am awake! Or are you asking for another trip to the Pleasure, errr, I mean Punishment Chamber Lt. Eva? I'll tell ya, these young people of today have no respect at all for their elders. Why when I was young lad and if I gave an elder any lip at all, I would turn around and slap myself. Kind of liked it though........Ohhhh, I'm such a Baaaaaaaad Boy!

Capt. Roy

Damn, how did we get this far off track?

*thinks about slapping herself* - but then again .... naaaah .... lol

"R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to me", right Mr. Dawg ?! wink

Eva

P.S.: Sorry for ruining your thread Geoff !