Prós: The only positive with this experience was the gate agent(s) superior customer service. That being said they were stuck with dealing with a complete failure of United to provide guidance as to how the airline was going to deal with a technical issue with the plane. The flight was scheduled for a 7:00 AM departure, from what I could tell the flight finally left Portland around 4:00 PM. Because of extenuating circumstances myself and my traveling companion cancelled our entire trip. Given such a poor start we were unwilling to trust that any proposed alternative would be any better. In other words United seriously dropped the ball. They not only owe an apology to their customers, but also owe one to their hard working" contract" employees.
Contras: Communication. As I explained to United customer service, I find it incredible that the airline industry has built a business plan based on the misguided supposition that everything they do will go according to a best a case scenario, yet they appear to not have much of a plan when things don't work that way. Second, the idea that they have no proactive system to deal with technical issues a smaller destination. There are no mechanics/technicians stationed at places like Portland. I don't know what it cost them to have a revenue producing aircraft sit on the ground for 18-20 hours, not to mention the labor costs incurred trying to redirect 100 or so passengers. It seems to me that those numbers would probably go a long way towards paying to have a mechanic(s) on duty. As an aside, I paid retail for two first class round trip tickets. Given the circumstance I would like to see United refund those ticket prices in full, then and only then, will I consider using their services again.
United Airlines (UA)
