Thank You United Airlines Customer Service!

Since many airlines receive much criticism on Message Boards, I want to offer my recent experience.

July 20, 2017: a flight from CHI to DAY scheduled to depart at 2:00 P.M.

Chicago experienced a very stormy morning that day and apparently the poor weather extended well North of the city. Arriving at my gate at O'Hare, my flight was "one time" for the 2:00 P.M. departure. The plane was already at the gate. At 1:30 P.M., the Gate Agent announced the first of several delays to our departure. My plane's crew was stuck in Appleton, Wisconsin due to poor weather and canceled flights. Another change to a 6:00 P.M. departure; I thought--this may likely be my first flight cancellation and got out my travel insurance documents for review.

Shortly, the Gate Agent (which had already supplied some snacks and water for us in the Gate Area) announced at 4:15 P.M. that the crew had departed Appleton and would arrive at CHI at 5:30 P.M. They would then immediately come to our gate, do the pre-safety check, and we would board the plane. That is exactly what happened.

Prior to starting boarding, the Gate Agent announced that a decision had been made to provide us on that flight with some compensation because of the long delay. "The Flight Attendants will give you a form and the agents in Dayton will provide more information."

During the flight, no form was given; upon landing in Dayton, no agents knew anything about this promised offer.

I sent an e-mail to United Customer Service the following day detailing what I just posted. Earlier this week, I received a phone call from a gentleman at United Customer Service who said that I would receive an e-mail with the details of the promised compensation because of what we were told by the O'Hare Gate Agent. The e-mail arrived and it is a $50 travel voucher to be applied to another United flight anytime by 8/1/18. Because of when I booked this flight, it was already a reasonably priced flight in comparison to other earlier "searches" that I had done for this flight. I am very pleased with this compensation from United.

And, I am extremely pleased that United's Customer Care division cared enough to probably research my comments and determine that what the Gate Agent had told us was true and then followed through with the awarding of this voucher.

United Airlines Customer Service: Thank you very much!

Good to hear!

I would not like to be a gate agent for an airline nowdays - there are so many 'entitled' and 'empowered' people around.:eek::halo:

Good to hear!

 

I would not like to be a gate agent for an airline nowdays - there are so many 'entitled' and 'empowered' people around.:eek::halo:

Thanks for your comment. It's interesting because I sat in view of the Gate Agent's podium the entire time (minus a couple of rest room breaks of course).

During the delay, there were passengers who approached the podium and, I assume, made other flight arrangements. I saw no one upset. People were making "lemonade out of a lemon".

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Keith

Great that you had that experience! I hope you realize how unique it was to be offered a voucher in the first place for a weather delay, particularly when your delay only lasted a few hours. Airlines generally have no obligation when the cause of the delay is weather.

Great that you had that experience! I hope you realize how unique it was to be offered a voucher in the first place for a weather delay, particularly when your delay only lasted a few hours. Airlines generally have no obligation when the cause of the delay is weather.

Yes, I do understand how fortunate I am to be given a voucher, The gentleman from United who called me explained that they were doing so because of what the Gate Agent had told us before boarding.