(UAL) more on Hidden dangers in "free" air tickets

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Jason Weisberger <jweisberger () mac com>
Date: January 7, 2006 5:16:10 PM EST
To: dave () farber net
Cc: ip () v2 listbox com
Subject: Re: [IP] more on Hidden dangers in "free" air tickets

The problem begins in having a seat assignment or not, I believe.  
United has always treated a paid ticket as a purchase order, in the  
realm of their responsibilities. In the realm of yours, its always  
non-refundable but useable as a credit - for a fee. Totally unbalanced.

If you buy a ticket with miles, make sure you always have a seat  
assignment. If they say part of the itinerary is on a partner airline  
and they can not get a seat assignment - call the other airline and  
get a seat assignment. Miles are as good as cash, and they have to  
honor it - but only if you have a seat assignment.  In overbooking  
situations its always the person without a seat assignment who gets  
the shaft - not the full paid ticket or some other criteria (which  
comes into play later.) If you are holding a ticket with a seat  
number on it, you are at least going to be able to walk onto the  
plane and see if someone else is in your seat :) When the double  
assigned seat crisis starts is when the give-aways begin. Sadly, who  
the heck wants a free ticket on an airline that couldn't make a paid  
for ticket work.

I have, several times, had UAL bump my upgrade back down  after  
confirming it, while I was standing at the airport because they  
managed to sell the seat. They always create a raft of lies and force  
me to deal with their worthless customer care program.  One flight  
from Miami to SFO I was seated next to someone else who was also  
bumped back from 1st to steerage.  Once in the air we went and asked  
the 2 people in our un-upgraded seats when they booked and how they  
paid. Last minute couple who paid insanely high full fares.  United  
denies it to this day.

Moral of the story - due your diligence to ensure you have the  
highest probability of not getting the shaft, then be prepared to get  
the shaft anyways.
On Jan 7, 2006, at 1:55 PM, David Farber wrote:

> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Johan <johan () ccs neu edu>
> Date: January 7, 2006 3:05:40 PM EST
> To: dave () farber net
> Cc: ip () v2 listbox com, plevy () citizen org
> Subject: Re: [IP] Hidden dangers in "free" air tickets
>
> Paul Levy writes:
>
> > About a month ago, on one such call, I learned really by  
> > happenstance  that the evening flight DOWN to Santiago was no  
> > leaving an hour  earlier, so that the connecting flight we were  
> > taking to Toronto  would not get us there in time so make the  
> > connection.  But nobody  had bothered to let us know of this change.
>
> That is very strange indeed, unless you bought the two tickets  
> separately, in which case the airline wouldn't be able to track them.
>
> >
> > So, we  get
> > to Toronto and learn the truth -- it is not that seats are to be   
> > assigned day of travel, but they have oversold the flight and  
> > even  though WE made our reservations in February, oddly enough WE  
> > are the  ones who have no seats and we have to hope that enough  
> > people don't  show up so that we can take our vacation.
>
> > In the end, we did get on the plane, and we had a wonderful  
> vacation;
> > but the experience left a bitter tatse in our mouths about US  
> Airways
> > and Air Canada.
>
> Alas, that is how most airilines work, not just those two; there is  
> a well defined seniority ordering of who gets kicked off the plane  
> if it is too full, and unfortunately, how well in advance you made  
> your reservation has no impact on that.   First class passengers  
> trump economy, full fare trumps lower fare, low fare trumps free  
> tickets, premium frequent fliers trump non-premiums, and  
> unaccompanied minors trump everyone but the pilot.
>
> It used to be that the gate agents had alot of discretion over who  
> to kick and who to upgrade, but like so many other fields, this is  
> being increasingly regulated by codifed and verifed policies.
>
> Johan
>
>
>
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