United Airlines review: lost baggage and discourtesy 56

Early last year I made a reservation with Continental, then subsequently had to cancel. Continental sent me a voucher for $511.40 with no mention of any rebooking fee. Late last year I used this to make another reservation, and received a confirmation email with a $150 "change fee" (first time I'd heard of this) added to my $350 ticket!

So I canceled that reservation and complained to Continental, and they 'respectfully declined' to refund me the $150 -- or the cost of the ticket! At this point, I have flown zero miles and I'm out $661.40.

After further complaint, they added insult to injury by sending me five vouchers for $157.50 each - not to be used in combination. So I would need to fly 5 times (and spend more money) to recover the $661.40 they took from me.

I don't think I'll be flying Continental, and I recommend all travelers consider this egregious example of their deceptive business practices before you do.

Continental Airlines recently lost a bag of mine filled with irreplaceable possessions. This bag was a carry-on bag –not a checked bag, a carry-on –and was moved without my knowledge or permission from the overhead bin. No one has seen the bag since.

This took place on my way to Rhode Island to attend the graduation ceremonies for members of the Initiative to Educate Afghan Women. The First Lady, Mrs. Bush, was scheduled to be there and so, due to the nature of the events, I had packed some good clothes and jewelry and decided to take everything in one carry-on. A flight attendant helped me place my suitcase in the overhead bin a few rows away from my seat as the bin above me was taken.

After the plane was taxiing down the runway, I was informed that the Continental staff had moved my bag -- supposedly to the lower storage area of the plane. In order to find out whose bag it was, the Continental staff had gone into my suitcase and, from my purse, they got my return ticket and my name! Yet they did not have enough sense to at least give me my purse or to see if I needed anything (such as my medication) or wanted

anything (such as my jewelry) from the bag. Although they knew from my ticket that I had a connecting flight in New Jersey, they still didn't gate check my bag, which would have allowed me to retrieve it upon exiting the plane at Newark to make my connection to Providence. Instead, they told me that they had checked it all the way through to Providence and handed me a handwritten number. Unsurprisingly, the bag vanished, along with my jewelry.

This is the most bizarre action I've ever known an airline to take with respect to a passenger's carry-on luggage, and may well be the most egregious case of airline carelessness you have heard.

Still, it doesn't stop here. Now Continental is claiming no responsibility and has retained Fulbright and Jaworski to fight me. They asked for receipts of all items over $100, which I told them I did not have, so –per their request and suggestion -- I supplied them with credit card statements and personal letters from the store managers who have records of my purchases. I believed that Continental had agreed to honor this information, but absolutely nothing came of it.

They took entirely unnecessary, unapproved, unilateral action over which I had no control and which directly resulted in the loss of my property. There was nothing I could have done to have prevent this, and now they choose to pay exorbitant legal fees rather than compensate me for the loss they caused.

I would like to inform you of the trials and tribulations my wife I endured on June 27 and the following 48 hours. We arrived at EWR on CO29 from LHR. Unfortunately our two bags, with all our clothes, toiletries, and necessary prescription medicines(my wife is being treated for cancer and I am taking medication after a heart attack), did not arrive on our flight(connecting in London from Paris. We filed a delayed baggage claim immediately. The Continental agent told us she could get us our bags by the evening but that she preferred to give herself 24 hours as she was leaving soon. We dared not protest. The following afternoon(I do not remember the precise time of the phone conversations)we were told that our bags had arrived on BA185 and were already clearing customs, and would be delivered to us in the evening.I was told to call back later for an update. I got an agent named Scott, who was the rudest person I have ever talked to at Continental; a realdisgrace to your company. I called back a few minutes later to speak to someone else, and was told that our bags hadn't been located and were not at Customs, and "Who told you that they were?" In addition he said that since we were staying with family9I'd explained that we were using a cousin's apt., but thatno family was present)we shouldn't have to worry about essentials. You can imagine how my wife and I felt. One agent, Dina, was fantastic, and I think it was she who had resolved the problem after 48 hours. Continental only offered us two $50 certificates which I think do not represent the situation we experienced.

Continental Airlines

FLIGHTS

CO 769 12 SEP 2017
Family of four with under age children seated separately.

CO 110 16 SEP 2017
Family of four with under age children seated separately personal luggage throne on weight tables by rude and unhelpful staff.

What maid it more fustrationg was that the flights where 4 hours and over for children under the age of 15 to be seated unsupervised. Surely the company is breaking laws associated with underage traveling.

Note: flights booked and paid 3-month prier boarding.

Vineta

When you check in online for a Continental flight, you're offered "extra legroom" upgrades costing up to $79. Beware! Select a $79 upgrade and you'll be told it's suddenly unavailable, but there is a $19 upgraded seat available. Select that one, and guess what? Continental keeps your $79 anyway! They claim that this is explained on the website, but it's poorly explained and it's still bait and switch. I'll never fly Continental again.

Regarding my complaint with Sherrie Reed in "We Care" customer service at Continental this morning, about flight 3004 on Sat. Nov 6th out of Houston to Milwaukee. Referring to a person's fat overflowing over 4 inches into my small 17 inch airline seat, underneath the armrest and a few inches over the armrest. I had only a 13 inch left to sit on, the woman was approximately 400-500 pounds and should have never been allowed only one seat in this flight with very small airline seats. She should have been stopped at the gate when they saw she only had one seat, was very large and they knew the seats were only 17 inches wide. The seat was already the hardest and uncomfortable airline seat I've ever sat on in my 35 years of flying. Being forced up against the edge of the seat made it even more uncomfortable. My arm and shoulder needed to be into the walk area and I had to squeeze in my shoulders when the cart went through or a person passed by. Two days later my back is still not feeling right. Other people in the flight were also complaining to each other about the uncomfortable seats and their sore backs after the flight.

Continental's policy states:
Customers Requiring Extra Seating
If a customer’s physical size requires, or if a customer requests an extra seat for safety or comfort, the customer must purchase a first class seat or a second coach seat.
We reserve the right to deny boarding to a customer who cannot be safely accommodated due to a seat weight size restriction.

I wasn't protected from this by any Continental employee on the fully booked flight or at the gate. It's even more annoying to think that my husband and I tried to take an earlier flight that Continental had opened and they wouldn't allow us to take the open seats without paying an additional $100.00!

Their own policy states that the customer must purchase a first class seat or a second seat. It was clear to everyone at the gate waiting area and on the plane that her size would be a problem. I noticed her as soon as I sat down at the gate and knew she should never be allowed to buy only one seat on any airline let alone one with very small seats. Continental didn't follow their own policy.

Sherrie said I should have asked to change seats, right...who else would want the seat. So I guess it was my fault!?!? She said that there would probably be an employee on the flight that would have changed seats. Really? How would I know that? How would she know that? She also stated that it's a delicate situation, that the lady had a right to be there and that if I wasn't happy that I could have left! She said she would send a fifty credit to a future flight. That isn't going to help my back and why would I want to sit on those hard small seats again?

I didn't say anything to embarrass the woman and made friendly conversation with her, I felt it was a test of my character and that the employees of Continental should have done something. The gate attendant or flight attendant should not have allowed her enter the airplane with just one seat ticket. I'm sure that they were very aware of the problem.

I'm writing this after being on hold over 25 minutes after the usual menus and holds, then restating everything to a "Terell". Then so I wouldn't have to continue using minutes on my cell she was going to call me back on my home line to finish the conversation which she never did. So now I'm writing this letter to warn others. After a very uncomfortable flight and wasting several hours today with customer service at Continental, nothing satisfactory was done.

I haven't flown CO for awhile and decided to cash out my FFmiles on a ticket. Now I need to change the return, so off to the website I go...where I'm told:

! Continental.com is unable to initiate your flight change request at this time. Please contact Continental Reservations at [protected] to make changes to this Itinerary.

However...when I call that number, I'm told that they're not taking calls (NOT TAKING CALLS?!?!) because of "heavy call volume".

Right.

Has anyone run across this and, if yes, how did you resolve it?

(Need I say that I'm never--and I do mean NEVER--flying CO again?)

Thanks for your help.

If you have not yet figured it out I am determined to have resolution to this experience.
I was contacted by an agent by the name of Tracy at [protected]. Although I appreciated the calls as of now they simply resulted on at least a 60 dollar phone bill. I will be leaving Bermuda, but while I was here and most upset my calls run 2 dollars per minute. My last call with her was 30 minutes long and then she called back and it cost me 4 dollars to check my voice mail After checking it was simply as message to call her next week as she will be away.
My problems with Continental continued today as I logged on to check in and my wife was not listed. I searched and searched and it wasn't there. I then had to make yet another long distance call to find her reservation and check her in. No one was able to explain why the reservations were separated, but they were.
I then asked the agent to tell me a bit about my paper trail. She told me that all of my details were documented down to the fact that Bermuda basically closes as a whole at 5. This means that getting the necessary essentials for my wife to feel comfortable was not possible and the trip to town and back cost me 50 dollars alone only to grab essentials from a local marked at extremely over rated prices because of the country.
I was also told that the agent that I filed a complaint about stated his story that I arrived at 6:57 for a 7:40 flight. This is a complete lie and a way for him to justify my complaint. I was at the airport on time. I did wait for a bit at a different line until being told that I needed to move. I am the type of person that asks everyone for help, so I had no problem asking what line I was in and where to go.
Once in the correct line and I have to stress already being electronically checked in from the night prior which I have I was still on time. However, your employees spent more time arguing with me instead of helping me and cost me my flight. As I told you after being re-ticketed and having my bags checked at 7:15 after a 30 minute minimum debate with your employees I went to the gate that I was originally seated for and they were still willing to take us on board.
We were turned away after the agents realized that our luggage was checked on the next flight.
I then called customer service and filed a complaint.
I walked back up and asked the supervisor for his name.
He told me it with an attitude and said "And why do you want to know my name?" Thank goodness the agent on the phone heard him. I told him that I was on the phone with customer service and filing a complaint because I could have been on my original flight if his intentions were to help not hurt.
I then went to the desk in the Continental wing and received seats. After a while of thinking I went back to the desk and asked for the Supervisor's boss. I told them I wanted to speak with him regarding how I was treated. I left out the red coat employee that was rude as well and spoke around me in Spanish. Anyway, I was told that if I persisted to follow up on this that the supervisor would and could remove me from the flight. I asked again and stated that you mean to tell me that he treated me poorly and because I think his boss should know about it, I can be thrown off the plane. No wonder he lied about my arrival time. If you even ask to speak to his boss about his behavior you are threatened with being removed from a flight.
To top it off out of the entire flight departing at 12 something PM and our bags checked at 7:15 and under two separate names both of our bags were lost at TSA.
I called TSA, our bags were not with them, nor were they tagged or marked in anyway. It was a full blown lie.
I don't think you can imagine what it was like for our anniversary after everything that we have been through in our family lives for my wife to go without so much as underwear after waking up at 5AM. There are times when the right thing needs to be done. As I stand now I lost two days of my vacation. The first one without clothes and the second getting clothes before we began our day. I rang up roughly $300 in cell phone charges calling agent after agent and being put on hold to go no where. Then spent a nice chunk of change to stay another night the hotel to make up for one of the days I lost. The whole time right up to now I have been sickened by Continental. I was asked by Tracy, what did I wan? Well you can not put a price on watching your wife cry while she sits in the hotel room because we were missing our anniversary dinner. You can't put a price on the stress of being treated poorly at an airport, or being threatened, or being pushed off your flight even though it was open, these things hold a value that can not be replaced. I will never for get this trip and how two agents at the ticketing counter ruined it and your customer care desk threatened me, even though I was in the right and should have been allowed to speak to his supervisor. So after all of that I felt it only fair that since I was granted $150 each for essentials that Continental pay for our final day, $500. I believe that is a bargain for the strain this put on my vacation and wife.
Finally I was given your email address because I am unhappy with just about everyone I have spoken to.
At first I actually thought that you personally replied to my email then realized it was generated.
A big step forward for a company that's new slogan is Work Hard Fly Right, might me to take my concerns personally, not pass them down. I have suffered, to my wife and myself, a great loss. Why would I be provided with your contact information if you were not going to contact me, but simply push it down.
Continental has a lot to learn at Newark Airport. The staff that I filed a complaint about owes us an apology and the customer service desk that threatened me instead of picking up the phone and contacting the acting boss might need re-educating that scaring someone isn't the answer.
I am not simply going to let go of this. I know that we were wronged and I would appreciate your direct involvement in this not an agents.
Please do not push them. Please work with me to resolve this so that we can part without hard feelings. I definitely feel that compensation is due as well as apologies.
I feel that the position you hold makes you the best person to finish this once and for all.

Here's my story. My husband's uncle passed away and he was named executor of the estate. We needed to fly to Ireland to take care of arrangements and meet with lawyers. We booked flights CO3439 from Buffalo to Newark (5:45pm - 7:20pm) and then CO 66 Newark to Shannon, Ireland (10:08pm - 9:28am) for August 23. When we checked in we were told that the flight to Newark was delayed until 7:30 due to weather. The previous flight had arrived on time and the plane was sitting at the gate the entire time we were delayed. We finally board the plane around 7:30 for a "wheels up" at 8:00. The flight attendants went through the safety instructions and everything and then the captain announced we'd be delayed another 2 hrs. They had everyone deplane. We spoke with an agent (Paolo) because at that point we knew we wouldn't make our connection. She told us if we went to Newark and didn't make the connection they wouldn't pay for a hotel. We don't live very far from the airport so we rebooked both flights for the next day (and rebooked our returning flight to be a day later as well) and we went home. However she failed to notify us that delays to Newark are a frequent occurrence.

We go back to the airport the following day and again are told that the flight to Newark is delayed, this time the plane was late arriving from its previous destination. The agent, Pam, was helpful. She put me in the very first row so I could be first off the plane and said in the event we didn't make our connection she okayed the airline to pay for a hotel for us this time. We spoke with the agent at the gate (didn't get her name but she was not too tall, heavyset, long curly red hair) and were told "You will make your connection". When the plane finally did arrive they told us once we were boarded we could be up in the air in 10 minutes. However after boarding we sat on the tarmac for at least 30minutes before the plane even taxied out. At this point we knew we were cutting our connection close. Near the end of the flight when I was skeptical about making the connection I spoke with the flight attendant. He made a call and said that the Shannon flight knew there were connectors on board our plane and they would try to hold it. When we landed I was the first off the plane and ran through the terminal (if you know the Newark airport, our gates were no where near each other, it wasn't a short run) and got to the gate. The plane was still there at the gate but the doors were closed and they wouldn't let us board. I told them about how we were going for funeral/executor business and they were not compassionate at all and the gate agent brushed me off and walked away. I followed her asking where I could go to get help but she wouldn't talk to me at all, didn't acknowledge me and kept on walking. I was in tears by then, they made an already bad situation much worse. We finally found someone who would help us, Joanna, who helped us at the customer service desk although they were supposed to be closed by then. She booked us a hotel but we weren't given any food vouchers. From the hotel we called the airline to file a complaint and they told us to wait until all our travel was complete before requesting any compensation or filing a complaint. The next day we finally made it to Shannon, 2 days late.

Our returning flight was delayed 2 hours due to plane maintenance. We were told by the agents we would "most likely" make our connection. And this time we did, however when we got to Buffalo our luggage didn't. 2 bags have since been located and are supposed to arrive later today, but the 3rd is still lost. For a first time over-seas flyer this was an absolutely horrid experience.

When I finally got home I called the airline to request a refund. The refund manager I spoke with, Janet, was not at all helpful or sympathic. She was rude, put me on hold for 20 minutes without even asking first if she could put me on hold. She said "I need to find out why your flight was delayed" and put me on hold unnecessarily when I could have told her why. She refused to acknowledge there was any wrong doing on the part of the airline and would not refund us. We were offered a $175 voucher each for a future flight... but why the hell would I want that? I never want to fly with them again, I want my money back!

So in the end the trip cost us an extra day off work with the rescheduling and 2 wasted vacation days not to mention the emotional stress we endured in an already emotional situation. I've read other forums and I'm going to be following up the DOT and any pursue any other means I can. I just wanted to share my story as a warning to others.. DO NOT FLY WITH CONTINENTAL.

Continental Airlines felt it was OK to change a 1 1/2 hour layover to a 13 hour layover 2 weeks before departure during spring break when alternate reservations are extremely difficult. The best we could do was reduce the layover to five hours. They also moved our return departure 1 1/2 hours earlier so we would have to wake up at 3:00 AM. Nine of us are travelling including four kids and our great seat asignmnets secured months ago now leave the kids sitting alone on one segment and the rest are less than ideal.
"Customer Care" would do absolutely nothing to compensate for the inconvenience and Terrell hung up on me when I said I would be posting on complaint board.

After parking in the long term parking lot, I waited for the shuttle bus. It arrived 15 minutes later. The bus driver must have had a fear of driving because he did not go over 5 mph. This delayed my arrival at the check in counter by 10 minutes. The check in was a total nightmare. There was a huge line of people and the attendants were worthless. By the time I was able to check in my luggage, I was told that because I was late, I had to check in at the gate. OK, I didn't have a problem with this. However, the attendant told me that I had to take my luggage with me. I questioned this and she said that it was too late to check it in, so I would have to take it with me. Of course when I tried to go through security, they told me my luggage was too big to be a carry on. Something I knew from the start, but I figured that the person who told me to take it to the gate would have the proper training for a situation like this. Well, I returned to the regular check in counter. By the time I got through the massive line of people, my flight was in the air. So now, I am sitting here on a standby status. The first plane I could have taken was booked solid. I now have to wait another 4 hours until the next flight. I was told that this flight is also booked solid. Had it not been for the total incompetence of the check in agent, I would have been on the flight I originally booked. I was supposed to land in Las Vegas at 9:30 am. This would have allowed me to go to the hotel, check in and get ready for a meeting with a client. Now I have to cancel the meeting, which would have brought a lot of business to my company and hope that the client understands the situation. Thanks Continental! Once again, you have proven that you have the worst airline I have ever had the misfortune of taking. I can assure you that I am going to "go to the top" on this one!

Continental Airlines is not at fault. Just ask the plane full of passengers who all got there early and made that flight. According to the Check-in and Airport Processing Times site, each USA airport has anywhere from a one hour to two hour time frame for boarding. Sounds like you didn't allow for extra check in time and got there too late. Next time get there at least one and a half hours before your flight has to leave. Happy flying.

I work at the center 'north of Seattle', and Dustin is a big fat bloke. Good luck you crazy broad.

At Houston Intercontinental airport on May.17, immediate after I complained a continental service persons impatience to help customer check in baggages, that service person forced me to pay oversize charge 100 dollars for an air traveller standard suitcase which never had oversize problem in my prior travels, another option was buy a new luggage bag from them to replace that case for 40 dollars. This person use overcharge as retaliatory action against customer.
Initially I asked that continental ladys help on how to self check-in baggages by using touch screen panel, that lady was so impatient that she replied:" Cant you read?", and then I replied " I prefer to having people to help me check in the baggages", and then she measured the dimensions of my baggage manually and said my bagggage was 1 inch oversize. And she told me that I have two options: pay 100 dollar or buy a 40 dollar new bag from them. I was unconvinced since she was not supposed to take that baggage check-in responsibility initially and no accurate automatical measurement devices was in place. I argued with her and then she escaped and Mike.W and P.Williams came, they both did nothing to automatically measure my baggage again instead they threatend me if I did not pay and kept arguing, they would call policeman and block my boarding. since I had to take next international flight, I told Mike.W that I may have to buy a 40 dollar bag from them, and then Mike brought in a tiny bag, I realized if I buy this bag and then I would help them to get a personal business to reward their action of threatening and cheating customers. I finally chose to pay 100 dollar by credit card to enable my baggage on board and take that flight on time!

Actually that so called "oversized baggage" never had any problem with other carriers before such as American Airlines and United, as well as with China southern which I immediate took afterwards.

Listen! continental ground service person in houston intercontinental airport:

1. Be patient to help your customers to use self check-in touch screen, or it is always better to help customers in person.
2. Never response customers complaint with the application of "continental policy" to overcharge from your perspective or other tactics against customers interests.
3. Never measure, weigh or read the baggage manually, and use those datas to judge and charge!
4.Solve customerss complaint by your supervisors, not by policeman!
5.Never try to do personal business when you are serving continental customer!

Continental Airlines have cancelled a flight on the 1st of January 2017 out of glasgow to Newark USA . I paid for this flight on February 21st 2017. A few days ago the flight had been cancelled by Continental Airlines What are my rights to get them to fly me to Orlando on the first of January. They have offered me 2nd of January but I have booked and paid for car hire for seven days and booked first two nights beginning 1st January. Any help would be great. Djmek1@aol.com

ever think of suing them?