Rant ahead.
I was flying out of Chicago and had already boarded when we were told the plane was “overweight” and they needed volunteers to switch flights. Since I was traveling alone, I agreed when they offered a $1,000 voucher to take a flight on American Airlines departing two hours later.
That decision turned into a mess. About six hours later, the new flight was canceled. I spent an hour on the phone with United, only to be told that American Airlines had to “release” my ticket before United could rebook me.
I ran across the airport, went back out through security, and spent another hour dealing with American Airlines staff and phone agents. I barely made it to the next gate, only to be told I wasn’t actually booked on that flight due to a mistake by United.
After another hour with support, I was finally placed on a flight departing five hours later. At that point, I had been dealing with delays for over 12 hours—three different bookings, one cancellation, one booking error, and hours spent on calls.
United offered no real in-person support throughout the situation, while the American Airlines staff were very helpful.
0