United

A very poor choice to fly. United Airlines is severely prone to delays, cancellations, lost baggage, and occasionally even malfunctions in their raggedy aircraft, and United even has a highly significant history of deadly plane crashes! Come fly the friendly skies? I think not! More like "come fly the UNfriendly skies."

CS is right. Avoid any United flights going through their Chicago hub. I once missed a connection b/c of a delay at O'Hare. If you absolutely must, make sure that there's at least an hour and a half gap between connections.

When you absolutely positively have to be two hours late for that meeting in Chicago. . . (Update) It happened again. . .united flight going through Chicago. Late. Again. Look, the employees were nice people - it wasn't their fault. . .but if you fly united and go within two states of Chicago, you stand at least a 50-50 chance the flight will be delayed. Consider yourself warned...

I ordered my tickets with United Airlines flight (from IAD to Frankfurt on June 10, 2011) 6 months before the flight. Reservation was made with Expedia. I reserved window seats. On check-in, they didn't give us the seats, instead they put us on the seats in the middle. No apologies, no explanation. The flight was delayed for over 4 hours due to 2 problems on the same plane. The first mechanical problem was water dripping on a passenger seat in economy class. Another, 2 hours later, was no pressure when engine was started. We sat on the plane while they were fixing it, them 2 and a half hours later, we were moved to another plane where we were sitting for another 2 hours waiting for 2 passengers to arrive and for some passengers who freaked out and were leaving the plane to find their luggage. The stewards were not nice and helpful, they were complaining that it was difficult for them as well. One of the passengers calmly said he would not fly with United anymore because this is... Read more

1 stars Worst experience ever. Not only did they delay my flight by 2 hours for some technical problems, which made me miss my connecting flight, but also do they seem to be too stupid to transfer two pieces of luggage onto the right flight in 10 hours when even asked to do so three times. I will never fly united again!

UDPATE: Still by far my favorite. My Mother was killed a few years ago in a train/car collision and they were so nice. United has never failed me since the original review. They are still number 1. ORIGINAL:United will probably always be my favorite out of the group. Not only are the ticket agents really down to earth and polite, but I almost always have great experiences with the flight attendants. Very helpful, and are always sincere when it comes to safety...which is a huge plus. I am always offered at least 2 beverages during a 4 hour flight, where alot of other airlines barely give you half a can of soda during a long flight ! I have always left and arrived on time every time I have used United. They are a little expensive, but totally worth it. The best American airline available ! Superb !

United Motto-- "NOT MY FAULT". The last two experiences I've had with United are two too many. On both occasions flights were cancelled and no-one was informed until check-in. Their response have been "It"s not my fault the flight got cancelled. It's common during the holidays when flights don't fill up?"??? And most recently, "It's not my fault our plane is having mechanical issues, you wouldn't want me to put you on an usafe plane!"!!!! I get it now. It's MY FAULT, for having bought tickets with you twice. So buy if you must but remember, It will be your own fault if anything happens.

I just love outsourced phone calls to other countries with someone who sounds like a robot reading from a script. What has happened to customer service at United? I purchased a ticket less than a year ago and when I called to rebook they notified me there was a $150 change fee! No one mentioned this when they originally issued me the credit. Are you kidding me? I spent a half an hour on the phone with the "supervisor" who did nothing to understand my situation. He said if we waive the fee for you we will have to do it for everyone else. WELL IF YOU MISINFORMED EVERYONE OF YOUR CHANGE FEE I WOULD ONLY HOPE THAT YOU WOULD WAIVE THE FEE FOR THEM AS WELL. I was prepared to buy two tickets from them, but now I am done with United FOREVER. Save your money and fly with another airline.

United often appears to be the cheapest option around when you book through flight comparison shopping sites like Orbitz or Kayak, but buyer beware...United will nickel and dime you to death. By the time you get on the plane, you'll have encountered so many hidden charges that you'll have paid more than you would have on any other airline. Worse yet, the extra hoops you have to go through make traveling more stressful, and no one needs that. Hidden Charges are as follows: Checked Baggage fee - $15-20 per bag Food on the plane - $4-12 (they don't give you anything for free, even if your flight is cross-country) Getting a seat on a crowded plane fee - $24-90 per leg This last one is downright deceptive, and it has happened to me the last 4 times I flew United, so I think that's enough data to assume it's standard business practice. When you book on a 3rd party site, they don't honor your seat requests (no clue if it's different on united.com). You will check in only to discover that ... Read more

As a not-so-frequent-flier, I had a hard time deciding who to fly with on a recent trip out west to Las Vegas. I finally decided to go with United since they had the best price. I have to say that I was very impressed with United overall! I had a connecting flight and not only were they on time each flight (4 in all), but we were actually early for 2 flights. The staff quality varied by plane. The best staff was on the first flight out to Denver. They were attentive and friendly and put this knuckler at ease! The planes were new and nice with plenty of leg room and nice seats. The only negative I had was on one flight, my headphone plug-in didn't work. The movie showed was pretty new (The Soloist ) and I was pleasantly surprised by the shows they had running: Parks & Recreation and History Channel's Cities of the Underworld! We ran into a little turbulence ( which made me more pious than St. Peter praying in the fetal position) but it was short and the captain reassured us that he w... Read more

This is the worst airline ever! The ticket agent sent my bag to Hawaii (when I was not traveling there) because she couldn't read my identification properly, and then the refunds department promised me a baggage refund and then pretended that I never called in the first place! Worst customer service ever--3 weeks later and my problems are still not resolved!

Horrible- but I've had worse (errrr.... easyjet anyone??).

terrible customer service. they wouldn't honour a deal 30 mins after it expired--even though i told them their website was having problems and wouldn't let me purchase it. i've flown 10+ times with them, and every time I have a problem, they act like it's my fault. If you are looking for good customer service stay away! I guess you get what you pay for.

This is my first time using United and the experience wasn't good. My flight was on a Friday evening to Las Vegas. First of all I couldn't check in online because the system didn't let me do it, although my friend, flying in the same flight could (I don't know why). I got in the airport 1 hour before the flight takes off, so i didn't have much time to check in. I tried to check in on one the Automatic Tellers but it didn't work. Then I went to ask one of the assistants at the United line and she said that i had to wait in line. (Ok I understand that if I am late is not their fault, but it's not my fault that the automatic teller doesn't work). I told the "nice" woman that my flight was in 45 minutes and the line was at least one hour long, but she didn't care at all. I was going to miss my flight. Then I started cutting the line one person at the time, previously I asked everybody. Finally I am the first in the line and I get my board pass exactly 31 minutes before the flight ta... Read more

I like United, they are better than any other US airline that I have experienced. The on-line reservation/check in system is great. There planes are comfortable. Food selection is not bad (or great). First Class is excellent. I choose to fly United whenever I can. Only one bad experience ever & it was a check-in experience at Santa Barbara, CA where the check-in agent was extremely rude.

I would truly give it a zero star if I could. Have never, ever once had a flight with them that was enjoyable or problem free. For example, when I flew from Arcata, CA to San Francisco, CA I paid to check a bag. Other passengers checking in did not report their bag which needed to be checked in. They went to the gate and their bags were set aside as they boarded the plane with no fee paid!! I called the problem resolution line and they would not give me a refund because the baggage fee is their policy. However, the policy seemed only to be applied to honest passengers. I have been on hold for customer service for yet another problem. It's been 58 minutes so far. I'd love to see them fold!

As someone who is a million mile flyer on United and about a million miles on a combination of other airlines, I can attest that United's treatment of its customers is the absolute worst in the industry. Unfortunately I lived in the San Francisco area for a long period of time and, as you know, when you live near a hub city you get locked into the major provider. I have found all aspects of United's operation to be completely incompetent. Generally, you are better off trying to make a reservation yourself online than working with a United agent. When you get to the airport, you're shocked at how repeatedly the passengers in the premium check-in line have the longest waits to check-in. At the gate the lack of any type of order or courtesy is completely missing when boarding. United frequently changes plane configurations at the last minute - causing havoc - in recent years downgrading to TED flights with no first class - even on cross country flights. On the plane you receive the worst... Read more

Does anyone remember the United commercial from the 80's where 'deb' the blonde friendly flight attendant greets everyone as they board and takes thier coats and welcomes them to thier seats?Sadly, Deb does not exist anymore she has been laid off more than once and forced through many rounds of concessions until she has grown very bitter and all she can mutter upon your stepping on the plane now is 'go sit down'United was good for a US carrier back in the day and it still is a step upov Delta and US airways,but a small step indeed.

Not amazing, but it gets the job done.  Especially since I live in the middle of nowhere, and United happens to have convenient flights.  It also has a good route network in Asia.  The seats are adequate (I am quite short), and the service hasn't been a problem.  Also, rather roomy economy plus seats for elite customers.  Good first/business class offerings.

United is the worst Airline I've EVER flown! I would NEVER fly them again. They cancelled our flight at the last minute and it cost us over $1000 to go with another airline and they wouldn't reimburse us for that flight. NEVER fly with this airline unless you want to lose your luggage or a ton of money. They are a cheap, crappy, don't stand behind their product, garbage airline! I just don't want anyone else to have to go through what I went through with them. Must get the word out!

Not a great airline, but if you're traveling domestically they tend to be cheaper than Delta or Continental, and they serve a lot of airports, so if you need to get somewhere in the U.S., United can probably get you there. Cramped seating just like everyone else, but with United, you'll get there, eventually.

They changed my flight without confirming with me and when I called to complain, they put me on hold for over half an hour. When they finally did address my problem, I was told there was nothing that they could do about it. Absolutely worthless airline!

I actually like United Airlines.

The flight attendants are rude, we always have to wait three hours for baggage even though we are priority, and you have to call India for everything.   DON'T FLY THEM.  We have flown them hundreds of times and they are consistently bad.   We are going to change our milage program.

I fly about 60.000 miles a yr on UA. I agree with the reviewer below that they arent fantastic but they also arent the worst in the industry. Ive had a few good and a few bad experiences like with most businesses. Given the poor behaviour that many of us (as customers) display I have a certain amount of understanding for the airline employees. I have experienced more rudeness by passengers than by flight attendants.

My honest opinion...United has got to be the worst airline in the history of flight!! Worst costomer service, no planes ever on time, employee screw-ups..the whole nine yards. My whole family, including my girlfriend has tried this airline. All of us had the worst experience flying with them the first time. Our family will never use them again. My parents were delayed two days in Denver, with a 1 yr old grandson. United would do nothing for them, not even an apology. I flew them once, was delayed over an hour to get on board. When flying back mt flight was cancelled with no notification as I had asked for, causing me to also miss a connecting flight back home. My girlfriend was trying to see me for Thanksgiving. The plane showed up 2 hours late, then had maintenance issues. She will not get here until 1 day later. They are the worst, PERIOD!

the worst experience ever. AND it really wasn't the two delays, poor flight updates, the cancellation, the overnight at O'Hare, or even the mistake by their agent when trying to rebook my flight, when she booked me two days past the makeup flight they created just for our cancellation. it was that after all this, when they wouldn't give me my luggage back after stranding me for two days, they wouldn't even give me a toiltetries pack, a coupon for food nothing. they screwed up, and couldn't even pony up for some toothpaste or a toothbrush - not even a sorry folks - hands down the worst customer service on the planet.

This is the worst airline in my opinion. Every time I have flown it they have been late. My husband was just flying from O'Hare, he got their early and during that time 3 of their flights were cancelled leaving a bunch of customers upset and stranded. They ended up switching his gate and he missed his flight....he never had his name called. My other friend ended up getting stuck in Atlanta due to a cancelled flight. Not to mention when I flew to Vegas the plane felt rickety. I will not fly United ever.

I suppose if the plane makes it to its destination some people will be happy. But if youre trying to find out if that plane is on time dont count on United. First you get the same information on-line and with the automated operator system. But, if that information looks questionable and you think Ill try getting connected to an Agent forget it. First of all the Agent (in India) has no Idea where the cities in the U S are or at least no idea of their relationship timewise. Another fine example of outsourcing.

Have flown with many airliners both within Europe and the United States. United was one of the best airlines I have travelled with - Better seats and leg room, very friendly cabin crew and excellent customer service.

I truly cannot fly this airline anymore after my last mishap with this airline. They completely botched my last reservation and changed it without our consent. So I ended up holding tickets where my infant daughter flew by herself and parents flew on another flight! I bet you would say that is not believable, but believe it. And the supervisor of the UA said it would cost me $100 ticket to change the reservation even though it was there inept reservation specialist who made the mistake. His attitude was take it or leave it. Now I have decided to leave it for good with this company. They can go bankrupt I do not care. And they will be in bankruptcy with this type of customer service.

I haven't had to fly very often, but the times I did this is the airlines I used. No problem.

Worst baggage claim service ever!

Their customer service agents must be trained to lie. Their "help desk" is in the Middle East...good luck in understanding their english!

I've never had a problem w/United. Overall, I think they're solid. I don't even mind flying their puddle-jumpers.....Honestly, they should have another star deducted for that god-awful trailmix they serve. Pretty good though

I flew out from O'Hare to Washington DC, and I will say that flying with United was a very comfortable and convenient trip. The seats are comfortable, the flight attendants are caring and helpful, they serve fine Starbucks coffee onboard, and the ride is gentle and safe. Baggage was handled promptly and nothing was damaged. This is a good airline, even though some may have had bad experiences.

It's not enough that they have O'Hare, a notoriously delay-plagued airport, as a hub, but United has horrible customer support. I would say non-existant because it's really not helpful but it's actually annoying and frustrating to deal with them. Why does anyone fly United? Well, I started because I was flying with a co-worker and he picked the flights. Within four months I had flown 40,000 miles with this airline in hopes of one day, if I'm good, getting a free ticket somewhere. But that's not what my complaint is about, that's just why I kept flying this non-distinct airline. My annoyance started with contacting customer support to get travel awarded to my account. E-mail customer support is useless - you get a scripted answer that really doesn't say anything. They should really do away with this since it's not really adding any value. Phone customer support is equally useless and you get attitude. If the delays and bad catering weren't enough to keep me away from United, t... Read more

Well, for those of us in the Bay Area, it's often United or bust. Seems like they suffer the most from the big-airline woes (delays, mistakes, uncaring employees, etc.) The DEN and ORD hubs break down easily...even a little bad weather means everything gets seriously delayed. Pluses: they treat their frequent-flyers quite well, have a very extensive route network (especially int'l) and have pretty good inflight entertainment.

I've flown them a few times and they are like American--I think the two airlines are totally interchangeable. No real bad experiences, no amazing experiences either. But these airlines need to STOP using Chicago O'Hare as a hub. Sounds like the FAA is working on that----good news!

I would actually like to give them a big fat ZERO or actually more like a negative infinity. In 2001 my grandmother had a cruise planned. They were supposed to go in the spring of 2002 and in October 2001 she found out she had breast cancer. She got all her money back for her cruise but the things she had to go through with United are unbelievable. Everytime she contacted them to see what she should do they gave her a different story. Basically they first told her, All you need to do is get something from a doctor saying that you will not be able to travel and then we can reimburse you. So she gets the note saying she will absolutely not be able to travel. At the same time all this was happening, my grandma's friend found out she also had cancer and was going through all the same things because she was supposed to go on the cruise also. My grandma had paid for the tickets and her friend paid her back. Well of course the airlines said that they could not reimburse her friend be... Read more

Maybe financial troubles are chewing employees up. Sometime is going on - because in Denver (home base) UA treated a whole flt of pax to locking up luggage and leaving the bldg. Absolutely the rudest and dumbest trick since the Electras fell out of the sky. I would avoid UA for the next 5 years. And avoid Denver airport - an absolute disaster.

I have to say this was a true experience flying with this airline. It wasn't the worst, yet I wouldn't fly with them again. Getting there was extremely squished at best, and the plane landed so hard on the runway in clear weather, that I had thought we damaged a landing gear or something. We left at least 30 minutes late (except for the return flight, which was 2 hours late)and did some funky loading thing where we used the middle hatch above the wings to load the front to the back...which would cause you to never leave on time because of the pandamonium of brawling in the hallways to find a seat. They managed to serve dinner without any drinks, because they served drinks for the middle, then the front, then the back...so by the time anyone got a drink, they were done. They pick the cheasiest straight to video movies as entertainment, making channel 9 (pilots chatter channel) seem extremely entertaining. When exiting the airline, they show their appreciation of the money they have stol... Read more

I have flown a lot with United, and overall, have had no problems. They did manage to mess up once, big-time, with a connecting flight which caused an absolutely abysmal overnight stay in New York, but I'd still say given the number of times I have flown with them, the overall experience has been positive.

I've been flying on United Airlines since the 1960's and I still have excellent experiences with United! They are doing a great job in very trying times!

Got time to spare? Fly USAir...

The “Friendly Sky’s Airline” gets a mercy boost to 2 stars only, because, they still have a core of professional and caring employees in their organization. Otherwise, they take lateness to new heights of frustration and the mentally challenged (retarded) must run their baggage operations!

I wish there was the option to give NO stars on this thing! When I was younger, my parents flew us on United so I didn't have a choice. Now, however, I will NEVER fly on them again! I had bad experiences every single time with them! They totally jerked my family around. On top of this, they're ALWAYS late, RUDE, and not careful with people's belongings. The food SUCKS, too! You definitely don't get what you pay for!