Hello!
I had quite an interesting night yesterday, in Shanghai, while traveling on an United itinerary. Hoping to get some thoughts from everyone on FT. Happy holidays and huge thanks in advance!
So, I booked a route thru UA from PEK to LAX, with a connection at PVG. The first leg was operated by Air China and the second was Global First on United. The layover was supposed to be 3 hours, so I figured that was plenty of time.
After the first leg was delayed about 1.5 hours before takeoff, I called United at PEK to ensure that I was checked in for both legs, and the UA reps assured me that I'd be fine and that all I had to do was to pick up my boarding pass at PVG. They insisted that I should get on the Air China flight at Beijing even with the delay, that I'd have enough time to make the connection (even if I arrive within an hour of the second flight). Despite the reassurance, I researched meticulously the Shanghai terminal during the first leg, readying my quick run through the transfer. The Air China flight ended up an additional hour late, so I was left with ~30 min to make the transfer.
But, when I got to Shanghai (at about 8p, for the 8:30p flight), all check-in agents had already left. The person at the ticketing desk was MIA, and an Emirates staff at a nearby counter tried to find her, with no success. Tried the Air China desks, but no one was there anymore either. Meanwhile, the United flight took off (15-20 minutes late, so I could have made it, if it weren't for the absenteeism of United agents). Panic set in.
Left with no one to issue my boarding pass or to rebook the flight, I called UA customer service. No help. After talking to two reps, both insisted that it was Air China's fault and refused to help (I calmly informed them that no one was left at the airport, and asked if they can touch base with Air China -- nope).
$60 in cell roaming charges later, the result? The first rep hung up on me and the second reluctantly rebooked the flight for the following night. No attempt to help me reach Air China or help find a hotel for that night. Long story short, I was stranded in Shanghai, with no local United or Air China reps to talk to, no where to stay for the night.
Finally, I went to the last airline with anyone at the check-in counters (AA) and bought a last-minute F ticket home (trying to talk the Chinese AA agent on how to use a certificate number to issue a ticket was a whole other adventure). Got escorted thru security and made the AA flight JUST before the gate closed (phew!).
Once I got back to the States, I cancelled the United leg online, and am now hoping to get my 70K miles back.
Has anyone been in such a situation? Am I justified in trying to get the United ticket refunded without penalties or fees, even if the first domestic connecting leg was used? Does United actually have no contractual obligation (as a phone rep assured me) to assist me even though they marketed and sold the route? Just trying to figure out how hard to push this when I call for the refund.
Thanks in advance for any advice (and sorry for the long-winded post/flagrant abuse of parentheticals). Happy festivus!
I had quite an interesting night yesterday, in Shanghai, while traveling on an United itinerary. Hoping to get some thoughts from everyone on FT. Happy holidays and huge thanks in advance!
So, I booked a route thru UA from PEK to LAX, with a connection at PVG. The first leg was operated by Air China and the second was Global First on United. The layover was supposed to be 3 hours, so I figured that was plenty of time.
After the first leg was delayed about 1.5 hours before takeoff, I called United at PEK to ensure that I was checked in for both legs, and the UA reps assured me that I'd be fine and that all I had to do was to pick up my boarding pass at PVG. They insisted that I should get on the Air China flight at Beijing even with the delay, that I'd have enough time to make the connection (even if I arrive within an hour of the second flight). Despite the reassurance, I researched meticulously the Shanghai terminal during the first leg, readying my quick run through the transfer. The Air China flight ended up an additional hour late, so I was left with ~30 min to make the transfer.
But, when I got to Shanghai (at about 8p, for the 8:30p flight), all check-in agents had already left. The person at the ticketing desk was MIA, and an Emirates staff at a nearby counter tried to find her, with no success. Tried the Air China desks, but no one was there anymore either. Meanwhile, the United flight took off (15-20 minutes late, so I could have made it, if it weren't for the absenteeism of United agents). Panic set in.
Left with no one to issue my boarding pass or to rebook the flight, I called UA customer service. No help. After talking to two reps, both insisted that it was Air China's fault and refused to help (I calmly informed them that no one was left at the airport, and asked if they can touch base with Air China -- nope).
$60 in cell roaming charges later, the result? The first rep hung up on me and the second reluctantly rebooked the flight for the following night. No attempt to help me reach Air China or help find a hotel for that night. Long story short, I was stranded in Shanghai, with no local United or Air China reps to talk to, no where to stay for the night.
Finally, I went to the last airline with anyone at the check-in counters (AA) and bought a last-minute F ticket home (trying to talk the Chinese AA agent on how to use a certificate number to issue a ticket was a whole other adventure). Got escorted thru security and made the AA flight JUST before the gate closed (phew!).
Once I got back to the States, I cancelled the United leg online, and am now hoping to get my 70K miles back.
Has anyone been in such a situation? Am I justified in trying to get the United ticket refunded without penalties or fees, even if the first domestic connecting leg was used? Does United actually have no contractual obligation (as a phone rep assured me) to assist me even though they marketed and sold the route? Just trying to figure out how hard to push this when I call for the refund.
Thanks in advance for any advice (and sorry for the long-winded post/flagrant abuse of parentheticals). Happy festivus!