I recently booked a trip on United Airlines, but due to the fact that I had to appear in court for a cell phone ticket I had to postpone my trip for a day. I called United.
The standard fee to change a ticket is $200, I was informed.
Really? $200? $200 is not a fee. A fee is a small amount you tack onto something. It is highly possible to incur a fee in this manner that exceeds the price of the entire ticket. With the fare difference, the change in price was $400.
They charge this ridiculous amount because they know that’s when you need to leave. It has been theorized that they actually just look at your schedule and increase the amount based on importance – changing a ticket to close an important investment deal will cost you a hundred thousand dollars, while postponing a trip to the wedding of a friend you secretly hate will simply mean you have to pay for your peanuts.
Why is United allowed to blatantly abuse and take advantage of their customers in this manner? Holding us hostage after we’ve already dropped money on a ticket?
Its because the conservative element in this country, have scared you into thinking socialism is upon us, and have a vested interest in allowing corporate mergers, cut out competition, violate anti-trust agreements, rape citizens, and consolidate wealth – and then also have the gall to charge you $200 fees, so as they get richer, you get poorer. Also, they want you to think you’re gay.
United Airlines is also Continental Airlines and five other airlines. That’s six other airlines that aren’t competing anymore, and it is reflected in ticket prices.
This is also reflected in the attitudes of the employees. They have no reason to please you, because they know you’ll be back.
While on my trip, my flight was grounded for maintenance. I got off and attempted to stand-by on another flight. I asked the woman at the counter:
Do you know the status of my flight?
Seems like a perfectly reasonable question. Apparently not according to her:
I can’t answer anymore questions! Okay! I don’t know what’s going on! Okay?!?!
Okay, fuck you too.
Some other annoying things about United:
– On one of my flights the speakers were deafeningly loud. Towards the end of the flight, a ten minute rambling speech that went like this transpired:
If you are traveling on to Minneapolis, your flight is leaving from gate B7. If you are traveling on to Chicago, your flight is leaving from C10…
This went on forever. Hey United – I don’t know if you’ve heard – but they’ve actually invented TV Monitors that have all of this information and are available to view every seven feet once you get off the plane.
-United does not accept cash payments for incidentals, ironically promoting the criminals in the banking industry through their own legally dubious industry.
I’m not done with United, more in Part II