Read Part I here As I mentioned in Part I, when I reached SFO Saturday morning to check in for my trip to Philadelphia via Chicago, the agent could not find my ticket. I had been re-booked by a...
Phantom Lufthansa First Class Award Space on StarNet
I became excited today while working on a client award request when some first class availability popped up on Lufthansa–it has been very rare lately, especially more than a few days before travel. One client was using Air Canada...
Was it the Way I Looked? Part I
The rain and fog was bad in SFO yesterday, delaying my US Airways flight from Charlotte for over three hours and causing a misconnect on my way back to PHL. I knew I would miss my connecting flight while...
Picture: A Unique Moment in United Airlines History
As United Airlines works to repaint all of its aircraft with the Continental globe livery, there are still a number of variations out there. United never got around to updating its gray livery on many aircraft when it introduced...
One Upside to the United Merger: Elite-Only Saver Awards in Business and First Class
With the exception of the expanded route network and ability to search for Star Alliance partner awards online (which actually hurts my award consulting business), I cannot point to many changes I like in the new world of Continental...
Travel Vexations on United Airlines: Give Yourself Plenty of Time This Week
I had my first post-SHARES travel experience today on United, and it was not pretty—though it ended well. In what has become a routine for me of late, I was scheduled to fly from Columbia, SC to Philadelphia via...
How Did the United Airlines IT Transition Go For You?
I’ve been dealing with a number of family issues over the last week, so I apologize for the brevity of recent posts and the noticeable gaps between them. Just to warn my six readers, the next couple weeks don’t...
United is Dead, Long Live UNITED
United.com has just been switched off. Continental.com is now off as well. All phones lines this hour connect to a pre-recorded message welcoming customers to the “the new United” but stating that systems are down and agents are unable...
Armageddon for United/Continental Passengers on 03 March?
At 0100 Central Time on Saturday, 03 March, United Airlines will flip the switch, transitioning from its Apollo Reservation System it has used for the last four decades to Continental’s in-house SHARES system. Will the transition be smooth? History...
United’s Post-Merger Flight Status Screens a Step Backwards
As the 03 March 2012 Continental-United integration date moves closer, we are already seeing what the new “United” will look like in some stations. Philadelphia, for example, rolled out the new Continental-esque flight display screens for United flights last...
When it Pays to Have Frequent Flyer Status
I had a tight connection in Washington Dulles that involved a terminal change and actually missed my connecting flight yesterday. All flights to Philadelphia were zeroed out, but I was put on the standby waitlist for the next flight...
United Express Drama and VDBs at Washington Dulles
Last night was quite a spectacle at the United Express gates in Terminal A at Washington Dulles. I’ve found over the years that United chronically overbooks these regional jet flights and have had the good fortune of getting bumped...
United Airlines Sells Waikiki Seaside Hotel
A story about United Airlines selling its dated but centrally-located Waikiki hotel brought to mind a very fond memory that helped solidify my loyalty to United. In 2009, I took advantage of a LAX-HNL-SFO-SYD-SFO-HNL-LAX fare for $ 550. It...
A Perfectly "Blah" Day of Flying on United Airlines
For those who adore being in airplanes, do you ever have those days when you just want to get to your destination and skip the flying? I occasionally do and had one of those days yesterday. I was back...
Reader Question: Should I Buy Up My MileagePlus Status?
Reader Sandy asks: Matthew, I received the following offer from United in my e-mail box. I was about 10K miles short of 1P [Premier Executive] status last year, so I am tempted to take advantage, though it looks expensive....
New United Airlines Routes, Including Washington Dulles to Honolulu
United Airlines recently announced a handful of new summer routes, including new non-stop service from Washington Dulles to Honolulu and service from Denver to Fairbanks, Alaska. Daily Service between Washington/Dulles and Honolulu United will begin daily year-round service between...
A Zone of Twilight Between OnePass and MileagePlus
As Continental OnePass and United MileagePlus work to fully integrate in March, the next month and a half will be tricky for those elites looking to take full advantage of reciprocal benefits but who never linked accounts. Last March,...
United Airlines’ New 767-400 Economy and Business Class Seating
United Airlines released photos on Facebook of the refreshed Continental 767-400 cabin interior, featuring lie-flat seats in business class and Economy Plus. Currently, Continental’s 764s have very narrow seat pitch throughout economy class (though the front half of the...
Another Bump on United Airlines!
I still wonder sometimes why I put myself through such torture, but it always seems to work out in the end… Instead of flying non-stop from Los Angeles to Philadelphia to get back in time for my 2pm class...
Spirit Airlines Bickers Over the Return of All-In Pricing
A refreshing change has hit U.S. airline websites this morning: the return of all-in pricing. Under a new directive by the Department of Transportation, airlines must now display all-in pricing initially and at all junctures of your flight search–not...
