United CEO Scott Kirby waxes eloquently about improving customer service and making United Airlines the best airline in the world. But when it comes to actually caring for customers in a consistent manner, United still has a long way to go. In the rudest of ways, my family was thrown out of the United Club in San Francisco (SFO) prior to our flight to Zurich earlier this week. The problem was more than the agents’ confusion over lounge admittance rules; it was their rude, apathetic, and downright nasty attitude.
Thrown Out of United Club In SFO By Rude and Indifferent Agents
Regular readers of this blog have accused me of being on the United Airlines payroll for my generally-positive coverage of United, but that is not the case. While United has been my preferred airline for nearly 20 years, there have been some rough patches over the years. While I am a very satisfied United flyer overall and optimistic about the future, what happened earlier this week reminds me that my favorite airline still has a long way to go in transforming its customer service model.
On Tuesday, the same day the incident occurred at the United Club F-Gates in SFO, Scott Kirby told employees during a town hall meeting:
“If we can deliver the kind of customer service I know we can – the kind that we delivered during the pandemic where we had a 30+ improvement in NPS – there really is nothing to stop us.
We’ve got the seven best hubs of any airline in the world, and I know many of you have heard executives stand on stages like this and tell you that in all the years that you’ve been here. We never did everything it took to realize the opportunity. That’s why we bought 270 airplanes today. It’s because we are going to do whatever it takes to realize our destiny. And our destiny is to be the biggest, the best airline – not just the biggest and best airline in the world, the biggest and the best in the history of aviation. So, who’s with me on this!?”
I believe Kirby is saying all the right things and have been impressed with his tenure thus far. I am particularly pleased with his emphasis on customer service. But there remains a disconnect between his words and the actions of many employees on the ground.
My family and I were traveling on SWISS from San Francisco to Zurich in economy class. We had lounge access on the basis of my Star Alliance Gold status. When you check-in for your SWISS flight, you are given a check-in confirmation that appears like a boarding pass, but does not have a barcode on it. It does include your name, flight date, flight number, gate, seat assignment, boarding time, confirmation number, and everything else a boarding pass includes.
We used this to access the United Club lounge in Los Angeles without any issue earlier in the day. It’s very simple: when a barcode is not available, agents enter the PNR, then scan your Star Alliance gold card. I’ve accessed lounges on this basis numerous times over the years.
But the agents in San Francisco immediately and rudely said we could not enter the lounge.
AGENT 1: This is not a boarding pass. You can’t come in.
ME: This is what SWISS gave me during check-in. They will issue an updated boarding pass at the gate after they verify our vaccination documents.
AGENT 1: Then go get it. You can’t come in with this.
ME: The agents are not at the gate yet. It is too early.
AGENT 1: *shrug* Then you cannot come in.
ME: That’s not the policy. You can easily enter our PNR, scan my Star Alliance Gold card, then allow us in on that basis.
The agent next to her then chimed in.
AGENT 2: Don’t tell us how to do our job. I’ve worked here for years.
ME: It’s not my first flight either. You should know the protocol for letting me in. I had no trouble at LAX earlier today.
AGENT 1: You’re not coming in. We have no idea if your ticket is real without a barcode.
AGENT 2: Those are the rules. You’re not coming in.
A Club member who witnessed the exchange chimed in our behalf. He told the agents they were in the wrong and that I should have access.
They sneered at him. He guested in my wife, which was a beautiful gesture, and then offered to accompany my four-year-old son and me to the SWISS gate to sort out the problem. As we began walking out of the club, the agents yelled at him:
AGENTS: Hey! Hey! You can’t leave her in here. If you’re leaving, she needs to get out now.
ME: She’s just changing my daughter’s diaper.
AGENT 1 (in the most dripping condescension): There are restrooms outside.
The member pleaded my case with the agents but they ordered us all out. I asked him if he would remain in the lounge a few minutes until my wife had changed my daughter’s diaper and he readily agreed. What a Good Samaritan.
I went outside, began walking toward the SWISS gates (a good 12-minute walk at the end of the international terminal), then just turned out around and came back. It wasn’t worth it. It was just the United Club. We’d all just head to the gate.
I’m not going to name names here, but I did record the agent’s names and have sent a formal complaint to 1K Voice, my first complaint in many years. I’ll let you know how United responds.
There are two issues at play. One is the technicality of what constitutes a boarding pass. Two, and more importantly in my eyes, is the rude, arrogant, condescending way my family and I were treated.
Let’s just say the barcode rule was correct (it’s really not…which is why I had no trouble accessing the lounge in LAX). Even if such a rule was in place, the agents treated us subhuman, like we were vermin trying to access their sacred temple.
I’ve got news for you – I would not fake documents to try to sneak into any United lounge. At the end of the day, it’s still a mediocre lounge with mediocre amenities. Still, this lounge has real sentimental attachment for me and I was looking forward to introducing my family to it and showing my son the constellations painted on the lobby ceiling.
Forget the fact that I am a 1K MillionMiler flyer with United. Their smug, arrogant, condescending language and manner was beyond inappropriate.
United has implored its employees to embrace Core4, this idea of being:
- Safe
- Caring
- Dependable
- Efficient
But when it comes to practice and not theory, these agents showed they were uncaring, undependable, and inefficient.
CONCLUSION
While I am hopeful that some retraining will solve the lounge dragon issues at SFO (actually a long-term problem there), my incident demonstrates that United must do more to teach its agents to be friendly, caring, courteous, and even to understand its own rules. It’s one thing to be confused over what constitutes a boarding pass. It’s quite another to treat passengers so poorly. There is simply no excuse.
These are the antagonistic union flag fliers at SFO and ORD from pmUA that gave the airline such a bad name in the 90s / 2000s.
Had one of them on the phone a few weeks ago while trying to make a flight change. This person came up with a whopper to avoid changing it – ‘this is an overseas itinerary – it must have UA for overseas’ – then another – that the partner wasn’t making availability (even when I could book it on United.com) – and refused to let me file a complaint about the ‘technical’ issue the person came up with. Finally after 20 minutes of standoff she relented and apologized – got my ticket booked.
Will happily take these PMUA agents over the “no can do” PMCO types I inevitably encounter at EWR
LOL. Can’tinental is what we still call them.
Interesting. I’m from Houston and when Continental merged with United, I saw an immediate drop in service and quality. I’m not in the airline industry but I’m a frequent flyer due to my work. I actually miss the Continental days and knew many people who were unhappy with United corporate culture. I grew up overseas and it truly is appalling to see how American domestic airlines treat their customers.
Three is not ONE other industry that could get away with this type of behavior. This industry needs an overhaul on so many levels…
Majority of post-merger leadership (including the disastrous CEO Smisek) came from Continental and lead to the terrible 4 years afterwards of anti-consumer attitudes (see John Rainey’s comment about over-entitled elites)
Former ticket agent here, based in EWR too. Not all ticket agents are rude. It’s all about people’s personalities incorporated with the job position. It’s always TWO sides to a story. For one, as an airline employee, we deal with many irate passengers who get very upset and make scenes at the airport. Then those same passengers turn around and make up sobb stories and write letters to make others feel sorry for them. It’s possible that many times it’s misunderstandings on both the passenger and the employee. Before people start taking sides, they need to get the whole story in writing from the employee and the passenger.
I’m not interested in the “two sides” game, a trite trick that is used to blur the truth and serve as a false equivalency. There is no excuse for what happened and no excuse for those employees to talk to me the manner in which they did. When you pull the two-sides card, it sounds like you’ve also been guilty of treating customers poorly.
As somebody who just came in the internet and saw this it does not look good when the author is commenting and disagreeing with others comments. You post and let it go.
Oh, I enjoy the discussion. Most bloggers let it go, but I prefer to engage (and thank you for your engagement).
So fly another airline. Exercise your free market privileges and try something else. Using your column as a bully pulpit to whine about being treated as a second class citizen is lame as lame can be. What you fail to realize is your relevancy. You have none. You fill a box in a column on a flight manifest to them. Thinking otherwise got you what you got. If you came to my gate whining and fussing like an entitled millennial, I’d have left a size 14 impression on your backside as I escorted you to another airline’s gate. You may be the center of your universe, but you ain’t the center of anyone else’s universe.
Please tell me you don’t work for United Airlines!
@Chris
Why have rules and policies if you’re not going to follow them correctly? By your statement I act entitled too then when I go to the lounge with my membership card.
I’m going to have to side with S.B. and the others here. Customer Service may have been lacking, but i’m very much guessing, especially with your argumentative and, quite honestly, pretty cheeky replies to anyone that is brings up the very fair point that this post is a biased account of the interaction, that there was a high chance that the UA employees didn’t just pick you to be very rude to. I think there’s a high probability that you treated them like you do the dissident commentors of this article.
Call your beloved ex president. He ll fix it for you.
Not my beloved ex-POTUS…
Any other bright ideas?
How much the airline pay you to write this garbage
Have to agree. Just did a cross country flight & back on United. 4 out 5 United employees were rude & nasty, I figure they just hate their job. All 6 legs of the flights were late, one leg 18hrs late. They didn’t care, no refund or frqnt flyr miles credit nothing. Rude people, 800# even worse. Gotta say the romance of travel is long dead.
I cringe at the thought of having to go on a public airlines these days. Unfortunately, sometimes one has to do, what one has to do, like it or not.
I’m surprised the dragons allowed the stranger to guest your wife in, usually they actively try to stop people from guesting in strangers.
Sadly it’s not just a United issue when it comes to gate agents. I work under AA and recently flew on DL in order to get back home to Ohio and I was yelled at by a gate agent when I was having issues with listing on a NYC flight. I think it’s kind of the norm to encounter rude gate agents these days no matter the airline unfortunately.
Some of them needs a good whipping. Take out a whip and whip them. The days of complaining is over. Lots of airlines employees are too damn lazy. Most times they just showed up at the gates late to work their flights and then they are so Rude and nasty.
There is no training available for being nice and be able to listen. If you don’t know the rules; just say Sir, please give me a few let me find out. Look into the customer reservation or PNR. Lots of them like jump to immediate conclusion and not willing to research the customer reservation carefully.
You just going to think a random person will just show up and demand to go into the club? Yes, they are few that try to sneaks in but will not go to this length to get into the club. Another issue is poor management or lack of management. Ohh, yeh I’m the manager, so what’s the rule ohh I don’t know. Often times mangers makes up their own rules on the job. Different manager different shift differ hub different rule but same passenger.
I believe this writer story.
I totally agree that while “what” is said between customers/passengers and staff is quite important (it needs to be as correct as possible given the situation) what is, in my opinion, perhaps even MORE important is HOW that “what” part is said – that’s tone, body language, gestures and vocabulary for example …
To that end, i totally agree that the delivery here was bad— full stop..:: i don’t know if the facts are supported by the passenger or staff.. and as the OP notes, in the bigger picture, that’s really not the biggest issue in this case – it’s the HOW … how staff interacted, how staff talked, behaved etc.
To that end, I absolutely agree that, without the benefit of a dispassionate and unbiased view of the whole event – it sure sounds like it’s was handled poorly, very poorly by staff… and the OP has a more than reasonable expectation of a genuine apology at minimum.
i also have to acknowledge that, i find the comments about “At the end of the day, it’s still a mediocre lounge with mediocre amenities.” to be a kind of “take-that” retort and somewhat diminished – for me at least – some level of the OP story.. I get it, he was clearly disservice’s… and rightfully upset…. and i also get it, this is a pro-passenger blog, so in totality, I get where the OP is coming from and the wording used… but perhaps from a more center position i found the above and the use of “lounge dragon” term to be somewhat off putting… but again, not entirely unexpected given the blogs niche.
i think that United owes the OP, at minimum, a genuine apology that explicitly identifies the issues that were failures on their part, and perhaps a reasonable compensatory component that is inline with the value of the disservice element.
Stories like this make my blood pressure spike just reading them, as we’ve all had run ins with agents like this, whether at gates, on aircraft, or (more rarely) at clubs. Front line customer contact behavior like that would never be tolerated in any other industry. The sad part is your complaint might get you a pro-forma response that will likely cite security or virus BS as justification for the agents behavior. And yes, United is widely recognized as being the worst of the worst.
There are indeed times when it’s just not worth it, and when generalized across what it “costs” most of us to have status, etc., the question really looms. Why?
I witnessed a disagreement between Air New Zealand ground staff and a rude American passenger. The Air New Zealand woman was very polite to the man but did not budge. That is only a bit better.
In the end, the two United staff will learn only that their poor service is ok. They won’t learn a better attitude nor will they learn the proper rules.
I don’t think there’s any written proof of the policy that would describe the exact circumstances that Matthew was in. If there was, Matthew having it on hand would be potentially useful but passengers should not have to be like lawyers during discovery and during depositions.
Unfortunately, this is a repeat of when Matthew was kicked off an international United flight just because the flight attendant objected to Matthew taking a photo of his seat back AVOD screen.
The trouble is that many airlines have bad service not infrequently. Only a few have it less frequently, like Alaska, Singapore Airlines, and a few others.
Look on the bright side. At least you didn’t get 20 years in prison for poor behavior on the flight.
one (or in this case 2) bad employees can destroy a 20 year positive relationship.
Companies need to be able to do more to get rid of problem workers.
sorry this happened to you and your family. Hopefully corporate will “make it right”
But atleast United is super woke!
How can United claim to be striving to be the best airline in the world while also stating that “diversity” is more important than merit when it comes to hiring? I guess diversity is more important than safety.
Awesome twisting of a noble effort to increase diversity – please source the quote where UA explicitly said “diversity is more important than merit”. Clown comment but SOP from the Right.
There must have been a special on Fox News about “woke” airlines calling diversity important. I’m seeing Kool-Aid drinking sheep comments whining about it all over the internet suddenly.
Sadly, this commenter is correct.
United Airlines press release
hub.united.com dated Sept. 9, 2020 – there “merit” for selectin of another board member was color
Ignorant racist comment.
Thank you.
Your well thought-out comment added a great deal to the conversation.
Just why not name and shame the employees who treated you so poorly?
Because he’s still a United shill.
Maybe the reason he didn’t try to name, shame and humiliate the staff is because he was trying to make a point about improper customer service, and he was not trying to be vindictive and get the staff members fired. I understand that the airline staff are under tremendous pressure these days with Covid-19 and pandemic deniers. Hopefully, the airline in question will be in touch with him with a solution to avoid such a problem in the future and a discussion with its staff on this issue as well. Rules are important, but rules need to reflect the imperfections of humanity, and why rules can’t always be perfect and concrete. One must understand that because we are human, there is an exception to every rule. Finding and accommodating those exceptions is truly what makes us fine human beings, rather than horrible human beings.
Linked to here from Flyertalk.
This is a HORRIBLE blog. Comments filled with racist and infactual commentary egged on by the blog owner.
Nope.
I’ve been to the UAL lounges countless times at SFO and probably have dealt with the same agents you encountered. For one of them to say “Don’t tell us how to do our job. I’ve worked here for years.” means that something led up to that point that wasn’t included in this story.
I’ve also been to that lounge countless times. After having encountered the staff there, this story doesn’t surprise me in the least. They can be real a-holes who love to escalate a situation to paper over their own insecurities.
Indeed While I’ve been lucky not to have any negative incidents at that club I haven’t been impressed with the tone of some of some of the staff there and this situation doesn’t surprise me
I couldn’t agree more. I love that lounge, but dread entering it. I’ve never had more issues with staff at a United Club than this one. They always seem overworked and overwhelmed, and rather than explain why they’re having a bad day and asking for some grace, they routinely pass the blame on to the passenger, the computer system, a new rule, or anything other than themselves. I usually just call the 1K or Global Services desk (depending on the year!) to get help rather than ask the front desk staff at this location!
I am not sure I agree with the statement that something must have happened prior to elicit such a comment – – or if something happened, it could have easily been something entirely personal to the lounge employee. I am a two million miler on United and have observed that sort of behavior from United gate agents and other employees with a modicum of control /power such as the lounge access checkers when they feel their authority is being questioned (it has not happened to me as I go out of my way to be extra polite but I have seen it happen). In my opinion, United really needs to establish a regularly refreshed training program for provision of customer service and a clearly stated remedies program for enforcement and failing to meet the standards. Right after United merged with Continental, I encountered a flight attendant in business class who gave the most astoundingly wonderful and considerate service experience I’d ever had on a United flight. I let her know I thought her practices were exceptional and she said that was how the attendants had been trained and required to practice at Continental and that she had been shocked at the comparatively low service level expectations at United following the merger. I have also started flying Alaska because I’ve been doing more business in Washington recently and Alaska Airlines earns its reputation for quirky, sweet and human staff. It can be done. Mr. Kirby simply needs to exert the will to order it done.
My aunt is a United flight attendant. She deals with a lot of shit — the emotional support pig (large one too) in domestic first class was the most interesting. But if I ever bring up a story where United is clearly in the wrong she ALWAYS says she is certain I am not getting the whole story. She’s a native New Yorker, has a bad mouth, and is easily combustible (family trait). She is great with customers when everything is going right and she knows they are Global Services, but the way she talks to me about 1Ks requesting a snack box or drink makes me shake my head. For the most part I see United staff being unwilling (and/or untrained) to diffuse a situation. I had great experiences at the SFO club, so this is unfortunate. I’m sorry this happened to your family. From the staff perspective, I can tell you that whenever these complaints are filed the staff have to do a Microsoft Teams meeting to go over the allegations. As you can imagine, the increase in poor passenger behavior has led to more complaints and more Teams meetings. My aunt had to sit through one where she was accused of doing something in the back of the economy cabin when she was in first class the entire flight and didn’t know anything about the incident. Many staff are jaded, often overworked (cabin crew in particular), and on edge that something will happen to make them go viral on Instagram. That being said, I really hope Scott Kirby’s “rah-rah” attitude is not the only thing they do to address passenger experience. Better training is needed.
Although it seems to better match your experience, did you mean to write Untied Club, Matthew?
I thought it was a wordplay. “Untied.com” was a website dedicated to complaining about United customer service being off its rocker. These two agents would have fit in well on the website.
We’re just going to ignore the elephant in the room? Matt is flying a long haul in economy?
(Original Aaron here)
He already posted his first impressions of that flight.
Rick T. You nailed it… Could not have said it better. Perhaps body cams for club, gate agents and flight attendants are in our future!!!
Aaron… Re the elefant in the room, I am LMAO
all the new planes and ammenities (IFE etc) is totally moot without excellent employees who display genuine customer relations skills.
If you were to rate those agents on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being tops — would you hire them to be a client facing employee??
Horrible. Absolutely horrible. I can’t wait to hear their justification for “we kicked a mother changing her baby’s diaper out because we don’t know our own rules”.
Ugh, these sorts of airline customer service stories make my blood boil. The thing is, if Matthew had said this had happened at an SQ lounge at SIN I would have been skeptical, but I find his story wholly believable given that it’s in the U.S. with a U.S. airline lounge. I look forward to learning the service resolution from this (if any). As others have said, its the tone and HOW you say things that can really matter. Airlines like SQ and NH enforce rules quite strictly as per what one would expect in Singapore in Japan, but if they are denying you something they’ll retain a level of politeness and respectfulness befitting normal people.
If this would have happened to SQ the staff would have likely lost their jobs for giving the airline a bad name. It’s inconceivable to their top brass that an employee can say no to their customer, they are always taught to reject with an alternative solution and they get punished for not executing it. We no training can solve this s**t we face stateside, its a culture that requires change. Until we feel ashamed of rejecting someone or saying no, this will never change.
Haven’t paid for a United flight since 2008 after an issue, and SFO is my home airport. I have 750,000 lifetime miles, but dislike the airline so much, that I won’t voluntarily fly them again. I’ve flown a million plus miles since 2008 on other airlines.
I 100% agree with what you are saying here.
+1 I gave away 350,000 miles rather than fly for free after a run in with a very similar level of caring. It was the last time I flew UA (2006) and I’ve flown about a million miles since then. The only satisfaction is the loss of revenue they must be accruing with interactions like these.
We should start a club/blog of UA Nevermores! I was on the cusp of a Million miler when a couple of similar employees turned my entire UA loyalty on its head. That was 10+ yrs ago. I’ve flown more than several million miles with other airlines before settling with SWA. A world of a difference in attitude & demeanor. I’m not looking for perks – just test me like you want to be treated. Using my 890K lifetime miles for anything but UA flights! I go out of the way NOT to fly UA. Wonder how many of us there are…..?
Woke UA is penalizing you for your white privilege. Or maybe you forgot to give them your pronouns first. Expect to get a canned response and 5,000 miles. I’m in the same boat as you, fly them a lot but they have a lot of work to do when it comes to simple politeness and customer service.
You people can’t just let it go can you? All you have to contribute to the conversation is trying to make it political? Are you that weak and shallow? Do you have any idea how petty, bitter and immature your comments make you look?
Of course you do……as does everyone else.
“You people”? What exactly do you mean by “You people”?
He means right wingers, Trumpers etc.
I’m black and I find being called you people extremely offensive.
You know – the insurrectionist-supporting, racist/white nationalist, anti-vaxxing, election-denying, COVID-hoax-decrying, vote suppressing, Orange Man worshipping…you people. Majority of the Right these days.
Hey UA-NYC, why don’t you put your real name in your profile? You are very quick to acuse people of certain political affiliations based on the comment about customer service? Woke much? Or just a typical liberal [redacted by admin] hiding behind abbreviation?
So basically 74M people right?
Not all 74MM…unfortunately for our country at least a majority of them though. Still a few good ones left out there…
Why would they be penalizing him for his “white privilege”? This has to be one of the most asinine comments ever on this site.
I am a million mile flyer on United and flew out of SFO for ten years and used the United Club lounge. Most of the time I got good customer service. There were a few times when I had to comment about something not right to the staff. I do not like when the employee you are talking to has the employee next to them get involved like they did with your situation. It is stressful to fly and when you get to the Club you are expecting peace, quiet, and no further problems. So it’s irritating if you have to deal with an unexpected dilemma.
I’m a member of both United and Amex Centurian Clubs. Without a bar code/seat assignment you’ll get into neither one. Sounds like Swiss Air needs to open earlier or validate Covid results quicker in order to allow premium members enough time to access clubs before departure.
Sorry, but you’re simply wrong. I’ve entered both without barcodes in SFO!
It can be a challenge, but I had a nearly identical situation at a Lufthansa lounge in Frankfurt, and while they wouldn’t budge, they spent nearly 45 minutes trying to verify our status, etc. In the end, they were able to get three out of four of us in, and I knew without a doubt they’d done their best to help without having to potentially violate any of their rules. While annoyed, I was grateful. I’m guessing you don’t feel the same way given the attitude shown! Being nice shouldn’t require training.
So technically you’re wrong, from the Star Alliance website about lounge access and definitions:
“Boarding pass for a Star Alliance member airline operated flight: A boarding pass for a Star Alliance Flight is a document issued upon check-in that allows the customer to board a flight operated by a Star Alliance member carrier.”
The document your received does not allow you to board the flight, you’ve acknowledged that.
https://www.staralliance.com/en/lounge-access-policy
Now do I disagree with the agents, absolutely, but you don’t have a boarding pass and we’ve all been in Singapore where we couldn’t use the lounge (back in the day) when UA check-in didn’t open until 3am and couldn’t get a boarding pass and showing a PNR just didn’t cut it.
Well let’s see other than with something that got you through security and past TSA which is typically either a gate pass without a flight number or a boarding pass with a flight number, how could someone actually arrive at a post security entrance to a United Club? Crazy!!!
Remember there are 2 sides to every store. As I recall as a gold member you can only bring in a guest. Not everyone in your immediate family, but policies could have changed.
Children under two don’t count. I had a sponsor for my son (and a pass). That wasn’t the issue. The boarding pass was the alleged issue.
Try Delta, the difference is striking 🙂
Your boarding pass wasn’t valid and you knew that. The rules for entering clearly state that you need a valid boarding pass. You should take your complaint to Swiss. They obviously didn’t have staff available to check your documents and give you a valid boarding pass. Just because LAX accommodated you, doesn’t make SFO in the wrong.
You could’ve easily remedied the situation by getting proper boarding passes for your family. LAX was in the wrong and created a passenger who now expects the rules to not apply to him.
You make several false assumptions.
As the owner of a travel business myself, I’ve seen many people try to weasel their way into airline clubs with every possible excuse just because they have 1K status, basically asking airline employees to put their jobs on the line to bend the rules just for them. This happens on the daily for these club agents. They are just doing their job based on United’s guidelines for entry into the club to not let in these scammers and overcrowd the club. That you perceived the enforcement of Corporate policy as rudeness is entirely subjective I’m sure. I also find that several parts of your story and comments are contradictory and don’t hold water. First of all, there is always a barcode/QR code for a legitimate boarding pass, even when you’re on standby and don’t have seats confirmed but a valid ticket. You must’ve had a barcode at LAX where you started your journey and legitimately had access to the club lounge but your connecting flight to Zurich didn’t because your ticket was still unconfirmed or you had not checked in yet. So the argument that the LAX United Club let you in is moot. You also say that you were going to head to the Swiss gate Also, as a Star Alliance Gold member, you full well know that you’re only allowed to bring one other guest in. Unless you had an purchased pass for your son,
Completing my thought as I accidentally submitted my earlier reply.
You also say that you were going to head to the Swiss gate to obtain a boarding pass. That would require you to leave the domestic terminal secured area in Terminal 3 where the United Club is and wouldn’t be able to come back in if you didn’t get actually get a Swiss Air boarding pass because you wouldn’t be able to get through security again. That is the real reason you decided to drop the whole affair. I live in SF so I know SFO well.
Also, as a Star Alliance Gold member, you full well know that you’re only allowed to bring one other guest in. Your comments say that you had a sponsor for your son to get in. This good Samaritan you mention in your article really sounds like the same sponsor/friend. So not exactly an unbiased witness coming to your aid. With all these contradicting points,
I call into question the way this whole thing unfolded and whether the United Club attendants were actually rude and condescending to you. Sounds to me, you thought you could get in due to your status and basically threw a tantrum when you didn’t get your way. Getting someone reprimanded or fired when they’re just enforcing company policy because you didn’t get lounge access is reprehensible IMHO. Take it up with United on policy instead.
Lastly, as a lawyer, you should know that the United employees in your picture can sue you for invasion of privacy and defamation for posting their picture without consent. You should swap that picture out.
United and international terminals are connected airside.
Your defamation analysis is incorrect.
So many false assumptions.
The terminals are connected airside but the Swiss agents that you would’ve need to speak to are outside of security at the check-in counters.
As many have commented, there are always two sides to the story. I suspect much of the conversation between you and agents were redacted or conveniently left out to serve your narrative. Having been yelled at by clients when I’m only trying to help remedy the situation that they themselves caused, I’ve had to work very hard to keep my composure and not shout back at them. Only once they’ve calmed down did they apologize for their tone. Your own tone could’ve resulted in the indifference of the agents to help you. If United wanted to confirm the ill actions of their employees, I’m sure they could pull video surveillance or request eye witness accounts from the guests who were in line behind you to get in.
And no, I’m not correct in regards to defamation if you’ve posted someone’s face and then defame them in a public/social media forum without evidence of wrong doing. It’ll let this law blog post sit right here to defend my point: https://nyplaw.com/2018/09/13/can-a-person-take-legal-action-if-someone-posts-unauthorized-photos-or-videos-on-social-media/
United customer service has been garbage for years. I have flown over 100 flights a year for over 10 years. I would try them now and then. Terrible. Lounge access (I have United card that allows access). Gate agents. I lived in SF for 12 years. I would hear United staff complaining constantly when they thought other folks weren’t listening. I am not surprised by this at all.
Sue them!! Just like how you threatened to sue Swiss!
Lol. If only I were so fortunate.
United is shite.
A few years back, I managed to earn Premier 1K, only to discover that it didn’t mean I get to use a lounge before a flight. Even flying in first class (albeit domestic), unless you figure out a way to get United Club membership — credit card, or something else — there’s no getting in.
What a load of crap. What other airline does that?
The United Clubs are overcrowded and understaffed anyway, and the “senior” staff that work them are rude and complacent. And don’t get me started on the flight attendants.
American is only marginally better.
I’m using Alaska as much as I possibly can, and for everything else, going back to Delta.
American doesn’t let in Executive Platinum members (their top published tier) into Admeral Clubs either.
Als0 – I can’t spell admirals club correctly – LOL
Unless traveling on an international itinerary in any cabin of service.
I have had SO MANY problems with United in SFO.
The new CEO has a very-non-premium airline on his hands. Re-assigning his staff at the SFO lounge is a great idea. They suck. They are BEYOND rude to me and clearly to you too.
What is puzzling is that they seem to be making an extra effort and going out of their way to be insufferable. It would have been so much less effort to simply be polite, or at least neutral toned. Only explanation I can think of is that they actually enjoy being rude and look for opportunities to be so, which is unfortunate.
Correct. Even if I was wrong, the tone was so condescending and unnecessarily cruel.
I’m ready for the names as well.
UA has a long way to go. You won’t see this crap on top tier Asian airlines.
Top-tier Asian airlines will follow rules by the letter and tell you that it’s not a boarding pass, therefore they regret that they cannot let you in.
But at least they won’t bark at you or give you a nasty attitude.
I do feel like airlines in the US would greatly benefit if they send their employees to observe how Asian or some European airlines operate or handle customers. I don’t mean that customers are always right, but there are ways to nicely communicate with those customers.
I flew Korean airlines several years ago to Seoul from ATL for work, and the service was absolutely impeccable
Sounds like both you and the agents were antagonistic to each other. Both parties are in the wrong. When I believe I am right instead of pointing out they are wrong you need to smile, be nice, keep your composure and talk them through the problem until they come up with the solution. You telling them how to do it put them on the defensive and they will never do what you want. This is one of the main problems with passengers
I was exceedingly polite and have a non-interested witness ready to verify that if my account is questioned. But no, I wasn’t in the wrong. And two, even if I told the agents to do what they should have known how to do, it doesn’t change the fact that they were rude from the start.
I get that lounge space can be tight, but lounge access isn’t a privilege; it’s a paid service. A 1k MillionMiler, Star Alliance Gold with card and valid PNR has paid dearly for access to that lounge. I don’t even like to call it a perk or benefit. Untied (yes, untied) Club access is a hard product owned by the Star Alliance Gold Card holder. Any “confusion” over a bar code alternative could have been EASILY clarified by a phone call.
I could just imagine the attitude behind that desk. My guess is that due to Covid boarding pass variations, those employers knew the issue could be rectified. Similar situations are most likely common due to the pandemic. “I’m tired of these passengers showing up without a barcode. Don’t they know the bar code exists for a reason?!” This attitude demonstrates an employee culture of us vs. them. It’s what I feared with the Continental merger. (I was an EWR Continental frequent flyer.) So far, I haven’t run into similar issues. They shouldn’t ever happen though. It’s not fair to the customer, or to the majority of United staff that have bought into the customer service first company philosophy.
Ugh, what a baby….Ifyou cannot abide by the rules, go fly Spirit Airlines and fight your way across the Atlantic
Can you even read? What an idiot. He did abide by the rules. Reading comprehension is a wonderful thing you stupid fool!!!
Hi Matthew, as a fellow 1K who has experienced the best and worst of United, this does not surprise me. My experience over many years is that a majority of United agents, whether at the gate or the lounge or at check-in seem to only be interested in doing the minimum. Anything beyond the norm (keeping the gate open for an extra 30 seconds to allow a family to board, checking policy for lounge access, stopping social interaction to help move the line quicker etc.) seems to throw them off. And talking rudely to customers seems to be acceptable behavior – not sure if they behave the same way with friends and family. I keep quiet in the interests of making it to my destination on time but this behavior is making me think whether I really want to spend all that money with a company that hates it’s customers. I have flown plenty of other airlines (esp. international) where customer service makes you feel special as a customer, even if you are flying in coach.
Fly Delta!
This reminds me of the time I was at a Lufthansa outstation flying with my family on a return trip in J. The ticket was booked through United. Lufthansa had two coupons for my daughter and the agent refused to let us board. United confirmed that all was well at their end. I obviously couldn’t produce a twin child with the same name as my daughter. 🙂
After more than an hour of talking down by the agent and generally avoiding us, I asked to speak with the station manager who figured out that it was an IT issue (they had forgotten to deduct one coupon on the inbound), talked with IT and got us our boarding passes in the nick of time – we boarded with 5 minutes to spare. The orginal agent just stood there sullen and silent. Not a peep of an apology.
It’s an important reminder that every airline had bad apples (including Vivian, the nasty FA I endured from SIN-LAX on Singapore Airlines).
You deserve it for being insufferable over the last year to those of us with medical conditions. Karma is a b. Can’t wait till you get kicked off a flight due to customer service stupidity and whine about it.
There is no excuse, the guest isn’t a bar code. It is a training issue if you don’t represent the company well.
It’s been a tough 16months. I hope the rest of the trip out of town was fun filled!
I see a lot of entitled babies whining about bratty behavior staff but in this case, the staff was in the wrong. It also makes me shrug and remember my own run ins with rude ***s on the other side of the customer service divide.
Assuming all facts are as reported, of course.
Yes, I flew on United out of SFO in mid-June and was shocked to see mass disorganization, and bluntly yelling, at passengers who did not know how to use the contact-free self-check in, self included — mine kept giving an error message that I needed a visa when I did not, and no one would come by to help me remedy it. On top of that, our flight malfunctioned and we were all deboarded, and then trying to get help from United customer service for a rebooking involved several actively aggressive, rude agents, some of whom told us “We had plenty of time to make the transfer” after our outbound plane had already been canceled. I was horrified and noted it to friends and family on social media at the time because some passengers were actually crying.
I have seen bad treatment by airlines but never anything like that. It was an unprofessional sh*show.
I was a Premier Executive for many years when I was working and living intermittently in California and France. I was pretty happy with United back then.
After 9/11, their customer service went down the drain, and has never really come back. I had some of the worst customer service experiences I have every had with any business flying United in that decade after 9/11/01, and stopped flying them entirely for over a decade.
Getting on my first international United flight in years on Sunday, and am planning on using the Club passes from my Chase Explorer card to visit the SFO lounge. Still a little miffed that I had passes expire last year, after they cancelled my planned flights in June due to Covid, but did not extend the Club passes from my Chase card.
Or maybe I will go to the Centurion Lounge instead, and pay for the extra guest in my party of four, given what I am reading here.
United does not have many chances left to kept from losing me as a customer forever.
It’s only going to get worse over the next few months as airline employees are finally having to actually work for the first time in a year and a half. In the end most of them had a pretty cushy paid ride through Covid. Even those that “worked” through the pandemic it was about as easy as you can get. They need time to realize again that there is actual effort involved.
As an United Employee of 36 + years I think I am qualified to comment on this situation. There would have been a “ work around” that would have enabled proper entry into the lounge. The comment of yours that during Covid it was very easy is remarkably naive. At the beginning of Covid as employees we were hoping the safety measures that were implemented would keep us safe from harm. There were numerous United employees that passed away from Covid 19. Many states did not allow vaccination of Airline employees before other essential workers, Many times I was forced t9 deny check in to people traveling Internationally because of lack of proper requirements. Tears, foul language threats to myself and co workers became commonplace. Thankfully vaccination became a reality and where I work we are 100% vaccinated.
There’s definitely more to this story.
I suspect so too.
What is it that you *suspect*? The USA is not Australia when it comes to service…
ME: It’s not my first flight either. You should know the protocol for letting me in. I had no trouble at LAX earlier today.
Was your tone here absolutely faultless and not up for misinterpretation by the lounge agents?
Honestly, I was very calm and exceedingly polite.
As an SFO UA 2 million miler and 1K I agree. When they’re good they’re good, when they’re bad they’re terrible. UA needs to retrain these people asap. Mr. Kirby – staff retraining/review for all desk attendants @ the terminal 3 lounge please. Just plain sad.
May 2021. My father’s funeral viewing was the next day.
I could barely get anyone at the ticket counter to even look at the computer to rebook my United flight out of Des Moines after my flight was canceled. They were too busy gawking at some engagement party gathering. They acted put out when I asked them to help. They were crass and dismissive. Only one computer was logged on and there was a line forming behind me due to the cancelation.
Finally, I walked to the American counter and paid for another ticket after United refused any kind of rerouting to get me to my destination on time. United refused to transfer the fare to American.
I was calm and polite, and I’ll never book another flight with United ever.
Dreadful. There is no place in a service industry for these martinets. They should be fired .
No surprise. While I have not personally been affected by their incompetent hauteur (I just scan my pass and go in), I have seen many others victimized by it.
Incredible that we gave that airline so many billions. They should have just fired the bottom 50% of their workforce and rehired post-pandemic.
Hi, first time reader and great post. I have the same view as you do on u items. However I have been 1k for 4 years and have never heard of 1k voice!! What is it abs how do we access it?
Keep up the good work
Top secret email address for United 1K elites that actually gets answered and sometimes nets results. 1kvoice@united.com
No matter what the business nor what he issue, this level of rude condescending attitudes and verbal responses to ANY customer is reprehensible and in my opinion, as a former business owner deserves a strong response. We can’t blame Covid, but perhaps at this poi t in time, it could be taken into consideration. In years past, it could have been an offense that would have cost them their jobs.
CS Guy
Sounds like Swiss needs to issue a memo to United management so that the boarding passes w/o barcode are a recognized form of entry…
Secondary question is… how do people clear TSA without a bar code?
Once I discovered that Southwest and Alaska fly to virtually all the domestic destinations I need most often, UAL fell to my 3rd choice for flights. I fly UAL bot because I like it, but because there is literally no better option. That’s sad.
I agree Richard. I’ve stopped using United, Delta, American and gone to Southwest and Alaskan. The only problem I have with SW and Alaskan is legroom. Being 6’5″ makes it downright uncomfortable and at times, a person needs to fold and bend in very strange positions. I do miss the First Class comfort but on domestic flights, I can deal with almost anything but rude airline employees.
“Don’t tell us how to do my job. I’ve worked here for years.” Funny that after not flying United for 20 years, and now that I flew 10 flight with them I heard this exactly same phrase twice from a United gate agent.
Seriously, why do you insist in flying United? Get Diamond with Delta and you will be treated like a king (for US standards).
They are full of s**** i witnesses the same behavior. I have priority pass and lounges outside of the US treat me like a king. I live in the Bay Area and these losers talk to me like I owe them money. They should be fired !
Look at the pin of the BD (you guess what that stands for) in the United lounge promotional picture (I assume). It shows you where United puts its focus. It’s focused on pushing anti white/Christian/straight woke nonsense and putting customer service and care in the back seat.
You are lucky this wasn’t a flight attendant as you’d be kicked off the plane for asserting fact and questioning service standards and protocol.
U.S. airline personnel ( including ancillary people like in the lounge) are rated worst in the world. In mainland Europe, nearly everyone in the hospitality industry (hotels/flight attendants/etc) is under 35, pleasant, and cares. Since they move on to jobs better suited to raising a family, workers aren’t stuck in the same positions for a whole career. The demographics are high quality ( it’s politically incorrect to say equality is a myth but it is the truth. Some groups are better than others on average. On average is key). In European hotels in big cities, you are greeted by an attractive under 35 receptionist who takes care of you. The older folks are in the concierge booth (with experience) and senior management. In U.S. big cities or even Aruba, you are greeted by poorer quality staff. Some of the better hotel chains (Ritz Carlton) import quality front desk staff. Older doctors/engineers/accountants/fashion designers are great. But not in the hospitality industry. We need vibrant people.
Generally speaking, people using “woke” as an insult are really saying “Actually, racism, sexism, xenophobia, religious intolerance, and homophobia are all quite good, actually”.
So true Jackson. Funny how mentioning the truth about United’s anti-white campaign stirred up the liberal quacks.
There is no anti-white campaign. Only white fragility.
Blah blah blah whites are superior blah blah non-whites are inferior
Your constant racism in the comments section on this blog is tiring…seriously just move to some fascist Eastern European state and you will be much happier
I made a pledge to myself in year 2004 that I would never ever fly on United again after they mistreated me in a different horrific way at the gate check-in. Reading your blog once again reconfirms that I made a right decision. To say United staff have a bad attitude is an understatement. They were customer unfriendly then and are exactly the same now. Never improve and never care. They declined your access to their so-so lounge at SFO like your were a criminal. Just rude and plain wrong. I’ve had much better experience with Delta lounges and American Express Centurion lounges wherever they are present. United needs a name change to Dis-United like yesterday. I think they have good caring employees but the bad apples are still the majority. Their low fares and often big mileage reward promotions never get any of my interest. Stay away from United to avoid all unnecessary shocker stickers. Many other airlines are much more customer friendly. Safe travels!
I had exactly the same kind of thing happen to me at a boarding gate. It was the last in a string of poor CS events that permanently soured me on the airline. At the gate in line 45 min. before the flight, flight delayed for 1/2 hour, and the gate agents were so slow that I missed the flight and had to overnight.
That was back in the early 2000s, after 9/11. I vowed I would never fly United again unless there was no alternative. I still haven’t flown United since that day, and hope I’ll never have to.
Did you at least find somewhere else in the terminal to get some cubes of cheddar cheese and a glass of Budweiser?
As I said, the lounge holds great sentimental value for me, but ultimately the amenities were not worth the stress of fighting for access on that day at at that time.
Shouldn’t you have been denied in LAX unless you had passes? Star gold only gets in for international flights at the departing airport for the international flight.
Not true. Star Gold enjoys access for same-day international travel. Business class passengers without status only enjoy access at the point of longhaul departure.
@Matthew, how did guest access for your son work? You mentioned that you had a sponsor and a pass for your son. I’m assuming that the sponsor was a UC member in LAX and you had planned to use the pass in SFO? (IIRC, unlike int’l F/*G, UC members’ guests don’t need to be on the same flight)
I wonder if they’re staffing the SFO UC with ex-GFL/IFL matrons, who were certainly deserving of the name. They were the rudest and most incompetent people ever, frequently denying access to eligible pax.
Hope you were at least able to use your PP credits at the two restaurants.
I had passes ready to go plus another guest in SFO willing to sponsor. But we ended up just waiting at the gate for the LX flight and eating onboard. It was a wise move because I was able to get a bunch of pictures on the SWISS 777-300ER before others boarded (thanks to the infant). Yankee Pier can wait!
There’s a reason why these employees are commonly referred to as “lounge dragons.”
Since their job is basically just a kind of glorified gate-keeper, the power seems to go to their heads and any “challenge to their authority” is met with immediate vitriol. This is not limited to United Clubs—I’ve seen this type of employee at many different airport lounge brands.
The rules for lounge entry can be so complex and are constantly changing, so it would be nice if they could simply give the customer the benefit of the doubt and calmly double check the rules when asked to. Is that *really* so much to ask?
I have been happy to see that in Europe several lounges have transitioned to fully automated entry turnstiles. Hopefully that will eventually catch on worldwide.
I fly out of a regional airport and have status on DL, AA, and UA. The difference in attitude and customer service between the best (DL) and the worst (UA) of those three is stunning. I’ve noticed that United management likes to talk about customer service, but the message is not reaching their customer-facing employees.
Sounds like either a made up story with no names posted. Why would you not call out the attendants so that everyone else tries their best to avoid them when checking in? What a disservice.
UA has their names and I will report on how/if they are retrained. You can see both of them in the picture, so not sure what your issue is…
Despicable behavior. How do you spell “you’re fired”.
I don’t complain about everything on UA, but I will complain when the airline does something wrong and I am affected. Pre-pandemic, I would always get miles or a credit, which does help take the edge off. But the one time recently I complained, I got nothing. I wonder if that is the new normal, too.
SFO is the worst. Was denied entry to the Polaris lounge during my connection from Singapore to Chicago because I was “flying domestically.” Makes me question my loyalty as a 1k.
Did you fly SQ or UA from SIN-SFO?
UA
Then you were entitled to access.
SFO is a bad hub when it comes to United lounge staff. I have had all degrees of variance flying with them as SFO is my home airport. A lot of this stems from the fact that as the number of eligible, well informed travelers has grown, the staff are behind the curve on the policies. An overcrowded lounge does not help either. Lounge staff that used to see just a few people a day now sees a constant stream. The answer is technology, make the admission process automatic with scanners and sign in kiosks. So that just a few well trained staff can handle the few odd requests thereby making it easier to provide better service.
Sounds like s typical day on United. That is the reason I quit flying United back in 2004. I flew every week back then, and United was far and away my most convenient airline, but I would crawl over broken glass to avoid them.
Matthew you are too kind suggesting retraining. They should be fired. Gives airline bad name. I have been flying United since they started Silver Wings. After I was switched to ANA when I was in DC going to Tokyo, I stopped flying United. ANA is my favorite airline when traveling to Tokyo and Taiwan. Their service in my opinion is outstanding.
I recently took United Airlines flight out of Colorado Springs. Because their crew showed up late on an earlier, fight, left 1.5 hrs late. I
missed my connection in Denver by 5 minutes and that plane had been delayed. I could have driven to Denver from Colorado Springs; however, there wasn’t not enough time to leave the airport get in the car and drive the Denver to make my connecting flight not knowing it would have been delayed in Denver. The next flight out of Denver going to San Antonio was 5.5 hours out. I contacted the United Club customer service and asked if I could have had a discount on a one-time pass for inconvenience. The customer service rep was very rude and condescending basically saying oh I’m supposed to give a discount to roughly 120 people that were on the plane. I am a United mileage member not a plus so that’s why I didn’t ask for something free but I asked for a discount. And just that conversation with that person has made where I probably won’t fly United too often. Just the rudeness has turned me away and tells me why I don’t have as many miles as I used to.
Explicit UAL policy is to not use lounge access as compensation during irregular operations. They will never budge on that.
Thanks for YOUR experience at trying to get “something for nothing”, Karen.
This is a note to Mr. Kirby:
If you are reading the above story, you are certainly aware that United has turned into a big time sh*t show. How sad. I can think of many wonderful United employees that I have met over the years; I can also think of some who have no business working for you.
United has problems that shiny new airplanes won’t fix. If this keeps up, you will have a big new fleet of planes … without any passengers. I would suggest that United wakes up before it is too late, if it isn’t already.
Why should these people be exempt from the rules. If the documentation was lacking – no entry. End of story.
Story is a bit more complicated…
United has been a crappy airline for over a decade. I avoid them at all costs.
@Matthew, I am sorry you experienced this, especially while your family was with you.
The SFO Centurion Lounge also has a couple of hostile, argumentative checkin people.
During Covid, one would hope we could all be more patient and kind with one another.
My United Club and AMEX membership don’t get me a warm reception in SFO. I am looking forward to Alaska Lounge opening at SFO. Alaska has always treated me well.
I will be in SFO twice in the next two weeks, flying UA. I will look for those two agents.
Retired UA here, not frontline or at the airport, but was once escorting a very VIP account on a 3 day trip, JFK-SFO-JFK, and ever detail air and land was in order, and to ensure everyone knew about this trip. All went perfect, in JFK on departure, treated like royalty, onboard, at the Four Seasons in SFO, then….time to go home. Stone face looks when we get to the lobby at the club in SFO, present my ID, hardcopy messages…10 minutes later we get admitted… no seats, standing room only… I am sure I was rolling my eyes at the agents! I did a similar trip to Tokyo, in NRT, they actually moved my NRT-EWR aircraft to the gate next to the club so my group would have the shortest walk..and they sent a crew to the NRT train station to handle their luggage! Every city is different! btw..the guy that arrange all that VIP stuff in NRT is in DEN now!
I believe the root of many “customer service” problems lies in the fact that airlines have hired many individuals that have zero interest in providing a truly good customer service experience. You can train most anyone to interface with a computer, check in passengers & bags, carry out safety procedures, board and deplane aircraft, serve beverages and meals, etc. You cannot change their DNA, or the first 18 formative years of their life as they develop their personality. You can train, remedial train, hold meetings, chastise, threaten, etc., however you are going to end up with the same individual and the personality they have within. Businesses that provide superb customer service recognize this and place considerable effort recruiting candidates. I have read several comments concerning Asian carriers; hiring, retention, and career expectations are very different than their US & European counterparts.
As long as they have a union that won’t fire them this is what you will get! Does not matter what the CEO says OR does this behavior will not change. This is the difference between US airlines and everywhere else in the world.
Bingo! This is one of the many cons of unions, however if big business acted in everyone’s best interest and not just the shareholders/owners then there would be no need for them.
My biggest takeaway from this article is your arrogance. Your family was hardly ‘thrown out’ of the UA lounge. You weren’t admitted. There’s a big difference between the two. Maybe it’s good that you get to experience life in the terminal like other 99% of travelers. Status schmatus. Who cares? Go somewhere else in the terminal with your family and mix with the rest of us. I can’t believe you were flying economy. Lowering your expectations, aren’t you?
Someone finally said it…I second the fact that you were NOT “thrown out”…
As a former airline employee, even *I* have experienced completely out of line and rude employees, either not following procedures, following “rules” to absurdity, or just complete dumbasses. That is the case with every business, every airline. Yes even Southwest, Delta, AND Singapore.
But, have you ever thought for a minute that it was the *LAX* employees who were in the wrong, so that when you got to SFO, and tried it again, the SFO employees may actually been right?? Did you think of it from that perspective? This is a perfect example of “don’t do anything extra, it’ll bite you in the ass”.
Hence the reason no one wants to “bend” the rules..
Also, the whole “I’ve *earned* it entitlement is complete bullshit. You didn’t “earn” it; you are rewarded for loyalty to a certain extent, but you seem to have forgotten that you paid economy (and if I know any thing about airline bloggers is that they know how to *exactly hack* a full priced ticket for cheap using points, miles, cards.) . I’m guessing you were on a “hacked” ticket, but yet *expected* FULL amenities. On top of that, the *REAL* deal is, you got pissed off when you were given *exactly* what you were entitled to, which was shown the door(NOT “thrown out”).
I’m *NOT* defending agents being rude – maybe they were. Lord knows *ive * encountered them myself. But I’m *also* betting you pulled the “DONT YOU KNOW WHO I AM” bullshit and that probably made it worse. Just because you fly a lot, have zillions of miles, and know the perks doesn’t mean they are yours. You *have had* to sit in economy right? You can’t just waltz into First Class and take a seat, correct???? Same applies here..
I’ve been buying groceries at Trader Joe’s for decades but I still can’t walk out with a free cart full of crap and say “but I’ve spent millions of dollars here!” nor do I expect to cut to the front of the line just because I’m there 4 + times a week.
Look, you may be 100% in the right, I get that…but I also doubt it too..I’m betting you may not be revealing all those *little* details that matter..
Once again, what cabin he flew in is irrelevant to the discussion here…United MM status = United Club lounge access on int’l flights no matter what cabin you fly
Looks like you two should read his post again… His wife and daughter were in fact in the lounge and he was told they couldn’t stay.
As a former Flight Attendant for United (33 years) I know that there are some who just do not think demeanor is important in handling disagreements such as this one. When locked in a fuselage hurling through the air at 40k feet there is no choice but to di escalate. When those agents decided to not help you they knew you would walk out the door and they would never see you again. On an airplane you probably have several hours to deal with the passenger you’re having issues with. This is not a matter of who was right as much as it was a matter of how they treated you with disrespect assuming this was how they spoke. Perhaps they are exhausted from the current climate of rude aggressive demanding people however custom service is by definition serving a customer, resolution of a problem and if the resolution is not to their liking not to make them feel like crap in addition. And I don’t think you’re in the right job if you don’t understand that going in.
Actually someone was there when this was going down and I think they recorded it and their thoughts are YOUR family was out of line, hopefully they share that video!
To all you nay sayers. I know Matthew Klimt personally and he would tell an untruth. I myself have been on both sides as a gate agent and a star alliance gold member. Many frequent flyers know the rules better than the agents, rudeness is never justified
He would never tell an untruth. Sorry my mistake
I had a Polaris TPAC flight last month and two agents at SFO lounge had first denied me for a drink voucher (since the Polaris lounge is closed). They said only first class passengers could have the voucher, but I was in the business class. I literally had to ask for a supervisor to get the voucher. Customer service has declined substantially since the pandemic.
You are definitely right about not being treated properly. I work in the airline industry and there are always bad apples that need to be plucked. But also, we have bad apples in all industries. I think you could have handled this in a matter that could have killed two birds with one stone. If you really want to get an issue/person addressed, you ask for the Manager always. It allows you to talk to them about 1. The technical issue and 2. The customer service issue. By waiting, you missed the perfect opportunity for training and rectifying the employee’s bad attitude on the spot, without having to say “ I told you so!” I never waste my time arguing with the front line employee in person or on the phone. I ask for the highest level manager and always get the best result. To just complain on your blog serves no purpose. Heck everyone could give an example from every carrier, and who would you fly? The key is to hold that airline to a standard at the moment, and to have them fix it from the top if need be. I’m tired of just seeing complaints. Next time, maybe step up your game and reach out to management immediately instead of afterwards.
So a middle aged white man doesn’t get what he wants. That’s what I’m getting from this story.
Also, he’s plain wrong. Trying to being his whole family? No. One guest. That is all.
Matthew – pretty sure you are a UA MM at this point, so your wife would also have the status via the UA benefit (and thus each of you could guest one of your children). Might help to explain that to all the idiotic no-nothing commenting trolls showing up in this thread.
Matt,
I’m so sorry to hear what you went through. It’s interesting because I’m a maintenance supervisor and the other day I just so happened to be in the international terminal where a couple came up to me and asked where the Turkish Airline club was. I told them that their club was over on the Terminal and needed to exit security and back in to get to it. Since there was over 3 hours before their flight, I suggested they walk to the United Club to see if they were permitted in. Since you are familiar with SFO, it can be confusing to go from gate G10 all the way to the United Club in the F terminal. I offered to escort them over there. When we got into the club, I explained the situation to the agent behind the counter. She looked at the couples tickets and as you said, typed a few things in the computer and she said they were good to go. So I hope your experience is a one off as passengers start coming back…
@Matthew — This story has me concerned. I will be flying UA SFO-FRA in Polaris business class. I have only 25K Aeroplan status and my ticket was paid for with Aeroplan miles. Will I have access to UA lounge at SFO? Also, I’m connecting to LH economy flight to France. Will I have any lounge access at FRA? Many thanks. Hope you (or anyone) have a chance to reply.
Curious… how do you fly more than 200k miles per year yet only have Gold on your preferred airline (alliance)? Didn’t UA grandfather status due to 2020?
Without speaking on his behalf, I can say for myself that pre-COVID I flew about 250k but that meant about 90k butt-in-seat miles on UA for 1K (with class acceleration bonuses I qualified), then some combination of that on American, award redemptions (about 50-75k worth of traveled miles) and then a combination of convenient flight times or prices on Spirit, Southwest, Alaska – whatever worked.
Herr Klint,
While I have not had the opportunity to read all of the replies to your original L&LF article I am going to read the entire posting so I have an accurate idea of all of the many replies. The idea that you are somehow paid or given complimentary passage on UA or any other carrier, hotel or restaurant is absurd by half. As a retired flight attendant/purser who was browbeaten and harassed the the AFA for twenty three years I am going to respond to you with some of what I experienced or gossip in the domiciles, on the jump seat and various crew buses/transport. Please be aware the various union bullies have an unknown squad perusing every well known travel writer whose articles are frequently published. In turn, the squad i.e malcontent union members, the AFA etc. reply to slander the writer, the airline and/or it’s policies. They strive to leave no stone unturned until it is unturned in their favor. I will check back with you later to give my report. The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Herr Klint, ich hoffe, Sie zeigen sich solidarisch, ein beliebter Gewerkschaftsslogan mit mir.
Vielen Dank
Der Meistersänger
Thank you!
Sounds like ENTITLEMENT to the FINEST!!! Poor me, poor me! Look at me! PATHETIC.
Sorry to hear your experience with UA.
As an avid aviator (retired Pilot) who travels internationally to visit family and friends at least 3 times a year will never use any US carrier. The US airlines staff are the worst I’ve ever experienced. They are rude, arrogant and disrespectful. Customer service is non existence. It’s so sad. It never was like that, it’s just gone downhill. I remember how professional airline services were with Pan Am, TWA,Northwest Airlines , ATA (American Trans Air) Eastern Airlines .
Simply said the Airlines Now just don’t know what customer service is!!!!!
Some of the worst experience I’ve had that made me not to travel internationally with any US carriers was with American Airlines.
“As an avid aviator (retired Pilot) who travels internationally to visit family and friends at least 3 times a year will never use any US carrier. The US airlines staff are the worst I’ve ever experienced. They are rude, arrogant and disrespectful. ”
US passengers too are the worst. Foreign airlines haven’t seen a flood of self-entitled cretins fighting on aircraft like we’ve seen in the US. If customer-facing staff at ANY company is being perceived as rude, I can assure you that it’s as a result of a general decline in interpersonal standards brought on by the Trump era.
puzzled: why not show your boarding pass from LAX to SFO?
LH lounges are notorious for requiring a physical UA gold card
It was on a separate ticket.
It’s 2021 and technology is so advanced that I don’t see why companies are not recording/monitoring live customer interactions like they do telephone and instant messaging conversations. Each agent at the lounge should have have a police officer style body camera on him/her to record everything. This will cut down on passengers trying to get over on the airline and agents being lazy/having poor customer service/and not being knowledgeable on policies. If their union objects to the filming then strong arm them until they break. Problem solved.
Look, we all have a bit of entitlement in us. Employees, passengers, whatever. The bottom line is that’s why rules and procedures are laid out, to avoid these things. If corporate knows one thing it’s to absolutely make things clear so as to avoid disputes. To get from A you need to do B. Simple. And there was a procedure for this. The agents chose not to understand it. In this case Matthew was informed. He knew the rules. He presented them. The agents at the desk did not. And decided to dig their heels in. Simple. So, as the appointed Judge Judy of Travel Court I award Matthew with damages and look forward to United better training its staff to understand the contracted promises of service.
Next up on Travel Court, Breakfast Shenanigans at Bonvoy.
He was traveling in economy. Unless the UA Club rules changed after Covid, he was not entitled access to the club. Only Business class travelers with Star Gold Alliance are allowed, not economy. LAX made a mistake.
You’re so wrong. Lol.
Good lord this is a stupid comment…the most well-known benefit of Star Gold status is to be able to access lounges internationally while EVEN in economy. SMH.
I had a similar experience in San Francisco. After flying full fare first class from Tokyo and a star alliance gold member (which at that time allowed club access for those holding tickets on international flights) I was told I could not enter the lounge. I said I could not understand. On my frequent flights between the east coast and London I was always given access to the lounge at Dulles and at Heathrow, even when holding a coach class ticket because of my Star Alliance Gold status. The staff rudely again stated I could not come in. Looks like not much has changed in five years.
IIRC it may be that you came in on ANA (I’m guessing) vs. UA metal (which would have allowed for onward UClub lounge access)…there actually is a policy difference there, as silly as it may be
@Matthew-. Just had a reasonably similar experience with the LH lounge in Frankfurt on a United overseas ticket. Attempting to get a boarding pass from United desk escalated to a full-blown insult treatment ending up with my family member in tears. I’m curious whether you were able to get a response from United. LMK how to contact you. I’m a 1K MillionMiler, so no stranger to UA customer service.
I flew United. Used that SFO lounge many times. I always had a great or at least average experience. I can easily believe what the writer wrote about his bad treatment. However, based on my travel experiences where I am many timed shorted on the benefits of paid business class travel that I unequivocally deserve this is neither unusual or uncommon. The author being of certain profile is reacting angrily but this happens to us a lot and happened to me on proper paid tickets on several Airlines. BRITISH airline being the worst. I empathize the writers situation but I won’t react as much as he does for a similar situation.
A boarding pass for travel in long-haul international first class on a Star Alliance member airline
Customers may only access a United Polaris lounge at the departure airport for their international first class flight.
Rules for accessing UA Club, right from the website. Economy does not give you access.
I wasn’t trying to access a Polaris Lounge…
Sorry to hear about your bad experience Mr. Klint. My most frequently visited UA lounges are the ones at IAD. Your reviews of those are overly fair. The United IAD lounges are not great but not as bad as being in the decrepit “temporary” mid field terminal that was expanded in the 198os for “Presidential Airways” (look them up lol). The one at my current home airport of MCO has been closed since the pandemic started. have found that club access personnel can be very strict, not sure why. Unless I am at an international connecting point such as CDG or Zurich and between flights, I avoid lounges even when I qualify for access.
I’m a former Continental Airlines and from the moment United Airlines merge , customer service went down the drain. Sub United Airlines have so much resentment for what United Airlines did and the same rotten management still treating employees terrible. Bad management = bad customer service. Not all employees are like that but many,many presently are carrying this pain inside of them and the result again is a terrible service and bad attitude. It’s not going to improve until United gets rid of the same management attitude.
The rotten management mostly came over from CO, don’t forget that. Corrupt Smisek and “over entitled elites” Rainey in particular.
I flew often thru the GUM hub, both before and after the merger. The GUM based staff were great when working as Continental, and were great after the merger. A lesson to be learned here.
Oh no. Poor male Karen had to sit in the regular waiting area and change his child’s stinky diaper in a public bathroom. Oh the humanity. You poor dear soul. I hope you have a go fund me set up.
Can I count on you for a five-digit contribution?
Michael, if you were hoping that your comment would make an entitled person rethink his entitlement, I’m sorry it has been dashed with another even more out of touch comment.
Name shaming is unacceptable. Everyone I know with the name Karen is appalled by the use of this term along with their family and friends. Clearly, your cynical personality also includes being very insensitive.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. It’s anecdotes like this that make me avoid a connection at SFO. I really liked Continental but can’t say the same post merger.
Nowadays for domestic flights, I’ll fly Alaska, Jet Blue, Southwest or American (out of necessity). I’d love to try Delta but they don’t have a quite a strong presence at my home hub as American does. For foreign flights, I will not fly a U.S. flagged carrier if I can.
This is when I would leave the lounge, go and purchase a refundable ticket on United. Enter the lounge. And then cancel it. Spite is good.
The thought crossed my mind, but I determined it just wasn’t worth the effort and potential negative ramifications.
Saw this episode on “Seinfeld”. Schmoe.
Is access to the UA SFO lounge even worth the fight?
Once in the Toscana Aeroporti –Firenze (Florence Airport) I watched folks fight like hell with the ticket scanner to let them into the first door of the VIP Club Lounge (it was similar to a European bank where the second door would not unlock until the first door closed). Several minutes later I would see them exit finding no seats an meager refreshments on offer having spent more time attempting to gain access than inside.
Not saying that Mr. Klint wasn’t entitled to access but with all of the options at SFO was this the best investment of pre-flight time for one of the most savvy travelers on the planet? Was there no better diaper changing station?
Any updates to this? Would love to know if these has been a follow-up.
Not yet. Will report as soon as I have one.
Thank you my friend. Still stunned this happened to you and yours!
Matthew, did you get an update from United?
Yes and no. I’ve been playing phone tag with a key figure, but will post an update soon. In short, however, we should not have been denied entrance.
Regardless of whether they should have denied you entrance or not, the way they behaved with you is not OK. One can only imagine how the lounge staff must be behaving with guests not as well-experienced as you. Curious to see whether United apologizes and commits to training the SFO lounge staff to behave more humanely with more civility towards its clients.
Exactly correct. I TOO fly from these places often. My status is 1K for Life, so I”m 4MM+.
UA staff at portals like the UA Club desk are under assault every day by the “entitled”. This clown is no different,
Hi Matthew. great article. Any updates regarding the final outcome?
Aloha Matt!
I wonder which United Lounge you went to because here is my experience at one of them. In October 2021, my family was returning from Florida to our home in Honolulu. My fiancé was vaccinated in Japan, which did not meet Hawaii’s safe travel program. So, being an United Premier card holder, I went to the lounge for assistance on getting her a PCR test (we learned that her vaccine card was not valid because it was not issued in the US). The staff was unhelpful and we finally found the airport testing site on our own. The United ticket agent at the premier desk was able to get the 4 of us on the next Honolulu flight as standby’s. With a 4 hour wait, my fiancé and I returned to the lounge, the lounge agent would not let us in “You don’t have an assigned seat” I looked at him and explained this was a standby seat for a United flight, still no entry. My next statement “I want to speak to your manager.” He allowed us in.
Its interesting that I found this article before I submit my complain to United about my lounge access experience at SFO. The only difference is that I purchased a non long haul Polaris business ticket from SFO to HNL. I was not sure if I get access to the Polaris lounge so I contacted United customer service twice to check if I have access. The answers from two different United agents were the same, I do have access to the Polaris lounge.
When I arrived to the front desk of the lounge, the employee had me scan my boarding pass. She asked me twice if I am only flying to HNL, and I said yes. She begins to show her arrogant, condescending and smug attitude/look, and said we do not have access because we are only flying to HNL. I tried to show her the email from United confirming that I do have access. She did not even look at neither me nor my phone, and keep repeating the same sentence: “you do not have access to this lounge”. I requested to talk to her manager and she said she doesn’t has one, and there’s no one I could talk to.
I understand if there are misunderstanding between United departments, my point is that she should have been more professional and at least show some manners of being in her position. The way that she refused to listen or look at the confirmation that I was trying to show her, is really showing me how arrogant she was.
When I asked for her name, she told me right away. Then she said, I know you will complain, and I am going to put a note that you are going to. Again, how arrogant!?
At the end, she said if we want, we can visit the regular United club. We went to the United club, the front desk employee said if we want to visit their lounge, we must either have club passes, or pay for it, the Polaris business ticket doesn’t give us access to the lounge. Again, I think they need more communication between each departments or even within the same department. At the end, we used our club passes to get in. However, the amenities are just so shixxy (excuse me).
Anyway, I understand misunderstandings happens. But the way how they treat their customers is what really upsets me.
Technically you weren’t “thrown out” as you were never admitted. Your wife was admitted but left of her own accord if I understand your description.
I don’t understand the “fake documents” argument. Either way, it is still checked in the computer. I suppose you could be using someone else’s info to get in, but an ID check would easily solve that (like they use to do in the PL)
I am confused about leaving your wife in the lounge and going to the gate. You already said it was too early so what was hoped to be accomplished by going over there. Also, why would the Good Samaritan need to come with you? How does another person help if no one is there? Even if there was, I’m sure you are more than capable of getting a BP.
Another thing, I wonder if you would have had better luck trying a different UC. (ie. HUCA)