United Airlines
222 reviews
1. This is the last time I will fly with United Airlines; I will never fly with this airline again. On June 28, 2025, my mother and I flew with United Airlines. We checked in at Terminal 7. After checking in, we were supposed to go to Gate 77 in Terminal 7, but when the staff gave us our boarding passes, the gate number 68B was not yet updated. I… Read more
checked my phone and found that the departure gate had changed from gate 77 in Terminal 7 to gate 68 in Terminal 6, which caused me 30 minutes of trouble resolving the gate change issue. Ultimately, it took me another 30 minutes, a total of one hour, to get to the correct gate, arriving exactly one hour before departure. On flight UA 32 from LAX International Airport to Narita International Airport, I was extremely disappointed. Two flight attendants, one male and one female, were very unprofessional. The male flight attendant acted angrily when I requested more water and did not treat customers respectfully. The female flight attendant used her foot to adjust the pillow on the seat, which was very unsanitary, instead of using her hands. Afterwards, I had a 6-hour layover in Narita before boarding ANA flight NH 833 on June 29, 2025. I found the non-Japanese flight attendants to be very polite and friendly when my mother and I requested drinks. That's why my mother and I always choose ANA airlines from LAX to Saigon; the non-Japanese flight attendants are always polite. I have flown with ANA four times: from LAX to Saigon in the fall of 2023 (twice) and twice in 2025. ANA airlines has never disappointed me. This is the first and last time I will fly with United Airlines from LAX International Airport to Narita, Japan. 2. It's too late for apologies, and I will not accept United Airlines' apology for ruining my summer trip. They changed the boarding gate for my flight on June 28, 2025, and the male flight attendant on United Airlines flight UA 32 was disrespectful and treated me poorly when I requested more water. The second flight attendant kicked my seat with his foot, which was very unsanitary. In addition, there were many cookie crumbs and black beans in the corner of my seat (33J). My mother's work in Vietnam was urgent, and she only bought the ticket three days before the flight (June 25, 2025). She bought the ticket from United Airlines because ANA Airlines tickets were sold out (United Airlines is a partner of ANA Airlines). The ANA Airlines flight attendant on flight NH 833 from Narita to Saigon was very polite when I requested water a second time.
3. My mother and I are Vietnamese. This is the first time I've seen a United Airlines flight attendant get angry when I requested more water. Oh my god, especially kicking the seat instead of using their hand. I used to fly Vietnam Airlines when I was a child, on flights to Los Angeles and back to Saigon. I have also flown Cathay Pacific Airlines four times (2017, 2019), Eva Air once in 2018 (the airline my mother and I took to immigrate to the US), Korean Air twice in 2022, and ANA Airlines four times (twice in 2023, twice in 2025). I have never encountered a rude flight attendant when requesting extra water, even on domestic Vietnam Airlines flights (my sister frequently flew Vietnam Airlines from 2012-2017 during her five years of studying in Singapore, and my father, a tour guide in Vietnam, also frequently flies Vietnam Airlines).
Dismissive and unhelpful customer service. I do not even think I would call a customer service. They could not care less. Information provided there is conflicting. Flight out of BWI was delayed for a mechanical issue but in the process of rectifying it the mechanics screwed up and then needed to be called back adding about 45 minutes to the… Read more
entire process. As a result I missed my connection out of SFO to Adelaide. It was difficult to get information I was directed online but the choice of flights were impractical the one offered leaving 2 days later. The people online at the tab labelled help were unhelpful in the extreme. I got conflicting information on board. I was told there would be a gate agent that I could ask for direction about where to go to a service desk. There was no 1 I eventually found 1 person to ask he did not seem to be affiliated with the gate who simply gave me a card to an online resource. Eventually one of the baggage people directed me to the appropriate place. The people online said I was not entitled to a combination but that was immediately provided by the desk agent. I was automatically put on another flight I did not get a choice. I did not want to fly by Sydney but I was forced to do so. My original flight was director Adelaide and I was forced to travel via Sydney which is far more difficult than travelling by Melbourne. I was denied access to my bank in fact I was not even given a choice therefore had no toiletries and no change of clothes and no medication that I should have had an limited supply in my overnight bag was insufficient. The checkout on the accommodation was 1 PM where is the flight did not leave until 8 PM. This is a note care airline and I would give it -1. I if I could. As an aside on the trip over here I flew in business class which is mediocre at best and the food is discussed. In fact that she is An attendant tried it and completely agreed on which basis I was given a voucher. In excusable on a business class flight I have had better food in economy.
Worst flight I’ve ever been on, freezing cold air con making it miserable. Do not use this airline unless you want to have an awful time and come off with frozen toes. Yes I had three layers on. Show details
Reviews with attachments
Going down the hill fast – The planes are dirty, seems like they haven’t been cleaned in months if not years. The service is dig-rating, rude staff even in first class. Horrible food. It’s time to look for another airline that cares about its customers and service. Show details
Horrible – Horrible experience. We were overcharged for bags. Food was non existent for halal options and the untied staff didn’t even understand what was halal. Asked for refund / flight credit and so far been told to get stuffed. DO NOT FLY UNITED unless you want to try to be sad, angry and disappointed.
'Unitemare'Airlines - non-stop flights to hell and back – Summary – booked direct Unitemare Airlines from Sydney, Australia, to Sao Paolo, Brazil, via the USA (San Francisco and Chicago). Six flights in total, as part of our travel from Brisbane, Queensland, to Salvador, Bahia. One flight delayed due to aircraft mechanical issues, one cancelled due to mechanical issues, one delayed due to airbridge… Read more
mechanical issue, two flights in Australia and Brazil with other airlines missed and rental car booking in Brazil forfeited due to Unitemare Airlines issues. OVER 72 HOURS OF TRAVEL FROM HELL, EACH WAY FROM SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA) TO SAO PAOLO (BRAZIL). OF TEN FLIGHTS IN TOTAL (FROM BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA, TO SALVADOR, BRAZIL) WITH VARIOUS AIRLINES, SIX FLIGHTS WERE MISSED DUE TO UNITEMARE AIRLINES ISSUES (A 60% FAILURE RATE) with NO COMPENSATION available at all from Unitemare Airlines for any of it.
1. DECEIVED into purchasing return tickets (direct with Unitemare Airlines) from Sydney to Sao Paolo, via San Francisco and Chicago, that we since discovered the journey was impossible to complete without issues. Despite being ‘re-assured’ by Unitemare Airlines representatives during our journey, the less than 2-hour Chicago connection (to Sao Paolo, Brazil), would only be possible if everything ran absolutely to the minute (due to time required in customs and immigration, terminal changes etc..) and was missed in each direction due to issues with Unitemare… 2. DELAYED 24 hours+ on flying to Brazil and delayed another 24 hours+ returning, due to mechanical issues with aircraft and Unitemare Airlines terminal facilities. Total travel in each direction from Sydney, Australia, was over 72 hours each way. 3. DELAYED in San Francisco (travelling to Brazil) over four hours due to a mechanical issue with their aircraft. Taxied to the runway and issue only discovered on the runway threshold. Took around an hour from boarding just to return to the gate. Offloaded, given no instructions on what to do. Found our way to the Unitemare Airlines desk. Given the option to fly to a different city and told our luggage could be collected in the terminal. Went to baggage claim and they advised there was no way our luggage could be removed from the delayed aircraft, would have to fly separately to our luggage and collect it in Sao Paolo. NO WAY were we separating from our luggage. Faulty aircraft eventually fixed, and we flew but arrived too late in Chicago to meet our connecting flight to Brazil. 4. DELAYED 24 hours and forced to fly the next day and re-check in our baggage. This meant our connecting flights and rental car booking in Brazil were missed… 5. UNPLANNED COSTS to re-book missed flights and rental car in Brazil, prices having DOUBLED on both as they were now last-minute bookings. 6. DAMAGED check-in baggage on arrival in Brazil. Leg of luggage ripped off and a gaping hole that required gaffer tape to temporarily seal until we got to Salvador. The luggage was a write off. 7. DETAINED us on an aircraft (for an international flight to Chicago) in a dark, remote part of Sao Paolo airport from 9:30pm to 4am the following day. Eventually offered to deboard the aircraft but was threatened our luggage would fly without us if we did and we would not be permitted to re-board the aircraft. Multiple assurances we were going to fly but eventually the flight was cancelled. Only offered us a cup of water and a small biscuit after 5 hours of detainment. 8. ABANDONED back where we started in Sao Paolo airport at 4am in the morning (12 hours after arriving to check in) without any clear instructions. Was required to complete all customs clearances to re-enter the airport and collect our luggage. Left stranded at 5am back in the airport with our luggage. We expected to sleep outside the Unitemare Airlines office in the terminal building until it opened so we could find out what is going on. Met other passengers wandering the terminal in limbo. 9. DELAYED in Chicago due to Unitemare Airlines airbridge fault that kept us on the aircraft at the gate for around 30 minutes. Had already arrived 30 minutes late so our connecting flight to San Francisco was missed. Rushing in panic and stress through the airport thinking we could meet our connecting flight when there was absolutely no chance. 10. INFECTED with Covid-19 on our Chicago to Los Angeles flight, by a passenger who was clearly not fit to fly, seated behind us, and coughed continuously without covering their mouth or wearing a mask. Arrived to Australia unwell after over 72 hours of travel, and spent the following seven days in bed recovering from Covid-19. 11. IGNORED when attempting to obtain compensation. Called Unitemare Airlines and was advised that I could only correspond via email on the matter, and that the airline had no record of my booking confirmation number. The booking also didn’t appear in my MileagePlus online account. No grounds for compensation based on travel insurance or airline conditions of travel. 12. The terrible service and quality standards (food and beverage) on board Unitemare Airlines aircrafts, is a complete story for another day, and was the least of our problems. Having travelled around the world many times in the past 31 years, We/I experienced more issues flying with Unitemare Airlines in one booking, than our entire lifetimes combined. The first and LAST time we will fly Unitemare Airlines. CUSTOMERS BEWARE!!!
- +3
Worst and most traumatic experience ever! – The worst experience I've ever had and I truly wish none goes the same situation again. I was travelling from Sydney to London for only 10 days to surprise my parents that I hadn't seen for 5 years. I had to go throw America and I received an email asking me to upload my documents so I am ready to travel. It was asking for a COVID19 vaccination… Read more
certificate to enter America. As you can seen on the following screenshots, I contacted United Airlines customer service asking since I am not entering America and I am just stopping with final destination London if it was going to be an issue for me and my partner to travel. They assured me that they checked it was all good to go. On the travel day 2 hours before my flight we went to do our check in and the super rude staff while I was trying to explain that I had spoken online and show the screenshots turned around and said <<they dont know what they are taking about, without a certificate or an exemption you are not entering this airplane END OF STORY>> I started crying and their answer was we'll call security if I don't leave. My partner went and got us last minute -one way- ticket for $7,500. I couldn't breathe properly my whole way to London of the stress that created me,constantly crying, we spent most of our travel badget on the new tickets we had to pay, literally because of them holidays were destroyed. Last but not least I have called them 4 times to get a refund back and still nothing has been done!
Positive reviews
Couldnt fault United. I just travelled from Australia to USA and back. The staff were all friendly and helpful from the first check in experience through to leaving the airport. Check in was smooth and fast, they kept us updated with text updates for eveything. , The plane had plugs for your electricals, tvs with a huge selection of movies and games. Food was fine - as good as plane food can be. Would absolutely fly again. Show details
Punctual flights, good flying experiences – We flew from San Antonio to Melbourne transit at San Francisco. San Francisco is a huge airport, we walked around 25 minutes to the international terminal at the same level. Luckily the previous flight arrived half an hour earlier, otherwise we would have been very rush for the next international flight as we only had an hour for transit.… Read more
Altogether the flying was very smooth for each stop. Flights were punctual, arrived earlier than scheduled each time. The customer services and food were all satisfactory. However, they changed our seats chosen close to the departure date for the domestic flight from San Antonio to San Francisco, from aisle to window seats. Luckily we checked the notification and we were able to select other better spots but further back in the plane. The international flight included food, entertainment, a neck cushion and a blanket. The domestic flight provided free snack. Legroom is fine even economy (I don't know about basic economy). My booking experiences were that, the earlier a booking, the more expensive the prices. The prices scaled down gradually and got more reasonable when it was around three months before the dates I wanted. Also, it was cheaper to fly in the middle of the week.
IAH's United Airline Heroes – United Airlines customer service is normally terrible, inexperienced, rude and present a lower class of professionalism as most are underdeveloped in competence. But my perspective has been momentarily salvaged by IAH's United Airlines: Yolanda Joseph and Mckenzie Charlton, as they were attentive, knowledgeable, and very courteous to not just me,… Read more
but everyone they encountered that I witnessed. They are a great tribute to IAH, United Airlines and the Airline Customer Service industry.
Negative reviews
Probably the worst airline in the world, and their ranking reflects that. Be aware they do not serve proper meals for around 14 hours. I honestly do not know how they are still operating – they should have gone bankrupt a long time ago. The cabin crew are disorganised, messy and untrained. No warm food is provided. When I asked when the next meal… Read more
would be served, they told me breakfast would come one hour before landing. I even offered to pay extra for food, but they said the only option was chips. This airline should not be allowed to keep operating in this state. Either shut it down or start learning from other airlines. Any of them would be a better example. It is a disgrace to carry the name of the USA in such a way.
We flew United in Business Class from Seattle to San Fran, then San Fran to Brisbane, Australia. We've flown a few different airlines in Business Class and this airline would have to be by far the worst Business Class airline we've flown. The Business Class lounge in San Fran served their food up with paper plates and plastic knives and forks. The… Read more
food they served was absolute rubbish, tasteless and bland. We boarded the flight and during the flight my wife was ordering drinks, she was questioned in relation to ordering more then two drinks within an hour, she wasn't intoxicated or abusive, I think he was just lazy. The male flight attendant was rude and lazy. It was a night flight and to be totally honest we hardly saw the flight attendants, I realise they need a break etc and are entitled to breaks but this was ridiculous. Upon disembarkment in Australia it was a free for all. Every airline lets Business Class off first then economy. The airline staff opened the doors and it was a free for all, all classes got off together. We certainly won't be flying with them again.
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One of the worst flight ! And flight attendant was v racist . The way she treated me got me tears . She was all time rude to me and did not serve me food . When I ask her the reason why she did not serve me food she said as I did not put my tray down . She did not ask me to put down and ignored me purposely and went ahead . This was flight from Sydney to LA. Worst ever experience never flying in United ever .. Show details
Recent reviews
My father is terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. We had just completed a critical medical procedure in California and were returning home to Australia under extremely fragile circumstances. My elderly parents had thoughtfully and generously purchased a business class upgrade for me to help me recover and better support them throughout the… Read more
long-haul flight. I was issued a boarding pass for Seat 9A, boarded the aircraft, and was seated.
To my shock, I was abruptly asked to disembark the aircraft due to what was described as a “payment issue.” I complied immediately, assuming this would be resolved quickly and respectfully. Instead, I was made to wait outside the plane for over ten minutes, during which time my frail, cancer-stricken father and elderly mother were left standing outside the aircraft, confused and distressed.
A rude and dismissive United supervisor at the gate then informed me that I had to return to my original seat in premium economy, despite having paid for the upgrade and already been seated in business class. When I calmly explained that the upgrade had been paid for and confirmed, I was met with hostility, no explanation, and no effort to resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, my parents were explicitly threatened with being removed from the flight entirely if they continued to advocate for me or question what was happening. This behavior was not only unnecessary — it was cruel. They were already under immense emotional and physical stress. To threaten two elderly passengers, one of them gravely ill and visibly unwell, is shocking and utterly indefensible.
When I was finally permitted to re-board, I witnessed the devastating emotional toll this experience had taken on my parents. My father was physically shaking, and my mother was so horrified and traumatized by the way we were spoken to that she refused to eat for the entire flight.
To add insult to injury, it was clear that my paid seat had been given away to a man who was quietly seated in it after takeoff, and who did not pay for the upgrade. The way this was handled was not only unprofessional but inhumane.
This entire episode was deeply humiliating, emotionally harmful, and completely unacceptable, particularly given the extreme medical and emotional stress we were already under. The lack of empathy, decency, and professionalism from the United staff is something I will never forget.
Bought a ticket return from United Airlines, but weren't able to go for my husband health reason and tried to get refund , and had my husband get doctor certificate and they said they wouldn't except it that is ridiculous i reakon Show details
I was staying in LA and had a flight booked from San Diego to Sydney via Los Angeles. I had to cancel my day train trip to San Diego due to track maintenance and ticketing issues so decided to just fly home straight from LA. I got to LAX earlier than my original flight from SAN and explained to United staff when checking in my luggage that I… Read more
wasn't going to be on the SAN-LA leg and was just going on the LA-Syd leg. I reconfirmed this with United staff at the Polaris Lounge at LAX. When it came time to board I was informed to wait in the tunnel outside the aircraft. When I got there I was told that the window seat that I had booked months ago had been given to somebody else as they assumed I wasn't going on the flight as I hadn't boarded in SAN and would I accept a sub-optimal seat instead. I said no and that I wanted my original seat and the staff member went off to ask the person in my seat if they would like to move and they said no. I said that this was not acceptable and explained my circumstances and there must be communications issues within United as I had already told United staff on two occasions that I would be flying out from LAX. The Captain was called and he told me my only options were to take the sub-optimal seat or take a flight the next day! I had a connecting flight in Sydney so had to take the other seat. Staff also lied to me by saying that if I were to take my original seat I would be splitting up a parent from their child. In fact the person who took my seat left there child as I saw them together and his child was in the seat in front of my replacement seat. The parent just wanted the window seat several rows back! The ground service also varied from surly to just okay.
Booking Reference: IJPM71 Our United flight from LAX to Melbourne (booked via Expedia, codeshare with Virgin Australia) was diverted to Honolulu due to a plane issue. Once on the ground, we were told the next available rebooking would be more than 30 hours later, which meant we’d miss my best friend’s wedding in Melbourne. We had to pay nearly… Read more
$4,000 out of pocket for new tickets just to get there in time.
United, despite operating the original flight, refuses to help or take ownership. I’ve been told since I booked through Expedia, it’s not your problem. That’s not good enough. You operated the aircraft. You made the call to delay. You have responsibilities under passenger rights for delays and diversions.
I’ve tried getting help from Expedia and Virgin, but no one is stepping up. I’m just trying to get documentation or compensation so I can submit an insurance claim—but I’ve been stonewalled at every turn.
United, this isn’t just bad customer service—this is negligence in supporting travelers during a crisis.
unreliable international carrier. Left stranded in Australia for 2 days after flight was cancelled at check in. no compensation, limited customer service. Complete disregard for passengers requiring extra assistance abroad with accommodation and transportation due to loss of their flight. I've never seen an airline care so little for elderly passengers. Show details
Absolutely the worst airline I’ve ever dealt with, and I will gladly pay more to never fly with United again. I travel frequently for work and handle all of our company’s travel arrangements—after this experience, I’ll be booking exclusively with Delta or Allegiant moving forward. On my return flight to Cincinnati (UA3403 on 3/21/25 6:30 PM), I… Read more
encountered the rudest gate agent I’ve ever dealt with at Newark Airport. I did nothing to warrant the hostility, yet she was completely unprofessional and dismissive. United’s customer service is beyond unacceptable, and it’s clear they have no interest in treating their passengers with respect.
0/10 experience—save yourself the headache and spend the extra money on an airline that actually values its customers.
The flight itself was fine but the customer service has been borderline fraudulent. Hours before the flight I was told that I could upgrade my seat if I purchased some miles. I did so and then the agent said it would take 24 to 48 hours to process and so he actually couldn't process the upgrade. He told me to call when I landed and they'd issue a… Read more
refund.
I purchased the upgrade with cash instead.
I called when I landed and the agent assured me it would take 7 to 10 business days to process the refund but to send an email to customer service with information he provided and to call back in 48 hours to ask them to expedite it. I emailed in the information and patiently waited the 7 to 10 business days.
At 10 days I had not received the refund so I called the airline and was told they had no idea and had no record about the refund request. They said they'd refer it to their refund department and I'd receive a call the next day. I did not receive a call.
I called back the next business day and explained the entire situation to customer service again since there was no record of the call. They told me that it was not refundable. I protested. They escalated the call and put me on hold. 36 minutes into the call another agent answered the call who had no idea what was happening and so I explained it all over again.
She submitted the request and gave me a refund number... The full call was 56 minutes and I was told it'll be up to two weeks for a reply.
The entire team is ill-equipped and misinformed.
Shockingly Poor Business Class: United's Trans-Pacific Service Falls Below Economy Standards – As a Platinum member of both Star Alliance and OneWorld, I've experienced business class service across many airlines. United Airlines' service on this Australia-USA route wasn't just disappointing - it was shockingly subpar. The contrast between United and world-class carriers like Emirates, Singapore Airlines, or Qatar Airways is stark and… Read more
embarrassing.
The most concerning issue was the crew's physical inability to assist passengers with overhead luggage, leaving elderly travelers dependent on fellow passengers for help during both boarding and deplaning. This isn't just about convenience - it's a basic safety and service requirement for any airline, let alone business class.
The service was consistently neglectful. Call buttons were ignored for 5+ minutes, forcing passengers to walk to the galley for basic requests. When asked for additional food, crew members responded with visible annoyance and scoffs - behavior that would be unacceptable in a budget diner, let alone international business class.
Basic cabin cleanliness was overlooked. Used items accumulated on passengers' tables throughout the flight, as crew only collected items during meal service, and even then, only what was on the meal trays. The hard-of-hearing crew members further complicated communication, making simple requests an exercise in frustration.
For a route as premium as Australia-USA, United's service standards are inexcusably low. As someone who regularly flies business class on both Star Alliance and OneWorld, this experience exemplified everything wrong with United's current service culture. The airline desperately needs to retrain its staff in basic customer service and look to carriers like Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and Qatar Airways for standards of professional service.
Until United addresses these fundamental service issues, premium travelers would be well-advised to book with other carriers on this route.
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United Airlines – My daughter and I traveled from Melbourne to Los Angeles with United Airlines, and the service was disappointing. There was no option for child-friendly meals; they only served adult food to my daughter. Additionally, unlike other airlines such as Emirates, Qantas, Etihad, and Thai Airways, which provide toy packs for children, United Airlines… Read more
offered nothing to keep kids entertained during the 14-hour flight. If you're traveling with children, I recommend avoiding United Airlines, as the experience is likely to be disappointing.
Late cancelled flights – I went to airport they were rude and knew I am disabled. They were definitely racist and made me neal down to remove goods from baggage that I was allowed to take. They charged me knowing full well I was allowed extra allowance for my medical equipment. Flights were both delayed. No assistance was offered
Rude Staff! – I would normally disagree with the reviews about UA being terrible but boy did they just show me. And I'm sharing this review on all of my platforms because people should know before they go.... So I am currently on the United flight #1259. I should point out that I actually fly with United sooo much! My family and I usually have at least one of… Read more
us booked on a cross country flight around once a month. Coincidentally, on this flight I am flying myself, husband and daughter across the country in the first class cabin. I think it's important to point out that these are FULL FAIR TICKETS. I'm mentioning this because people like to assume that most people are upgraded to first class or it's some type of "reward" seat. That's not what this was, although it shouldn't matter.
This is my first rude or even "difficult" encounter with ANY United Airlines employee. I would normally overlook it but considering how absolutely targeted and rude she was and the fact that I had not even laid eyes on this lady until today, I think she deserves an "honorable mention". Do you understand what it takes to be the ONLY rude and negative person someone encounters in an entire company over an entire year??!!! That's the part that makes her "exceptional".
My direct flight attendant was excellent. Her name was Shantel and she was pleasant from beginning to end. But, shortly after dinner service I looked to see if the restroom sign was lit up and was lit up at unoccupied. So I stood up and moved into the aisle to go to the restroom. Once I stood up, myself and my daughter had a little trash at our seats that had not been gathered so, me being the person I am, and knowing I'm walking up there anyway, I collected the trash to toss it for them and save the walk. I did the same thing earlier in the flight and just tossed it out. I thought I was being helpful and saving her a walk. Well once I stood up and turned I realized that they had a cart sitting near the restrooms blocking access. A flight attendant that I have never seen before and hope to never encounter again, rudely stated that the bathrooms are currently being occupied by the pilots so I would have to either use the restroom in the back of the plane or wait for the front one to come available again. I smiled and replied that I would just wait. When I turned to go back to my seat I figured I would at least hand her the trash since we were both standing and she had nothing in her hands AND she was standing next to the trash. She looks at me and says, in a very nasty tone, you can keep it and have a seat and I'll get it when I come by. If she wouldn't have been nasty I wouldn't have cared. But her tone was nasty. I'm not even sure why! I was asleep for a good 20 minutes right after having dinner and I had not interacted AT ALL with anyone, so I didn't even have a chance to offend her. And to add insult to injury, she proceeded to lean over to her coworker, a male flight attendant whom she had been chatting with, and roll her neck, gesturing towards me. From there, I was a bit amazed by the interaction but I started to shuffle past the first seat to get to mine. As I moved back to the seat both glasses of water on the middle tray fell over, directly into my seat. I stepped back out into the aisle and she saw me and said "is there an issue?'" I looked at her, again noting the attitude, and told her the water wasted and I needed napkins. She then walked over to the cart to grab napkins, stood there and talked to her male counterpart for a second while just holding the napkins and then finally brought them over and handed them to me. My daughter died up the water. The rude flight attendant made NO EFFORT to assist. I guess she felt that it was taking too long and she walked over and said is there a problem? I said I need more napkins. She brought more and I then sat down. Right after I sat down, the bathroom became available. They moved the cart and allowed a different passenger to go instead of me. Keep in mind, throughout this interaction, there was no fasten seatbelt sign, there was nothing to let you know the bathrooms were off limits for a period, and there was no prior interaction to warrant this.
My daughter saw the whole thing, she's only 14 and she immediately became infuriated. Other passengers were staring too because I don't think any of us understood what had just happened.
United has been my go-to airline for at least 15 trips between myself and my family. But I love Delta too. And this interaction has completely knocked me off of my rocker with United. I have referred friends and convinced them to use United over others and I have remained loyal too. But to be treated this way in first class, knowing the price of these tickets, I'm pretty done with them! The food has just been okay compared to delta so if this is the direction their service is moving into, I'll go elsewhere.
I wanted to make sure to share my full story because information is power and we are all out here working way too hard for our money to be paying for this type of treatment. She can have the entire plane and company and run it however she wants but she won't have to worry about me and my money disturbing her world EVER AGAIN. #UNACCEPTABLE
DO NOT USE UNITED AIRLINES. EVER – THE WORST! Our family was flying to New Orleans for a family reunion in December2023. My daughter was in an accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury so she couldn't join us. They gave me a credit to use since she didn't use the ticket. When I went to book a flight (October 2024), less than 12 months later, I was told the credit had already… Read more
expired?!? Obviously if I had realized that it expired so fast, I would have made sure it got used. I have been so busy caring for my daughter I didn't even have time to consider using it up until now. I was told that I could put in an appeal to extend the deadline for using the credit. I did so, explaining the entire situation. They denied my request. They did not care about any of the circumstances. I asked if I could appeal the denial in light of the situation. They denied my request to even try to appeal their denial. SERIOUSLY? DO NOT BOOK ANYTHING WITH UNITED, OR ANY OF THEIR AFFILIATES, AND TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW NOT TO DO SO, EITHER!!! No wonder they have a one star rating. They could care less about you as a person. It's all about the money with them. Good luck if you need any help or consideration of any kind. Their flight service is poor; late, rude flight attendants, terrible customer service. Southwest Airlines is an excellent choice for travel if they fly where you are going (and always a lot less expensive). United Airlines could learn a lot from Southwest Airlines about integrity, efficiency, and caring about their customers.
Garbage – United avoid at all costs. They cancelled a 15 hour international flight due to technical issues , they literally restarted the plane like a computer. everyone on board had to reschedule at 3am in the morning it took everyone close to 3 hours to be rescheduled. The american lazy rhetoric gets old with this airline, they dont care about your trip… Read more
or helping you all they care about is doing less work as possbile while doing FA on shift.
Avoid this airline if you want an enjoyable holiday
Terrible service – We had a 3 hour delay to our flight due to work on the runway at San Francisco - this meant we missed our flight to Australia. United were very unhelpful! Even though it was past midnight when we arrived they would not give a voucher for accommodation as it was "beyond their control". It was after 2am before we arrived at the hotel having also… Read more
needed to pay for the taxi to get there. The whole thing left us over $200 (Aust) out of pocket. I emailed them and got a very flowery response that meant NOTHING! Will never fly with them again.
worst flight experience ever – 1. The Flight from PIT to ORD pushed back from the gate, but then the pilot said there was an issue with the brakes. So we went back to the gate an sat there for 90 minutes. The plane was in PIT all night long – why wasn’t someone checking out the plane and making it sure it was ready to go first thing in the morning?! 2. They let us get off the… Read more
plane in PIT, and we tried to book another route to HNL that day (via NWK), but then United customer service told us to get back on the plane, because we could still get to ORD and make our connection. But there more delays once we got back on the plane. It finally took off 2 hours late, and there was some small hope that we could make the connection in ORD. But then there were air traffic delays in ORD (which United SHOULD HAVE SEEN AHEAD OF TIME!) 3. When we finally landed in ORD we ran to the nearby gate for the connection to HNL only to learn that the flight had departed ten minutes previously. There were 20 passengers making the connection from the PIT flight to the HNL flight. United could have easily held the flight for another 15 minutes (the flight was scheduled to land EARLY in HNL as it was!!) to allow all of us passengers to make the connection. Your failure to do this demonstrates your complete lack of care regarding your customers. a. Your customer service options totally suck. b. We tried to use the kiosks in ORD to rebook a flight, but they were not working. c. No one answered your customer service phone line. d. The line at the customer service desk was over 50 people long – yes, I counted them. e. I tried to use a Day pass to enter a United Club near the gate, but they were not accepting Day Passes. WTH?! 4. We walked to another United Club and I used a Day pass to enter and get help from the customer service agents there. While the agent was helping , she was providing options, and I needed to discuss them with my wife who was waiting outside. I went to get her so she could help make a decision re rescheduling our route to HNL, but the women at the front of the United Club would not let her in without a day pass – even though we did NOT want to use the facilities, did not want to stay, and only wanted to get our flights rescheduled. I demanded to speak with the manager who took his time coming to speak with me, and then he was a complete corporate tool and would not let my wife in for 5 minutes to help with this rerouting, either. Such terrible customer service, for what was already a bad experience, was completely absurd and unacceptable. 5. We got rebooked on a flight to SFO and then on the HNL, but when we went to the gate for the flight to SFO, it was delayed by 3 hours!! So we would miss the connection to HNL! (that flight was eventually delayed by 6 hours total. Can United not keep your planes in working order?! Seriously?!) 6. So, we got rebooked again on the flight to HNL the next day – missing an entire day of our vacation in Hawaii. Thanks a lot United! 7. The agents that rebooked us for the next day arranged a hotel voucher at a not very impressive hotel in a sketchy part of Chicago, and gave us some food vouchers. But they did not tell us that the food vouchers were only valid inside the airport. Even though the vouchers say they work like any prepaid credit card, they do not! They only work at airport locations. This isnot helpful when we are going to a hotel at noon and need to wait until the next day at 10 AM to fly out – we are not going to stick around and eat at the airport – we needed vouchers that would work anywhere. I tried to use the vouchers at a grocery store and at a restaurant near the hotel, and the vouchers did not work at either location. So, What the Hell? Your vouchers ended up being worthless to us. 8. On the following day, we returned to the airport, and tried to check our bags at the curb but the bell caps said they could not check our bags and we had to go inside. Inside, the kiosks would not allow us to check in or print bag tags and we had to speak to an actual agent. After waiting in line for half an hour, the agent could not figure out how to check us in, or check our bags, because she said the system showed us as having left the previous day on our original flight. Clearly NOT TRUE! We had printed boarding passes for the upcoming flight, with assigned seats, but she could not find us in the system. Your computer systems are also terrible. 9. The agent eventually called some people who got it figured out so that she could check our bags, but she changed our seats to much worse seats than we had on our boarding passes. She said that there was nothing she could do about it – that’s how the system works – and we would have to speak to an agent at the gate to try to change our seats there. Ridiculous. 10. We did manage to change our seats to ones similar to what we had expected at the gate. This flight was only delayed by half an hour. 11. On our return trip, we arrived back in ORD on time, but the connecting flight to PIT was delayed by 90 minutes, again for a mechanical issue. Three mechanical issues out of 4 flights? I am now scared to fly on United – why can’t you keep your planes in working order?! 12. We eventually made it home, and I now have time to document this debacle of an experience with United Airlines. This was the most egregious example of poor customer service I have ever experienced with an airline in 40 plus years of flying. I run my own businesses, and if any of my teams ever provided a customer with an experience even close to what my wife and I experienced on this trip, I would fire people and then reconsider my processes and our ability to remain in business.
Worst airline ever! Bad manners from flight attendants! – The worst airline ever! Would give a “0” if i could! All the flight attendants in our flight were so rude, no manners and very unprofessional! Our flight was from LOS ANGELES to SYDNEY on United 839, departing 18th January 2024. We encountered 3 flight attendants, and not even one of them was decent!! We have never been treated this way with any… Read more
other airlines!
First flight attendant was the old man with glasses (his name is [Name Removed]). We travelled as a group of 6. One of our 4 sons has nuts allergy. The man asked if he wanted butter chicken or pasta. And my older son told him that his brother has a nut allergy. The man said. “Well I don’t know if the food contain any nuts. You need to request it prior to the flight.” Then he just walked past and served others. My husband had to call him and said, “My son didn’t get his food. He wanted the pasta!” No apology from him! For breakfast time, he also missed my eldest son. Then my husband called him again, and the man said so rudely, “Well he didn’t respond to me so I thought he didn’t want it!” We sat behind our 3 sons, and we definitely saw that he only asked our son on the aisle seat. He went past so in hurry serving other customers on the other side. We couldn’t believe how rude he was!
Second flight attendant was a lady, quite tall with pony tailed brunette hair. We couldn’t read the name on the tag. She was also very rude! My 5 year old son was sitting next to me on the window seat. He is the most well behaved 5 yo kids i know. During the entire 15 hours flight, he was quiet, sleeping well, and sitting happily playing games on his iphone and watching the in flight movies. Around 5am he was already awake, so he started playing piano on his phone. It was not loud at all, because i was sitting next to him. There was a point he put the volume to max for 2 seconds, and i told him to turn down which he immediately did. Suddenly this woman came to my husband, and said in a very rude and aggressive way, saying, “He is not supposed to play on his phone while everyone else is sleeping!” I was very angry and said, “he is not even loud!” I showed her the phone and the volume was 1. And she said, “I was there and could hear him from afar!” And just left! Unbelievable behaviour!
The third attendant was a short lady with a short dark red hair. We also couldn’t read the name. We called the help button as my son needed something. She came and said, “It’s very bumpy! We can’t get out!” (She could just wait for a few more seconds and said sorry i couldn’t come right away!) Another incident, she gave my son the wrong breakfast. My 5yo were sitting on 50L. She gave him the food which labelled 50E. Luckily i checked first, it is a meal with special dietary/allergy requests. So we called the help button, it wasn’t her who came to us. It was the brunette lady. She said, “Oh glad you noticed that!” My husband replied, “Of course we noticed!” It could have been a disaster that someone else’s meal was served to the wrong person! Then the short lady who gave the wrong food, came to us, and just said, “oh just turn off the help button.” No apology at all! No saying thank you that we actually didn’t eat the meal!
Such disgusting manners from all these 3 flight attendants. Our first time flying with United, and will never ever fly with them again! We would be hesitant to write such a bad review if our flight was cheap. But no! Travelling with 6 of us, we paid around $2000 AUD per person! So in total, we spent a good $12K for the flight from LAX to SYD. It’s not a cheap flight! Do not book with United if you don’t want the same experience as we had. I wished i read their reviews first before booking. United airlines ratings have been going downhill and i just wish they train their staff well enough about manners and customer service!
Hopeless Thieving Incompetents – We booked two flights on United during a trip to the US and Canada at our travel agent's recommendation. The first was between Boston and Montreal and was operated by Air Canada. We boarded on time but were then off-loaded, allegedly because of a technical problem. About an hour later we re-boarded, sat on the plane for another hour and were then… Read more
off-loaded again. Seven hours after we were due to have departed we eventually took off - arriving in Montreal at 2.30am. At least customs was not an issue (at 2.30 I don't think that they cared). I guess we should be grateful though that we got there at all because we were told after about 6 hours that if the flight was cancelled there was no other flight on which we could be booked for 2 days. Second flight was Cleveland to New York. Shortly after we checked in the flight was notified as 'Delayed'. We waited at the gate for about an hour waiting for more information and were eventually told that the gate had changed. We moved to the new gate and waited again. No information. Eventually, another passenger went to find out and came back to advise that the flight had been cancelled. No notification; the flight was still listed on the departure board - but it had been cancelled. Two staff at the departure gate trying to deal with a full flight of passengers - and getting nowhere. A tour group with a connection the following morning to Ireland gave up and hired a van to drive to New York to make their flight. Stlll no announcement that the flight had been cancelled. Checked Amtrak to see if they had a train. No. Greyhound did however have a bus through Buffalo about two and a half hours later. We booked and then had to retrieve our luggage. At least United got that right - or so we thought at the time. We caught the bus and got into New York just after 6 am (instead of the 6pm the previous night as should have been the case). After some delay our travel agents got us a refund of the airfares but when we tried to have the fees for our checked luggage (paid, as is required, on check-in at Cleveland) it was a different story. Our claim and two follow-up emails have all be ignored - so now we institute legal action. Not sure whether United is just hopelessly incompetent or deliberated stealing. Either way we will not be flying with them in future - especially when our experience with there competitor, American Airlines, has been so positive. Avoid this airline . Take Amtrak in preference or Greyhound if Amtrak is not available - but avoid United - unless you enjoy not flying after you have booked and paid for flights.
Extremely disappointed – Traveled return business class from Australia to the US at a cost of more than $19,000 dollars. Not expecting to be treated like royalty but being offered a refreshment drink at the start of my trip and a requested coffee with my breakfast that never arrived would have been nice. For 3 hours during my trip the power went out on my seat while it… Read more
was half way through reclining. I struggled to get out of it to use the restroom. At no point throughout my flight was I acknowledged or asked if I needed anything. Maybe I was expecting too much from a business class ticket. I have flown the same return flight with Air New Zealand at a much cheaper cost and the service was outstanding. Do yourself a favour and avoid United Airlines
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