united vs vaustralia: $719 + taxes to US

[Vet]

Bestflights.com.au's e-alert tells me United is flying to places like San Fran for much the same as vaustralia is.

[chunky]

But the quality of airline is vastly different.

[Vet]

My trip in Feb is on United, Mel-SFO direct (I think), and then its a 4 hour drive to Tahoe.

By comparison, the 'cheap' trip on vaustralia to Tahoe in March/April, via Sydney and LAX, isn't so cheap by the time I add a hotel in LA and a delightful 8-10 hour drive the next day. And that's just getting out of LA's airport.

So I'll ask vaustralia about a 'sweetener'. United can't be that bad.

[Podlettte]

less legroom, they dont have individual screens and their customer service is shocking! BH can tell the story of his sister in law's experience, but basically it was absolutely shocking, and i'd never fly with them as a result

[Totalyrottn]

Originally posted by Vet:
My trip in Feb is on United, Mel-SFO direct (I think), and then its a 4 hour drive to Tahoe.

By comparison, the 'cheap' trip on vaustralia to Tahoe in March/April, via Sydney and LAX, isn't so cheap by the time I add a hotel in LA and a delightful 8-10 hour drive the next day. And that's just getting out of LA's airport.

So I'll ask vaustralia about a 'sweetener'. United can't be that bad. Vet, United are the WORST airline I have ever flown on, there Service IS SH!T, I would only Fly with them again if I had no other option

[Vet]

Less legroom than Qantas????

Can it be so bad that its better to fly via Sydney to LA and then drive 8 hours to Heavenly???

[chunky]

I fought tooth and nail to be put on Qantas. They gave me direct but I was happy to go via Sydney if I had to to avoid United.

[Totalyrottn]

Originally posted by Vet:
Less legroom than Qantas????

Can it be so bad that its better to fly via Sydney to LA and then drive 8 hours to Heavenly??? In a word "YES"

Vet I know you like a deal, but there is NO deal in flying United

[Podlettte]

why not fly via sydney on QANTAS to SFO? that's what we're doing vet.....

[Dr D]

My sister flew Sydney - Hawaii via NZ with United for her honeymoon.

The plane broke down on each flight and they had to stay overnight in Auckland in both directions.

[Vet]

Looks like United are off the agenda - we've got accom at Marina Del Rey followed by a long 'touristy' drive with locals maybe. Sounds like we're being driven to some wineries. Mrs Vet is brilliant - but I can't ski at a winery!!!! Darling, can't we just drive thru a bottle shop instead???

[chunky]

Which place you using now?

[Paul Oberin]

I did 11 trips to Whistler using United, I found them to be alright, although they did always give me a seat with leg room.

[Rednut]

something we struggled with from cathay...

[Paul Oberin]

Yes, I would certainly rate Cathay far worse than United as an airline.

[SA]

Funny, I would've said the opposite. Leg room isn't the same problem for me though ;)

[Paul Oberin]

I asked Cathay for a seat with legroom and they saw how tall I am, they said they would see what they could do, when I got on the plane for the 8 hour flight home, I was given a normal Isle seat and so I had no choice but to keep my feet in the isle, each time a food trolley came past it hit my feet.
I went for a walk only to discover 3 people way shorter than myself sitting in the exit row, all the people sitting in bulkhead seats were shorter than myself. I was in pain for the entire trip, and will never use Cathay again, no matter how desperate.

[SA]

Sounds like the usual status runaround?

[ 02.01.2009, 11:12 PM: Message edited by: SA ]

[Vet]

Originally posted by chunky:
Which place you using now? By the sounds of it, the townhouse is in the marina complex fronting berths, and its only about 15 minutes from LAX.

[TB]

I flew with United, a few gripes a couple costly (excess baggage), yes they ****, old planes, old hosties and lack of timeliness. But, economy ****s, whoever you fly, if it's long haul and it's cattle class you are in for a ****ful 15 or so hours, deal with it.

Unless you are on some super points earner fly the cheapest, reputable airline you can find.

[TB]

And on a separate note. Why do tall people think they should get the exit rows. You wan't a comfy seat then pay for it.

I'm short, that would mean you tall guys think I should get the middle, middle seat. Guess what I hate that one as well. I fidget a lot on a plane, that's my excuse for wanting the exit row. People with kids want it, so do old people and people with bad knees. Your height should not allow pro-discrimination in your favour.

[Totalyrottn]

Originally posted by TB:
And on a separate note. Why do tall people think they should get the exit rows. You wan't a comfy seat then pay for it.

I'm short, that would mean you tall guys think I should get the middle, middle seat. Guess what I hate that one as well. I fidget a lot on a plane, that's my excuse for wanting the exit row. People with kids want it, so do old people and people with bad knees. Your height should not allow pro-discrimination in your favour. Height Envy ;) graemlins/outtahere.gif

[skijacski]

Exit row seats you must be willing and physically able to assist in an emergency.

[Bear]

Exit rows = no kids (must be over 18), no oldies or infirm. ;)

And as SJS says must be willing to assist in an emergency.

[AndDee]

Everyone else has said it

United are crap!
Crap customer service
Old outdated Economy class seats
No seat back TV in Economy
Pay for any alcoholic drinks in Economy
Grannies working the Australia to USA flights, all they care about is their days off in Sydney

Avoid them at all costs at the moment.

[Vet]

Bestflights fee are outrageous. I rang Bestflights to cancel a $2300 return fare with United and replace it with a $1200 fare on maybe Qantas or Vaustralia, but they say there's a cancellation fee of $922 - United want $560, Bestflights want $350 and there's an 'agent fee' of $12. (Zuji cancelled United for $150 plus Unted's cancellation fee of $250).

Bye bye Bestflights - I'll use their email info on deals and then book direct with the airlines next time.

[chunky]

That is very steep!

[Vet]

The Sunday Herald Sun might be running a story on cancellation fees and how people might be able to rely on cases like Free v Jetstar to nullify the 'fine print'.

[SA]

^Decision overturned on appeal, remitted to VCAT for further determination.

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/vic/VSC/2008/539.html

[Vet]

Good to see the Director of Consumer Affairs is battling Jetstar.

[Paul Oberin]

From personal experience VCAT and Consumer affairs give up when they find it gets too hard, we had a guy do some dodgy work on our house, and we were seeking $40,000 compensation through VCAT and Consumer affairs, but because the contractor had a NSW address, they just banned him from working in Victoria, and they tell me that is Justice.

[Vet]

Get a dirty gutter rat next time Paul.

CAC has stepped in to help a test case on consumer laws. I'd love to see them pinge directors personally as the CAC did in a fine and damages case against directors whose company sold overpriced homes to single mums. The lass got half the price back.

CAC saved grannies in a failed retirement village: the grans stood to lose their units and their life savings. We convinced some large 'gents' to rip up the 'new contracts' and not require the grans to forgo $11,000,000 of refundable ingoings contributions.

CAC, ATO, ASIC, HESTA and I pursued money around the globe for nurses, super, and disabled pensioner victims. The ATO let me keep the $ that strictly was ASIC's $, except for $1.000. We gave half to strugging pensioner-victims and the rest paid for skiing. The crooks lost everything.

I bet your builder set himself up as an assetless trust. There's ways to skin cats. ;)

[Polaris]

So can you start work on the Lift Companies and their apparent misunderstanding of CPI increases and collusion please Vet ;)

[Vet]

Haaa.

There's a law that exempts any operation over 5,000 feet. How else do you think airlines and lift companies get away with this???

I think the ACCC finds more Saints than the Vatican.