We hope that the recent experience that we, our 6-year old daughter Maya, and our fellow travelers had to endure will act as a warning against United Airlines & the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at the Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. (IAD) to anyone and everyone who is willing to read and share our story. Perhaps it will help sway someone away from deciding to fly with United or allowing rude or incompetent “officials” to make the same mistakes that were made in our case? It would be nice to see United Airlines or TSA consider using common sense, retraining personnel or changing its procedures to avoid the kind of neglect and abuse that we had faced on our return trip from vacation.
A few months ago, we decided to schedule our very first 7-day vacation trip to Mexico as a gift to our 6 year old daughter Maya during her first school year’s vacation. We shopped around to find the best deal we could find on travel. We chose to go with what seemed to be a reasonable deal from United Airlines — 1 transfer in Chicago on the way from Boston to Cancun, and 1 stopover in Washington D.C. on the way back home, on the same plane.
The June 17, 2014 trip to Cancun with the layover in Chicago was pleasant and on time. We had a blast in Mexico and for anyone who hasn’t done all-inclusive resort vacation, we’d highly recommend the family-friendly Iberostar Paraiso Maya resort.
The return trip was scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at 4PM. We were supposed to fly to Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. and then take the same airplane 1.5hrs later to fly to Logan International Airport in Boston, MA. We arrived at Cancun Airport at 1PM and after standing in line to check in for over an hour we learned that our flight had been delayed by an hour. Not a big deal we thought, since we’re not actually changing planes in Washington and staying on the same one. We got our boarding passes, checked our bags in and had lunch while waiting for the first flight. While at the gate, Maya met and chatted with two very friendly gentlemen in uniform, who later turned out to be our pilots waiting to fly us to D.C.. She learned about the plane, the stripes on the uniform and what they meant, and was even invited to come into the cockpit when the time came to board. Separately we learned that the delay was caused by “Pilot Crew Rest”, which apparently meant that someone had overslept and the pilots who were called in to fill the gap needed to take mandatory rest. We were very grateful for our pilots’ kindness and of course we snapped pictures of Maya who was thrilled to sit at the controls of the Boeing 737-900. The flight was actually delayed by 2 hours and 3 hours later at 10:10PM EST, we landed in Washington D.C.
On board we learned that since this is the first port of entry into the United States on an international flight, we had to leave the aircraft, go through immigration and customs, and get our luggage before checking back in to go to our final destination, Boston. We saw our pilots in the terminal corridor and asked them how this is supposed to work when we’re staying on the same plane. They told us that we’ll just have to check back in and come back, and that the flight from Washington to Boston was delayed to accommodate the late inbound flight from Cancun. We had 1.5hrs to make it back since the second flight was scheduled to depart at 11:40PM. Though we found this procedure somewhat annoying, we had no choice but to take a bus to a terminal, stand in lines, find our luggage and walk long distances to make sure we can make it back on time.
After clearing customs, immigration and getting our bags, power walking for what seemed like an eternity to the United Airlines counters at 10:50PM, we were called out of line by a man who was wheeling a baggage cart. He seemed to be in a rush and was asking if we’re going to Boston. After we confirmed, he took our luggage and told us to hurry to the gates, because there wasn't a lot of time left. A few minutes later we found the security gates, which were now closed and an airport worker told us to go to an employee security entrance. Apparently the employee security gate is the only one open after hours.
We were relieved to find this other security gate and recognized a few passengers ahead of us from the Cancun flight who made it past security who were also on their way back to board the Boston plane. We were waiting to have our papers checked with one last hurdle before we can board our final flight! Behind the desk, there was a TSA woman who appeared to be mean-spirited and disrespectful based on the arrogance and attitude with which she handled passengers in front of us. We remained positive for the sake of our daughter, so that she wouldn’t be intimidated by the woman. When we finally reached her desk, the “official” looked at our passports and boarding passes and yelled at us with disdain that we had to leave the line and get new boarding passes. According to her, our boarding passes should say Washington IAD to Boston BOS rather than Cancun CUN to Boston BOS. We pointed out that our boarding passes were issued to us at Cancun and that we are getting on the same airplane that got us to Washington, with the same exact flight number (#1133). This didn't sway her and she told us to come back when we have tickets to pass her gate.
At this point, I noticed a couple that was flying with us from Cancun that made it through the TSA lady who was about to pass the security gate. I called over to them, asking what their boarding passes showed, in the hope that perhaps if others made it through, we would be able to do the same. They were happy to show their same exact boarding passes to try and help us; however the TSA lady retrieved their carry-ons from the other side of the X-RAY machine and angered that she somehow missed their boarding passes, pulled them out of the line to get new boarding passes. As this was happening, we witnessed an elderly mid-70’s, non-English-speaking Asian couple whose remaining 6 family members already made it through the security gate, who were also turned away for the same reason.
It is now after 11PM, Maya, now genuinely afraid of people in uniform is beginning to cry and ask us if we will be OK and we’re doing what we can to keep our cool, to comfort her that we’ll be fine. As we run back to the United Airlines check-in counters, we are joined by about 10 other people including the couple that was pulled back from security and other passengers from Cancun going to Boston, some of whom still had their unchecked luggage with them.
Back at the United Airlines we found empty customer service booths with no agents and the only remaining United Airlines person who was leaving the airport was completely dismissive of our group when she mumbled under her nose that after-hours customer service is inside the United Airlines Baggage Claim office. After finding the small baggage office with a long line of people waiting to speak with one of the two representatives inside presumably about lost luggage, our group walked into the office and was quickly escorted out by yet another mean, self-important official who took her time to explain to us why we should stand in line outside the office. She turned out to be a United Airlines customer service supervisor, who very reluctantly asked us about what we were there for. I told her that the TSA would not let us back onto the plane we came in on Cancun from, and that we need boarding passes that reflect Washington IAD to Boston BOS, otherwise we won’t be able to make our flight that leaves in a few minutes. She proceeded to ask us for our boarding passes, hand-wrote “thru flight” on every one of them and instructed us to run back to security, assuring us that this will be enough to get us through the gates. Though the TSA security gate and the United Baggage office were only about 300 feet apart, exhausted from running back & forth, we returned to meet the same TSA woman who now almost seemed angered to see us again.
A few months ago, we decided to schedule our very first 7-day vacation trip to Mexico as a gift to our 6 year old daughter Maya during her first school year’s vacation. We shopped around to find the best deal we could find on travel. We chose to go with what seemed to be a reasonable deal from United Airlines — 1 transfer in Chicago on the way from Boston to Cancun, and 1 stopover in Washington D.C. on the way back home, on the same plane.
The June 17, 2014 trip to Cancun with the layover in Chicago was pleasant and on time. We had a blast in Mexico and for anyone who hasn’t done all-inclusive resort vacation, we’d highly recommend the family-friendly Iberostar Paraiso Maya resort.
The return trip was scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at 4PM. We were supposed to fly to Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. and then take the same airplane 1.5hrs later to fly to Logan International Airport in Boston, MA. We arrived at Cancun Airport at 1PM and after standing in line to check in for over an hour we learned that our flight had been delayed by an hour. Not a big deal we thought, since we’re not actually changing planes in Washington and staying on the same one. We got our boarding passes, checked our bags in and had lunch while waiting for the first flight. While at the gate, Maya met and chatted with two very friendly gentlemen in uniform, who later turned out to be our pilots waiting to fly us to D.C.. She learned about the plane, the stripes on the uniform and what they meant, and was even invited to come into the cockpit when the time came to board. Separately we learned that the delay was caused by “Pilot Crew Rest”, which apparently meant that someone had overslept and the pilots who were called in to fill the gap needed to take mandatory rest. We were very grateful for our pilots’ kindness and of course we snapped pictures of Maya who was thrilled to sit at the controls of the Boeing 737-900. The flight was actually delayed by 2 hours and 3 hours later at 10:10PM EST, we landed in Washington D.C.
On board we learned that since this is the first port of entry into the United States on an international flight, we had to leave the aircraft, go through immigration and customs, and get our luggage before checking back in to go to our final destination, Boston. We saw our pilots in the terminal corridor and asked them how this is supposed to work when we’re staying on the same plane. They told us that we’ll just have to check back in and come back, and that the flight from Washington to Boston was delayed to accommodate the late inbound flight from Cancun. We had 1.5hrs to make it back since the second flight was scheduled to depart at 11:40PM. Though we found this procedure somewhat annoying, we had no choice but to take a bus to a terminal, stand in lines, find our luggage and walk long distances to make sure we can make it back on time.
After clearing customs, immigration and getting our bags, power walking for what seemed like an eternity to the United Airlines counters at 10:50PM, we were called out of line by a man who was wheeling a baggage cart. He seemed to be in a rush and was asking if we’re going to Boston. After we confirmed, he took our luggage and told us to hurry to the gates, because there wasn't a lot of time left. A few minutes later we found the security gates, which were now closed and an airport worker told us to go to an employee security entrance. Apparently the employee security gate is the only one open after hours.
We were relieved to find this other security gate and recognized a few passengers ahead of us from the Cancun flight who made it past security who were also on their way back to board the Boston plane. We were waiting to have our papers checked with one last hurdle before we can board our final flight! Behind the desk, there was a TSA woman who appeared to be mean-spirited and disrespectful based on the arrogance and attitude with which she handled passengers in front of us. We remained positive for the sake of our daughter, so that she wouldn’t be intimidated by the woman. When we finally reached her desk, the “official” looked at our passports and boarding passes and yelled at us with disdain that we had to leave the line and get new boarding passes. According to her, our boarding passes should say Washington IAD to Boston BOS rather than Cancun CUN to Boston BOS. We pointed out that our boarding passes were issued to us at Cancun and that we are getting on the same airplane that got us to Washington, with the same exact flight number (#1133). This didn't sway her and she told us to come back when we have tickets to pass her gate.
At this point, I noticed a couple that was flying with us from Cancun that made it through the TSA lady who was about to pass the security gate. I called over to them, asking what their boarding passes showed, in the hope that perhaps if others made it through, we would be able to do the same. They were happy to show their same exact boarding passes to try and help us; however the TSA lady retrieved their carry-ons from the other side of the X-RAY machine and angered that she somehow missed their boarding passes, pulled them out of the line to get new boarding passes. As this was happening, we witnessed an elderly mid-70’s, non-English-speaking Asian couple whose remaining 6 family members already made it through the security gate, who were also turned away for the same reason.
It is now after 11PM, Maya, now genuinely afraid of people in uniform is beginning to cry and ask us if we will be OK and we’re doing what we can to keep our cool, to comfort her that we’ll be fine. As we run back to the United Airlines check-in counters, we are joined by about 10 other people including the couple that was pulled back from security and other passengers from Cancun going to Boston, some of whom still had their unchecked luggage with them.
Back at the United Airlines we found empty customer service booths with no agents and the only remaining United Airlines person who was leaving the airport was completely dismissive of our group when she mumbled under her nose that after-hours customer service is inside the United Airlines Baggage Claim office. After finding the small baggage office with a long line of people waiting to speak with one of the two representatives inside presumably about lost luggage, our group walked into the office and was quickly escorted out by yet another mean, self-important official who took her time to explain to us why we should stand in line outside the office. She turned out to be a United Airlines customer service supervisor, who very reluctantly asked us about what we were there for. I told her that the TSA would not let us back onto the plane we came in on Cancun from, and that we need boarding passes that reflect Washington IAD to Boston BOS, otherwise we won’t be able to make our flight that leaves in a few minutes. She proceeded to ask us for our boarding passes, hand-wrote “thru flight” on every one of them and instructed us to run back to security, assuring us that this will be enough to get us through the gates. Though the TSA security gate and the United Baggage office were only about 300 feet apart, exhausted from running back & forth, we returned to meet the same TSA woman who now almost seemed angered to see us again.
Of course, handwriting “thru flight” on the boarding passes was not enough to convince her and now a second male TSA agent joined her in coldly requesting that we go back to United Airlines. We could not believe what was happening – it was a completely surreal experience! Here we are with our 6 year old, who is tired and scared from running and having all of these random people yell at us as if we’ve committed some criminal act and our airplane is minutes from departure! There were also elderly people and other families, including a young woman with a 4-year old son on her arms with unchecked luggage. All turned away by indifferent, nonsensical TSA agents a second time to meet yet again with a United Airlines supervisor lady who didn’t care enough to take a minute to reprint “correct” boarding passes or walk with us to security.
Unsurprisingly, when we returned to the United Airlines baggage office, we were greeted by the same UA service supervisor whose name we later learned was Helen. With a condescending tone she went as far as LYING that our flight has already departed, 10 minutes before its actual take off! “It’s not my fault that you ran into some crazy TSA people who didn’t like my note. Just get in line and we’ll make other arrangements for you, your flight is gone already”, she said as she turned around and walked back to her office.
We could not believe our ears! Within minutes, our flight did actually leave and we were officially left stranded at the airport with our 6-year old daughter already way past her normal bedtime. Helplessly standing in line in front of the Baggage Claim office, we found other travelers who were in the same position as we and as some were exiting the office, we learned that there is some sort of a golf tournament in town with Tiger Woods, and that all nearby hotels are solidly booked with no available rooms. The next Boston flights scheduled to depart Washington D.C. were at 8AM, 12PM and 5PM.
While waiting for our new flight arrangements, enraged by what had happened, we wanted to document the incident. We formed a small group of passengers, traded each other’s’ contact information, took pictures of our boarding passes and tried to collect names of the TSA and United Airlines officials involved. Our group, outside of the people who went back through security to wait upstairs, consisted of the 3 of us, the couple we inadvertently pulled from the security line by asking them about their boarding passes, the young lady with her 4 year old son and their luggage, and an elderly Spanish couple who were also stuck with their luggage. No one was successful at obtaining United Airlines’ Ms. Helen the Supervisor’s last name, as she said she’s the only Helen there is and that she doesn’t share her last name with anyone — in fact she had purposely flipped her badge around so we could not glimpse her last name from it! Some had tried calling the United Airlines customer service phone number, but were either disconnected or told by a robot that hold time would be 20+ minutes. There was no one else that we could escalate our problems to.
Close to 12AM Thursday, my animated wife went back to the TSA gate to collect names of the TSA agents and I got queasy when she was gone for over 15 minutes. I’m sure you have heard about how TSA may treat someone they may label as a threat… So I asked other passengers to stay with Maya and went back to security, where I found her talking with a TSA agent, who later turned out to be the Chief Acting Supervisor. He was apologetic about the way the TSA personnel handled our situation and after being yelled at by the same TSA lady that she would not be giving us her name, he was able to obtain and share the TSA agents’ names with us. In the end, he told us that we should submit a formal written complaint to the TSA and that it would reach his desk.
It was eventually our turn at the baggage office counter, where we were booked for a 5PM flight (roughly 16-17hrs from then). We were told that there was nothing that could be done, as the 8AM and 12PM flights were already overbooked and that we could try to stand-by and hope someone misses the earlier flights – with no hotels available in the area at all! In fact the United Airlines clerks all said “Good luck if you think you can find a hotel.” Everyone inquired if there is some sort of a room at the airport to sleep in, or a rest area, or a cot to sleep on — anything to make the stay at the airport less miserable not so much for us, but our kids and there was absolutely nothing. United Airlines was only able to give us a few $7 meal vouchers and courtesy packs with toothpaste for those of us whose luggage went to Boston without them. Someone made a suggestion that if we go to the security gate with our new boarding passes, we may be able to get our hands on some blankets, but we could not all go as a group — the elderly Spanish couple and the young woman with her 4 year old son had their luggage with them. Problem is, you can’t go through security with your unchecked luggage and the luggage could not be checked in until 4AM, when check-in opens. We decided to wait for 4AM at which time we would help each other check-in and go through security together.
The next challenge was what to do with the kids for the next 3 hours. The chairs we were sitting on all had hand rests between them, so even if we wanted to use them as makeshift beds, it would have been impossible. I looked around the baggage claim area and found two carpeted carts, which are used for transporting luggage around the airport – so I wheeled one of them next to us and with a little bit of MacGyver creativity, we laid out our daughter’s blanket on it. We were able to get both kids to fall asleep on the cart. Eventually, I tried taking a nap on the second luggage cart, but after a few minutes found it to be impossible to fall asleep on. While trying, my wife snapped the photo with my cart next to the kids’.
Unsurprisingly, when we returned to the United Airlines baggage office, we were greeted by the same UA service supervisor whose name we later learned was Helen. With a condescending tone she went as far as LYING that our flight has already departed, 10 minutes before its actual take off! “It’s not my fault that you ran into some crazy TSA people who didn’t like my note. Just get in line and we’ll make other arrangements for you, your flight is gone already”, she said as she turned around and walked back to her office.
We could not believe our ears! Within minutes, our flight did actually leave and we were officially left stranded at the airport with our 6-year old daughter already way past her normal bedtime. Helplessly standing in line in front of the Baggage Claim office, we found other travelers who were in the same position as we and as some were exiting the office, we learned that there is some sort of a golf tournament in town with Tiger Woods, and that all nearby hotels are solidly booked with no available rooms. The next Boston flights scheduled to depart Washington D.C. were at 8AM, 12PM and 5PM.
While waiting for our new flight arrangements, enraged by what had happened, we wanted to document the incident. We formed a small group of passengers, traded each other’s’ contact information, took pictures of our boarding passes and tried to collect names of the TSA and United Airlines officials involved. Our group, outside of the people who went back through security to wait upstairs, consisted of the 3 of us, the couple we inadvertently pulled from the security line by asking them about their boarding passes, the young lady with her 4 year old son and their luggage, and an elderly Spanish couple who were also stuck with their luggage. No one was successful at obtaining United Airlines’ Ms. Helen the Supervisor’s last name, as she said she’s the only Helen there is and that she doesn’t share her last name with anyone — in fact she had purposely flipped her badge around so we could not glimpse her last name from it! Some had tried calling the United Airlines customer service phone number, but were either disconnected or told by a robot that hold time would be 20+ minutes. There was no one else that we could escalate our problems to.
Close to 12AM Thursday, my animated wife went back to the TSA gate to collect names of the TSA agents and I got queasy when she was gone for over 15 minutes. I’m sure you have heard about how TSA may treat someone they may label as a threat… So I asked other passengers to stay with Maya and went back to security, where I found her talking with a TSA agent, who later turned out to be the Chief Acting Supervisor. He was apologetic about the way the TSA personnel handled our situation and after being yelled at by the same TSA lady that she would not be giving us her name, he was able to obtain and share the TSA agents’ names with us. In the end, he told us that we should submit a formal written complaint to the TSA and that it would reach his desk.
It was eventually our turn at the baggage office counter, where we were booked for a 5PM flight (roughly 16-17hrs from then). We were told that there was nothing that could be done, as the 8AM and 12PM flights were already overbooked and that we could try to stand-by and hope someone misses the earlier flights – with no hotels available in the area at all! In fact the United Airlines clerks all said “Good luck if you think you can find a hotel.” Everyone inquired if there is some sort of a room at the airport to sleep in, or a rest area, or a cot to sleep on — anything to make the stay at the airport less miserable not so much for us, but our kids and there was absolutely nothing. United Airlines was only able to give us a few $7 meal vouchers and courtesy packs with toothpaste for those of us whose luggage went to Boston without them. Someone made a suggestion that if we go to the security gate with our new boarding passes, we may be able to get our hands on some blankets, but we could not all go as a group — the elderly Spanish couple and the young woman with her 4 year old son had their luggage with them. Problem is, you can’t go through security with your unchecked luggage and the luggage could not be checked in until 4AM, when check-in opens. We decided to wait for 4AM at which time we would help each other check-in and go through security together.
The next challenge was what to do with the kids for the next 3 hours. The chairs we were sitting on all had hand rests between them, so even if we wanted to use them as makeshift beds, it would have been impossible. I looked around the baggage claim area and found two carpeted carts, which are used for transporting luggage around the airport – so I wheeled one of them next to us and with a little bit of MacGyver creativity, we laid out our daughter’s blanket on it. We were able to get both kids to fall asleep on the cart. Eventually, I tried taking a nap on the second luggage cart, but after a few minutes found it to be impossible to fall asleep on. While trying, my wife snapped the photo with my cart next to the kids’.
Shortly before the United Airlines Baggage Claim office was to close at 3AM, Ms. Helen walked up to us and asked for our boarding passes — then returned about 15 minutes later with new boarding passes, which moved us from the 5PM to the 12PM flight. Despite two separate seats and the third marked as “*”, she promised we were confirmed on the 12PM, but that we should still try the 8AM flight as stand-by’s. Everyone else in our group was scheduled for the 8AM flight, because they made it to the front of the line before us. On Helen’s way out, she finally yelled out a quick “I’m sorry” as she walked out... the only apology we received all night.
At 4AM, we wheeled the sleeping kids and luggage to the check-in counters, helped the elderly couple and the young woman check in, and went to security. At security we had to wake the kids up and get rid of the carry-on luggage carts. My wife took Maya on her arms and when she woke up to see a TSA agent in front of her, Maya nearly stood at attention like a soldier, terrorized by the sight of the uniform, anxiously asking us what she should be doing. I told her not to worry and that this will all be over soon. There was a Dunkin Donuts near the gate, which opened at 5AM, and that’s where we had an opportunity to get some coffee and snacks. Kids played and ran around the gate area, while we, by this point almost delusional from the sleep deprivation, tried to keep our eyes open. Finally the boarding crew for the 8AM flight arrived and we were the first to register as stand-by’s for the flight. Our chances were slim since the boarding clerk told us that the flight was heavily oversold. We said goodbyes to our new friends (jokingly coined the term “united VIP passengers”) as they walked through the gate, everyone hoping that somehow we will be able to make the flight with them. At the very last minute before the gates were closed, the boarding clerk offered two seats to us, which would have meant splitting up — we had to decline, other stand-by’s took the offer and the doors closed.
Tired, Maya asked if we’d ever be able to get back home and we assured her that we’ll be home in a few hours. Beaten and half-awake, we started the long trek to a different terminal, where we were promised confirmed seats for the 12PM flight. When we arrived at the gate, we found chairs with no hand rests and fell asleep on them. After hearing something from the PA system about Boston, bewildered, we woke up around 10:30AM and I went to check if anything has changed. Thankfully the flight was still on-time and scheduled to leave from our gate. Our expectations by now were so low that when we spoke with the boarding clerk, we were only slightly surprised to learn that our seats were not in fact confirmed and that this 12PM flight was oversold as well – there’s a chance we may not make 12PM. All the clerk could do is asking for volunteers to move to a different flight.
Initially, he offered a credit of $300 to anyone willing to drop the flight. When there were no takers and most everyone has already boarded the plane – he offered $500 credit to volunteers and at the very last minute, two people came up interested in the offer. In the end, we somehow made it on board. We didn’t have seats next to each other, but after 26hrs since our trip began, we couldn’t be happier to fly.
Net Effects:
How could this have been avoided?
At the Cancun Airport, the United Airlines clerk could have printed two sets of boarding passes — that is, if these were actually required for ‘thru flights’ on the same plane.
If the TSA agent half-cared about customer service, she would have:
If the United Airlines Baggage Claim office supervisor (Ms. Helen) cared about UA’s core mission of getting its passengers from point A to B on time, she would have:
If the Dulles International Airport cared about the well-being of its passengers in distress when an airline or the TSA bureaucracy drops the ball it could:
So, who do you think should be held accountable? Share your thoughts below and thanks for reading!
Ex-United Airlines Customers
At 4AM, we wheeled the sleeping kids and luggage to the check-in counters, helped the elderly couple and the young woman check in, and went to security. At security we had to wake the kids up and get rid of the carry-on luggage carts. My wife took Maya on her arms and when she woke up to see a TSA agent in front of her, Maya nearly stood at attention like a soldier, terrorized by the sight of the uniform, anxiously asking us what she should be doing. I told her not to worry and that this will all be over soon. There was a Dunkin Donuts near the gate, which opened at 5AM, and that’s where we had an opportunity to get some coffee and snacks. Kids played and ran around the gate area, while we, by this point almost delusional from the sleep deprivation, tried to keep our eyes open. Finally the boarding crew for the 8AM flight arrived and we were the first to register as stand-by’s for the flight. Our chances were slim since the boarding clerk told us that the flight was heavily oversold. We said goodbyes to our new friends (jokingly coined the term “united VIP passengers”) as they walked through the gate, everyone hoping that somehow we will be able to make the flight with them. At the very last minute before the gates were closed, the boarding clerk offered two seats to us, which would have meant splitting up — we had to decline, other stand-by’s took the offer and the doors closed.
Tired, Maya asked if we’d ever be able to get back home and we assured her that we’ll be home in a few hours. Beaten and half-awake, we started the long trek to a different terminal, where we were promised confirmed seats for the 12PM flight. When we arrived at the gate, we found chairs with no hand rests and fell asleep on them. After hearing something from the PA system about Boston, bewildered, we woke up around 10:30AM and I went to check if anything has changed. Thankfully the flight was still on-time and scheduled to leave from our gate. Our expectations by now were so low that when we spoke with the boarding clerk, we were only slightly surprised to learn that our seats were not in fact confirmed and that this 12PM flight was oversold as well – there’s a chance we may not make 12PM. All the clerk could do is asking for volunteers to move to a different flight.
Initially, he offered a credit of $300 to anyone willing to drop the flight. When there were no takers and most everyone has already boarded the plane – he offered $500 credit to volunteers and at the very last minute, two people came up interested in the offer. In the end, we somehow made it on board. We didn’t have seats next to each other, but after 26hrs since our trip began, we couldn’t be happier to fly.
Net Effects:
- My wife and I lost two additional vacation days each, one for travel and another for recovery.
- I have recently overcome problems with chronic insomnia and the involuntary all-nighter pulled at the airport has ruined any progress made thus far.
- We had to pay for an extra day of parking and incurred other expenses at the airport, including sweatshirts to stay warm.
- One of our two checked-in bags was lost and was just delivered to us 3 days after our return. We had wet clothes in the bag, which ruined half of my entire Summer wardrobe.
- Our daughter Maya has been waking up from bad dreams about the airport and people screaming at her since we got back. It seemed the trip was a deeply traumatic experience for her.
- On Friday, a day after we returned, Maya developed a high fever hovering between 102 and 105 F. After taking her to the Emergency Room, her pediatrician and getting blood work done, all we can do is to keep her cool with cold baths and ice packs. According to the doctors, it's some sort of a virus - and though impossible to prove, spending this much time at the airport, touching everything like a kid does, this misadventure was certainly a contributing factor. As of today, Wednesday, 7/2/2014, the fever has not gone away.
How could this have been avoided?
At the Cancun Airport, the United Airlines clerk could have printed two sets of boarding passes — that is, if these were actually required for ‘thru flights’ on the same plane.
If the TSA agent half-cared about customer service, she would have:
- Realized that she had let 10+ people through (that we have seen ourselves) in with the “wrong” boarding pass and let us through.
- Noticed that our boarding passes are indeed correct, because they reflect the correct time, flight number with the correct final destination.
- Accepted the United Airlines’ supervisor “thru-flight” note, which explains why we all had a single boarding pass rather than a set of two.
If the United Airlines Baggage Claim office supervisor (Ms. Helen) cared about UA’s core mission of getting its passengers from point A to B on time, she would have:
- Not flipped her badge around to hide her last name or refuse to give it to her customers.
- Taken a minute with a few keystrokes to print the boarding passes that the TSA was requesting from IAD to BOS.
- Walked us all over to TSA a few hundred feet away to get us through the gate.
If the Dulles International Airport cared about the well-being of its passengers in distress when an airline or the TSA bureaucracy drops the ball it could:
- Provide additional services, such as a sleeping room or cots to passengers waiting for their next flight.
- Arrange for some sort of service personnel reps or an area for passengers with special needs, such as families with little children.
The last memory we have of our relaxing, restful week is this stressed out and disappointing experience. I have never experienced such poor service at any airline or airport and unless there is no other option, I won’t be flying United again.
So, who do you think should be held accountable? Share your thoughts below and thanks for reading!
Ex-United Airlines Customers