Review of Customer Service with United Airlines

I've been satisfied with the customer service with United Airlines during recent flights-particularly with the United employees with whom I've had face-to-face interactions. Sure we all have terrible stories about air travel, but I've found there are many positive stories to tell as well.

Flight Attendants

Flight attendants can make or break a customer's, passenger's, perception of an airline. I think flight attendants who remain upbeat and smiling during a flight are doing a terrific job-especially since passengers only see them on one leg and can't follow their entire day.

Flight attendants who do their job and remain patient with difficult passengers don't get headlines. But I hope they are satisfied with their own perception.

Here are some examples from flying on United:

August 2010 - I was flying with a group to and from an adoption conference in Hartford, Connecticut. I connected through Washington, DC and the one flight attendant from D.C. to Hartford on the shuttle flight was both humorous and understanding during a terrible bout I had with airsickness.

On the flight from Hartford to Chicago, the flight attendants announced our group had attended an adoption conference and invited others to consider adopting children out of foster care.

In November 2010, I flew round trip from Burbank to Denver and on to Pittsburgh. Each flight attendant was courteous-the last one on the return to Burbank was having a long day on short flights covering Little Rock, Denver, Burbank, and San Francisco.

February 2011, I flew round trip from Los Angeles, Denver, Miami, Dulles (Washington D.C.) and to Los Angeles. The flight attendants were again courteous and helpful. On the return from Miami to Dulles one in particular was quite upbeat and did her job with a smile.

Pilots and Announcements

This may seem small but the personality of a pilot comes through on the intercom. I rate each one fairly high on my recent United trips. Their voice can do a lot to calm passengers and contribute to a positive attitude during flights.

Gate Attendants

Those working the gates come face-to-face with angry and confused passengers much of the time. I'll give the agents good marks during my recent flights on United. In Denver, on a recent trip back to LAX I asked about our arrival time and the agent was courteous and pleasant. So was the agent who asked for volunteers to check in their carry-on bags.

Online is more frustrating

Trying to find a telephone number for customer service is one of the main negative experiences I've had with United Airlines. I was trying to use my travel voucher to redeem for a ticket to attend a conference in Miami.

When I finally connected with a person the experience was satisfactory.

I exchanged my voucher for tickets in Burbank and the agent at the desk was helpful despite a lack of employee support and his work helping another passenger first.

United's employees receive a positive mark from me during my travels. I hope they persist in providing positive customer service.

Tip
If you have a negative experience with United Airlines, or a positive one, reflect and ask yourself how others' view the service you offer to them. How is your: attitude, your service? Remember, the airline may not always be easy to deal with but think about the individuals who work for United and rate your experience with them.