United Airlines Personnel At Chicago O'Hare Disrespect U.S. Combat Disabled Veteran

United Airlines

233 South Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

Phone number (800) 864-8331

Website: united.com

Prices: $$$$

My wife and I have been flying United and Star Alliance airlines faithfully for years, both internationally (41 countries so far) and domestically. I also use my United Mileage Plus credit card for most purchases, totaling a great deal in the past few years.

Having accumulated over 100,000 miles, we decided to visit my wife's family in Italy. Redeeming the miles was relatively painless and so was the trip UNTIL WE GOT TO CHICAGO O'HARE ... United Airlines hometown for cryin' out loud!

O'Hare has some of the rudest employees of any airport I have traveled through and that totals quite a few. I love Chicago, but I hate O'Hare! 

I had two United Club passes that we needed to use before they expired, but by the time we landed, we had just an hour and a half before boarding because the plane was delayed departing Portland because ground crew hit the plane with a vehicle, then there was an ill passenger that needed emergency attention upon arrival. 

Upon arrival in Chicago, we found out that the Terminal C (where we landed and were departing from) United Club was closed for renovations, so we went to United's Polaris Lounge immediately next to our gate, assuming they would accept oir passes due to the closure of the Terminal C club. The woman who met us at the door was extremely rude, quickly ushering us out the door because we were just lowly "economy" international pax, not "business or first class". She told me we would have to walk 15 minutes (30 minutes total roundtrip) to the United Club in Terminal B, basically shooing us away. I told her that I am a disabled veteran (it was 11/12, the day after Veteran's Day) and that it was difficult for me to walk that far, particularly with such a short connection thanks mostly to United 's incompetence, but she could obviously care less.

We ended up making the 30 minute walk, leaving us just 20 minutes in the club (a huge waste of $100 worth of club passes) before having to make the return trip to catch our flight to Brussels. I then asked the gate agent about possible upgrades to Economy Plus or Business, but he looked at me like I had a dick growing out of my forehead, laughing as he said "absolutely not!"

Sitting in row 43 (of 46), two of the three dinner options (cream chicken and vegetarian) were gone by the time the flight attendant got to us, leaving only the pasta option which contained tomatoes. My wife is allergic to tomatoes, so I asked what our options were. The flight attendant gave my wife the tray with a small (disgusting) salad, a bread roll, and a cup of ice cream, saying "I guess you'll have to eat that". I told her that was unacceptable, asking how she could expect my wife to go without dinner. Feeling guilty, Anel (that was her name) said that she would give my wife her meal and eat the pasta herself, a very kind gesture. Anel arrived about 30 minutes later with a beautiful pork chop from First Class, so my wife finally had something to eat thanks to her kindness.

I am cancelling my Mileage Plus card, along with the $95 annual fee, as soon as I get home. United Airlines had better train their Chicago employees on customer service skills, particularly considering it is their home city. Some compassion toward disabled passengers, particularly those who sacrificed 20+ years of their lives to protect your freedom, might also be in order.

CombatCritic Gives United Airlines 2 Bombs Out Of 10 ... 1 Extra Bomb For Anel's Compassion ... More Bombs Are Better!

Two Bombs Equates To

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Read Chris S.'s review of United Airlines on Yelp

Title: United Airlines Personnel At Chicago O'Hare Disrespect U.S. Combat Disabled Veteran

Key Words: United Airlines, United, airlines, airline, airplane, commercial, Chicago O'Hare, Chicago, O'Hare, airport, veteran, disrespect, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, business, review, Yelp

Translation for Civilians: Tango-Uniform = "Tits Up" 

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Dallas,TX: I Wish Southwest Flew To Europe And Asia

Southwest Airlines

Dallas Love Field (DAL)

2702 Love Field Dr

Dallas, TX 75235

Phone number: (214) 792-4000

Website: southwest.com

Prices: $$$$

As we all know, major airlines suck ... snooty, rude crews that obviously hate customers, terrible food, and too many restrictions. I have flown Southwest for many years and have always been impressed with their efficiency, professionalism, and friendliness of the airline and its crews. Having been an Air Force Transporter, working with military aircraft and passengers for many years, I know how difficult a job they have and the constraints they must work under, so it is about time that I wrote this review.

Flying from Kansas City to Portland on Flight 518 (1/31/17), my Las Vegas based crew were Captain Criswell, First Officer Diamantopoulos, Flight Attendant Lisa, Flight Attendant Rob, and Flight Attendant Armando. On the return trip, Jules and Jennifer took good care of me on Flight 405 from Portland to Denver, even decorating the galley, and themselves, for Valentine's Day

Flight 405 (PDX-DEN) Crew - Jennifer (Left) and Jules (Right)

Southwest's boarding system is second to none. Lufthansa, being German and typically anal, also has very efficient boarding procedures and crews, but they are cold and aloof as most Germans are perceived to be (I am half German by the way, so don't go all PC on me you flaming liberals). We lined up in two rows, everybody respecting their numbered place in line. There is no need for the massive gaggle of passengers wanting to be the first ones on the plane as is the case with most airlines. The TV monitors tell you when to board and you effortlessly hand the agent your boarding pass and pick your seat. That is correct, no pre-assigned seats.

I was first warmly greeted by Lisa, then Rob came, as friendly as can be, to take my drink order. By the way, booze is just $5 on Southwest with room for a profit margin, but not gouging passengers like the major airlines do ($8-$9 for a drink). Then Armando graciously insisted that I pass on the way to the loo (that's toilet for you Yanks), even though he had a tray full of drinks in his hand.

Unlike United Express, which we normally fly out of KC (because we normally travel overseas), Southwest's aircraft was modern and spotless, even the loos. United Express planes are gross and held together with duct tape. I kiss the ground and thank the Lord every time I arrive safely on United Express and I am very far what you would call a bible thumper. Half of the plane was full, so we even had our choice of seats with just one person to a row if we wanted.

Southwest is always an easy ride and the crews are routinely friendly if not downright hilarious. I have flown there US-only competitors and there is no competition in my mind. Compared to the stuffy, I hate passengers, attitudes on United, Delta and other major airlines, Southwest is a breath of fresh air and the crews of Flights 518 (MCI-PDX - 1/31/17) and 405 (PDX-DEN - 2/7/17) were a delight. Heck, you can even watch free live TV on many domestic flights.

Thank you Southwest and thank you Captain Cris, First Officer I can't pronounce you Greek last name, Lisa, Rob and Armando, Jennifer, and, especially, Jules ... it was a pleasure flying with you ... WELL DONE!

CombatCritic Gives Southwest Airlines And The Crew Of Flights 518 (1/31/17) And 405 (2/7/17) 10 Bombs Out Of 10 And, An Airline First Ever, Spot On My "WALL OF FAME" ... More Bombs Are Better!

Ten Bombs Equates To:

"Phonetic spelling of the acronym HUA, which stands for 'Heard Understood Acknowledged.' Originally used by the British in the late 1800's in Afghanistan. More recently adopted by the United States Army to indicate an affirmative or a pleased response." - Urban Dictionary

"The Department of Military Science and Leadership, University of Tennessee claim HOOAH 'refers to or means anything except no' ... Regardless of its meaning ... the term is an expression of high morale, confidence, motivation and spirit." - WarChronicle.com

"The U.S. Air Force stole 'HOOAH' from the Army because we were part of the Army until 1947 and rather than waste a bunch of time coming up with something new and unique, we said 'fuck it, let's go with HOOAH' ... thanks Army ... HOOAH! - CombatCritic

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Title: Dallas,TX: I Wish Southwest Flew To Europe And Asia

Key Words: Southwest Airlines, Southwest, airline, airlines, plane, Dallas, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Denver, crew, airplane, airport, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, service, review, Yelp

Chicago O'Hare Airport - Wild Goose Chase, Premature Closing Left This Weary Traveler Unimpressed

United Club

O'Hare International Airport - Concourse F

Chicago, IL 60666

Web: United.com

My experiences with United Airlines are hit-and-miss, occasionally brilliant, but more often than not disappointing.

After being told by the agent at the United luggage transfer desk in Terminal 5 that my connecting flight would leave from "Terminal 1, Concourse C", I made the mistake of believing him, finding out once there that it was actually leaving from Terminal 2, Concourse F, a 30-minute walk away. By the time I finally found my gate, I was not a happy camper, so I decided to waste one of my two United Club passes I get each year on their Chicago O'Hare (Concourse F) facility. 

With two hours before my departure just a few gates away, I asked the woman at reception what time they closed and was told "10pm, giving me a little less than two hours before I had to board my plane. Tired after nearly 20 hours of travel and 30 minutes of unnecessary walking, I decided to use my last pass and what a mistake that was!

What little food there was available (olives, hummus, pita chips, cheese cubes and Skittles) was mostly depleted at 8:15 when I arrived. An hour after I arrived and 45 minutes before their scheduled closing they started putting food and alcohol away as I was told "last call" by the bartender. Seeing little reason to stick around during the commotion and chaos of employees eagerly preparing to flea work, I decided to leave.

I asked the women at the front desk why the employees were shutting everything down well before closing time and with several customers still in the club, but was told "they want to go home". I said, "yes, but you told me they were open until 10pm and it is only 9:15". One of the women said, "you can make a complaint on the website if you aren't happy".

The only reason they get two stars is because of the free booze (well drinks, bottled beer, and wine), the place was clean, and the employees relatively friendly (a rarity in Chicago O'Hare).

CombatCritic Gives United Club (O'Hare - Concourse F) 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

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Title: Wild Goose Chase, Premature Closing Left This Weary Traveler Unimpressed

Key Words: United Airlines, United, airlines, airline, fly, airplane, United Club, club, Chicago, O'Hare, airport, terminal, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, food, definitive, review, guide

CombatCritic Q&A: Should I be concerned about the ticket I purchased on JustFly.com?

1. I received a great question on my post JustFly.com Offers A Good Price, But Little Else and thought I should share it will all of my readers:
2. john gMay 25, 2015 at 7:20 PM

   Hello, have you had the opportunity to use this ticket yet? Many negative posts making me most concerned about my ticket.
3. 
   C.T. Sorrentino, aka "CombatCritic"June 9, 2015 at 2:04 AM

   Sorry for the delay in getting back to you John, but Blogger does not notify me when I have new comments.
   
   There are no problems with the tickets. You get what you pay for, but my concerns were strictly with the website interface and lack of options available. In this case, we saved a couple hundred dollars by using Justfly.com, so it was worth the inconvenience of having to visit two airline websites (Brussels Airlines to and Lufthansa from Europe) to enter frequent flyer information, choose seats, and otherwise manage the reservations. I recommend comparing the lowest fares on JustFly to those found on Kayak.com and other consolidator websites (where you can store your frequent flyer numbers and preferences) before making a decision.
   
   I would not be concerned about your ticket.
   
   Thanks for the great question!
4. Read More Reviews By CombatCritic On Yelp And TripAdvisor ... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube
5. Title: CombatCritic Q&A: Should I be concerned about the ticket I purchased on JustFly.com?
6. Key Words: question and answer, question, answer, CombatCritic, TravelValue, JustFly.com, JustFly, airline, ticket, reservation, consolidator, website, online, review

JustFly.com Offers A Good Price, But Little Else

JustFly.com

I was taken to JustFly.com's website after searching Kayak, United, Delta, and Lufthansa extensively for fares on an upcoming overseas trip. I was hesitant at first being a unfamiliar website, but I decided to give them a try with the following reservations, pun intended ...

First, people need more information before paying for a reservation, like applicable baggage fees (not just a disclaimer saying "the airline MAY require baggage fees"), to make an informed decision. JustFly does not provide actual fees, only the disclaimer. Fortunately, having flown Lufthansa many times in the past, the carrier for the trip, I knew that the first bag (up to 50 pounds) was free, making the decision a bit easier.

Second, JustFly does not provide a way to enter frequent flyer account information either before or after purchase.  I assumed that once registered with their site, I would be able to update my profile with the data, but that was not the case. The only information available for editing on their website are name and email address, no seat or meal preferences, home airport, passport information, or anything else for that matter. The ability to enter frequent flyer and other pertinent personal information once would save customers a lot of time later and help ensure they return to make future purchases.

The only plus was that their price and itinerary were better than I could find even on Lufthansa.com, therefore ...

CombatCritic Gives JustFly.com 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read More Reviews By CombatCritic On Yelp And TripAdvisor ... And Don't Forget To Subscribe To TravelValue TV on YouTube

Title: JustFly.com Offers A Good Price, But Little Else

Key Words: JustFly, just, fly, airfare, airline, travel, fare, reservation, trip, website, frequent, flyer, miles, value, TravelValue, CombatCritic, critic