To whom this may concern: As a mileage plus member and United flyer, I am really disappointed.
Me and my wife were traveling (or at least supposed to travel) from YYZ to EWR, and arrived at the airport over an hour before departure time.
The United agent on the ground assisted us at the machines to print baggage tags as we had already been checked in. She didn’t seem to know how to work the machines too well, and after a good few minutes my wife’s baggage tag printed, however by the time she was trying to get my baggage tag, it was already 59 minutes and 58 seconds to the flight, deeming the flight closed and unable to print baggage tags.
We went over to the supervisor who refused to even try to help us get our baggage onto the flight, only offering to re-book us onto another United flight. After waiting on line for about an hour, we were told that they don’t have a flight available today with two tickets, so we would have to wait to tomorrow to fly.
We are currently living in Israel and traveled to America for a family wedding tonight in NY, which we are now missing.
It’s companies such as yours that give a bad name to the aviation industry.
(TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to letters@thelakewoodscoop.com)
I am truly sorry about your experience. I am very punctual / early and even neurotic about it. People are constantly making fun of me and telling me that I don’t need to allow the three hours for international flights like they claim we do. And I always say that I prefer to shop around the terminal and do nothing than to be stressed and nervous about being late. The rules these days have become kind of crazy and it’s really important for people to realize that those three seconds will make a difference and they should allow extra time because things happen. Would you have also blamed them had you had traffic on the way? If you really wanted to get to that wedding I think you cut it pretty close with your arrival time to the airport. Of course it would’ve been decent for the manager to assist if rules allow for it and he had the authority to do so. Missing a wedding you traveled in for really stinks.
I’m not here to knock you I really do feel bad for you I just think that people don’t realize all the rules that are in place so I do thank you for advertising your story so that we know. I am flying United Iyh to Israel in a couple of weeks (not like elal has a good rap these days anyways ) and I do intend to get to the airport with over 3 hours.
I feel bad that you missed your flight due to an error on United’s end however keep in mind that United does recommend coming two to three hours before the flight and one of the reasons are just in case anything gets messed up throughout check out or if they’re a very long lines etc. so arriving just a bit over an hour before the flight for something that you came in from Israel in my opinion is a bit careless. In addition YYT is Toronto it’s very hard to believe that there were no flights from any airline to purchase to fly to New York you could always purchase this flight for family wedding and then try to get United to reimburse you . This letter should not be posted here send it to United
As a travel agent I know that they cut it way to close, when traveling international you need at least 1 hour 30 min minimum to be safe, even if your checked in
I don’t see United in the wrong here
This is not the airlines fault. You should be at the airport 3-4 hours prior to your flight departing. It’s sad that you had to miss the wedding due to poor time management.
Wow! I can’t believe this letter even got posted! Let me teach you something when flying always arrive 2-3 hours before flight and something like this won’t happen. United Airlines is not the wrong one in this situation. I love United Airlines and never had an issue !
It’s so rediculous that they can’t help U check in 59 minutes before departure time. I once traveled wit ElAl, I arrived at EWR 45 before flight and they were so nice about it, I had no problem checking in!!
United airlines isn’t at fault here, next……
It’s not United, it’s the US TSA! had it once too, according to the US Rule: u need to check in 60 minutes prior to boarding a flight into the US
Thanks for the information. I never knew that.
Unless it took the employee 30 minutes to print the ticket (at which case you should’ve asked for a manager) , the passenger was unfortunately in the wrong. You cannot get there barely over an hour before the flight leaves, what if there is a line? There are a million things that can happen. Not very wise.
I fly international on United at least once a month and I always get there 3 hours before departure. I oftne have to sit in the boarding area for quite a while but I’ve never had any issues .
Regulations are regulations! love them or hate them, either way you’re in the wrong. The 1 hr rule has nothing to do with United it’s across the board with all airlines. Showing up 3 min before they close the cargo gates is lack of planning on your end. Please don’t use your failures to cast blame on an entire airline or gate agent for that matter that’s simply doing her job.
Theres always gonna be something holding u up at the airport. Ur at fault here!
Be on time next time! Your fault!
If you say that you arrived one hour before the flight don’t try and make it the person checking in your bags fault!
Not sure what this passenger was thinking and why this even got posted. You should have gotten to the airport two hours before flying. And you should have stayed together with the airport employee so that she could vouch for the fact that you were there “on time” and “Early enough”. I do feel bad that you missed the wedding, but there’s a lesson you should be learning here.
So you’re upset that they didn’t go out of their way to accommodate you after you showed up much later than you should have? I don’t get it. It would have been very nice of them to accommodate you and if the ticket machine was working properly maybe you would’ve made the flight but you don’t have much of a complaint here. I feel bad for you missing the wedding but it’s not not united’s Fault.
You arrived at an airport one hour before your international flight?! I would love to see the response you get. And, it is, “my wife and I”, not “me and my wife”.
You arrived at the airport one hour before your international flight?! I would love to see the response you get. And, it is, “my wife and I”, not “me and my wife”.
It is time to take personal responsibility for your actions. It is not their fault you didn’t allow sufficient time, as others have mentioned. It’s a pity you missed the wedding, but the fault is yours and yours alone.
Sounds like your wife, who luggage was cleared should have gone ahead, and then you would have found 1 seat on a later flight, allowing both of you to make the wedding.Lesson learned….
the Traveler stated he was traveling from YYZ not YYT which is actually Montreal not Toronto. There are very few daily flights from Montreal to EWR or NYC. In addition purchasing last minute tickets are usually pretty expensive.
Personally as a long time traveler I don’t see how United failed you. Although it’s upsetting traveling so far for a Simcha only to miss it due to carelessness or being last minute.
Btw as food for thought when traveling from Montreal to NYC especially on a tight schedule for a Simcha or such never fly. The amount of time needed prior to your flight, the actual flight it self in addition factor in the almost always 1-2 hours delay plus the travel time from the airport to your final destination it just doesn’t pay.
In any event Mazal Tov anyways only Simchos
There’s a lot of self-righteous steam being blown off in this comment thread. Of course, the writer should’ve come earlier, of course there are rules, etc. But please don’t tell me that these rules are always inviolate, that they could not make an exception for someone who was clearly there before the cut-off time, who was going to miss a once-in-lifetime event, who had already gone through all the hassles of traveling to the airport, finding a parking spot, shlepping from the parking area to the departures area and so on. Strict enforcement of the rule under those circumstances sounds like petty tyranny to me. Isn’t air travel enough of a headache nowadays?
Does the CEO of United live in Lakewood?
why is this posted here?
is it meant to teach us the lesson of arriving to airport on time?
Its amazing how much hate there is one to the other. Lets not rub it in and tell this fellow that he’s in the wrong. there was no reason they couldn’t have let him on to the flight even though it was cutting it late. sometimes you just get the wrong clerk at the wrong time. that all it is to it
No reason to write a letter if you dont want responses.
I think the readers have missed the point on this article.
Once the airline ticketed one suitcase, they should’ve been decent enough to tag the second.
Everyone makes mistakes and there are consequences. However to blame it on someone else other then yourself when you’re at fault is infurating
Btw lechaim ulshalom
YYZ is Toronto Pearson international airport, just Incase you ever need to fly to Montreal I thought I would let you know 😉
Hahahhah how is this news???
How is this United’s fault??
Take responisbility. People are always looking for a reason to bash United and all airlines.
It’s the computers fault, it’s set to stop printing one hour before flight so no one can do anything, it’s not ur fault even though it is, but be aware that there’s nothing they can do but take a cab to NY. Mazal Tov not oif Simchas.
They mentioned they had arrived over an hour before and they had been checked in already I’m sure the airline could have made some accommodations to help them with the 1 suitcase
I don’t see how this is United’s fault a bit over an hr is not enough time sorry
You need to give a leeway of at least 2 hrs – I one time was flying out of Israel and I arrived 1 and half hrs and the rental car return took longer than expected, the security line was long etc. when I got to the point of checking in my luggage I had 20 mins to spare – they almost didn’t let me through – I made it onto my 9 am flight at 9:02 and we took off 9:07 –
So if they wouldn’t allow me on to the flight should I have blamed ELAL?
The couple should litigate. They checked in over an hour actually they had boarding passes since Israel. The issue was to retag a piece of luggage. Untied sucks. I pay more not fly with them and dont care for them.
Please close this comments section – Yes he should have been on time – yes they could have been more accomodating in this situation where the ticket got printed very unknowledgeably- yes there could have been a little more generosity in the face of an international flight with special travel for a wedding where late doesn’t work……..Stop blasting the person who missed his flight – he feels bad enough, and any normal agent would have helped him and GONE OUT OF HIS WAY to help him make the wedding even if he was running late. 3-4 hours is really overkill – 1 hour is cutting it way too tight – sorry – hope you enjoy the Sheva Brochos and may you see much nachas !
Is it necessary to correct his grammar? Me and my wife is acceptable in casual speech- a colloquialism. Let’s be kind, even if someone makes an error.
United may have overbooked the flight and this was their way of dealing with the overflow as well… at your expense because you were not there 3 hours before the flight.
I wouldve rented a car at least and drove down to make the chasuna!
Sorry for your frustration. Hope you at least get to be by sheva brachos!
As a Canadian who has flown from YYZ to the USA many times, let me explain it to you. The fact that you were not allowed onto your flight has nothing to do with United’s policies. It’s is the policy of YYZ airport that you need to have been checked in including luggage at least 1 hour before. The reason for this is because you need to go through security as well as US border preclearamce in Pearson. Therefore, Pearson has the one hour policy to ensure you have enough time to get to your flight. United or any airline can not override that as it is the airport’s policy (for good reason). I’m sorry that you missed your flight but next time, you need to ensure you follow instructions and show up with ample time to your flight.
Sounds like a horrible experience!!!
Flights are unpredictable, so many things can go wrong and get delayed. It pays to be prepared to “think on your feet”, should something similar happen again. Letting your wife go is one option, a single ticket would’ve been easier to find elsewhere, and even the higher cost is less of an issue when it’s one instead of two. If your luggage wasn’t very full, or didn’t have very many things you couldn’t live without, you could abandon/toss your suitcase and just take the most expensive/important things as hand luggage (sometimes!). Another option would be to find a person driving back to Toronto (ie. someone who dropped off travelers) to take your suitcase back there, you’d get it somehow eventually, and at least make the flight. Renting a car and driving works for some. Even sending back your luggage with a cab might’ve been better than missing it. Either way, it’s lousy that they didn’t try to be more helpful, and I hope the rest of your trip somehow compensates for the missed wedding!!!
As a travel agent I concur with most of the sensible comments
The passengers are totally at fault 100%
Specifically Canada to USA is considered international not domestic hence requiring additional time to get thru passport control
U don’t show up an hour or even an hr and a half before an international flt or your begging for trouble which you indeed found
A word to the wise of you came in for a specific Simcha
Do everyone a favor arrive the day before or at least arrive the morning for an evening wedding to allow for any mishaps
Travel is fraught with danger and today it means delays cancellations weather l,engine trouble,acts of g-d
If indeed you need to be their plan on arriving a day earlier
Im not a big fan of the airlines but your totally in the wrong here
I tell my clients to allow 90 minutes to 2hours for domestic flts and 3 hours for an international flight worst case senario you’ll sit if your times that valuable
You wouldn’t have time to write letters into the scoop