Interminable Delays

December 3, 2009

in Delay/Cancellation Stories

This was last year in 2008 from a flight that was SUPPOSED to be from San Francisco to Los Angeles with a connecting flight to Honolulu. All in all, everything was going well on the way to SFO.

…Until we found out our flight was canceled and they put us in a line for about 45 minutes to get on another plane. After that, we went to security, where they pulled us out randomly for a longer-than-usual even-more-frustrating security check. That took about another 45 minutes. I had been bringing along an (very large for its camera size) underwater camera housing that I just knew would be getting pulled out because they might think it was something like a bomb. After going through that twice, we found out our flight was delayed – FOR NINE HOURS! So we were stuck there for NINE hours, although I did get some nice ramen from a restaurant.

When we FINALLY did get on the plane, takeoff went smoothly and we were going to arrive fifteen minutes early. Everything went well, and the two girls (one was about 3, the other 5) with their mother in front of us were being nice and quiet. But, about 30 minutes into the flight, BOTH of the girls started throwing up. It lasted the WHOLE 5 HOURS.

And believe it or not, the way BACK to Los Angeles from Honolulu, our flight got canceled AGAIN, and we had to go to the counter and get another plane. When we got to Los Angeles, and by this time it was already the next morning, our flight to San Francisco got delayed for an hour!

Signed, Never Flying United Airlines Again

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

anon December 4, 2009 at 8:33 pm

You seem VERY excited to share your STORY with us. THANK you.

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DSD December 6, 2009 at 7:49 am

I'm lost…

Its San Fran to LA then on to Honolulu; so where does getting to San Fran come into play?

Your delayed 9 hours but arrive 15 minutes early at the end?

Your flight from Honolulu to LA was cancled and so you arrive the next day LA time and still caught your flight to San Fran? How does that work?

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Demotage December 6, 2009 at 3:02 pm

I don't see anything confusing in this. Sometimes the cheaper flights to Hawaii from SFO connect through LAX. On the way back – so he's delayed until the next day – and he's put on another flight to SFO – it's not hard to catch a flight LAX to SFO. Pretty much any airline that flys that route flys it once an hour of so.

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Kad December 16, 2009 at 3:28 am

Ramen noodles are highly over-rated, except by people who don't know anything about cuisine. I'd rather have my nine hours back, by paying for a direct flight, instead of trying to save $50 by flying through LAX.

Other than that, I'm not sure what the problem was. You got everything you paid for, and moreover can blame the TSA, NOT United, for the stupid security procedures. Call your Congressman and Senator, start a PAC, use slightly threatening language about a drop in political donations because so many people are p***ed about the idiotic security procedures for domestic flights.

Oh yeah. People aren't supposed to be profiled. Even though most people with ill intent have suspiciously brown skin. Spare me the examples that don't follow the curve. They are far and few between, and are likely to be mentally ill, or NRA members.

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