A not so funny thing happened on the way to South by Southwest Interactive (SXSW) on Friday. Per usual, I mostly packed the night before, mentally envisioning what I’d need as I prepared to hit the road for seven days of travel to Austin, NYC and ultimately Seattle this week.
First stop, Austin, Texas. After a little time with my family in the morning, I left the house around 10 AM for my 12:25 PM United flight out of Dulles direct to Austin. Got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, checked my bag at the United ticket counter, printed out my boarding pass, went through security and rode the “mobile lounge people mover” (would love to see these things in a Hollywood action film chase scene someday) to my gate.
I was all set, or so I thought.
Upon closer look, I noted that “PASSENGER MANAGEMENT CARD” was printed along the top of what I thought was my boarding pass. This should’ve been my first clue that something was wrong, but I dismissed it as United’s feeble attempt at futuristic aeronautical nomenclature. At the gate, I struck up a conversation with Andrew who was also headed to SXSW and had the same note on his card.
Passengers began to board, including a couple friends of mine and we ended our brief chats with, “See you on board!” I eventually joined the line and made my way to the front. When I got there, I handed my card to the attendant and she informed me that I didn’t have a confirmed seat assignment. She then directed me to stand to the side with several others who evidently were in the the same boat, so to speak. We all stood by and watched until the last passenger checked-in.
I was confused about this considering that my flight arrangements were made months ago. SXSW is a popular conference and I knew that flights and hotels were going to fill up fast so we booked early. They have to accommodate us, right? As an optimist, I had a pretty good feeling that we’d all board momentarily. Alas, no such luck.
The attendant then told us that the flight was oversold and that our confirmed ticket didn’t necessarily mean that we had a confirmed seat on the plane. Really? Who else operates like this? Restaurants? Movie theatres? Cruise ships? Nope. Couldn’t think of one other business that doesn’t actually honor prepaid reservations.
Supposedly, an announcement was made asking for volunteers to give up their seat in exchange for a free round-trip but I never heard it. More importantly, there were no takers. Even though I booked this months ago, I was still out of luck? OK, what now? When’s the next flight? Who is going to fix this?
Sorry, no answers. Supposedly, all inquiries needed to be made at the Customer Service counter. So, Andrew and I made our way there and decided that even though this was unacceptable, we were anxious to work through it to a successful conclusion. In my experience, misdirected rage has never really resolved anything positively.
Those of us in line quickly bonded with each other and figured out our DC six degree connections. Virginia whipped out her new Flip and captured our thoughts at the moment on video. We dubbed ourselves the “United 4” (plus Chris, who was already at the counter when we arrived and was able to rebook on a flight through Denver).
In the end, it all worked out. Sorta. Three of us wanting to get to Austin that day made it, although barely. Virginia cancelled her trip entirely, our PBS colleague flew out the next day. Fortunately, I was able to book the last seat through Denver (thank you, Jennifer and WE travel agent!).
After Andrew nicely, yet firmly, requested to speak with a United manager, he successfully secured the very last seat on a direct flight later that afternoon and was bumped to first class, no less – which was the least they could do!
The lesson here?
First, if you are United, try not to tick off a bunch of bloggers en route to one of the largest interactive conferences in the country. In addition to writing about it, we own multimedia devices that will record our displeasure in real time – just a few clicks away from a YouTube upload.
Second, if you are a traveler, confirm your seat assignment online starting 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, you might just be left behind!
Related
The United 4 – SXSW Bound No More (Virginia Miracle)
How to (not) get bumped from your flight (September Third)
Rui Cruz
Hey,
This is my first visit to your blog. So far so good.
Whell, think positive. I may not be as rich as you are, but I sometimes get on a plain betweeen Portugal and Spain.
And I must tell you, its a lot worse when your flight just dosnt “exist” or was cancelled. 😛
Rui
Bartola
Love the advice. Thank you.