United Airlines Makes Me An Offer. Can I Refuse?

Like many of you, Barb and I have travel credit cards from a few different airlines. When we use them we accumulate an airline mile or two for every dollar we spend. When we purchase flights using the cards we enjoy perks like free baggage checking and slightly early boarding. And there is a nice extra that we always forget to use, once-a-year admission to a fancy airport lounge.

We carefully nurture our miles, hoping to earn enough for a big trip somewhere, someday. But I admire United Airlines for seeking out creative new ways for getting us to redeem our hard-earned credits. Today’s email from the airline invited me, as one of a select group of card owners, “to join us in our brand-new, state-of-the-art training facility in Houston as you spend a day in the life of a flight attendant.” At the amazingly low cost of 10,000 miles!

My pulse is racing as I envision the exciting day in Houston. The invitation promises not just a tour, but also chances to sit in on Flight Attendant Classes, to slide down evacuation slides, and even to simulate a water landing–what the airlines call “wet ditching.” Sure sounds like the most fun I have had since Disneyworld…not. And did I mention that “light breakfast items” and lunch are included? I bet there will be enough food to cover a whole tray table, while my neighbor hogs the armrest.

Sadly, I think United’s marketing people sent this invitation to the wrong person. With all the information they have on file about me they should know this 67-year-old retiree who has never been in the service industry is not all that interested in how United Airlines trains their in-air staff. This exclusive offer should have found a better offeree.

If I’m going to go for training in Houston, it will either be to learn how to cheat from the Houston Astros or get the hang of flying to the moon at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. I want to fly high with the big boys!

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We Played Airline Bingo and We Won!

The bingo game started at the beginning of the year. Our daughter Laury let us know that she and her family would be renting a house in Hilton Head, South Carolina for a week in June. Barb and I politely suggested that if they upgraded to a slightly larger house we would be happy to join them. A first-time visit to Hilton Head for us, some extra babysitters for them. Perfect plan!

The kids agreed and located the perfect house. Barb and I booked seats on the same XYZ Airline non-stop flight to Savannah as the kids. So far so good.

We hit a bump on the runway in February. While Barb and I were visiting several transplanted Chicagoans in the Phoenix area, Laury messaged us that the details for our Savannah flight had changed. Our voyage now included a 30-minute layover and plane change en route. Laury felt this was undoable with a toddler and an infant, even with grandparent assistance.

After some back and forth, we all decided it made sense to drive instead of fly. Laury’s family’s tickets had been booked with XYZ miles, so a refund was easy for them. Not so simple for us, since we had paid for our tickets. As it was the airline that had initiated the flight changes, XYZ agreed to let us cancel without penalty, but would only give us an airline credit, not a cash refund. So there we were with a decent-sized credit for an airline that we rarely used,

But then an opportunity to use the credit knocked on our theater door. We learned that A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond bio-play, would be having its worldwide debut in Boston over the summer. Since no Broadway dates had been announced, we decided this was our best chance to see the new play, based on the life of Barb’s musical idol. We bought theater tickets, booked a hotel for a weekend in June, and used our airline credits for the flight to Bean Town (or is it Beantown?)

But wouldn’t you know it, shortly after everything was booked and in place the producers announced that the New York run of A Beautiful Noise would begin in the fall. Boston is nice, but Broadway is Broadway so we decided to skip the Cradle of Liberty and plan a November anniversary (our 44th) weekend in the Big Apple. We put our Boston theater tickets up for sale on StubHub, and converted our airline flight from Boston Logan to NYC LaGuardia.

Confused yet? To recap, after two major itinerary changes, we were fairly even with the airline. But then something good happened. Barb and I both received a message from the airline telling us that the airline was revamping its credits program and each of us had a full travel credit remaining. We felt as if we had passed go and collected $200. The only kicker was the credit had to be used for travel beginning no later than January 5, 2023.

Our schedule is fairly packed between now and the end of the year so we didn’t see any way to add a new trip. But then we realized that on January 4th we are scheduled to fly to Florida for a week-long visit with some snowbird friends. And THOSE tickets on United Airlines were booked with miles, so they could be easily canceled and our miles refunded.

We spent an hour or so toggling between two computers, switching our flights to use our Airline XYZ travel credits. We reclaimed our United miles and high-fived each other for a job well done. As far as we can figure out, we just got a free flight to Florida.

Maybe from now on, I won’t bitch so much at XYZ Airlines!

Another Letter To Doug Parker, American Airlines CEO

Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane…

…ain’t got time to take a fast train.

The Letter

The Box Tops, 1967

Hey Doug,

You may recall that I used this blog to lay out my frustration with American Airlines’ handling of our family trip to Miami in December. Of course my letter to you was just for venting, my real request for action from the airline was in a separate, snail mail document, complete with appropriate attachments. Bopping through your website it wasn’t easy to find a way to submit my request, so I elected to send it to the “Refund” Department. It must have been a bad choice on my part, because I still haven’t gotten my refund, or even acknowledgement that my refund request was received and was being investigated. So Doug, I am reprinting my letter here, with a couple of names and numbers redacted. But you can give me a call, I am in the book!

American Airlines
Attention: Passenger Refunds
4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85034

January 9, 2016

RE: Record Locator xxxxxx

To Whom It May Concern:

On December 20, 2015 our family of 4 was scheduled to fly first class non-stop from Chicago to Miami on flight 1611 with full fare tickets (see attachment #1). This flight was cancelled. We were subsequently routed from Chicago to Detroit on December 20, finishing our travels with flight 1448 from Detroit to Miami on December 21.

As evidenced by attachment #2, Lester Raff and xxx xxxx did not receive first class accommodations on the flight from Detroit to Miami. No refund was offered.

Other relatives travelling a similar original itinerary (record locator xxxxx) received $xx per passenger vouchers for the change from first class to economy. I expect the same vouchers for our unreimbursed change of accommodations.

Please mail the vouchers to me at the above address, or email to lesraff@comcast.net

I thank you for your prompt attention.

Sincerely,

Lester J. Raff

Hope to hear from you soon, Doug. If not, we do have another home town airline!

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