Over 3 hours on this plane
- Thread starter Ostatedchi
- Start date
Mike Holder pilot for the evening?
j/k few things suck worse than being stuck on the tarmac.
j/k few things suck worse than being stuck on the tarmac.
So...
United 6050 out of Houston George Bush to Tulsa.
We pulled from the gate at 7:40pm.
We get in line and start to taxi. Just seems normal at this point.
We know the line of storms is coming but have no way to know what's going on.
We then just seem to park for about 45 minutes. Then it seem like we get redirected to another runway and again get in a huge line of planes.
The pilot says we are 13th in line. They perform a quick water service while we wait.
We get to be first in the line after a little over 90 minutes. And the airport shuts down our runway. Then we don't have enough fuel to go taxi to the other runway and sit in line again; so, they take us back to the gate to refuel.
It takes another 30 minutes to get the fuel truck there. They let folks off to run to the restroom. People come back saying that all the shops are closed so they couldn't get any food.
We pull back away from the gate and just sit there for another 40 minutes while other planes taxi. Finally we jump in line and wait.
After about another 30 minutes we shut down the engines to save fuel and just sit.
We finally take off just after midnight. 4 and a half hours after originally pulling from the gate - we take off.
United 6050 out of Houston George Bush to Tulsa.
We pulled from the gate at 7:40pm.
We get in line and start to taxi. Just seems normal at this point.
We know the line of storms is coming but have no way to know what's going on.
We then just seem to park for about 45 minutes. Then it seem like we get redirected to another runway and again get in a huge line of planes.
The pilot says we are 13th in line. They perform a quick water service while we wait.
We get to be first in the line after a little over 90 minutes. And the airport shuts down our runway. Then we don't have enough fuel to go taxi to the other runway and sit in line again; so, they take us back to the gate to refuel.
It takes another 30 minutes to get the fuel truck there. They let folks off to run to the restroom. People come back saying that all the shops are closed so they couldn't get any food.
We pull back away from the gate and just sit there for another 40 minutes while other planes taxi. Finally we jump in line and wait.
After about another 30 minutes we shut down the engines to save fuel and just sit.
We finally take off just after midnight. 4 and a half hours after originally pulling from the gate - we take off.
So I was watching another line of planes take off from another runway lined up with ours. And we were just sitting there.
I was wondering if they pay more to be quicker in line? It seemed strange that they were getting priority.
I was wondering if they pay more to be quicker in line? It seemed strange that they were getting priority.
I could be way off on this, but perhaps longer haul flights have priority?
Infuriating either way.
I've had a lot of late flights on United in the last year but nothing that bad.
Yeah I'm going to talk to the corporate travel folks to complain. Maybe I can get some free bonus miles or ticket discount. Maybe..
Thanks for the feedback. I'll avoid them in the future. I really don't like SouthWest either. So Delta or American it is I guess.
Yeah, for business, Southwest isn't ideal...but everytime I've had to fly them for it, they do everything they can to be on time (if not early).
I just hate having to do the 24 hour registration dance to get a good seat. That and if I have a connecting flight (and I always do coming from Tulsa) that even if I have a good line number assignment, if the connection is even a little late then I get stuck in the middle seat between two 350 lb stinky men.
Well any work travel goes through our corporate travel group. I don't have control over it.
The last time I few South West it was great. But it was a non-stop from Tulsa to Vegas. The time before that sucked since my connection was late and my boarding assignment didn't matter. I was one of the last on the plane despite having a good place in line. Screw that.
No doubt. Of course we are pretty spoiled with our corporate shuttle from Bartlesville to Houston.
I live near Denver, about 1/3 of my travel is international, and my company has built in status with United.
As much as I might want a different option, I'll be flying United for the foreseeable future.
While I've had plenty of delayed flights I haven't had any true debacles and amazingly no missed connections. However, I'm betting I don't fly as much as many people posting ITT either.
As much as I might want a different option, I'll be flying United for the foreseeable future.
While I've had plenty of delayed flights I haven't had any true debacles and amazingly no missed connections. However, I'm betting I don't fly as much as many people posting ITT either.
I travel for work 3-4 times a year so not a whole lot, but enough that I have tried Delta, American and United. I tried Delta first and was not a fan of going through Atlanta, I then started flying American because DFW is a nice airport, but I started to have a lot of delays and started to fly United, and have had 1 delay problem but it was because of a storm so but that's the first time I had a delay with them in 5 years. But like I said I only travel a few times a year.
I have several volumes of United-related frustrations. I finally decided that just getting to the destination on time trumps having a decent flight, so dumped United for Southwest.
An area near and dear to my heart.
I will fly in the opposite direction to avoid united. It's a shame, because I used to be a northwest/continental loyalist. Continental was perfect south and northwest filled the rest of my needs. When united bought continental, and delta bought northwest, I tried to stick with united. It took me about a month to decide it was a terrible decision. I don't have the time to tell stories, but they stranded me several times and stuck me in hotels that were just nasty.
I am a big fan of southwest. They get you there when no one else can ... rarely have mechanical issues and their route structure and plane availability does limit weather issues. Since the right amendment repeal though they have really cut down on many of the routes I need - so they are my secondary.
I now major in American. When things go right, they are my best "fit". The problem is things often go wrong. They use old planes on short hops and I probably have one mechanical issue that creates a delay a month.
Suffice to say none are great ... but united is Satan.
I will fly in the opposite direction to avoid united. It's a shame, because I used to be a northwest/continental loyalist. Continental was perfect south and northwest filled the rest of my needs. When united bought continental, and delta bought northwest, I tried to stick with united. It took me about a month to decide it was a terrible decision. I don't have the time to tell stories, but they stranded me several times and stuck me in hotels that were just nasty.
I am a big fan of southwest. They get you there when no one else can ... rarely have mechanical issues and their route structure and plane availability does limit weather issues. Since the right amendment repeal though they have really cut down on many of the routes I need - so they are my secondary.
I now major in American. When things go right, they are my best "fit". The problem is things often go wrong. They use old planes on short hops and I probably have one mechanical issue that creates a delay a month.
Suffice to say none are great ... but united is Satan.
Definitely call United and tell them you are pissed, never going to fly them again blah blah blah...they will probably cough up 10,000 award miles. I've gotten as many as 15,000 before. By September or October next year will have crossed the million mile mark on United, wife & I will be gold for life. I'll stick with United until then because as Navin Johnson said in "The Jerk" when the new phonebook came out and he found his name, "I'm somebody."
BTW could go on and on about issues have had with United, but not really sure any of them are better. They are all pretty much syndicates now and while you can get some resolution you normally are toast. My worst experience was going to Santiago Chile from Tulsa back when you had to change flights in Panama City and get on Copa. Had a stop over in Lima for Business and my luggage had been sent on to Santiago. Then coming home, same trip, luggage again was lost in Houston. Thankfully United flies direct to Santiago now, so no problem.
Remember having the same problem out of Houston to Tulsa once. Line of storms coming in, try to beat the storms only to have the storms go severe. Sat on the tarmac for over 2 hours and because there was hail, we had to go back to the terminal for an inspection. By the time the plane was ready to go the pilots hours for the day were up, so the flight gets scrubbed. Thankfully was 1K at the time so got next available seat which was later that night. Had friends on the flight (Friday night) that didn't get out until Saturday afternoon.
Will go IAH to SYD for the second time in 3 months come May 9th and that is 17+ hours going. Flying is a pain in the ass though and if you don't have status you are below bottom feeder status and trying to get re-booked is a brutally difficult experience especially on the holidays and during the summer.
You're correct that they all have issues, while I have has the least amount of issues with United I am not going to argue with people that have had more problems with United and less with others.
I'll for sure agree that southwest is nice, but I am not a fan of not having an assigned seat, especially for connecting flights when you have a chance of being late and are the last person to board. (this has happened to my wife a few times where we pay for priority boarding and her flight is late and wasted money)
I'll for sure agree that southwest is nice, but I am not a fan of not having an assigned seat, especially for connecting flights when you have a chance of being late and are the last person to board. (this has happened to my wife a few times where we pay for priority boarding and her flight is late and wasted money)
Ivan that’s my biggest gripe about SW, the seating....especially because every few days I’ll check my flights and move my seating to at least have no one next to me, if not even get a whole row. Most of the flights I’m on internationally are 3x3x3 so having 3 seats to stretch out in is golden. Even remember a few time with the 2x4x2 configuration getting four seats to stretch out in. Right now both my outbound and return going to Australia am on 757’s with 3 seats to myself.
The other beauty of having status is being in the first two groups to board. Which means you don’t have to fight for freakin overhead bin space. Not a huge problem in the US but in Asia where people’s luggage consist of cardboard boxes wrapped in shrink wrap its a giant pain.
My gripe about United is they still bring those small ass embraers here for outbounds to Chicago, Houston and Denver. At 6’4” those are just to small to be comfortable unless you can get 18A, the single seat emergency row.
The other beauty of having status is being in the first two groups to board. Which means you don’t have to fight for freakin overhead bin space. Not a huge problem in the US but in Asia where people’s luggage consist of cardboard boxes wrapped in shrink wrap its a giant pain.
My gripe about United is they still bring those small ass embraers here for outbounds to Chicago, Houston and Denver. At 6’4” those are just to small to be comfortable unless you can get 18A, the single seat emergency row.
United has also started using regional jets for almost all of their DEN-SJC flights.
I hate SFO, especially since my company's office is in Fremont. It has definitely reduced my desire to maintain status with United. But flying out of Denver doesn't give me a lot of options since I mix in at least one or two international trips a year.
I hate SFO, especially since my company's office is in Fremont. It has definitely reduced my desire to maintain status with United. But flying out of Denver doesn't give me a lot of options since I mix in at least one or two international trips a year.
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