How does UAL remain in business?
It's a question we have to ask ourselves seriously when reading our featured story of a passenger who had to waste hours of telephone time and finally contact his Senator to obtain a $23 refund and Brent McCray, a Premier Executive whose records the airline tried to destroy... really! Another customer leaving the airline offers some useful tips for customers trying to contact a UAL human in their own country.

Legal Action Time:
UAL learns their lesson in another small claims case and faces another pending lawsuit after bungling a US Army mechanic's check-in, causing him to miss his flight. Not only does the airline refuse to apologize for their error, but they maintain a lengthy string of form letter replies before sending a patronizing follow-up that basically blames the customer. Another passenger is refused compensation for her expenses, after being re-routed to Denver and then stranded there for several days. And another writes, "Today I was awarded $775.15 in the Burlington, VT small claims court. The original ticket only cost just under $200. Read more about this and other passenger lawsuits against United.

Form Letter Time:
Back in June, Barb Barrett and parent volunteers took 13 California elementary school students on a class trip to Washington DC. On the way back, the group spent hours waiting to board, 5 hours waiting on the plane that can't fly, another 3 hours waiting in the airport, during which time the children catch an hour and a half of sleep on the floor of baggage claim, and then 4 hours in a hotel -- for which UAL doesn't cover the bill. The airline's response to Ms. Barrett's letter of complaint was a blatantly generic form letter, leaving some question as to whether the folks in "Customer Service" know how to read.

Congratulations United!:
A story in USA Today notes that UAL had the industry's highest rate of passenger complaints to the DOT for all of 2006: 1.36 complaints for every 100,000 passengers boarded. By April, the latest month for which DOT has data, that rate had risen to 2.6 per 100,000. Last year, United's first year out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, saw its worst showing in DOT complaints since 2002, the year the airline filed for Chapter 11. We're waiting with interest to see how the numbers come out for 2007.

Jo Reinhardt, in memoriam:
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Jo Reinhardt on March 9, 2008. Ms. Reinhardt was a career flight attendant, afflicted with Lou Gehrigs' disease, and fired by UAL management as soon as her three-year medical leave ended. While the airline attempted damage control after word of their cruelty became public knowledge, few, apart from the Denver Post were fooled. Rest in peace, Jo.

A harrowing story of UAL mistreatment:
A current employee describes a story we've heard many times before in similar versions, involving an on-the-job injury, harrassment from UAL medical, attempts to get rid of the employee, and numerous efforts by UAL management to evade the law. This time, at least, the union did its job.

Legal advice and employee information requested:
More terminated employees are soliciting legal advice or information from other fellow employees regarding their respective plights. Some correspondence relates to employees terminated under suspicious "medical-related" reasons, with one former UAL medical doctor stepping forward to respond to questions. In similar incidents, one employee was terminated while under medical care, another was terminated after the airline fabricated the claim that he resigned, and a potential whistleblower was terminated and refused his retirement pay. If anyone has advice or can offer legal representation for these employees, please contact our site.

Employee dividends... $357 a head!:
One reader analyzes the not-so-generous shareholder dividends allocated to employees, contrasted with Tilton's compensation, while the airline loses $152M and the competition posts profits of $81M.

How UAL treats its own:
UAL is not known for rewarding its best, but rather, for punishing them, in particular, anyone who dares speak out, especially whistleblowers. Some of the many examples contained in our employee feedback section include the letter we recently received from the wife of a former UAL pilot instructor, who describes how the airline -- from union and employee representatives, medical advisors, and fleet captain -- ignored the trainer's health condition, fought against his Workman's Compenstation filing, and ultimately, contributed to his early death. Another former employee describes her struggle to get back on her feet. The advice of former employees is useful reading: UAL does not care about you!