Quadri K.

My worst flight experience was with United Airlines on July 21st. I had booked a flight from Ottawa to New Jersey because I had a business meeting scheduled for 12 noon. The flight was scheduled for 6 a.m., and I expected to arrive at 7 a.m., thinking I had enough time in case of any flight delays.
However, my flight was delayed for 7 hours, and it didn't take off until 1:15 p.m. and the airport attendants informed us this was due to a fire extinguisher functionality. By the time I arrived at my destination, my business meeting had already concluded, rendering the entire trip pointless.
Upon returning home, I promptly filed a compensation complaint (Case ID: **************). The response time to my complaint was disappointingly slow. I eventually received an email offering two options: a cash compensation of $600 or a travel voucher worth $1000, valid for 12 months. Since I had no immediate travel plans for the next year and the voucher would expire within 12 months, I opted for the cash compensation. I provided my address as requested for a check to be mailed out.

To my surprise, I received a response from United Airlines stating that I did not qualify for the compensation option I had chosen. Instead, they offered a travel voucher worth $200. United Airlines claimed the flight was disrupted due to safety reasons, hence I do not qualify for compensation.

This experience was incredibly frustrating and disappointing and I will not advise anyone to travel with United Airlines if you have an important appointment the same day.