First off, you only have until tomorrow (March 19) to take advantage of this – and now, some details about this new, next-day service.
United Airlines will ship your bag – or as many as nine bags – for just $25 per bag, each-way. That’s a huge savings right there, as the airline normally charges $35 for a second checked-bag, $125 per third and fourth checked-bag, and $250 for a fifth. And again, those are one-way prices.
And you completely avoid any hassling with bags – FedEx picks your bag(s) up – or you drop them off at the nearest shipping center – and the bags are delivered to you at your destination, the very next day.
Now there are various terms and conditions that apply so be sure to read all about it before you commit. And remember, never pack valuables in a bag (keep them on your person).
I find this experiment fascinating: United is certainly thinking way outside that old-fashioned baggage carousel, that’s for sure.
Did you know? Those folks roaming around the airport with those handheld mobile gizmos could be members of American Airlines’ “Your Assistance Delivered Anywhere” program, and they’re there to help (and United has a similar type program).
They are helpful to passengers: they can provide flight information, assist you with getting on a standby list, that sort of thing. You’ll see American’s assistants in Boston, and now Dallas, Miami, San Juan and New York.
And, not so helpful (but helpful to the airline): if a carryon bag is too big, they’ll help you check it and you will pay (USA Today says American Airlines in part ”sees [the program] as a revenue-generating tool”).
Save yourself some trouble (and money) – get the facts on bag sizes and fees – and pack right, before you run into a “roaming assistant”.
United is offering its Premier Line service at a special rate for a limited time only.
Prices begin at just $9 one-way, and this service includes:
- Premier check-in line
- Priority security line
- Priority boarding
The priority security line is available at most of the big airports, and also at Kansas City, Orange County CA, Phoenix, San Diego and more.
This special price is only available until March 14.
Believe me, I can understand if you resist paying for yet another service – but if lack of overhead bin space is a big concern of yours, this could be a small price to pay.
UPDATE: The video is now on YouTube.
Tonight Dave Carroll releases his third and final installment in the United Breaks Guitars trilogy, and you can see the video and listen to the news song at 7:30pm EST this evening.
If this strikes you as overkill, then perhaps you’ve never had a “mishandled baggage” problem.
Dave has. The Canadian singer/songwriter was on the tarmac waiting for his United flight to take off when he noticed baggage handlers tossing his guitar about. And yes, it got broken. And United did nothing.
Until the first “United Breaks Guitars” song/video hit YouTube and was seen by, oh, around 7.9 million people.
Then he got some action. But Dave promised his fans three songs on the subject, so along came song #2 and tonight we see the finale.
I received this heartfelt letter today, about one woman’s good experience with an airline during a family tragedy; it was long ago, but Lori has never forgotten how well she was treated by United Airlines, and she remains a devoted customer of theirs, to this day. Here’s Lori’s story:
Dear Mr. Seaney,
I read with interest [your] article on ABCNews.com about bereavement fares. I had this happen to me 19 years ago when I was living in Sacramento, CA and my father suffered a brain aneurysm here in Iowa.
It was one of those late night phone calls you never want to get, you know?
I immediately opened up the Yellow Pages and went through the airline listings, but they kept telling me the same thing: $1200. Now, I didn’t make much money then and had a 2 year old to support as well, so by the time I got to United (the last one in the phone book), I was desperate. When they quoted me $1200, I broke down and cried!
Keep reading, and see how United responded…
It’s the Human Touch: How an Airline Makes a Customer for Life
“Consolidation is one of the major ways this industry can become profitable,” said US Airways CFO Derek Kerr, at the Reuters Travel and Leisure Summit. He also said, his airline is open to a merger with a U.S. airline.
Okay. At that same summit, United’s CFO, Kathryn Mikells said UA is also interested in a merger.
According to Reuters, the two had talks about merging in 2008, but nothing happened, as was the case when UA pursued talks with Continental. So who knows what’ll happen.
Still I can’t help but wonder – do I hear wedding bells?
You already know that 4,000 Lufthansa pilots walked off the job overnight, but did you know at least 800 flights have been canceled today, and including “many long-haul flights to the U.S.” affecting cities like New York and Denver?
Reminder: Lufthansa is a member of the Star Alliance – as is, Continental, United and US Airways. According to CNN, partner airlines were preparing for the strike – and a spokeswoman for Continental Airlines told CNN on Sunday that the airline will offer passengers refunds or rebook their travel if they are affected (note they said “if”).
My advice: Do not assume your flight is canceled – or that it is still on. Contact your airline and find out.
The pilots say they want a raise, but even more important to them is job security. Meantime, they are sending Lufthansa a powerful message – the strike is estimated to be costing the airline in the neighborhood of $33 million a day. The walkout is expected to end late Thursday.
This latest incident occurred aboard a United flight from Denver to San Francisco, yesterday morning:
Crew members found what has only been described as a “threatening note” in the galley, and the pilot decided to be on the safe side and diverted to Salt Lake City.
You know the drill: the plane was searched for explosives, and nothing was found. And nobody owned up to writing the note so there were no arrests.
Meantime, the passengers were obviously delayed in getting to their destination – by almost ten hours.
Here’s an idea – make ‘em pay: In cases like this, if they find the perpetrator – how about every passenger gets $100 per hour of delay, plus a free plane ticket – and the airline is reimbursed for “diversion” costs – all of it paid for by the note writer?
