United Airlines is one of the US’ major airlines, is also tagged as the third largest airline in the world, and is the founding member of the Star Alliance group. The airline itself was founded in 1926. It has had a remarkable journey so far and is on the verge of completing its centennial year very soon. It started by providing planes to the US military base but eventually expanded services and shifted to being the world’s most noted passenger carrier.
One of the premier airlines that inspired the onboard services of many airways across the globe, the airline has its many firsts. The most incredible of them has been the introduction of the flight kitchen that served hot meals to passengers in the 1930s when it was unheard of. Rival groups soon followed suit in a bid to enhance the hospitality and flying experience of the fliers. Today United has gone a step ahead to offer complimentary meals along various routes like flights from the US to Colombia, Argentina, Africa, China, Australia, and Mexico. Their meal packages on business and first-class are among the best in the world.
This is one carrier that uses technology in a big way to strengthen its customer service. Their onboard amenities, meals, and entertainment are, indeed, top-notch and are unrivaled to date.
United Airlines’ main hubs are San Francisco International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Houston’s George Bush International Airport, Newark’s Liberty International Airport, and Denver International Airport. Others include Frankfurt International Airport, Hong Kong International Airport, London’s Heathrow International Airport, and New York’s International Airport. The airline flies to approximately 238 domestic and 120 international destinations across continents like Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Oceania. It was the first to fly to all states of the United States.
United is a leading airline and so far maintains a spotless record in handling passenger baggage. However, given the fact that it is also the busiest airline in the world with the largest number of flight routes, it can occasionally afford a few misses like delayed or lost baggage with increased traffic. Here’s what you should do to avoid lost baggage headache and a trip-ruining predicament.
File Your Lost Baggage Report
You may have accidentally left your belongings on the plane or at the airport. In a different scenario, your bags don’t travel with you to the same destination much to your horror. What do you do? Well, in both cases, you do the obvious — that is filing a complaint at the Baggage Services Counter, or (even better) filling and submitting an online form by clicking here. The actual search process is outsourced to a specialist by the name of Chargerback.
Please provide all the mandatory information in the form to help the authorities to launch an extensive search. These would include flight details, date of travel, boarding airport, final destination, seat number, contact information, and a thorough description of the item/s feared lost or delayed. Once you submit the form, you get a confirmation by email along with a tracking number.
You are not required to send follow-up emails irrespective of the emergency. This is because once your complaint is logged into their system, the officials do everything possible to trace and reunite the lost items to their owners. They send updates 2, 5, 15, and 30 days after a report is filed. 30 days is their maximum window period. In that time if they are successful in tracking your things, they will send you an email with simple instructions to collect the same. If they fail in their effort, your bag is declared ‘lost’ with zero chances of retrieval. Please follow this link for delayed bags.
Dial the Customer Helpline
Alternatively, you can have a quick chat on their Chat option on the website, or call an agent at United to explain your predicament. This is the number – 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331) – if you would like to connect with someone in the US. However, given the large volume of customer calls they handle regularly, it is unlikely that you will be attended promptly on the phone. The wait time can get endless. In such a scenario, it is a good idea to connect with an agent on their Chat option. Just make sure that you are sharing details with a human and not a chatbot for quicker resolution. The sooner you lodge a missing item complaint, the greater the chances of recovery, and less time and money spent by the airline company on returning the things to you.
A point to remember here though — there could be some delay in returning your things after they are found because of some protocols in place.
Report Through Social Media
If none of the above is working to your satisfaction and speed, you can raise your legitimate concerns on their social media pages. Indifferent authorities are commonly shamed on these public platforms, but United is a large airline with a huge volume of caller requests. It sometimes could delay action but this does not necessarily stem from willful neglect of duties. Nonetheless, social media plays an important role in dispelling passenger frustration, confusion, and panic by getting the ball rolling fast and furious.
Please take a look at the following links to use during such a crisis — Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
