Cheap Flights From Honolulu, Hawaii To Denver, Colorado

“never did liked flying United, this flight experience was full of utterly pure frustration, never United ever again!!!!”

by rettastar on May 11, 2010

Flight from Honolulu to Denver

Airline:

United

Number of Stops:

No stops

Date of Flight:

May 2010

Seat Class:

premium

We up graded to 1st class on the flight to Honolulu, actually the best flight experience with United. We tried to upgrade to 1st class for the flight back. How difficult can they make it? Apparently extremely and through in attitude, confusion and 'Time Consuming'!

We booked through orbitz, flight, car and hotel. When we checked in we were offered to upgrade to 1st class at a reasonable rate, we took it. Because it was the one & only good experience with United we tried to upgrade for the flight back.

We got onto United website (while on our vacation) trying to upgrade. Could not get anywhere cause you can only do it with 'miles'. We didn't have enough mile but getting the point across that we have cash or credit card we will part with easily to purchase 1st class seats seemed to be not in United vocabulary.

We called United and Orbitz several times. United is big on the 'outsourced agents with thick accents' we can hardly get our question across to them and can hardly understand them. Let me include that through this whole process that went on for hours (3 the first day and another effort the day before we left for another 2 hours) we were put on hold and in the loop of automated voice options for more time than talking to a human.

We first called Orbitz, they say we have to go through United and there are 1st class seats available.

Call United, they say to call Orbitz, and there are seats.

Call United again, but first to any one reading this, stare at this page for 10 minutes to simulate being on hold. Then I'm going to finish writhing this in tiny print to simulate trying to understand the agent. The agent says there are no seats.

Call United again to see if we get another answer. (Again stare at this page til you are cross eyed and in pain, hold for 10 mins, to simulate our pain). Yes there are seats we are told, great we want them, what $1,900.00? but it was only $300 more on our flight here.

Call Orbitz and relay our frustrations, on hold.., cheaper to repurchase our tickets. We'll think about it.

Call United back asking for a Manager. 15 mins later told we are now being connected to a Supervisor. . . got cut off.

Call United back 15 mins later to get a Supervisor, blah blah blah, seats are still available, great, how are we going to purchase? it'll be visa. what,not miles, visa,we have no miles, visa...oh we can't have them. United will not take MONEY! but you will accept money for Premium seats. So we pay to upgrade to Premium, still couldn't get a quality explanation of what Premium was other than more leg room.

Went through it all again before leaving for the airport. Same thing. We will try at the airport. I did note that checking on the website our seats were together and then hit print boarding passes I was suddenly switched to another row. And we were not charged for our luggage coming here but got charged going back.

We check our bags curbside and ask where we should go to see about upgrading. We went to the counter where we were told and waited in line for 10 minutes. The girl at the counter said we had to go to another counter across the way to upgrade.

We make our way there. Trying to pass the time because there was only one agent working among the 8 counters, I started asking why the other people were in line. I just notice the line consisted of parents with babies. They said they were sent there to pay the tax on their child. Under two flys free, right? So pay a tax on $0?

After standing in line for 30 mins among screaming kids, we get to the counter. We were told to upgrade we had to go back to the main counter, where we were before. What?!! No, we told the agent we were told to come here and pointed out the agent that sent us over here. She seen us and b-lined out of there. He went over there and returned after a few minutes and said there are no seats available.

I showed him my seat assignment for our connecting flight that put me away from my husband. At least he could change that.

After all that we thought at least we have a little better seats Premium, right? Don't bother with them! The money you pay gets you a little more leg room. The seats are only made for sitting straight up. Tilting the seat back and stretch my legs out and I slide down, struggling to sleep on a 7hr flight. Service was poor, had to get out of our seat to find an attendent because the service light was being ignore. Asked for a pillow and was told all the pillows went to first class like it was a no brainer that only first class got them.

Finally land and standing in line to get on our connecting flight (a very small regional plane) I look down at my boarding pass that I had changed. I was assigned boarding the plane in seating priority 4. So if I didn't be a rebel and board the plane during the seating priority 2 (there was only 2), I would've never got on.