Chicago, Monday 5th February 2007, 6am
I wake up with the intention of getting to the airport with plenty of time before my flight. Is freezing, apparently the coldest day in Chicago in the last eleven years. Minus 30 degrees Celsius...

8.36am
I've finished my checking for my flight Chicago-San Francisco. That is after a very rude man from United yells at me infront of everyone to take one pair of shoes from my luggage cause it is 3 lbs too heavy (that is 1.36kg). I wonder, where is the famous American customer service? Probably forgotten in the restaurants where they expect a tip from you. So, after getting really frustrated (I've been packing for ages the day before to make it all perfectly organised, intending to protect my fragile items), I grab my trekking boots and carry them inside my hand bag (which already was heavy).

8.38am
I join the security line. As my brother has left me to my own devices, I decide to go to the duty free area asap to get a nice breakfast (United domestic doesn't provide any food). The line is long but a lady assures me it goes fast....

[...]

10.25
My flying time is arriving. I start stressing... plus I am hungry. I've already asked two personnel from the airport if I could "jump" the queue as my flight is living soon. (Remember, flights close their gates 30 min before their departure, it says so in your ticket).

The lady doesn't give a damn. She says I cannot do that, that it is United's problem and that everyone else is in the same situation. She is cynically polite, with a big grin you can tell she is enjoying my stress. I tell her that I have got a connecting flight to London from San Francisco, therefore I really cannot miss my plane.

Again, she tells me she cannot do anything.

10.32
An American lady approaches one of these people who are checking our boarding passes before we go through the metal detectors. Her flight is leaving in 8 minutes, can she please jump the queue? Nope madame...

10.50
I finally get through. That is 2 hours 12 minutes after being in the security control queue. I run down the corridors, with my heavy bag and dodgying people. Got to my gate (the furthest one, of course). Closed: -I'm sorry madame, the flight is closed. You got to go back to the end of the corridor and get tickets for the next flight-

I don't even stop to ask her why hasn't she called me through the speakers. After all, they can see in the systems I had checked in with plenty of time!

Anyway, back through miles of corridor, with my heavy bag. Queue for the Customer Service. A very nice lady from United helps me and offers me 'Stand By' for the flight at 12.00 and a seat for the flight at 1pm. Great, I may make it!

12.00
I'm really starving by now but I'm determined to not miss this flight. I stuck to the gate and hope that there will be a seat for me. The super efficient and nice lady tells me that I'm behind other people in the same situation and she will only be able to tell me if I got a seat once the plane is boarded.

12.40
The plane is delayed because of weather conditions (ARGGHHH!!!). The nice nice lady tells one of the co-workers to give me a home-made cookie. It tastes like heaven.

People start boarding, they take forever. My anxiety is growing... Then she sends the same guy who gave me the cookie to check how many seats are left. Two. One passenger goes through. She starts calling different names... nobody comes forward, I may have a chance!

There is only one man before me. He is standing right next to me. The nice lady tells him that I got a connection to catch for London and if he'd give me his seat and he can go in the next flight (only 20 miuntes later, but 20 very significant minutes for me). No, sorry. (BAS***d!!)

1.40
Managed to get a seat in the next flight, also delayed. By now I'm gonna faint of frustration, stress, anxiety and hunger... But I've spent all my dollars in a pack of M&Ms and a dodgy flap-jack (the cheapest things I could find)

15.35
We land in San Francisco. I ran.. ran.. ran.. I forgot to mention, I'm also carrying a tennis racquet apart from my heavy bag. Makes things really uncomfortable to be agile.

I make it to the luggage claim area and my bags are waiting for me (in which plane did they come? Aren't you supposed to take the bags out of an airplane if the passenger isn't on it? for security reasons.. or so I've been told in previous occasions).

Run like the wind. With 3 pieces of luggage, very heavy, but I got the estamina of a desperate woman who trains regularly in a gym. And I haven't got coins to get a stupid push trolley. Stingy Americans!

15.55
Made it to the Virgin desk. My heart sinks (not only out of breath) - there isn't anybody there! WHY?! I thought you can check in up to 40mins before the flight!! Anyway, I can still make it.

I ran (again with all my bags) to the United desk. After all, their colleagues in Chicago have told me that I'd get a ticket in British or United to London. They've seen my Virgin connection. They know I need to get there...

United desk. A totally unfriendly long faced, over made-up woman who doesn't smile tells me I got no chance to be helped by them. She sends me back to United, tells me to knock on some door behind the check-in desks. I do so (this time I managed to ask for a trolley, they see sweat running down my body).

Virgin desk. Sorry madame, it wasn't our fault, flight is gone, next flight is tomorrow... we've booked you for that flight. The only thing you can do is to claim back to United, it is their fault after all.

United desk. I don't want to talk to you anymore ms.Bitch. Call your supervisor. She does, then she tells them some bullsh*t fantasy gesticulating enormously. I have been totally calmed and polite to her so I'm getting suspitious. It seems like she is trying to cover her a** infront of her boss and makes me look like a psycho.

He comes. Mr.Patel he's called. He doesn't even let me explain, he has come to a conclusion that he knows all of what happened. Which proves to be wrong. I try to explain but he keeps interrupting me. I'm getting really really increasingly frustrated but I keep my manners. I try to appeal to his heart. Anyway, I explain that I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING RIGHT. I HAVE CHECKED IN ON TIME, THEREFORE IT IS NOT MY FAULT I MISSED MY CONNECTION.

He doesn't take the blame and tells me that he cannot do anything as I bought the next flight with a different company. Well, yes... so what??!! I OBVIOUSLY buy whatever is more convenient in pricing and timing. I allowed myself FIVE HOURS to change flights in San Francisco, is that not enough?!! It is more than it takes to fly from Chicago!!

He starts to be extremely defensive and doesn't even listen to my explanations. He is so thick he still insists that I was delayed because of the snow. He doesn't understand that I wasn't even in the flight I was supposed to BE!!!! ARGHHHH!!! @#***!!!

Takes me 5 attempts to explain that. That even if that first flight was delayed, I would have made it. But that my problem was in the security line, which took a ridiculous amount of time. I wonder how many other people missed their flights.

Anyway, he isn't willing to help. He wants to send me back to Virgin. I totally reject that and tell him to call them himself as they speak the same language (meaning, same professional language).

By now I'm assure he is heart-less. Then he tells me that he cannot do anything and he won't even give me a voucher, acommodation or any help. I tell him:-Thank you, you will sleep very happy at home tonight but I have nowhere to go. I have not got a single cent, ZERO DOLLARS and I was expecting to get to London the next day. What does he expect me to do for the next 24 hours?!!

He threatens to call the police. WHY??!! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!

So I tell him, I've paid $500 for my ticket, I have done everything right, somebody needs to take responsability. I'm an ex-gold member of his miles alliance, I am currently a silver member. That means I travel with you often. Why don't you give me some proper customer service. Then he tells me to leave and shut up?!!! Where is the professional customer service??!!

Enraged I wish him death, I tell him I hope he has a heart attack. And I do wish that, still till today I believe is the best thing that can happen to that man.

San Francisco 18.00
I'm by myself, pennyless (centless) and with no place to stay. Frustated an feeling cheated by the system. Impotent, defeated. I book myself in a cheap motel in the airport, I don't even feel like do sight seeing. I hate US. I don't want to go back there even if my brother lives there forever.

I hate American airports, if they are soooooo scared of everyone, why don't the put in place proper systems? put more metal detectors, put more agents, organise the flights...

The airports are chaotic, full of queues and confussion. Nobody knows where to go?! The employees are rude, stressed, rough, unrespectful. They treat you like cattle...

It takes me a lot of effort to gain my pounds to buy my travelling tickets. I demand quality for my money. I am dissapointed, enraged.

San Francisco, Tuesday 17.45
I stayed the night. I paid for it myself (well, my generous parents after a teary phonecall). I'm finally leaving this place. The airport has only got TWO places to eat! A Grill and an awful cafe where they only serve pizzas or frozen packed sandwiches & salads... I'm disgusted, cannot wait to get outta here. I do my passport control, finger printed and photographed. Once again they make me feel like I'm a criminal. Even though I rarely drink alcohol, never smoked, never taken drugs, have never got a traffic fine or even done anything illegal (ok, except voting in Westminster, but that's cause I was away). I hate American airports and how bad they make me feel. I hate how they spoil the end of my wonderful holidays and it happens EVERY TIME I got there for the last 5-6 years.

It was fun when I started to fly to US, some 13 years ago... now it all has changed for worse.

Something is wrong and it is definitely not my fault.

And, for the records, I feel like travelling naked so that they stop buggering me to take my boots and emptying all my content from my pockets, my scarf, etc... FREKKING PARANOID!! If you weren't going around making people angry, you wouldn't have to be now so scared of everyone!

BUSH, get outta here!

For more information, please have a look at the following videos. They are soooo worth it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCkYfYa8ePI - What some Americans think... SCARY!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSLvJKnF88E&NR - What Clinton says...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2jnjeZNTsI&mode=related&search= - Bush... IS HE FOR REAL?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S8oAC_g41w&mode=related&search= - Bush... did you really vote for this guy? What was in your brains? oh yes... I forgot video number 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD3MIkowT0w - Hillary.. is she the future? why don't you give her a chance!!

** For the record: VIRGIN ATLANTIC rocks! staff is GREAT! polite, always cheerful, happy to help.

UNITED AIRLINES SUCKS!! you lost a customer here and hopefully, many more...

BACK