I reserved two business class seats to Dublin for August 1, 2025, as a senior traveling with my adult son to attend a family reunion with relatives in Ireland. As we headed to the airport, it began to drizzle. We boarded the plane late due to weather conditions, and just ten minutes after settling in, the pilot announced that the flight crew had "timed out" and the flight was cancelled. We were instructed to rebook and wait for our luggage. The only options available from the airline were economy seats, which I cannot use due to leg cramps. When I inquired about the fare difference, the agent simply shrugged. We waited for a long time and received only a small bottle of water and a bag of cookies. Upon asking for a hotel voucher, we were denied. I ended up booking an economy plus flight with more legroom on another airline, incurring additional costs as there were no business class seats available. At 5:30 am on August 18, I approached an agent in baggage claim for our luggage, only to be told that priority was given to flights leaving that morning. I requested that our bags be sent to the new airline since we were leaving later that day. This resulted in more expenses as we went home for a few hours of sleep. When we returned to the airport, the new airline agent informed us that they hadn't received our bags from the previous airline. She contacted her supervisor, who was told by the previous airline that our bags would arrive in Dublin with us. We reached Dublin on August 19, missing our family reunion and our luggage, which the previous airline had failed to send. I contacted my travel insurance provider, who worked diligently to have our bags delivered on August 20 at 5 pm. The airline had kept our bags all along, possibly upset that I chose not to take their economy flight. Upon returning home, I filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation regarding my treatment by the airline. I was supposed to receive a written response within 60 days, which has not happened. I have also filed a claim with my travel insurer. Is this how a senior in business class should be treated? I am truly disappointed with the service I received from the airline representatives both at the airport and on the phone.
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United Airlines, Inc. is a major American airline headquartered at Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
