It was Sep 10th, I was in line to board the plane, my bar code boarding pass was scanned at the gate (with a clear "beep") and I boarded the plane, took my seat, and bought a United WiFi pass. I arrived in San Antonio, went to my two-day conference, and it was the day before my departure when I realized I hadn't gotten the customary United "check-in for your upcoming flight" email.

I logged into my United account and I saw that my return flight for the next day had been cancelled. What?! I tried calling the 1-800 number and they told me I had to rebook my ticket. Then they told me I needed to see a gate agent. So I arrived at the airport ahead of my scheduled flight the following day and went up to the United counter. I explained my story to an agent there. She typed on her screen.

"You should have called us after being a no-show on the SFO flight."

"But I was on that flight."

She grew very confused, explained that the return leg of a round-trip flight is called if there's a no-show. I told her I was standing here in San Antonio in front of her because I took a flight from SFO to get here. She told me that she could find no record of me on that flight. I pulled up my bank's app on my phone and showed her the receipt, dated September 10th, for my United WiFi purchase while on the plane. She shook her head, confused, and called her supervisor.

I asked if she believed me. She said she did.

The agent explained the situation to the supervisor, who seemed to immediately realize that happened. He quickly got on his walkie-talkie and wandered out of earshot. A few minutes later he came back and said it was all sorted, they would re-book my ticket and issue a refund for my purchase of my original ticket.

"What could I have done differently?" I asked the supervisor.

"Nothing," he said. "Sometimes the reader fails."

"But it beeped?

"It can beep and still fail."

Meanwhile, another agent came near and my agent quickly told the other about what had happened. I asked the other agent if this happened a lot.

"No...and this is really bad. They are supposed to do a manual check of the plane for no-shows. People get fired for this kind of thing."

After I got home, I looked at my online United account and sure enough - no record of my flight from SFO to San Antonio. All I had for proof I was on that flight was my WiFi receipt. I also read about FAA regulations on the topic.

I learned that passenger and baggage loads affect takeoff performance, landing limits, and aircraft balance. So you need to know who and what is on your plane. The other main reason is if there's a fatality then the airline must be able to notify a family member. It's a big deal if the airline doesn't get the manifest right, violation of FAAP Part 121 specifically.

Meanwhile, I have never received so much attention from United. Real people are calling me and emailing me urgently to talk with them. I'm not sure why.

10/22 SFO - DFW
UA 1336

I work with the general public for a living, so I’m pretty used to how selfish Americans are, but this one was interesting. There was a medical emergency that was announced overhead by the crew chief only after we had landed and was taxiing to the gate. The crew chief overheaded multiple times to the cabin that all passengers needed to stay seated until the individuals who needed medical attention were able to get through the aisle. I could see the ambulance with flashing lights outside my window too.

So what did a few passengers do right after the pilot turned off the fasten seatbelt? You guessed it, the usual. Rocketed out of their seats to grab their shit. FAs called them out though.

Our 4 year old ran up and said hi to the pilots today as they approached the gate. They were nice enough to stop and say hi, get a high five, and give him some trading cards. I guess the gate agent noticed how happy it made him, so she came over and said to come see her at the gate just before boarding. She sent us down before she even started preboarding so he could take some pictures in the cockpit and captain's chair. If you see this, thanks! You made a kid's day!

What

Staying at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. As I walked in, I heard the happy screams of several young kids. There was a group of people that were sitting at a big table having a blast. They seemed awfully happy at 6:30 AM.

It took me a minute to realize what it was. A United 787 pilot who was making his last flight before retirement. His entire family surprised him in New York for that flight with t shirts and all.

That will make for such a memorable retirement!

Announced earlier this year, United partnered with Adidas to produce a limited run of Sambas to commemorate the airline's 100-year anniversary. This collab is very reminiscent of Lufthansa's partnership with Adidas, of which two different shoes were produced. Employees who pre-ordered the United Sambas should be seeing orders fulfilled in the coming weeks.

It is not clear at this time if these will be made available for non-employees to order through the United store.

I was on my way home from a week long trip on a pretty typical route I take, GEG to ABQ with a connection in DEN. On my way to DEN last week, there was a slight delay due to a mechanical problem. We might have been 30 minutes late, but made up most of that in the air. I made my connection without any difficulty and I forgot all about it. Today, the FA on my return flight home, stopped by my seat and asked me about my "trip interruption." I laughed and said I didn't experience one, and then I remembered about that little delay on my way to ABQ. She apologized for the airline and then proceeded to offer me either a $75 future flight credit or 3750 in miles. I took the FFC, but I was just shocked. I've been interrupted way worse than that before and never once have I been offered any sort of comp.

From the early 1990s.

Where do I get my compensation?

Holy crap, I actually heard back from the executive team when I emailed the CEO! He actually called my cell phone too and left a message! They seem to be acutely aware of what’s going on and how it’s affecting some of the most loyal United folks!

I think it’s definitely worth a shot to keep reaching out! I applaud United for even entertaining my email! Let’s see if things actually change here!

Flight from IAH to CUN today. I’m in a middle seat, no big deal. An annoying couple boards, the man sits next to me, the woman sits across the aisle. As soon as they sat they were asking to FA all kinds of questions. When two ladies came to take their sets next to the annoying women, she would not move. She made the ladies climb over her. The annoying lady did not have mobility issues. I watched her lift her suitcase and bounce around in her seat.

The man, took up the arm rest and kept elbowing me, his foot was under the seat in front of me (like where my feet go), and He when he fell asleep he snored so loud.

I run cold, so my silent revenge was to turn the guys AC vent off.

Heading back home tomorrow ORD - MCO and cleared a few hours ago.

Do I buy a lottery ticket now?

Do I still get off? Do I have to go through customs and security again? Any other things I should be aware of?

The info about the hinacking came from the ATC audio found on other sites.

Pilot to ATC: “The passenger doesn’t know anything is going on. The flight attendant saw him texting that he was going to hijack the aircraft and called me…”

https://youtu.be/GxioF24UNHs

Any additional info on this?

My wife and I had a lot of problems with the wheelchair pushing service at Denver on our United flights. I filed compaints on United's website on October 13, 2026 and their form says.they should reply within three business days.

They haven't obviously.

Is there a higher authority to apply to? I can't imagine that the DOT or FAA will be moving at breakneck pace to handle this.

I’m the last out of 3ppl on the stand by list and there 7 people missing i I literally went up to the gate agent and said hey the last one on standby in case anybody misconnects and she says she forgot so now I have to wait another 4 hours. I’m grateful for the ability to non rev but as a gate agent I would never forget about my standbys I’m just confused on what actually happened ??

SHE WASNT THE ONLY GATE AGENT ALSO!

I want to book a flight from SFO to Manila at the end of March 2027. Should I wait longer to book to see if prices go down? Is booking five months in advance a good idea?