The United Airlines Saga Continues

Well,  Kathy followed up with United Airlines again and here was their response:

Dear XXX:

Thank you for contacting us again. I regret the frustration you have expressed regarding my response. I am sorry to hear you were unaware of our ticket policies, as we make every effort through print sources to inform our guests including providing the terms on our website through our contract of carriage which states: C) Failure to Occupy Space - If a Passenger fails to occupy space which has been reserved for him/her on a flight of UA and UA fails to receive notice of the cancellation of the reservation before the departure, or if any carrier cancels the reservation of any Passenger, UA may cancel all reservations (whether or not confirmed) held by such Passenger on the flights of UA or any carrier for continuing or return space, provided UA or an authorized agent of UA originally reserved that space. 

I am unable to authorize a refund for the unused ticket as your recordsstates you were a no show. I do understand your dilemma, however toremain consistent with our company policies regarding non refundabletickets, we are unable to make exceptions on an individual basis.  I assure you that we continually evaluate our policies and service to ensure we're offering our guests travel options that meet their needs. The published terms and conditions of the tickets we sell are designed to balance the needs of customers with the business needs of our company and we sell several types of tickets with varying levels of restrictions. We appreciate this opportunity to respond and look forward to serving you. 

Regards,
Lynette Sinclaire
Customer Care
RE: 5560451

This is just a canned letter.  I would like to know how many readers ever read all the fine print on their ticket.  Everything is e-tickets these days (and for those of you old enough to remember I am not talking about Disneyland E tickets).  The email states the policy is on their website.  What if you don't book through their website? As you know I just came back from South Carolina on United.  I booked my ticket using the Citibank companion ticket program website.  I just looked up the language that was provided to me in my email confirmation: 

Airline flight schedules are subject to change. The airline has the right to change and cancel flights up to the day of departure. It is your responsibility to verify your flight times and other information by contacting the airline using their website or by calling them at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled departures to reconfirm your flights.

Changes are not permitted and your reservation is not refundable. Proper identification is required for all passengers traveling.

There was no further information on the ticketing policy. I just feel United Airlines needs to put the "customer" back in customer service. While Kathy was still in Chicago the customer service agent should have explained to Kathy the second part of her flight has been cancelled. I am glad to see she did not give up and tried again. 

Bottom line: Arrive early and use your sky guide pass to go to the airport lounge!