I'm not very Internet savvy, so when it came time to book a flight for the holidays, I decided to call United Airlines directly to do it. I know there is a booking fee if you call them, but I'm willing to pay it so that I can talk to someone and make sure I am booking exactly what I want. There was an automated system I had to get through first to talk to someone, but it was easy enough to follow.
I was actually surprised by how quickly I was able to get to an agent. People might need to call United Airlines for thousands of reasons, from help with lost luggage to booking flights, checking on flight status or attempting to change flights. Daily, there are probably hundreds of flights that take off across the United States, so I thought the response time was pretty decent.
When I called, the automated agent said, "Thanks for calling United Airlines. How can I help you? Please say in a few words why you are calling us today. You can say things like, I'd like to make a reservation or I'd like to change my flight."
I said, "Book a flight," and then it stated, "Let me get some information about your trip, and I'll transfer you to an agent to book your trip. Please be aware you can skip the booking fee by going online. What city are you departing from?"
I told him Cleveland, and then it repeated back to me to ensure I was right. It then asked about my destination, and I said LA. It then asked, "What day would you like to depart? You can also say, I'm not sure."
I told the agent Monday, December 18th, and then it told me politely that "we are almost done" and asked how many travelers there were. Immediately after that, it told me that it was going to transfer me to an agent, and then I had to listen to the privacy policy.
Before talking to the agent it asked me if I was planning to use travel miles or certificates and if I would like to participate in a brief survey. About three minutes into the phone call, an agent picked up right after the survey request. He had a very thick accent, and at times, it was hard to understand what he was saying, but eventually, I was able to book my flight.