Took a one stop flight SFO to San Jose Costa Rica, via Houston. The first flight was jammed and I was asked to check my carry-on as I was boarding in group 4 and my wife was in group 2. They took it at the gate and lucky for us took the baggage tag off in the jet way which was nice as I was boarding a boat in Costa Rica and it for some reason things went wrong, I would be on the ocean with no bags. Indeed one of the passengers did get her carry-on lost which was a bummer as it had some important stuff in it. They were offering up to $700 for volunteers but none came forward. I had to have my bag put in the very back of the plane when I was only in row 12 so waited until it emptied before being able to exit. A minor irritation though. At least there was in seat entertainment even though I had many movies downloaded onto my iPad. No other hiccups, easy otherwise. I have been flying United for 30 years but frequent flyer miles are almost worthless these days. Lucky my wife is still earning miles as a consultant.

We flew United nonstop to Osaka, Japan on a 787. We had reserved the Premier Economy seats, larger, more leg room. We felt comfortable and relaxed on our ten hour flight from SFO. Service was pleasant, we were quite happy with the quietness of the new 787 Dreamliner. Each seat also has its own screen with unlimited movies, TV shows, music, documentaries, and flight info. We flew United nonstop on our return trip from Osaka to SFO. Again happy with our 787.

For the basics with a comfortable flight, United often is the choice to make. No in-flight entertainment on this short (2-hour) domestic flight but access to charging personal devices. Old-"standard" size tray tables in place provide plenty of area to set things down unlike those on newer planes (Spirit, Frontier, etc.) that are barely tiny shelves that barely hold a drink safely. A little more in price than the cheapest flights but with fewer "hidden" add-on charges for each and every category, and given the quality of seats, carry-on storage space, and both terminal and in-flight services, United is clearly a value for travel.

We were on our way to the airport when my partner received an email that our flight was cancelled due to "unexpected maintenance". As a result, we missed our connecting flight to New Zealand. We waited on hold for almost an hour and eventually got through to a representative who informed us they could not rebook us until the next day. As a result, we had to pay for an extra night's accommodation and missed a day of work.

The next day, we tried to explain the situation to a rep at Newark airport as we wanted to sit together in the plane and I had dietary requirements. She was extremely rude and told my partner to " tell me something I don't already know " when he explained that our flight had been cancelled the previous day and refused to order a gluten-free meal for me because she needed 48 hours notice to do so.

Our second flight to Houston was delayed by an hour and we nearly didn't make our connection yet again. The customer service rep informed us that we "better run" if we wanted to make it. We ended up sprinting across Houston airport. Although we made the plane, our luggage did not.

We have lodged a complaint with United Airlines but have not received a response. Please read and consider this before booking a flight with United!

I have done a lot of flying lately and I do a review whenever possible. However, is the airlines doing anything positive after reading any of the reviews or going over the numerous negative surveys? I think not. The staff on this flight was terrific. Polite and courteous while serving the swill the airlines call food. All boxed and not really fit for human consumption. The seats were unclean and the table trays were disgusting. Worst of all, seats being too close to the rear of the backrest in front of you and the fact that reclining two inches doesn't help. The padding of the seats is shameful. Why do airlines continue to insist on their customers being uncomfortable? Not much difference between American or United Airlines in this respect. I will be seriously considering another airline on my next trip.