Redeeming airline miles: 3 different experiences

Here's another customer service story, this time about redeeming airline miles for flights. I dealt with 3 different airlines, and I had 3 different experiences.

I wanted to redeem miles for flights to Hawaii. My wife and I had miles on both Delta and American, but not enough on either one to cover the entire trip. I figured we could fly Delta one way and America the other, but that didn't work out -- Delta, unlike American and some other airlines, charges you round-trip mileage for a one-way flight. We ended up using American miles for the entire trip, buying enough miles to reach the required number.

What struck me was the different ways in which Delta and American handle customer service. I wanted to ask some questions before booking the flights. Delta's web site provides the ability to submit questions or comments electronically (using a form), while American's web site provides only phone numbers. I much prefer electronic contact over calling, because there's no waiting on hold, miscommunication is less likely, and you have a "paper" trail when you get e-mail responses.

I submitted my questions to Delta via their web site, and they were very quick to respond to the initial request and follow-up e-mail responses. However, I was unable to find award flights that wouldn't require more miles than we had available, so it was time to try American.

Despite the fact that I had to call American on the phone, I was very pleased with the result. The call was answered quickly, and the person I spoke with was very knowledgeable, personable, and helpful. Based on my conversation with her, I decided to buy and transfer miles to make up the difference. She recommended making the reservation right away since there were only a few award seats left, and I could get the miles into the account afterward (within 5 days I think).

The third airline I dealt with was United. I had some United miles that were expiring soon (not nearly enough for the trip), so I wanted to try to redeem them for an inter-island Hawaiian flight. I tried using the United web site to book the flight, but the web site didn't show any award seats available, apparently because the inter-island flights are provided by partner airlines. I contacted United by e-mail via their web site, but they told me I needed to call and speak with someone. I had to call them several times, literally spending hours on the phone in total, but eventually I was able to book the flight using miles.

I was pretty unhappy with the United customer service experience. First, each call was handled by a call center outside of the US, and the agents were not particularly knowledgeable, and some were difficult to understand. Second, I was given conflicting information during each call about how many miles would be required. Finally, I was assured that I would not be charged the usual fee for redeeming award tickets on the phone, because these flights could not be booked online -- I got that confirmation from multiple agents.

Imagine my surprise when I saw a $50 redemption fee on my next credit card statement, even though the electronic receipt when I booked the flights showed no fee (just a few dollars for taxes). The inter-island flight was pretty cheap, so I wouldn't have spent the $50 fee plus miles (and hours on the phone) for that flight. I contacted United via e-mail and asked them to refund the fee, but after going back and forth a few times, they insisted I was misinformed by the agents and refused to refund the fee. They did offer travel vouchers that I will be unable to use before they expire. I contacted my credit card company to dispute the charge, and they sided with me.

Despite the lack of e-mail communication, American was the clear winner in customer service for this experience.

-- Dave