The mishap streak at United Airlines doesn’t seem to catch a break. This time, a couple traveling from Venice to New York recently faced a frustrating and costly ordeal after being denied boarding on a United Airlines-issued itinerary.
Despite having confirmed tickets and booking directly through United, they were told at the Venice airport that they were not on the flight manifest.
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The flights, EN 8203 from Venice to Munich (operated by Air Dolomiti) and UA 9255 from Munich to Newark (operated by Lufthansa), were both part of a single United itinerary, with United acting as the marketing carrier.
The root of the issue, according to airport staff, was a ticketing synchronization failure between United and its partners. As a result, the couple missed both flights and had to arrange food and lodging themselves, only to be rebooked the next day to a different New York airport.
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They later sought compensation under EU Regulation 261, which mandates €600 per person for denied boarding on flights departing from the EU and bound for destinations over 3,500 kilometers away.
While Lufthansa confirmed in writing that United was responsible, United has repeatedly refused compensation, arguing that they did not operate the flight.
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Instead, they directed the passengers to Lufthansa and even Air Dolomiti, despite having sold and ticketed the entire itinerary. Their final offer was a mere $275 travel credit per person, far below the legal entitlement.
The case exposes how major carriers like United can shirk responsibility by hiding behind operating carrier technicalities, leaving travelers to fight for rights that should be automatic.
