Any Recourse w/Botched Flights and Delays??

On your return you would have been covered by the EU Air passenger rights, even if travelling on a non-EU airline. http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm gives details - you may be entitled to something if your arrival into the USA was delayed by more than 3 hours if not due to extraordinary circumstances. Your detail above is not enough to tell.

hi, i feel your pain. my last trip to europe i booked myself. I was to make a transfer in Amsterdam to London and padded my layover in AMS with 3 hours. YOu would think that was enough, right? well, not for that trip. When i got to the airport, i was informed at the checkin desk, my flight to AMS would be 2+ hours last and i wouldnt make my transfer - no duh! So i had to cancel/rebook my flight to London. That puddle jumper from AMS to London went from 80 USD to 500 USD. Since i had everything paid for already they had me. So now, whenever im going to europe i plan 1 (one) overnight in AMS just in case of any flight screwups. Then i fly out early the next day. Yes, it more or less wastes one day, but after the last screwup, it cheaper to stay one day in AMS than to try and book a new ticket at the last moment. one last comment. Airlines like Corporations and Banks can write their own tickets (rules/fees and such) so as consumers we are screwed. Just wait for it too, since it will only get worse! happy trails.

I guess I'm wondering if I can get some of those miles credited back to my United Mileage Plus account. I lost a day of my trip and got stuck in economy when I was supposed to be in Business class. In other words, is it worth it to call and complain about it or will it get me nowhere?

An analogy that I think fits here is a quote from hockey great Wayne Gretzky "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
There is no guarantee that you'll get anything if you file a complaint, but there is a guarantee that you won't get anything if you don't call and/or a file a complaint. You have nothing to lose by doing so. Just be kind to the person you talk to, a little kindness goes a long ways sometimes. Just simply explain it like you did here about how you lost your miles when all this happened.

I guess I'm wondering if I can get some of those miles credited back to my United Mileage Plus account. I lost a day of my trip and got stuck in economy when I was supposed to be in Business class. In other words, is it worth it to call and complain about it or will it get me nowhere? It is definitely worth complaining, particularly if you would be satisfied with a mileage credit. I'd suggest that you put your complaint in writing rather than call. State the facts and tell them clearly what you expect them to do about it. You may want to read through this post on flyertalk where people list compensation they have received from United: Why were you compensated and what did you get

I always call directly when I have a problem and have many times been compensated. I usually fly Delta and while I don't get all the miles credited back to my account any compensation helps for the next miles trip... I see a realy legitmite reason for mies to be put back. If you don't get the answer you like the first time call back or ask to speak to a supervisor. However, they hold all the power so it does not help to get angry.

Airlines usually don't give in when it comes to miles-voucher flights, especially on matters that concerns forced downgrade and the like.

Keep on them. Write a letter (yes, snail mail). Send to customer relations at United, and if that doesn't get you any where, go up another level. With that many miles, you must be a pretty loyal customer. Give all specific flights and times. What does it cost? Your time, some paper and ink, and a stamp or two. PS. Where is the east coast of California?

I'm going to take a contrarian (and probably unpopular) view here...I don't think you're going to get much traction on this. Airlines have a "minimum connection time" for any connection - if you try to book a 20 minute connection, they won't let you. The flights you booked were "legal" - that is, they were more than the required minimum. Those minimums are often wildly unrealistic, but that's not their problem, it's yours, since you booked the flight. Delays happen. Their obligation is to accommodate you the best they can, but you need to recognize that when traveling on an award ticket, you go to the very back of the line - anybody who paid for their seats (which is pretty much everyone else) gets priority. The fact that this caused you to miss the first day of your trip is not their problem. would not expect them to compensate you at all for that. On your return, you have a different problem. Sure, you booked an award seat in business class, but after the cascading schedule collapse, they had no available business class award seat to give you. They should have offered you two options: the first available seat in whatever class they could find you (which is probably what you took), or, if you wanted to insist on a business class seat, you would have to wait until they had an empty one they could give you - which could be days or weeks. You chose to accept what they offered, so you're not in a strong position to now argue that you were wronged. That said, you can (and should) ask for something. They may just toss you a few miles as a goodwill gesture - but how generous they are may be based on your status/how much you fly with them (paid flights). Can't hurt to ask, but I'd keep my expectations in check. Sorry, I know this is not what you want to hear.

Sam, Lake Tahoe ;-)