United Airlines support and customer service — how to get help quick? Phone numbers, contacts, call centers, offices (2024 guide) 

There are times when the airline simply won’t answer your calls. Take a deep breath, and instead of wasting time on an unsolvable task, try to get help from United Airlines through one of their alternative channels:

1. Basically, you’ll be talking to a real person every time you call one of United‘ phone numbers. There may be an automatic IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system interacting with you through voice or touch-tone dialing at the beginning though – it will make sure you will reach a company’s department adequated to your issue. This is also the system that puts you on hold if the lines are busy – but rest assured that on the other side there is always a human operator you can talk to.

2. Calling the United‘s reservation office near you is by far the best way to talk to a real person. Airline offices answer significantly fewer calls than the main call center, so they can provide their customers direct assistance over the phone, without waiting times.

3. Live chat is slightly different as there are many technologies (including AI and machine learning) that airlines can implement to get a “chatbot operator” experience. It is basically the software you interact with on the webchat that can recognize the meaning of the sentences you type as well as mimic human speech. But even there, a live person (part of United‘s customer service team) is available. Try typing “talk to human”, “live agent”, or something similar to tell the chatbot that your problem requires contact with a real person.

4. Similar to live chat are the social media messaging systems such as Twitter DM and Facebook Messenger. You may find yourself talking to a bot at the beginning, but there is also a real operator waiting on the other side to help customers solve non-obvious issues.

5. Lastly, email is basically handled by humans. You may receive an auto reply right after you send the message to one of the United‘s email addresses (it will be marked as such), but after some time you can expect a reply from a real person.

United Airlines (like most airlines) employs a certain number of staff in its call centers – sufficient to serve customers under standard conditions. If these conditions change (flight cancellations due to lockdowns, peak travel times such as school holidays, etc.) the airline usually puts more resources into customer service. Unfortunately, these extra measures are not always adequate for the situation, so United Airlines‘ waiting times occasionally can increase.

You issue hasn’t been resolved? You can call back and speak to another agent (she may have more experience or training) or ask to talk with a supervisor.

According to our tests, the average wait time for the United Airlines call center was between 10 and 40 minutes – depending on when we were calling. However, at times when the airline gets hit with an unprecedented wave of calls amid mass cancellations, even frequent flyers with the MileagePlus status are facing lengthy waits. With that in mind, we’ve found that some times are certainly better than others to call customer support:

Direct messages (DM) sent to United Airlines social media channels often get a response and solution within minutes. If you are experiencing long waiting times when calling helpline, try to contact the airline directly on Twitter or Facebook.

As a last resort head for the foreign language-speaking call center. It will help if you are comfortable with that language, but generally, the hotline staff also should speak English.

Please note that only some of the numbers listed below are toll-free. Use a landline to call toll-free numbers or make sure your mobile provider does not charge for calls to 800 numbers. In most cases, 800 numbers are toll-free when called from USA or Canada (the call will be paid for by the receiver). They also can be called from anywhere in the world using an American cell phone by dialing +1 followed by the 800 number. However, If you call 800 number from a mobile phone when outside North America, the call will NOT be free – you will be charged international rates.

Consider using Internet phone services like Google Voice, Skype, Talkatone, or Viber to call United Airlines phone numbers when you are overseas to avoid high rates.

MileagePlus, United‘s loyalty program, provides dedicated phone numbers for its members. If you are a MileagePlus member with Premier Silver, Premier Gold, or Premier Platinum status you can dial 1-800-421-4655 (toll-free) or 1-713-952-1630 (charges may apply) within the U.S. and Canada. Both numbers are available daily from 7am to midnight. You can also call the general customer service number 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331), then press the “4” touch-tone command.

If you are a MileagePlus member with Premier 1K® status, you are entitled to receive a priority service – call the phone number listed on the back of your membership card to reach United Premier Priority Desk. Lines are open 24./7.

MileagePlus customer service can help you check your account balance, process the flight redemption and upgrades, make a reservation, or just answer any questions about the frequent flyer program.

Please note: if you are outside the U.S. and Canada, instead of the numbers listed above, you should contact your local United Call Center.

You can also get in touch with a MileagePlus representative via the email form or online chat.

If you are already at the airport, you can head into the United Club or United Polaris lounge and ask the airlines representative for help. Of course, you should make sure you are eligible to access the lounge area.