polzin -- I completely agree, I almost always fly with them (I'm an aviation student right now, call me a newbie if you will, but I have a lot of flight time as a passenger! <img src="wink.gif" border="0"> ) and I've had nothing but great experiences with United.
It does come down to a matter of being courteous to the gate agents, etc... A smile can go a long way with them since they see so few and deal with pissed passengers all day long.
On the other hand whomever replies to the e-mails sent to their commercial web site could use a lesson in manners...
I hope to see UAL flourish and get past these hard times.