Blue Star Airport Shuttle

My flight was Jan. 5^th Tuesday 2016 (flight # AS 2038 to Seattle and then transfer HU0495 to Beijing) 10AM at PDX. I called Blue Star Shuttle and reserved their shuttle to PDX on Jan. 5^th 7AM. I got a call from Blue Star on Jan. 4^th 6PM and I was told that the driver needed to pick another passenger first and the driver would come to pick me at 7:15AM. I said it was OK.
On Jan. 5^th morning at 7:15AM, nobody came. I called Blue Star right away; the dispatcher told me that the driver was on the way. He should arrive at 7:25AM. I still thought it was OK. But no one show up at 7:30AM. I called again and I was told again the driver would arrive at 7:40AM. Same thing happened at 7:40AM, I called again and this time it is 7:50AM. But no one ever show up until 8AM. I called and this time the dispatcher told me that the driver would NOT come because the passenger on his car could miss his flight if he came to pick me. This totally drove me crazy! They told me that the last minute that they cannot come! I don’t waste time to talk with them anymore. I ordered Über and the Über sent me to PDX. I was still too late for AS2038. The Alaska Airline counter lady was so nice and she gave me 11AM ticket to Seattle. But she told me that my checked-​in luggage could not be transferred to HU0495 to Beijing with me because there was only 45 min between two flights. I had no other option but gave great thanks to the Alaska Airline counter lady and took the 11AM flight. I was so blessed to finally catch the flight to Beijing but as the Alaska Airline counter lady told me, my checked-​in luggage arrived at Beijing on the second day.
My conclusion, stay away from Blue Star. Their totally irresponsible service will ruin your travel!

I am in a van right now using this service and am absolutely livid. We were picked up at 630 in Hillsboro. It is currently 725 and we are just now on 26– for the second time. The first time, the driver had to pull over on the side of the freeway to be told to turn around for another pickup, and then another was added. We stopped in a parking lot in Tanasbourne while he looked at his sheet to figure out where to go. I don’t blame the driver — he has been nice and he clearly didn’t set the schedule. But for a service that is based upon being ON TIME TO THINGS, thus is UNACCEPTABLE. I’m in SHOCK! The driver is trying to tell the dispatcher that we need to be there, and the dispatcher is just saying there’s no one else to do it. We made these reservations 2 weeks ago.

Driver arrived on time but our «private shuttle for 8» turned out to be larger and 2 extra stops meant we got to airport with enough time to pay extra for immediate check in and RUN to terminal. Our return shuttle driver appeared to have some impairment that had all 8 of us very, very frightened. It was raining and midnight so perhaps his eyesight for night vision is impaired or he was extremely tired (he kept blinking his eyes). He would be driving 50 mph then suddenly 20 mph, continuously swerving and overall erratic driving. Almost missed streets/​exits various times. Twice he almost hit a curb and parked car– I actually had to tell him to watch out, turn here, etc and even asked him f he was sleepy. He said it was windy– it was not. The shuttle ride was scarier than the flight.

If you are trying to get somewhere within an hour, don’t take this shuttle. The shuttle driver arrived on time but it took him at least 20 – 25 minutes to process everyones payment. Then he drove all around Portland dropping people off and I was in the last group. I know its only $ 14 but I would rather pay $ 10 more and get to my destination without having to sight see at 8pm after a 5 hour flight.

I wish it were possible to give zero stars. I reserved a shuttle from Vancouver to PDX for a pick up at 5 am. When the van hadn’t shown up by the reserved time I called and the dispatcher said they had moved my pick up time to 5:15. They did it without notifying me, and if I waited and the driver actually showed up at 5:15 I would be in danger of missing my flight. So, I cancelled the pick up, asked that a manager call me, and drove (way too fast), parked and took the shuttle from economy parking. Even though I had TSA pre check, the line was so long I barely made it to the gate in time to get on the plane.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER will I try to use Blue Star. I still haven’t had a call from a manager and the dispatcher’s cavalier attitude was frustrating to the extreme.

Should have read the reviews!!! They wrote my address down wrong so I called when they didn’t show up. Once they had my correct address they wanted the driver to make more stops which would have made me miss my flight so I got out and called a cab.

Made a reservation for a pickup from the Vancouver Hilton for 4 pm. Called back early the next day and asked if I could be picked up at 4:15 due to a late meeting. I was told no way by Amir, if I wasn’t at the door by 4:05 at the latest I would be left behind. I ended up missing the end of my meeting in order not to miss the shuttle. Dispatcher ended up making the driver wait at the Hilton until 4:30 to fill the van anyway. Bunch of bullshit, made me look bad to my client for skipping out on my meeting unnecessarily. Fuck these people. Never again.

Blue Star = BS
DON’T USE THIS SHUTTLE SERVICE!!! Left my children and I stranded trying to get to airport. Worst service ever. Stay away.
Asked them before ride what we needed for travel with children. They said based on ages only one car seat. So we brought one to Portland on airplane. Returning they said we need two seats and refused our ride back to airport. We already paid round-​trip for their service. To get our money back we have to send them a copy of receipt since we don’t appear to be in their records.
Seriously???
Worst ever service. Not even a sorry.
We were saved by Sunrise PDX Airport Service. Better price. Clean van. Friendly and timely. AND WON’T LEAVE CHILDREN STRANDED… (503)756−6702

I really wanted to like these folks. They were cheap and the drivers were nice enough, but there were issues.
On the way from the airport, the driver took on a full van of people. I was staying at a downtown area hotel, and so were many others (there were several conferences in town). But, the driver, unbeknownst to us out of towners, let on a couple going to the Kennedy School hotel. It was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay out of the way of our hotels. Dropping them off easily added a good half an hour to our trip. I wouldn’t have been so frustrated if the driver hadn’t called an extra van for a different guy. Why not tell this couple to get on another upcoming shuttle? Why cram them in and then force us all to go so far out of the way? That was annoying.
And, to add insult to injury, four people were staying at the hotel. Only three of them were together (they were a Latino family). The driver charge the Latino dad of the family for all four people, even though the fourth person wasn’t even sitting near or talking to the others. (I won’t assume her ethnicity, but she wasn’t with those folks.) it’s only when that fourth passenger pointed this out, that the driver fixed the mistake. Honestly, if she hadn’t said anything, I don’t know if he would have said anything.
Even after all of that, I decided to go ahead and try the shuttle again to go back to the hotel. In the hotel, they told me the time the shuttle would come. I’m at the desk and I ask the person if the shuttle had come and she said no. But, I get outside and another staff said that the shuttle was gone, that they told him to leave. Eventually, the hotel called the shuttle back and he took me. But, he told me in the van that he had been banned from coming into the hotel and announcing that he was leaving? While this may be an issue of hotel policy, and nothing against him as a person, but there has got to be a better way.
I doubt that I’ll take this one again.

So I arrived in the shuttle area just as the driver is about to drive away. I get in and tell him I’m going to the Hilton. Then we wait for 20 more minutes and no other customers. Why we were waiting, seeing as how he was about to leave, is beyond me.
We pull out and I tell him I’m going to the Executive Tower. He tells me I’m going to the Hilton. I say, «Yes, the Hiton Executive Tower». He demands (not kidding) the address of the tower. I have no idea as I didn’t book the reservation, I just know, Executive Tower — which I tell him again. He needs the address and insists I’m at the Hilton, not the Executive Tower. At this point, I’m on the phone with my co-​worker who assures me she is at the Executive Tower and will come to the lobby (at 10pm mind you) to meet me.
As he is driving past the Exective tower, my co-​worker calls me and says I just passed her, and the driver is now angry, «Well where was she, I didn’t see anyone». Perhaps if he slowed down and said, hey lady, we’re passing the exective tower, where’s your friend? maybe he or I would have seen her.
I, ever the good girl, tip his dumb ass $ 2 when he drops me off at the Executive Tower. WTF was I thinking? He owes me $ 2 for being such an a$$hole.
From the chicken-​scratch receipt I got, his name may be Grant.

I had a really good experience catching the shuttle from PDX after a late flight. I read the two negative reviews and will certainly be wary of pre-​paying for their service and something the company should certainly look into.

We’ve had a really mixed experience with Blue Star.
The first time we used them, we were picked up early and easily got a roundtrip ride back from the airport. The service was very friendly and efficient.
This second and the last time, however, when we tried to get a ride back from the airport, having bought a pre-​paid roundtrip, we were told we would be the last stop (of 6 people) because we were at a residence rather than a hotel downtown.
The thing is, we had pre-​paid, and four of the customers were drop-​ins, asking at the last minute if they could get a ride.
Downtown is not closer to the airport than where we live, and yet, we were treated like second class citizens even though we purchased our trips well in advance.
Because they come on the ½ hour (or so) and we had already waited 20 minutes, we ended up hailing a taxi, and throwing away our money because it would have been hours before we arrived home.
In short, I don’t recommend purchasing a roundtrip ticket with Blue Star if you are returning home (at a residence).
We will not be using them again.

This is a copy of the letter my attorney sent.
I am writing to you on behalf of Mr. Turner in regard to Blue Star
Transportation’s failure to honor his prepaid airport transfer voucher on March 27,2013.
Mr. Turner purchased the prepaid transfer voucher for $ 14.00 on March 26, 2013 from
South America with his debit card. (See attachment.) Upon arriving in Portland
the next day, Mr. Turner attempted to board the Blue Star Transportation Shuttle but was turned away because the driver erroneously had no record of the transaction.
Exhausted from his travels and eager to get home, Mr. Turner attempted to show
the driver the receipt of the purchase on his cell phone and even offered to pay more cash upon drop-​off but the driver insisted that Mr. Turner exit the shuttle. Mr. Turner then exited the shuttle with his baggage and took a cab to his home