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Fly the "friendly" skys (pay no attention to that 10 year old in the corner".

by KEKilpatrick
10 replies
  • OFF TOPIC
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So I for one won't bother with this airline again...



Buzzblog: United Airlines 'loses' 10-year-old girl, torments parents
  • Profile picture of the author ThomM
    Damn I really need that "shakes head in disgust while walking away" emoticon
    Personally I won't fly until the airports are safe for Americans again.
    In other words I've grounded myself until the TSA gets the boot.
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    Life: Nature's way of keeping meat fresh
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    • Profile picture of the author KEKilpatrick
      I'm with ya brother, I've flown just a few times since 911, 4 were to come up here for an interview and house hunting trip just a few weeks after 911... I'm happy to cage or ride anywhere I need to go for now.
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      “Until the 20th century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see and hear. Since the initial publication of the charged electromagnetic spectrum, humans learned that what they can touch, smell, see, and hear…is less than one millionth of reality”

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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I won't fly either. I never enjoyed it even before sexual assault was part of their program. I also do not use any company that outsources customer service over-seas. When there is a problem, I insist on talking to someone in my own country with my own first language. If a company can't handle that one, they don't get my money - for my own sanity as well as to keep my fellow Americans employed.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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    • Profile picture of the author Sundance2009
      Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

      I won't fly either. I never enjoyed it even before sexual assault was part of their program. I also do not use any company that outsources customer service over-seas. When there is a problem, I insist on talking to someone in my own country with my own first language. If a company can't handle that one, they don't get my money - for my own sanity as well as to keep my fellow Americans employed.
      Amen ...if more of us would do this this would be a much better country and we don't need the company's that feel the need to stuff their pockets $$$ at the cost of service and quality by outsourcing. I do fly and I work for an airline and it's a fight everyday to keep jobs in this country. I see first hand the quality of some of the outsourced work and let me tell you, if the flying public knew what the quality of outsourced maintenance was they would demand it stop. Saddly most look for the cheapest seat and don't care that some guy in another country that can't read English is trying to maintain jet for US airlines from English manuals provided by the airline and the Mfg....they just want the cheapest seat.:confused:
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    What a terrible story. I hope it goes viral and blows up in United's face.

    I too hate flying. After 9-11 I've had nothing but terrible experiences when flying. Now I do not fly, unless I know that driving that distance will be more painful than an airport experience. And it has to be a fairly far distance for that to happen.
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Well, FIRST of all, "unaccompanied minor" is a misnomer! They are supposed to ALWAYS be accompanied! The flight attendant and crew is supposed to be made aware of it, the gate agents are supposed to be aware AND, as mentioned in one of those letters, she is ESCORTED to the new plane. And THEY are made aware and are NOT supposed to take off until she is securely strapped in the plane!

    The problem is NOT with UNITED! I wish it were! It is with THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY! They just DON'T CARE! So HOW did they get to be #1? Through a lot of wheeling and dealing, getting monopolies, and buying up competitors! It was NEVER because they did anything better. I used to fly them ALL THE TIME! I was once a platinum member.

    HEY, I went down there(admittedly this was delta, but THEY ARE ALL THE SAME) as an INVALID. An *****INVALID*****! I could NOT walk! WHO could I call? etc.... They are supposed to give me the SAME sort of courtesy that they give a UM. The guy SMASHED my INJURED leg several times into a wall unable to figure out why the wheelchair couldn't go farther, though I screamed why! Another one of them ran another wheelchair into my INJURED leg, and kept asking me to move. I was where I was supposed to be(The area said all there were injured, I was in a wheelchair, with a bandaged leg), INJURED, and he had plenty of room around.

    When we FINALLY got to the proper gate, the plane had JUST left, though they told me they would inform them that I was coming. When I complained, they claimed they couldn't communicate with the gate. They neve could explain how the phone, computer, and walkie talkies only stopped working when they tried to call that one gate, or how nearby gates couldn't communicate with them, or how they couldn't have one of HUNDREDS of guys tell them, etc.... I should have complained to the FAA. I mean how do they let a plane take off if nobody can communicate with it?

    NOPE, they JUST DON'T CARE!

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author MoneyMagnetMagnate
    The 'outsourcing' of the person (who didn't show up) for a $99 charge (?) to take a child from one gate to another of your own airline is what cracks me up - I can understand the charge - IF they were in charge, but they are not...

    Do they outsource that to India as well? Maybe Craigslist?

    There is a lesson here though. For about $30 they could have gotten (if she doesn't already have one) her a cell phone to contact home, camp, etc. on speed dial in the event of any trouble or difficulty...it might have at least saved a little time chewing United's butt.
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    • Profile picture of the author KEKilpatrick
      Originally Posted by MoneyMagnetMagnate View Post

      The 'outsourcing' of the person (who didn't show up) for a $99 charge (?) to take a child from one gate to another of your own airline is what cracks me up - I can understand the charge - IF they were in charge, but they are not...

      Do they outsource that to India as well? Maybe Craigslist?

      .
      Fiverr

      My daughter flew from PA to MS twice by herself, once at 10 and once at 11 and there was no friggin way I was going to let her do that without a cell phone. That was fine with her, she got it 4 years early.

      No I don't blame the parents, they put their faith and trust in the "program" that the airline offered for an additional charge. I DO blame the airline not the parents. You're 10% right Seasoned when you say they don't care, their customers are just a number and they are too big for any of them to give a damn about individual customers.
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      • Profile picture of the author MoneyMagnetMagnate
        Originally Posted by KEKilpatrick View Post

        Fiverr

        My daughter flew from PA to MS twice by herself, once at 10 and once at 11 and there was no friggin way I was going to let her do that without a cell phone. That was fine with her, she got it 4 years early.

        No I don't blame the parents, they put their faith and trust in the "program" that the airline offered for an additional charge. I DO blame the airline not the parents.
        You are right, they put their trust in the company to uphold their end of the bargain, and United should be held responsible - But as the father was such a 'seasoned' United customer, who has "flown around the world", I'm surprised he has never run across glitches in the system before, to where he may have prepared for apparent inevitable...
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by MoneyMagnetMagnate View Post

      The 'outsourcing' of the person (who didn't show up) for a $99 charge (?) to take a child from one gate to another of your own airline is what cracks me up - I can understand the charge - IF they were in charge, but they are not...

      Do they outsource that to India as well? Maybe Craigslist?

      There is a lesson here though. For about $30 they could have gotten (if she doesn't already have one) her a cell phone to contact home, camp, etc. on speed dial in the event of any trouble or difficulty...it might have at least saved a little time chewing United's butt.
      It's actually ILLEGAL to outsource that! ONLY employees of the airport, airlines, or shops, are allowed to be in there, outside of ticketed passengers. That was one of the laws passed after 9/11. EVEN friends and family are forbidden to go into the "sterile area"!

      There are enough unaccompanied minors, that they should make allowance for it. But they REALLY don't care! Frankly, the employees don't care AT ALL! There are alarms on all doors, by federal law. Employees will try to go through WITHOUT regard to even having the keycode. So alarms often go off. Do they care? SURELY THEY MUST, since the FAA, and DHS demand it, right? NOPE! OH how I wish I kept track of the names, but....

      There was a case where a jetway was opened, AGAINST THE LAW! A little 4yo(IIRC) girl ran down the jetway. If she slipped at the end, or kept running, she would fly off the end into a fall DOZENS of feet to her death! Her mother tried to get her to stop, and chased after her. The father chased after them, trying to get things straightened out. ******THEN******* a male gate agent tried to stop the father. Well, the father only had ONE thing in his mind, and broke the gate agents neck. HE was sued for THAT! That jetway should NOT have been opened until a plane was at the other end. That little girl could have DIED!

      BTW they DO often have payphones in airports!

      Steve
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