'United Breaks Guitars': Passenger's revenge video becomes a vi...

It's George Bush's fault.

United's Chicago crew after having flown over 1M miles since 1976 on that carrrier, are hands down the rudest most non-customer service folks on the airline planet. The fact that it took the musician over nine months for the final rejection after speaking to a plethora of agents in over 4 cities worldwide speaks to the level of disdain United has reached on those that keep it in business. Hope they can learn from their mistakes. Southwest continues to look better and better - they actually have some courtesy, good customer service, and they treat people like customers, not baggage.

It was said that the paasernger saw his guitar being damaged... next to impossible... few people look out an airport window and when deplanning you never see baggage unloaded.

I worked for an airline and in 1968 a passenger's guitar had a broken neck after arrival of a flight... the cause being the strings were not loosened and the very cold cargo pit caused them to contract and break at the neck in the case!

Your arguments that "few people look out an airplane window" and "when deplaning you never see baggage unloaded" are weak at best. I can't tell you how many times I've seen bags unloaded before I was able to leave the plane and as I was leaving. In fact, it happens every time I fly from Springfield, Illinois to Chicago on United (regional planes)and more recently from Chicago to San Juan. I'll go with Southwest whenever possible!

don allen wrote:

It was said that the paasernger saw his guitar being damaged... next to impossible... few people look out an airport window and when deplanning you never see baggage unloaded.
I worked for an airline and in 1968 a passenger's guitar had a broken neck after arrival of a flight... the cause being the strings were not loosened and the very cold cargo pit caused them to contract and break at the neck in the case!

I will appoint a commission to ensure penalties are levied against United and redistribute wealth to the lowly.

Algore wrote:

It's George Bush's fault.

Holy Hell! Too funny. If a Liberal could envision a way to blame Bush in this scenario – he/she would in an instant.

Holy Heaven! Too funny. If a Conservative could envision a way to blame Clinton in this scenario - he/she would in an instant.

1 million hits on youtube and counting!!! Wahahahahaha. Thinking maybe UA spokesperson Robin Urbanski
is having a rough day, kind of like Dave's guitar.

Took a flight from Boston to Chicago and I checked a bag. I noticed the counter rep didn't put the bag on the conveyor belt so I stayed close by to make sure it was put on the conveyor to the baggage area. The counter rep proceeded to yell to me 'your bag is ok, you can go'. I called my wife and immediately told her that my bag wouldn't make it to Chicago. Does it surprise you that my bag somehow missed my flight and I had to wait almost two hours at O'Hare for the bag to arrive on the next flight. I called United to complain. I must have talked to Ms. Irlweg as she expressed similar indifference. I should have written a song on youtube about it. Perhaps I will give Dave Carroll a call.

While waiting to deplane in Honolulu, I watched the baggage handlers toss surfboards, including mine, off the plane. So, yes, Mr. Allen, passengers do sometimes get a front row seat to handlers acting like the Samsonite Gorilla.

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

don allen wrote:

It was said that the paasernger saw his guitar being damaged... next to impossible... few people look out an airport window and when deplanning you never see baggage unloaded.
I worked for an airline and in 1968 a passenger's guitar had a broken neck after arrival of a flight... the cause being the strings were not loosened and the very cold cargo pit caused them to contract and break at the neck in the case!

You know...I have to agree with the airline regarding the defense that he didn't open the case and report it at the airport.

I do agree they (the airlines) are careless, but come on, if he thought it was messed up, he should have opened it at the airport.

I felt sorry for Dave Carroll for about five seconds. Then I thought to myself, what kind of idiot checks a guitar? Even if the baggage handlers weren't throwing the bags (and why would you assume they wouldn't), bags can fall onto the guitar case during turbulence. They can collide on certain kinds of baggage carousels.
United flight attendants are always accommodating toward passengers with instruments. If there's room, they'll usually put them up front in the first class coat closet.
So next time, Dave, just take the guitar with you. The same goes for your laptop, crystal glasses, and anything else you might have been considering putting in your checked bags.