United’s heatwave incident

Who can ever forget the infamous Northwest Airlines incident in which hundreds of passengers were trapped on a tarmac for hours in a blizzard? (You can read the full transcript of the 1999 Congressional testimony in which airline executives hem and haw their way through tough questions on the disaster by their elected representatives.)

Yes, Northwest will always have its blizzard. But will United Airlines have its … heatwave?

That’s the question making the rounds in the blogosphere after Denver Post reporter Jeffrey Leib offered a firsthand account of a three-hour delay of United flight 909 from Chicago to Denver, in which the temperatures in the cabin soared past the century mark.

“Passengers waited for the engine start, and waited some more,” he reports. “There was little or no air flowing and the body heat of hundreds of passengers and crew members was lifting the temperature. It now was very hot in the cabin and cockpit.”

Although there was no panic, as on the infamous Northwest Airlines flights, “there was concern,” he writes. “Some began to break out cellphones and call for help. One tried alerting an acquaintance, chief of the air traffic control tower at O’Hare, about flight 909′s predicament,” he said.

As the jet landed in Denver, the lead flight attendant apologized to passengers and begged them to give United another chance. She reportedly said, “This has been a very embarrassing and unprofessional situation.”

A United spokeswoman apologized for the incident, too.

The question is, what are passengers on that flight owed?

Under United’s contract of carriage (you can find it here, along with directions on how to effectively complain about your trip) the answer is: probably nothing. Strictly speaking, there are no provisions for “pain and suffering” in the contract.

Maybe there should be.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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