Comments on: United Airlines’ Higgins: guitar blunder “made terrific fodder for a video”

By: Roy Turner

Roy Turner — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:31:19 +0000

I took a trip to Edmonton canada about a year ago on United Airlines, when i got there they told me that my luggage and my guitar was still in Phenix AZ.
Needless to say, i had to perform that friday night in the same cloths i travel in, i had to do without my guitar for the entire weekend. They told me that i would get my things the next morning; I ended up getting my cloths and guitar the Monday morning when i was checking out out of the Hotel. I new from that experience that i would never travel with United Airlines again, Never.

By: United Breaks Guitars, the sequel: “What did you mean when you said you’re sorry?” - Turnip Style Dot Com

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:36:37 +0000

[...] now an update on an interview I published last week with United Airlines regarding the viral video controversy, United Breaks [...]

By: Marc Robichaud

Marc Robichaud — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:41:30 +0000

Thanks for the reply Scott.

I will admit that yes as a passenger watching events unfold, that we do not have all the details. And you are also correct that this was within one week of the video being released and it will take longer for changes to filter through the organization.

As fellow passengers, there was a number of us almost on the edge of our seats that day (and would probably have liked to intervene if not for 9/11 and the fear of missing our own flights). Having the video fresh in our minds, we saw the same type of indifference as portrayed by the “employees” of the same airport as shown in the video. The not my job, not my problem was the point of my post. We as fellow passengers may not have all the details of any situation, but attitudes and optics are what affect reputations. Had I observed assistance or at the very least empathy being offered to this young girl, I would likely have had a positive response.

Maybe seeing someone come up to her and saying “Sorry you missed your flight, but come with me and we’ll see what we can do about getting you on the next one” would have been better then letting her cry on her own for five minutes and then pointing to the other end of the airport and telling she has to go find customer service on her own (she was pretty shaken at this point).

I will add to my story as I rereading it I may have had a more negative tone than I had intended. Later, we did find out that this young girl made her way to the customer service desk, and was booked on a later flight. Situation saved, but I think it could also have been done without the anxiety, the frustration and the tears.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:15:48 +0000

One problem is that people make all kinds of assumptions about situations when they know nothing of the details.

Mr. Robichaud’s statement is full of completely ridiculous assertions. He guarantees they have learned nothing from the incident because of something he witnessed the VERY NEXT WEEK? If Higgins is putting new training into place, it unfortunately isn’t like waving a magic wand and transforming every problem immediately. Also, this situation has nothing to do with baggage handling.

This sounds like a classic case of a passenger unfortunately not being able to read the signage to ensure they were at the correct gate. There does come a time when doors need to be closed. I can’t believe the number of times I see people sauntering up to a gate minutes before departure and are incredulous when the world has not stopped for them. Other employees have other assignments, and cannot always stop assisting other passengers.

The bluster of people like Mr. Robichaud (and others here) unfortunately obscures the very real problems that sometimes can be fixed. Bad attitudes are present on BOTH sides of the counter, and they have no place on either one.

By: Marc Robichaud

Marc Robichaud — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:44:06 +0000

I can guarantee you they’ve learned nothing of this, I flew United through O’Hare the week after Dave’s first video was launched and watched in disbelief as three United staff members and two security guards stood idly as a young girl in tears missed her plane that we could all clearly see was still outside waiting to take off.
As soon as she realized she was at the wrong gate (F7B and not F7A), she approached staff for help as the door to the plane corridor had just been closed seconds before (literally closing in her face as she ran to catch the gate). Two security guards kept inspecting passengers (one commented that it wasn’t his job to help passengers). Another United rep said it wasn’t his gate to look after and continued to sign passengers into his gate. At the gate in question, a United lady (looked young, maybe summer student?) just sat and watched it unfold never even getting up or coming to the assistance of the now distraught passenger. After a few minutes, United rep assigned to the gate reappeared and said sorry he had closed the door and that it was too late. He did not even try to contact the plane or reopen the door (and the plane was there for at least five more minutes before taxiing off which all of us could see plain as day through the window). We watched in stunned silence while he idly chatted with other coworkers while the plane was still outside. Once it took off, after letting the girl cry for five more minutes, he told her to go see customer service to book another flight. Her problem was obviously not his problem. Half hour later he joked to other passengers saying, “Oh don’t worry, people miss flights here all the time..”
(I have been on other airlines where we waited up to 20 minutes for passengers to make connections, and here flawed procedures and apathetic staff can’t connect a passenger to a plane that is just thirty feet away.)

United – you have serious customer service issues to address. Admitting you have a problem is the first step towards finding a solution.

By: Kristin Zern

Kristin Zern — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:51:18 +0000

My husband is a guitarist who does whatever he can to carry his very valuable acoustic guitar on board the plane. Certain airlines are better than others (Iberia expects guitars on board). At the very least handing the instrument over along with the strollers and wheelchairs at the door to the plane promises more gentle handling. He also detunes the guitar if he has to put it in the hold, dramatically takes off his belt and further secures the hard case. Putting large red and white fragile signs all over the case also helps.

Another element of the United tale. Airlines rarely cover the actual value of an intrument (even if its entirely their fault) in the best case scenario, $500 to $1000 is probably the cap. If an instrument has a greater value than $500 a traveling musician should have a rider policy with their own insurance company to cover the possibility of losing a valuable instrument.

Years ago he imported an extremely rare and valuable guitar from Spain via Pan Am. It was then impossible to arrange insurance to cover the value ($30,000 in today’s $’s). The guitar made it to Kennedy where it was stolen by baggage handlers.
Pam Am paid only for the weight of the package, which worked out to be about $200. Which when we read the fine print was the stated policy.

By: United Breaks Guitars, the sequel: “What did you mean when you said you’re sorry?”

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:47:46 +0000

[...] now an update on an interview I published last week with United Airlines regarding the viral video controversy, United Breaks [...]

By: Hana

Hana — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:32:48 +0000

I happened to see the video the day I had a flying fiasco (something I am still dealing with) and when I see all the promises United made to improve customer service I realize they are empty. It is a couple months later and I had to deal with terrible service. I understand bags get lost, flights get canceled, but to have representatives, rude, unhelpful and unintelligible is surprising after this public marketing mess United had to deal with. I was treated better by the other airline the entire time by all customer representatives except United’s. So it seems they claim to use this as customer service enhancement oppotunities and it is all just for show.

By: Air Travler

Air Travler — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:50:13 +0000

As had been said before the 24 hour reporting time limit is to make it as difficult as possible for reporting, while seeming generous. Mr Carroll had said when he arrived at his destination there were no United employees available to complain to and he had to leave to get to his first stop on his tour. Additionally the guitar was in a stout traveling case not the carrying cases shown in the video and United did not deny what happened they would not accept responsibility.

By: Tim Cunningham

Tim Cunningham — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:27:23 +0000

Ms. Higgins claims:

“What regretfully happened was an anomaly, not the norm, and was clearly an unintentional accident.”

It was not an unintentional accident. Guitars, a physically obvious fragile baggage category, werre THROWN, something which should never happen.

And about that immediate reporting rule: If United is so all fired up about helping their customers while keeping itself safe from fraud, they’d better post an employee with full powers to launch damage claims by every baggage pick up point used by their airline so that claims can be made immediately. And those employees should not leave until all baggage is picked up and the customers have left. There were no United staffers available when DC and co. were reuinted with their baggage.