Originally Posted by
Landice
I'm sure it's more than a malfunction in a seat recline (at least I hope). Just doesn't make sense to lose so much revenue on something so small.
I was on a UA flight (SFO -> IAD) in January 2011 that was held for 45 min for repairs at SFO because...ready for this...one passenger's reading light didn't work. This was on top of another 45 min mechanical delay.
Coincidentally, many of the other 150+ passengers missed their connections at IAD. When I later relayed this MX delay story to a friend who works at UA, he told me that these types of incomprehensible holdups are mini labor actions, designed to cost the airline money and show the unhappiness of staff (often by the pilots).