IAD Problems of a whole different type

Warning: this rant is part of my recovery from what was without doubt my worst flying experience ever, despite many years an AA EXP and currently UA 1P. Pretty much put me off ever flying UA again. I was shocked. Here, for anyone who is interested was my Sunday:

Schedule is DUB-LHR-IAD-SCE having done SCE-DUB last week.
Arrive IAD at 7.15pm from London to find that the 10.05 connection to State College is delayed until 10.35. No problem. At 9.30 with the RCC closing I meander to the gate and for the next 70 minutes the flight keeps getting delayed further. New departure time of 11.45. No problem, exhausted but this is not bad.

At 11.50 sudden gate change – but we board, full flight on the turboprop operated by Colgan Air. Then things begin to get interesting. A gate agent comes on, tells us that no bags will be traveling tonight with us and that ‘Mr. xxx’ in 6A must ‘immediately get off the flight.’ Apparently, weight issues as we changed planes due to our scheduled aircraft having a mechanical problem. Mr 6A (who I did not know), gets up but asks why he was selected. Not at all confrontationally, although this is only my opinion. ‘Because you have the cheapest ticket’ was the reply, ‘now get off this plane.’ ‘If you don’t get off right away this aircraft will not leave at all tonight’ continued the rather unprofessional gate agent. Mr 6A asks why the agent did not solicit a volunteer. The gate agent literally looses it (again this is my opinion rather than a statement of fact!)

The ground staff responded: ‘Anyone want to volunteer.. free flight.. no [without looking], Right Mr 6A are you happy? leave this plane immediately.’ Problem is someone did volunteer. The gate agent was less than happy. Mr 6A sits down and the volunteer headed to the door. Then the low point: The gate agent, addressing the whole plane says (and I am not paraphrasing): ‘If this plane does not get out tonight you need to blame Mr 6A.’ I have never heard anything so unprofessional in my life.

Mr 6A mistakenly decides to verbally confront the gate agent, and from his seat, asks for the gate agents name. Big mistake. The captain intervenes and tells Mr 6A that she does not like his attitude. Mr 6A politely but mistakenly repeats that he felt singled out without any reason. The captain tells Mr 6A that ‘he is not flying tonight’ and tells the volunteer to stay on. Mr A gives assurances that he has ‘no issues’, but declines to leave. The captain leaves the aircraft, comes back 10 minutes later and announces that the crew have gone illegal (my term) because the flight is not so delayed and tells us that the flight is cancelled.

We all get off and try to rebook. This takes close to 2 hours. With only 4 flights per day some are left stranded until Wednesday. I get on a Monday flight but my partner is not as lucky so we ask if we can rent a car and drive the 4.5 hours. ‘Yes but United will not pay’ was the reply! So a group of 6 of us rent a minivan ($40 each) and spend all night traveling – one of our newly formed group delayed us as she begged to get her bags. No luck, but not surprised.
Half the flight wanted to lynch Mr 6A, the other half felt he had been very unjustly treated as he was surely owed an explanation as to why he was being IDB without volunteers being asked for.

I got home at 6.30am, instead of 11.10pm, tired form the 26 hours of traveling and severely upset at the actions of UA.

My frustration is at the following:
(1) If the gate agent had just asked for volunteers we would have been at home.
(2) The flight still left and arrived in State College (with no PAX) but did do the morning SCE-IAD run. This info comes from flighttracker.

I am not going to seek redress form UA, as a customer I will just not fly them again (yes, I am that angry) but I will be sire to file a complaint with the DOT and, given that I was on a Euro trip with whoever might listen to me in the UK.