Several FT-ers seem to excuse United because a United Express carrier or a call center in India was involved. But United contracted for these services in lieu of providing them itself and is still responsible for their actions or the consequences of their actions.

There is also a very disturbing article in this month's Consumer Reports about contracting out aircraft maintenance. Although the article is not directed specifically at United or any one airline, it is another example of "passing the buck" to low-cost contractors with inexperienced staff.

I am no fan of government regulation, but I think these episodes demonstrate the need for heightened oversight. I also think United leadership needs to listen to its pax on this issue, scrutinize its contractors more carefully and ask some tough questions about whether this is really working. Obviously, a lot of us think it is not.