Please read the following tread from the UA forum. This sort of passenger abuse needs to stop ASAP.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum50/HTML/011955.html

This behavior is unacceptable. I would urge FTers to send the following e-mail to United customer service http://www.united.com/site/primaryNC/1,13494,2076,00.html:

**Be sure to sign your name at the bottom after pasting it into the text box.

**Just to see what kind of response this generates, could you reply to this post with "ditto" or something to that effect?

**Please advise of any changes to the e-mail (i.e. if you can make it more persuasive) or if you have an e-mail address to someone senior at United.

__________________________________________________ ______________________________________
To whom it may concern:

I am writing to comment on the inexcusable abuse a fellow United frequent flyer received at the security screening line in Gate E at PDX on May 1. After this flier objected to her purse being removed from her sight during the security screen, she was unreasonably delayed and ultimately denied passage on her original flight by security officials. This flier's concern is understandable as FAA regulations allow passengers to see their belongings if a hand-search is required. To have a passenger inconvenienced simply because she stood up for her rights is unacceptable. As a very frequent flier on your airline it is disturbing to me that security personnel can abuse passengers by acting in such an arbitary and vindictive manner.

I strongly urge United to investigate this incident to prevent future mistreatment of passengers.

Sincerely yours,

[This message has been edited by CharlesMD (edited 05-02-2002).]

I've posted on the thread itself that we need to write our congressman, our senator, USAToday, the Wall Street Journal, Mineta, Ridge, and Garvey - between us all, we can raise a lot of attention to this ridiculous redneck revenge.

Here's the number for the AP's Portland bureau: (503) 228-2169. If you call early in the day, and make your point quickly, you should get someone interested _ try not to make it sound personal, though.

Selling the story as "United keeps getting pushed around by the FAA, can't do anything about it and passengers are worse off for it" is news. Especially the part about agents getting in trouble for being "too nice."

"I had trouble with security at PDX" is going to make you sound like you're trying to get the reporter to carry your water, even though you're not.

Also: I think a regular poster here is a journalist at the (Portland) Oregonian. Which could also be a help.

As this thread is essentially a cross-posting, please continue to comment on it in the United forum.

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Craig6z
Buzz & United Moderator
[email protected]