malgudi

Really???

News to me ... I've been on quite a few UA (Intl) flights where my special AVML was not loaded (in C, nevertheless). So much so that I now reconfirm my meal 1-2 days ahead of my flight and on the day of travel as well. Whilst the flight attendants did attempt to put together a vegetarian meal using the limited resources on board ... it isn't quite the same.

We're the ones who contribute some or all of your paycheck... but who needs such riff-raff anyways

goalie

Divert to MCI for some ribs?

I completely agree. I'm taking no sides on this issue but it sure does not give a good impression for the customer.

Agreed on all counts.

dll

Don't forget that this is a former TED route. Maybe he's really angry over the loss of his favorite lemonade.

BadgerBoi

Ahh, another FT post full of "this might have happened, that might have happened". Gotta love it.

Live4Upgrade

+1. What an idiot!

fastair

Bingo! My father, retired UA pilot, learned of his gluten allergy onboard, when he experienced symptome that mimiced a cariac incident. Before it was identified as a gluten allergy (flight surgeon could not identify it, and he went to specialists for a few weeks to determine the cause,) he would develop "panic attack" like symptoms thinking he was having a cardiac event. He took himself off of the flying list until this could be identified as having your captain thinking he was having a cardiax event while flying isn't really a safe thing.

In the end, the cause was identified, and he was able to return to flying with a proper diet modification.

There is no way for me to say that this is what is causing the pilot in question to react in such a way, and it is rare to find out of a severe food allergy so late in life while in the middle of a transcon, but in my immediate family, it happened. I used to think my dad needed to see a psychologist as I was sure it was just a panic attack, and that he would retire from flying on medical early. In reality, I judged without the full facts and he continued flying, in a safe manner until the mando retirement age (back then, of 62.)

I've seen posts on this board where a passenger freaks out about their meal choice, which is not guaranteed, getting compensated hundreds of dollarsm hw much harder is it to think someone who has a contract (much more legally binding thatn a passenger's choice of limited options) that requires the company to furnish certain things?

While it may (most likely was) an over-reaction by the pilot, this may have been the straw that boke the camels back, death by 1000 cuts. Somewhere, the line must be drawn in everyone's own mind. Perhaps this was the time and place.

Maguldi, no, no passenger pays any UA employee. One may tip a contracted employee such as a skycap/wheelchair pusher, but the money to UA employees is laundered and paid by UA, not any passenger. I also pay taxes, does that mean that I get to pass judgement on the president (I do, as I get to vote for/against him) or the militaryy (nope, I get zero say in their benefits.) That arguement holds no affermative weight, it's just extranious info that has no argumentitive value except in the bumper sticker category of catch phrases with little no no actual worth.

Mike Jacoubowsky

I'll disagree with you on this one. It is the customers who are paying you, and if the company isn't reinforcing that idea, they should be. My business wouldn't be here without my customers, and it is a definite issue at times convincing my own employees of this. Employee attitudes and actions have a very definite effect on the customer's willingness to part with their $$$. That's a pretty direct relationship. References to "laundering" don't make sense to me.

Further, regarding your taxes, yes, you darned well better expect that you get to pass judgement on how they're used. I specifically travel to DC each year for the Bicycle Summit, where we lobby every single representative on the hill, telling them how we would like our money spent. I could even tell them how I would like the military budged constructed, if I so desired (which I will instead leave to others whom I trust to do a better job of understanding such things). It's my right as a taxpayer, little different from my rights as a customer.

fastair

In a publicly traded company, it is the shareholder that can lobby the BoD with much more weight than the customers. Of course if the shareholders are loseing $$ becuase the company is not keeping the customers happy, then the shareholders would change their plans. The company does respond to customers, as we have all seen changes in responce to massive customer outcry, so to say their input is not listened to is an extreme. For example, did the public cut my spay in chap 11? Not a chance, the courts ordered the $$ to be spent on shareholders and creditors...the way it always happens in bancruptcy. When UA emerged from chap 11, did they take the profit in the 1st year and give back ANY of the wages (money form the customers, in your view)? No, they kept wages the same, and rewarded the shareholders with a divident, that 6 months later ammounted to, if I recall over 20% of the market value of the company. I doubt that was a direct "customer--> shareholder transaction" rather a customer--> ual corp transaction, that UAL corp (at that time, UAUA) choose to give to the stocjholders, not the employees, nor to the other people that UA had defaulted on under court protection.

One can try to say you pay my salary, but that is just a nice catch phrase, even if you don't like the "laundering" concept, in reality, it is much closer to the truth that to say that a customer pays it. I think I might try to tell the next police officer that I pay his salary when I get pulled over and see how far it goes.

Businesses run and their income comes from customers. Customers do not pay the employees, they are paid by the company. Many things the company does to generate money to pay my salary are in direct conflict with a customers desires. Their inout on how things are run, and how they fund things are determined not by popular vote of the customers, but by the business plan of the company and their management.

A direct increase in customer spend does not corelate to an increase in employee salary, nor does a money loseing 1/4 due to customer drop off directly impact my pay. Customers pay the corporation, the corporation in turn decides what it wants done with that money. I get paid, not on a comission, but on a negotiated contract that pays me the same per hour, no matter how many customers I serve. IMHO, UA does not want a direct customer-employee payment method, as that would motivate an employee to bend rules (in much the way a skycap will, for a big tip, try to aviod forcing you to pay excess charges for your overweight bag) in favor of the customer, at the corporations loss (and employee's gain.)

The company might even try to make such a corelation between customer's payment and my paycheck, but my contract states something completely different, and it is upheld by federal law, which supercedes bumper sticker motivational concepts.

Just to be clear, I work for a corporation, who sells a product to the public. That company intern, works for me, as I happen to be a shareholder. My company, as it's primary subsiduary, directs me to serve the customer under the companies rules, which are set forth, not by customers, but by teh officers, who are appointed by the BoD, who are appointed by the shareholder. Nowhere in that CoC is a customer, other than a purchaser of a good., which is delievered in accordance with the companies guidelines, and some of those guidelines include nbenefits for the employees, and in the pilot's case, a meal within certain pre-determined parameters.

I enjoy helping the customers to the best of my ability within the guidelines set forth my my employeer, United Airlines, but make no mistake, it is the company that I work for, the company's rules I follow (and intern they must as well follow the rules,) and the company that pays my checks.

N227UA

Duh, WOW!

legalalien

There are Corky's and Interstate BBQ outlets in MEM terminals, so no need to go downtown for BBQ chicken...or real BBQ.

SFO777

Oh yeah! ^

goingbananas

OK!! can they provide some "suds" too so we can wash that good BBQ down!! I was just being "proper" where it needs to come from a D'town establishment to be good!!

SFOTurtle

+1 The OP "must not have really gotten the full story and wasn't actually in the cockpit and didn't actually see what was written on the checklist and is exaggerating and couldn't possibly have been just as the OP stated because, after all, the OP is only a passenger and doesn't really understand the code language the pilots were using with the groundcrew. Yadda yadda yadda And the other pilot offering to buy the complaining pilot lunch - couldn't possibly have happened.

BadgerBoi

What is that red sludge oozing over the area of the plate that is covered with the shredded flesh-like substance?

goingbananas

Out of respect to Pilots, I will not comment on various PILOT activities or lack thereof with stuff. But I will say, if some people think/post they are holier than..whatever....I will show various pilots behavior that is worse than a 3 year old........And YES FASTAIR...my dad..was a pilot...B-747....with plenty of stories....I already posted one of those (see thread) ...can post others....