UA: Blame the weather and don't complain
Feb 28, 2012, 1:04 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: SFO
Posts: 3,938
UA: Blame the weather and don't complain
Complaining could get you arrested 
On Monday, Rahsaan Johnson, a United spokesman, cited the effects of high winds on Friday night and said weather problems had caused the cancellation of Flight 3876 on Saturday. But, according to FlightAware.com, United canceled only nine of its 947 flights on Saturday. Both the Dulles and Binghamton airports reported clear weather, and the Federal Aviation Administration reported no significant flight delays anywhere in the country on Saturday night.
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Frustrated, she said she told the United agent at the service counter: “Tuesday is not acceptable. This is not our problem, it’s United’s. But he told me, ‘Listen, if you don’t stop complaining I could call the police and have you arrested, because I feel insulted.’ ”
She said she then deferred to her husband, who sympathized with the agent, telling him how hard his job must be. “That’s probably why the man put us on a flight the next morning,” Ms. Petkov said. “I don’t think he would have given it to me.”
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Frustrated, she said she told the United agent at the service counter: “Tuesday is not acceptable. This is not our problem, it’s United’s. But he told me, ‘Listen, if you don’t stop complaining I could call the police and have you arrested, because I feel insulted.’ ”
She said she then deferred to her husband, who sympathized with the agent, telling him how hard his job must be. “That’s probably why the man put us on a flight the next morning,” Ms. Petkov said. “I don’t think he would have given it to me.”
Last edited by malgudi; Feb 28, 2012 at 1:18 pm
Feb 28, 2012, 1:36 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: NJ
Programs: Avis Preferred, Hertz #1 Gold, National Exective, United Premier Silver
Posts: 1,363
I hate news writers who write stories like this, who know nothing about what they are writing.
Flight Aware's cancelled flights tool only shows the operating carrier, not marketing carrier. Grr.
Flight Aware's cancelled flights tool only shows the operating carrier, not marketing carrier. Grr.
Feb 28, 2012, 8:45 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 38,410
Threatening to have them arrested is unreasonable no matter what the cause of the delay.
Feb 28, 2012, 9:10 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Programs: UA PM, DL PM, Bonvoy Titanium, HH Gold
Posts: 1,292
I'm confused after reading the article. They say only 9 flights were cancelled on Saturday, yet people waited two hours in line to rebook......for a 34 person flight.....something doesn't jive.
Feb 28, 2012, 10:16 pm
#5
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 2,933
This story is not primarily about the writers 82 year old mother-in-law, who had a canceled flight, but rather goes on to report how he heard a story from another passenger who told him a story about how her and her husband were important because he was a doctor. What ever was told to the reporter by MRS. DOCTOR is second hand information about her being threatened to be arrested by the police if she didn't pipe down.
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The other day I was walking down the street and a guy comes up to me and tells me that he almost got arrested because some lady said he was being rude to the cake maker @ Costco. I immediately reported it to my local newspaper who took my word that Costco employee's were all bad people, especially the chick in the bakery department, and since everyone knows it must be true, the editor wasn't required to take the initiative to verify anything.
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The other day I was walking down the street and a guy comes up to me and tells me that he almost got arrested because some lady said he was being rude to the cake maker @ Costco. I immediately reported it to my local newspaper who took my word that Costco employee's were all bad people, especially the chick in the bakery department, and since everyone knows it must be true, the editor wasn't required to take the initiative to verify anything.
Mar 2, 2012, 10:36 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 17
The ground staff can be rude sometimes, but in the only case I ever saw where someone threatened to call the police, it seemed entirely appropriate - the passenger was loud, abusive, was warned to calm down several times, etc. When he boarded, someone sitting near me said, "someone call the air marshall". The particular gate agent involved was a lot more patient than I would have been.
In the air, that's a different story - complaining there strikes me as extremely unwise.
In the air, that's a different story - complaining there strikes me as extremely unwise.