Flying Blind (Sarah Hoyt nails the United Airlines affair)

One of the recurring themes of this blog is “how companies, particularly those used to having control over their customers adapt/not to the new world of communications, the new world of technology that empowers the individual.”

My name is Sarah A. Hoyt, and I fly. I don’t fly often — anymore — and I don’t fly with much degree of enjoyment because I was always rather afraid of flying. (Afraid is not the right term. I hate not being in control.)

But there was a time I flew more and with greater enjoyment. This was around 99 to 2000 when for various reasons, we and the boys flew (tourism, mostly) about six times a year, return trips. (So, twelve times a year.)

I don’t know if you remember those days? You checked your luggage in, the planes were on time more often than not. If not on time, they tried to compensate and be nice to you.

Unfortunately 9/11 changed that. But I think the change was deeper than we think. It wasn’t just that the airlines, suddenly faced with multiple delays and fewer passengers took the exactly wrong tactic to make themselves profitable again: charge for ALL the things, make the seats so small that when someone reclines, they’re in the lap of the people behind, etc. No. It was that this change was aided, abetted, directed by an authoritarian type of mentality.

I can’t prove it, but I think part of it was all the bail outs from government to the airlines. The other part was that well… the entire flying experience became more authoritarian. You have to submit to being checked from head to toe to even get aboard (and yet, as usual, I flew with both liquids and blades I didn’t know I was carrying last week. It’s kabuki.)

Along with this came the airlines ability to remove/accuse of interference or threats or terrorism anyone who argues too loudly with any of its employees. We’ve all heard stories of people removed/locked up/etc simply because they wouldn’t or couldn’t obey instructions.

I remember the woman handcuffed to the airport bench who died through lack of meds, the same lack that was causing her to act psychotic.

I think the ability to get away with mistreating passengers (and call the police on passengers if they complain) and getting away with some egregious abuses that people tolerate because “well, who knows, next time it could be a threat” has corrupted airline culture.

I think what happened to the United Passenger was not only predictable, but inevitable. Once airlines get used to the idea that you’re “cattle” to be herded and told what to do, arbitrarily, and that if you refuse to pay for extras you’re negligible, you have set up the conditions in which a passenger, sooner or later will get abused and the abuse will get filmed.

As with publishing, we have an industry that has a monopoly and is told by the government it is “vital” and given subsidies to prove it. (Well, publishing hasn’t been, I think, but you get the point.)

Because the employees have full authority and can back it up by accusing their passengers of terrorism/denying them boarding/creating trouble, they’ve got into this mentality where the passenger is NOT their customer, but simply widgets to be moved around, ordered about and treated, generally, like things of no account.

Which explains why our airline travel is rapidly coming to mimic the qualities of Soviet travel in its hey day.

I rarely fly these days. In the last 9 years, we’ve retrenched our financial position so often we’re now out of trenchers. Also, frankly, I hate flying these days. You have to get there an hour and a half ahead of time, and half the time the flight will be changed/delayed/strange. The strange part usually involves distributing my family around the airplane like a kid’s thrown marbles, seemingly for fun. (Like last week, when Dan and I were separated and another couple were equally separated for no reason either of us could figure out. — we traded.) This is a problem for me, because I have severe mid-range deafness. Yes, at a noisy con, if I smile and nod when you tell me that you just grilled your neighbor with garlic, it’s because I have no idea what you said. So, in a noisy plane? I have no idea what the attendants are telling me at any given time. I have no idea what the announcements are. Usually I look at Dan/Robert/Marshall and they translate. And yes, there have been one or two situations in which flight attendants thought I was being obtuse on purpose, but fortunately not escalating to violence, as I rarely travel alone.

So, it’s not a pleasurable experience. The reasons I do it these days are to attend cons; to accompany Dan on a business trip; to see our aging/ailing relatives (yes, we know eventually we’ll arrive too late. We’re too far away. But we try.

And every time I travel, the flight is overbooked and they ask for volunteers. Sometimes I’m really tempted, because, say, a voucher for 1k would pay a trip to see my parents. BUT what good does it do me to arrive, say, at Liberty con on Sunday, then turn around and come back.

I swear until yesterday I did not know you could get INVOLUNTARILY bumped, and the idea fills me with dread. The reasons I travel, I’ll still have to travel, but it has the potential of nullifying the entire reason I am even there.

For now, everyone who is reporting on the UAL incident is saying the “doctor involved” has a shady past. This is TO AN EXTENT TRUE. Kind of. He had some problems, some of them apparently resulting from PTSD (his treatment at the hands of the airline must REALLY have helped that) that led him into shady behavior AFTER which he did everything in his power to clean up his act.

The interesting thing here is where the Louisville newspaper reporting on him found his name to do the background check. It wasn’t in early reports, and it was only in possession of the airline.

Did the airline give the name to the newspaper? I don’t know. I wish I could say it was unthinkable.

However, the behavior of various people coming out at the same time to defend United and to tarnish in any way the reputation of the man they were caught abusing, reminded me of the incident when I posted Frontiers of Insanity post.

This was a time when my blog got on a good day about 100 hits, but within hours of my putting up a post critical of Frontier, we had a bonafide Frontier apologist, casting aspersions on my character and acting like I was crazy and “entitled.” (BTW if you want a glimpse into how crazy and authoritarian airlines have got, that experience is a good example. And it’s not even the worst we’ve had. The absolute worst was 9? years ago when flying back from Chattanooga took us on a tour of the US, including overnight in Chicago and bringing us home too late to go through the mandatory parent interview to get #2 son into a dual college/high school program. Fortunately Older Son ably filled in for us, and we just had to go in and sign papers after.)

This same comment about being “entitled” was left by a United Employee on a post of mine on FB yesterday. He said I didn’t understand the trouble with trying to subdue a planeful of entitled and unruly people.

I don’t like the term “entitled.” It is too often used by people who think they have authority over you to tell you to fall in place. Yes, I know, you do get “entitled” people, who demand safe spaces and think life should be “fair” like an eternal kindergarten. But there are better terms for them, like “infantile” and “full of hubris.”

In the context of the airline, let’s dissect “entitled.” You’re d*mn right I’m entitled. When you pay for a service, you are entitled to that service. It is known as “contract”. And I don’t really care if the government says it’s legal for them to drop people involuntarily. The government is no arbiter of morals. The truth is that in any other industry, if I pay for something I’m ENTITLED to it. And if people revoke it after payment, it’s called fraud and there are all kinds of ugly consequences.

Just because the government thinks airlines are “essential” and enables ugly behavior, it doesn’t make it RIGHT.

Entitled? Damn right I’m entitled. When I pay for something, I bought it, and it’s mine, whether it’s a service or a physical thing. This is known as property rights, and — as such — is the cornerstone of the civilized society we used to be.

Again, I didn’t know until this week that airlines could just refuse boarding at will. I still need to fly, but the idea that it can be arbitrarily denied because of someone else’s priority or someone else’s **** up does not make me love it more. I always assumed they just offered more and more money until SOMEONE took it.

Yeah, yeah, I know “overbooking is why flights are so cheap.” Is it? Is it really? I don’t know what the rate of missing/not being there for flights is. I’ve missed ONE flight in my entire life. It would seem to me that having passengers on standby would take care of that. SURELY if you’re actually compensating people for giving up their seats — and playing fair with compensation. I’ve heard rumors United Airlines vouchers are useless — it costs you more than one or two empty seats.

The only time another … ah… company denied me the right to a service I paid for, it was the post office, who told me I couldn’t have the mailbox where the previous owners had had it, under the porch, but must have it down seventeen steps, at street level, because their UNION didn’t want them to have to climb that many steps.

In both cases, both institutions were heavily subsidized and protected by government. In both cases, service is/was lousy. In both cases the person being served wasn’t viewed as the CUSTOMER or the person who actually kept them in business.

I fully expect airlines to say that passengers must “build in” days to their travel, to insure they get there in time. I mean, the post office told me — when I pointed out having the box on the street, in a street with pedestrian traffic was asking for theft — that I should have anything important and certainly not checks sent to me. (Which explains why they’re increasingly Spam Mail.)

What I say is that if I need to build in hotels for an extra night at each end, then their flights must be WAY cheaper.

In the end this is the problem with the game of authoritanism and subtraction of services the airlines play. Sooner or later, you’ve subtracted everything, and frankly Greyhound starts sounding good.

And then, perhaps, government decides you’re not essential anymore and stops subsidizing you. Or you have to learn to subsist on package-carrying only. OR — and it’s already happening — an airline that actually believes their customers are their customers and deserve to be treated as human beings comes into being and sends you into bankruptcy.

What I know is that right now, where we are, United COMPLETELY misunderstands their position. From their half-hearted excuses, to the letter their CEO sent to employees telling them they had done nothing wrong and the passenger was a poopy head, they completely fail to understand that the public in whose court of opinion they’re being tried are those same widgets they’ve been pushing around and mistreating for YEARS.

Frankly, just in terms of how closely packed together we were last week, I have enough of a hate-in for them to last me for years.

United has been very close to my “no, not even if it’s half the price” list. Now they’re firmly on it. I’m sure I’m not alone.

And that in the end is what happens when you forget who actually PAYS you and who you’re SUPPOSED to serve. At some point, you subtract enough — like, assuring them you’ll actually transport them for money — that you find you no longer have customers.

It’s a great way to go out of business. And all for lack of understanding that they’re selling SOMETHING and not in charge of ordering people around to suit the airline’s convenience.

NO ONE is entitled to your business. NO ONE is entitled to play bait and switch with you. And companies who think they are and can will eventually be “rewarded” with disappearance. It might take some time, but it’s inevitable.

The way to stay in business is to offer what your customers want and to be nice to them while providing it.

I used to fly a lot. We now drive whenever possible. It works for us because I love to drive and it’s a lot more comfortable.

And I’ve never been through one of those full body scanners. I always opt out and go for the manual pat down. It’s important to never joke about bombs and stuff, so I’m careful about what I say when they are patting me down. I say things like, “do I look like a Muslim to you?” or, “Don’t I at least get a happy ending?”

The goal is to make it as uncomfortable for them as it is for me. It’s the only way you can be a part of the system changing. We live in an insane world these days. And no, that is not hyperbole.

OK,sweetie....tell me this.Which laws,if any,did United or any of the security/police personnel involved in that incident break? We’re talking legality here,not PR.

I don’t think you read the article. It’s one of the first things she covered. You are talking legally. She is talking PR. That is how a company stays in business: Treating their customers in a way that they choose to purchase your product.

Legally, a store could be open only from noon to one pm, tuesday through thursday. It doesn’t mean they are going to stay in business.

Unless I’m traveling to another continent I almost always drive because of the hassles and unreliability of today’s airlines. I made an exception last weekend and planned a 3-day weekend to visit my aging parents. I got caught in Delta’s horrendous service breakdown. I spent 11 hours in flight + delays and another 2 hours on the phone waiting and re-booking. I could have driven in 12 hours. Bad decision. Coming home was on schedule but very disturbing. I reported an unattended bag in the departure lounge to 4 different Delta gate agents, and not one of them would call security. One of them announced it over the intercom to ask that the owner come retrieve it. She actually moved the bag behind the counter to hide it from sight. I called security myself from a nearby shop. The airport police officer was disgusted at their refusal to follow security protocol. Nothing will come of it of course. We were lucky it was just a forgotten shopping bag - this time.

but once he was told to leave, he had to leave. Instead, he chose to make it a physical altercation with Security and not walk off the plane like a human.

Sometimes that is how real change is brought about. It’s kinda like going to war on a real small scale. Sacrifices must be made.

Looks like this case has brought to the surface a real issue that just may finally be addressed. This could bring about significant positive changes to the passenger flying experience if it keeps its legs.

BILLIONAORE CEO?

The United CEO - Oscar Munoz is an MBA making almost $6 million dollars a year in salary and bonuses.

He has exercisable stock options valued at more than ONE BILLION DOLLARS!!!

But the airline is run like it’s being managed by Josef Stalin and the Marx Brothers comedy team..

https://s15.postimg.org/4p14h0l5n/MUNOZ_BIO.png

However, the meager offers they give of a heavily limited ticket is a pathetic option and not worth considering.

Yep. I learned that 28 years ago. I’ll never do it again. I’ll take a later flight and CASH, but a worthless “free” pass is not even a tiny incentive.

“The stewardess union fought for smaller carry-on bags and limiting the number of carry-ons. They thought it was taking people too long to deplane and a general nuisance. “

I didn’t know that and wouldn’t have thought so to see how things have changed since the airlines started charging for baggage.

These days I see folks carrying on two large roller bags, a back pack and a shopping bag full of stuff - and not a word from the flight/gate attendants.
I see folks with duffel bags big enough to contain bodies and they spend five full minutes trying to jam them into the overhead... nobody stops them...
Its like the crew doesn’t even care to enforce carry on regulations anymore. Even when it delays take off time.

But they freak out about other crap...

OK,sweetie....tell me this.Which laws,if any,did United or any of the security/police personnel involved in that incident break?

A great part of the article was that they did not break laws because they are backed by a government that allows them to be assholes with impunity. They did not break any laws, but they behaved like Soviet tyrants and people are getting tired of it. Just because the government allows them to be assholes does not mean they should be.

I am getting the impression that flying is now becoming a right, and all terms and conditions will be defined by the masses. Easier solution is to make informed choices, up to and including choosing not to flying. Talk about beating a dead horse

Well, I’m getting the impression that a lot of people think that once you buy a ticket, yeah, it is your right to get what you paid for.

And it is not a dead horse. What it is is a slab of Limburger cheese that has been rotting in the sun for decades and it looks like the smell has finally gotten so bad that it’s about to be cleaned up.

Or there just may be a passenger revolt.

One by one, more and more of us ONLY fly when we have to, like with my two daughters getting married on the left coast and me living in Kentucky. I NEVER fly because I WANT to go somewhere. I only fly because I HAVE to go somewhere. And even then, if it’s less than a ten hour drive, I’ll drive.

Read their fine print and take a class in Federal law before you buy a plane ticket. You aint entited to $hit and your individual money means very little.

Isn't Federal Regulation of industry just great?

This is a good read and a different perspective.

I Know You’re Mad at United but…

Though I agree, this whole “overbooking” thing needs to be reigned in. This has gotten crazy. It used to be that on RARE occasion they had to entice people to leave. They have figured out that since it is no skin off their nose if they “pay” people to leave because so many of them don’t even use the “free” ticket, that they can overbook with little to no financial fallout.

That is, until this story went viral. Now there are PR consequences. Just as people used to be scared of lost luggage, now they are scared of being bumped. It will affect some people’s decisions to fly if they really don’t absolutely have to. It could affect the industry in a way that forces them to make changes.

In my case, their major competition is my car. We live in KY and our grand kids are in Chicago. We always drive. The airlines are just not worth the hassle. And I love the drive. We usually take the back roads and it only costs us an extra half hour.

The man was not compliant with Federal Police and re-entered the secure area without authorization after being told not to.

The should have hammer locked the asshole and “helpfully walked” him into the terminal, and Federal custody.

He has exercisable stock options valued at more than ONE BILLION DOLLARS!!!

It's now worth less than a billion dollars due to his mismanagement and cluelessness.

The analogy to Stalin is appropriate. The larger and more protected by government a corporation is, the more it resembles a government agency. As a result, air travel is about as pleasant as going to jury duty or the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The government doesnt allow them to be assholes.

IT REQUIRES IT.

The entire incident was spawned because United had to get the other crew to the next stop for an ajoining flight to meet Federal Regulations.

In a way, I kinda hope I get caught up in something like this doctor did, because I don’t yell. My argument style is this: I’m Mr. Spock. And the angrier I get, the more like Mr. Spock I become. My motto is that if I show emotion, I’ve lost.

Also the broken record technique.

They ask me to leave, and I politely tell them I paid for my seat - the one I’m sitting in. I will vacate the seat when I reach my destination to which I paid your company to deliver me.They say, “but you need to leave the plane because...”, and I give them eye contact, smile, and say, I paid for my seat - the one I’m sitting in. I will vacate the seat when I reach my destination to which I paid your company to deliver me.

They accuse me of being uncooperative, I repeat the exact same words. If it gets physical, I apply what was learned in the early 70’s riots. I go Cadaver on them. I do not fight. I go completely limp. They had better be careful because If they damage me, it’s on them. And I weigh 250 lbs.

It’s explained in Roadhouse. Be nice. No matter what, be nice.

But don’t cooperate with their trampling over your - dare I say it - HUMAN rights.

i.e. only a fool plans a trip around the assumption that the airline will actually get them to where they want to go, remotely withing the time frame that makes the trip worth doing at all.

Got it.

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