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United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

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Re: United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

#41

Post by peteretep »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #36

United is clearly very wrong here and treating their customers poorly. But, and I'm sure this is going to be an unpopular opinion, who sends a 10 year old across the country on a plane alone? I wouldn't send a 10 year on a 30min bus ride alone. I understand United offers a service to make this possible but it seems like a ridiculous thing for a parent to take advantage of. Maybe it's a cultural difference and this is…

As a kid, I used to make intercontinental flights frequently as an unaccompanied minor ... maybe 6-8 a year between the ages of 8 and 16? Airlines make this all OK by offering an Unaccompanied Minor service where where a member of aircrew is responsible for the kids, the kids need to be deposited (and signed for) at both ends of the flight, etc... In this case, the airline screwed up, but the concept is pretty straight forward...

Re: United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

#42

Post by masklinn »

rblackwater wrote: post #40
jcampbell1 wrote: post #25

I want to know who the the passengers were sitting next to this child were that didn't help her with her transfer. The lack of human decency is a cultural problem as much as an airline problem. What the fuck is wrong with people that don't talk to a child traveling alone and make sure she makes her connection. I blame humanity as much as the airline.

Nobody is responsible for other people's children. Not making sure an unaccompanied minor gets to her next flight is not "lack of human decency".

> Nobody is responsible for other people's children.

He didn't say anybody (other than United) was responsible.

> Not making sure an unaccompanied minor gets to her next flight is not "lack of human decency".

I'd say not helping a fellow human in distress, especially a vulnerable one (such as a child) in a situation where you can help at next to no cost, definitely qualifies for "lack of human decency".

Re: United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

#43

Post by DanBC »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #36

United is clearly very wrong here and treating their customers poorly. But, and I'm sure this is going to be an unpopular opinion, who sends a 10 year old across the country on a plane alone? I wouldn't send a 10 year on a 30min bus ride alone. I understand United offers a service to make this possible but it seems like a ridiculous thing for a parent to take advantage of. Maybe it's a cultural difference and this is…

The author of the blog post seemed to think that United was a terrible airline before this happened.

So your point about unaccompanied minors seems even more valid; who would send a child cross country, and who would do so using a crappy airline?

Re: United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

#44

Post by seanmcdirmid »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #36

United is clearly very wrong here and treating their customers poorly. But, and I'm sure this is going to be an unpopular opinion, who sends a 10 year old across the country on a plane alone? I wouldn't send a 10 year on a 30min bus ride alone. I understand United offers a service to make this possible but it seems like a ridiculous thing for a parent to take advantage of. Maybe it's a cultural difference and this is…

In Japan you send your 1st grader kids across the city to school by themselves. They take the train by themselves...and they survive well enough.

Re: United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

#45

Post by andrewfelix »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #36

United is clearly very wrong here and treating their customers poorly. But, and I'm sure this is going to be an unpopular opinion, who sends a 10 year old across the country on a plane alone? I wouldn't send a 10 year on a 30min bus ride alone. I understand United offers a service to make this possible but it seems like a ridiculous thing for a parent to take advantage of. Maybe it's a cultural difference and this is…

Used to do it via Qantas as a kid. The staff would watch you like a hawk. They even let you hang with the pilot for a bit.

Re: United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

#46

Post by fleitz »

cjrp wrote: post #28
benologist wrote: post #17

United are losing it at the moment. I had 2 flights the other week where they couldn't even get someone to move the walkway thingy in line with the plane so we all just stood around waiting after we landed. On one flight the pilot actually phoned because he couldn't get anyone on the radio. They're really hit and miss with the service - it's either great or it's shit. Sometimes I really love them... I've had two flig…

Services like operating the walkway and the tugs that push-back the plane from the gate are often outsourced. Perhaps that's the connection... in most of the cases where the people did a terrible job, it's because the role's been outsourced.

I think the article nails this on the head, management doesn't care about it's employees, and the employees pass this on to the customer.

They care so little that they don't even want core pieces of their business done by their own people.

It reminds me of a cable co in canada called Rogers, the entire thing is a bunch of outsourced services glued together with a couple sales people.

Re: United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

#47

Post by [deleted] »

arjn wrote: post #30
jcampbell1 wrote: post #25

I want to know who the the passengers were sitting next to this child were that didn't help her with her transfer. The lack of human decency is a cultural problem as much as an airline problem. What the fuck is wrong with people that don't talk to a child traveling alone and make sure she makes her connection. I blame humanity as much as the airline.

It sucks to say this but in the US if you're male, the smart/safe thing to do is not have any contact with an unaccompanied child at all. There is a non-trivial chance that may be misconstrued as something else and you could find yourself in a whole world of trouble. Of course this should not stop someone from bringing a distressed child to the attention of the flight crew and other passengers.

[deleted]

Re: United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

#48

Post by davidw »

masklinn wrote: post #39
k-mcgrady wrote: post #36

United is clearly very wrong here and treating their customers poorly. But, and I'm sure this is going to be an unpopular opinion, who sends a 10 year old across the country on a plane alone? I wouldn't send a 10 year on a 30min bus ride alone. I understand United offers a service to make this possible but it seems like a ridiculous thing for a parent to take advantage of. Maybe it's a cultural difference and this is…

> who sends a 10 year old across the country on a plane alone? I wouldn't send a 10 year on a 30min bus ride alone. Wow. Overprotective much? At 10 I went to school by bus, alone, with 2 or 3 changes along the way (and a ~10 minutes walk between home and the bus station), total travel time was maybe 45~60mn and same thing the other way around in the evening. And I had friends boarding who took the train at the beginn…

When I was somewhere around that age, my younger brother and I flew to Spokane from Eugene, changing planes in Portland. Granted, PDX is fairly small, but I distinctly recall them announcing the flight, and someone not coming to get us, which made me nervous. So I took my brother and we went, and everything worked out ok.

Re: United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

#49

Post by fleitz »

masklinn wrote: post #39
k-mcgrady wrote: post #36

United is clearly very wrong here and treating their customers poorly. But, and I'm sure this is going to be an unpopular opinion, who sends a 10 year old across the country on a plane alone? I wouldn't send a 10 year on a 30min bus ride alone. I understand United offers a service to make this possible but it seems like a ridiculous thing for a parent to take advantage of. Maybe it's a cultural difference and this is…

> who sends a 10 year old across the country on a plane alone? I wouldn't send a 10 year on a 30min bus ride alone. Wow. Overprotective much? At 10 I went to school by bus, alone, with 2 or 3 changes along the way (and a ~10 minutes walk between home and the bus station), total travel time was maybe 45~60mn and same thing the other way around in the evening. And I had friends boarding who took the train at the beginn…

I'll second this, in North America everything that is possible to make a child absolutely dependant is done. Parents who try to raise functioning adults are shunned.

There was a national outcry because someone let their 12 year old ride a subway.

You can find most of the roots of helicopter parenting in attachment parenting, the idea that a child should always be touched by their parent until they're about 5.

Re: United Airlines Lost My Friend's 10 Year Old Daughter And Didn't Care

#50

Post by nandemo »

jcampbell1 wrote: post #25

I want to know who the the passengers were sitting next to this child were that didn't help her with her transfer. The lack of human decency is a cultural problem as much as an airline problem. What the fuck is wrong with people that don't talk to a child traveling alone and make sure she makes her connection. I blame humanity as much as the airline.

The passengers have nothing to do with it. If a kid is seating next to me in an airplane, I won't engage in conversation with her. How would I even know whether she's accompanied or not? A normal assumption would be that her parents were sitting elsewhere, maybe with another kid.
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