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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

#51

Post by rblackwater »

masklinn wrote: post #42
rblackwater wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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".

Incorrect. He imposed responsibility on the passengers next to her.

> "I want to know who the the passengers were sitting next to this child were that didn't help her with her transfer."

And, no, you don't know she was in obvious distress, nor do you know the passengers next to her were aware of her problem as they were disembarking.

Not taking the time to help a child to the next gate is normal, any rational actor would expect the airline to take care of it; the fact that they did not does not mean the other passengers lack human decency, what the hell.

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

#52

Post by dagw »

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…

My parents sent both me and my sister on planes by ourselves several times when we where kids (in Europe). Now this was a good 25 years ago, but then it seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do and there where often two or three other kids flying unaccompanied and the airlines and great routines for handling it. Basically we'd be assigned a staff member who would follow us from check-in until we where seated on the plane, and then there would be another staff member that met us on the plane when we landed and followed us out to the arrivals hall and made sure we where met by someone.

Until right now I never even reflected over that anyone would find this strange or abnormal.

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

#53

Post by k-mcgrady »

peteretep wrote: post #41
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 straig…

This makes it seem more reasonable to me. If you drop the kid off at a secure area of the airport, they are accompanied to the plane and accompanied again as soon as they get off the plane until a relative (or someone prearranged) collects them there is little that could go wrong. Obviously, as the article proves, their is still a risk that the airline screws up which I'm not sure I'd be comfortable taking but I can see why many other people would be. Explained like this it seems like sending a child across the world alone would be safer than sending them on a 30 minute bus ride downtown alone.

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

#54

Post by colmvp »

andy_herbert wrote: post #5

Not really surprising, in my opinion once these organizations become large enough that diffusion of responsibility become institutionalized. It doesn't necessarily indicate that the individuals don't care, just that they feel that it isn't their responsibility to do so.

I flew on U.S. Airways a few weeks back. Lining up to board the plane, a passenger noticed someone left a purse at the gate. A passenger said to the U.S. Airways attendent, "Do you think it makes sense to announce to the gate and the plane that someone left a purse? Maybe someone will come and pick it up." The attendent shrugged his shoulders and kind of said, "meh, not my problem."

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

#55

Post by sliverstorm »

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…

So long as your kid can handle him/herself for a few hours, what's the big deal? I believe parents are allowed to go through security to meet their kid at the gate, so really all the kid has to do is board, entertain him/herself, and deboard.

As to why, specifically? Well, suppose you split custody of a kid with your ex-spouse, and you live in L.A. while ex-spouse lives in New York. Or, suppose your parents want your kid to visit, but you live in L.A. while your parents live in New York, and you can't take time off from work (or you want your parents to get a little time to monopolize the kid).

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

#56

Post by thomasilk »

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…

There is no way for a child to become self-reliant if it's overprotected. I had a 40 min bus and tram ride every day to school when I was 7 years old.

Good article on the topic http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/opinion/sunday/raising-suc...

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

#57

Post by colmvp »

anusinha wrote: post #26

As someone who traveled many times as an unaccompanied minor (without a cellphone) in the early 2000s under United Airlines, American Airlines, and Northwest Airlines, I'm shocked to hear this story. I always felt safe and knew who was in charge of taking me from place to place. I'm astonished that United's service has deteriorated to this extent. Yes, it was only a very small sample size of United's service staff, b…

My experience with United/U.S. Airways/American has been, shit to say the least. I'm astounded by how generally large North American carriers pale compared to either small companies like Westjet and Porter, or large Asian airlines like Singapore and Emirates.

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

#58

Post by mattheww »

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.

In flights I've been on with obvious unaccompanied children, someone from the flight crew tells the child to stay in his/her seat until everyone else has gotten off the aircraft.

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

#59

Post by barbs »

I'm astounded at how terrible United Airlines is, and seemingly always has been. How have they been able to get away with such terrible customer service for so long?

In 1995 I flew with my brother and mother to America from Australia, a 12 hour flight. I was 5 years old and my older brother was 7. They knew our ages, and had seated us with 1 seat at the back of the plane, and 2 near the front. My mother was pretty frustrated. Was she supposed to sit up the front by herself and leave us two at the other end of the plane? Or sit with one of us and leave the other by themselves?

I recently took a very similar flight at the end of last year. I was flying by myself, but sure enough, once the bulk of the passengers had boarded the plane, an attendent over the loudspeaker told us that they were aware that family members had been separated due to seating arrangements and they ask that we please just sit in those seats for take-off and rearrange ourselves once we were in the air. I couldn't believe that after 16 years they were still having the same problems.

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

#60

Post by shrikant »

peteretep wrote: post #41
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 straig…

Are you me? :) I used to do this exact same thing in the exact same age range.

This was in the 90s though - what I still regard as the Golden Age of Flying (tm), and the Unaccompanied Minor service offered by most airlines was absolutely fantastic. You would be under constant supervision in the airports, get access to the nicer lounges.waiting areas, have priority for boarding/disembarking, and be generally treated like royalty.

Even if you were flying coach/economy.

It was totally brilliant, and I was heart-broken about losing this aspect of flying when I turned 16. (IIRC that's the age limit)

Come to think of it, the reason that UA screwed the pooch so badly on this could be because of the death of the Golden Age of Flying.

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