10 Year Old Girl Abandoned By United Airlines
So, imagine your 10 year old daughter is taking a cross country flight from San Francisco to Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has to change planes in Chicago, but United Airlines promises that for a big fee they will watch your child and make sure your child gets on the right plane in Chicago and also that the right person will pick her up in Grand Rapids. Well, what happens when the United Airlines worker in Chicago forgets to pick up your daughter and your 10 year old wanders the airport for four hours looking for someone to help her. She asked flight attendants repeatedly, but every one of them told her they were far too busy to help a 10 year old girl alone in the world's third largest f**king airport. You have got to be kidding me. Apparently no one had one extra minute to help the girl. How did the girl's parents find out their daughter was in trouble? When the camp called and said their daughter never showed up. How panicked do you think the parents were then? The girl asked workers at United three times to be allowed to call her parents. They refused. She asked for them to call the camp. The workers said they had, when they had not. So, what happens when the dad of the girl is a professor (photo above) at Stanford? Yeah, everyone on the internet finds out about what a crappy job United did in a matter of minutes. "Students, I have an assignment for you."
They've got some serious 'splainin to do. This would freak me out beyond belief. Can't imagine if it were to happen to The Short One.
ReplyDeleteUnited: let's hear your excuse!
I'm getting on a plane tonight, thank god it's with another airline!
ReplyDeleteRemind me never to fly with United, yet another horror story involving them. What's even more disgusting is that no one could be bothered to help a (no doubt) scared child!
Enty, now this is a legit reason for outrage!!
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of cold hearted person can you be to walk away from a 10 year old child seeking help?
and I have no idea why I said "remind me never to fly with united"...like I need reminding.
ReplyDeleteIt must be the margarita and ativan talking. :D
United/Continental -- one of the worst airlines of all times. I say this from experience.
ReplyDeleteThey should rename themselves Head-In-Ass Airlines for this stunt. I can't imagine the horror of trusting strangers to take care of your child for a few short hours, only to find that they can't even be bothered to pay attention to her.
ReplyDeleteI know which airline I'll never use again; and without a doubt never let the young one travel on.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely horrible what they did. However, who would let their 10 year old fly alone???
ReplyDeleteI've been flying alone since i was 5 but i was well cared for. TWA rocked!
DeleteNot one passenger witnessed this and intervened?Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteThis happened a couple of years ago. Why is it in the news again? Is there an update? Or can this be a different little girl this happened to again with united? Scary!!
ReplyDeleteHalf-hearted apology or no, they should (and probably will) get sued. Maybe a penalty should include more training for the airline employees.
ReplyDeleteI have NEVER had a good experience with United. We're a hub for Delta, and things got shaky for a while but they're better again. I'll only fly Delta or Southwest, but Deltas prices are usually the best out of MSP.
ReplyDeleteSueRH - kids do it all the time, because like the post says, they have a paid chaperone who is a representative of the airline.
This smells like one of those chain email stories...I find it really hard to believe no one in the airport would help this girl...I hate airlines, believe me, and I've been treated terribly by them as an adult but this story is fishy to me.
ReplyDeleteMan, times have really changed. In the late '70s my mom lost me at O'hare while tending to my baby bro. I was six at the most. I was returned to her within two hours. She says she's never been as scared as she was that day.
ReplyDeletesue! sue!!!!! UA deserves it!
ReplyDeleteRedheat---That's what shocked me about this story. There MUST be some kind of protocol about what an airline/airport employee should do in that situation. Even if they're late for their own flight, there should have been someplace in the airport they could have told her to go. How could any grown, especially female, flight attendant ignore a 10-year old, and not care about the possible danger there?
ReplyDeleteI know big airports get foreign travelers who miss their connections, and they deal with that. They even have interpreters on-site or on-call, in case stranded people don't speak English. I just don't understand what happened here, why everyone was such an ass to a lost little girl.
I used to be in a business where I had to schedule flights for cargo and United was the most incompetent domestic airline. On the other hand,nothing but good experiences with Southwest & US Air. Poor girl.
ReplyDeleteThat is outrageous. My daughter flew by herself starting at age 12 with Southwest. They don't offer a chaperone like United but they took such good care of her everytime anyway. Screw United.
ReplyDeleteFuck United. I loved flying Continental since their hub was here in Houston. Every flight over 3 hours had a meal included, the service was spectacular, the planes were super clean, and I never experienced a flight delay. (I know that's probably just a fortunate anomaly) The CEO at Continental didn't take a salary or bonuses for a couple of years in order to try and boost profits and avoid the buy-out. Once United bought them out it all went to shit and a HUGE amount of people were let go or offered much lower pay. My friend's mom lost her job in the whole debacle. Suck it United! I hate you!
ReplyDeleteAnd that's how I really feel.
My kids would fly alone between Austin and Dallas at that age. Changing gates at that god awful Chicago airport would have really made me nervous. That kid should have had a cell phone with her and called her parents when she got to Chicago.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when I flew Continental as a 9 year old girl all by myself, those flight attendants watched me like a hawk, made sure I wasn't afraid, and fawned over me the duration of the flight.
ReplyDeleteExcuses wouldn't be enough, though i'd be relieved/thankful etc heads would roll or id try my hardest! seriously there can be no excuse if all thats true
ReplyDeleteSmaller scale, but I work in a library, and not only do we get kids whose parents think we are babysitters, we also get kids who have misplaced their parents. Now even if I can't do anything about it (can't leave my post etc) I make damn sure some other staff member (usually one of the childrens workers, they are great at stuff like this) takes charge (and they stay with that kid until parent is found). And generally speaking not only is that one person handling it, the kid has about 10 people watching him or her to make sure someone doesn't decide to take advantage. That why I find this a bit hard to believe. There HAS to be some protocols for lost children in airports because it probably happens ALL THE TIME. There is no way everyone was just to busy to help. Even if it isn't in your job description, it becomes your duty if a child comes up to you and is lost.
ReplyDeleteThat's her dad? I thought it was a particularly flattering picture of Harvey Levin.
ReplyDeleteI hope they sue the shit out of United. This would never happen in an airport outside the US. We are such a shameful country.
Also read today about a day care which did a beach outing and left 2year old at beach when done. Did not report child missing for over 3 hours. Fortunately the toddler was recovered unharmed. Makes it difficult for parents to trust caregivers.
ReplyDeleteNot trying to sound like a d-bag here or try undermine what the poor girl went through but my FIRST reaction to this story was to wince and hope upon hope the family DOESNT sue.
ReplyDeleteThe airlines took such a hit with 9/11 and since then. And sometimes it seems like the airlines have never gotten out of their precarious financial position. And honestly, SO many countless people depend on airports and airlines for work, I'd hate to see thousands of layoffs if this airline was sued and lost millions. I think the people responsible should be fired, no doubt. But why should the family get millions for this happening? Maybe a lifetime of free flights could suffice? I know Im spending way too much time thinking about this but I HATE it when people sue and the result is a loss in jobs for others who are indirectly affected.
Also read today about a day care which did a beach outing and left 2year old at beach when done. Did not report child missing for over 3 hours. Fortunately the toddler was recovered unharmed. Makes it difficult for parents to trust caregivers.
ReplyDelete@discoflux - I had great experiences with Continental as well...until United came along. All gone to shit!
ReplyDeleteAlso read today about a day care which did a beach outing and left 2year old at beach when done. Did not report child missing for over 3 hours. Fortunately the toddler was recovered unharmed. Makes it difficult for parents to trust caregivers.
ReplyDeleteHmmm - think I'm going to look for outside confirmation on this story - paging Agent**It!
ReplyDeleteI have a 10 year old, and I would let him fly alone, because I've done it with my older child, and he was wonderfully supervised. I really want to know more about this - as a parent, I'd be fighting mad IF the facts here are correct.
It's too bad neither parent could take the kid to camp. I know youngish kids are able to do all kinds of things by themselves, but it still makes me sad. You are sending your kid to camp, probably far away, and probably for several weeks. That means said kid will be out of your hair for the next, say, 4 to 6 weeks. So why not take the time to drive your kid or fly with them there?
ReplyDeleteThe only time I'd even consider sending a kid at that age alone on a flight is if it was a non-stop and there was a close relative waiting at the other end. Someone who'd pitch a fit if the kid wasn't there.
@dianne I went to camp alone at that age. I felt really grown up! I loved the responsibility. It can be a good thing. :)
Deleteunited sucks. but imo theyre better than delta. long story short, who departs from the gate with less than half your passengers two hours early? the delta employees i talked to were a little shocked they did that. no coat, no contact solution, nothing, in the middle of winter in minneapolis. never again delta. never again.
ReplyDeletewow enty terrible reporting the girl's dad is not a professor at stanford this story is on huffingtonpost website and the professor is a friend of the parents and he blogged about it
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/08/14/united-airlines-loses-10-_n_1775731.html
Deletehttp://overheadbin.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/14/13278851-10-year-old-girl-flying-alone-on-united-left-stranded-at-chicago-airport?lite
ReplyDeleteIt's real.
United/Continental merger has been a nightmare for fliers...everyone including me. They are a ridiculous company with no idea what customer service means. NONE.
ReplyDeleteMy 2 oldest used to fly "unaccompanied minor" (the official name for this kind of travel) for years. Mainly going back and forth between our house (Cleveland), their dad's house (West Palm Beach) and their grandparents' (NYC - LaGuardia), and they've done layovers in Atlanta several times. Fortunately for us, there was never a problem. I'm not sure how I would have reacted if something like this happened to them.
ReplyDeleteThat said, how the hell did she get off the plane at the airport without a supervisor? Seriously, my kids couldn't get up and use the bathroom on the plane without checking with the supervisor first.
(Unless her parents tried to save the $50 per ticket charge for "unaccompanied minor" status and decided that there would be enough adults around to "help out." If that's the case, then I have a HUGE issue with the parents.)
Then, again, I could totally believe this being United's fault. Last week, my 15 year old was returning from Europe with her grandmother and they were stuck (due to weather) on the tarmac at Newark for almost an hour but, according to United's website and their telephone customer service, the plane took off and was expected to land in Cleveland on time. Then, when I had the audacity to point out that I've been speaking with my kid, who's still sitting on the plane, they got nasty. ARRGH!
I flew alone as a child ALL. THE. TIME. It was no big deal as the airline staff was on me like white on rice. At the time, airlines still gave out activity bags, let you meet the pilot, gave you a button that said 'Unaccompanied Minor' and you boarded and deplaned first.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that United charged for this and still screwed up, unforgivable. I'm 28 and have no shame admitting I've lost my way in O'Hare, so I can't imagine what this poor baby went through for 4 damned hours.
Oh, Mary S-McG, I would have died! That's a load of crap.
ReplyDeleteVicki, thanks for the link. I'm on it.
30 years ago I used to send my son alone to visit his dad in another state. He was treated like a VIP and even wore a special badge... Junior Pilot or something to that effect... that alerted all airline personnel that this was a child flying alone, and he should be taken care of. He was. Never a mishap, and he had to change planes in Milwaukee.
ReplyDeleteTimes have changed. I have a friend who has to fly from Florida to California and back every year, just to transport her son for his annual summer visitation. She does it in one weekend, I cannot imagine how.
Jennifer Hanson, once again, great comment. I think there is something with Enty today.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link she referred to:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/14/united-airlines-loses-10-_n_1775731.html
It is the flight attendants job to make sure she is handed off to the person taking her to the connecting flight. She should not have been let off the plane. The packets the unaccompanied minors wear around their necks have sign off areas and each responsible employee signs it as they pass the child on until reaching their final destination. As a former flight attendant, I always watched these children like a hawk.
ReplyDeleteKeep track of your kids. United sucks and so do the parents. No cell phone? The means to send the kid to a camp half way around the country but not bother to fly along? Terrible on both sides.
ReplyDeleteJen same timing; comments at Huff are really interesting. This happened last Dec. Geez, Enty, really !Please require your scribe to pass a reading test and then work on developing some writing skills.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete@Agent
Of course I was just about to post what you said: Nobody intervened???? If I see a kid by themselves ANYWHERE looking confused I always ask if they know where their Mom or Dad is. It takes 2 seconds but you never know if stopping to ask just saved that child from being abducted or harmed
Agent - Also work on not being such a bia. When I wrote for a sports blog, I would've gotten my ass chewed and canned if I wrote about something even 2 or 3 days old.
ReplyDeleteThis give me high anxiety just reading about it. And this is precisely why my 12-year-old daughter won't fly as an unaccompanied minor. She did once a few years ago but she was with her 16 year old, 240 lb brother on a DIRECT flight...but I didn't feel comfortable with even him changing flights until he was nearly 18. It's definitely not the parents fault, but I'm just saying it's not out of the realm of possibility of this sort of thing happening and I just couldn't put my daughter on a flight by herself at this age. I have never trusted airlines to take as good of care of my kids as I would. Again, nothing against parents who choose to do so, but I know I'd be wracked with anxiety the whole time so for me it's not worth it.
ReplyDeleteI am in no way defending what the airline did, but shouldn't the father have given his daughter some money and his phone number and told her to call him if she had any problems at all? Granted, we don't know the whole story, but seems to me that would be a given.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI used to fly alone to Ohio from Philly as young as 5 years old and never had any issues at all. Granted this was 1980 so it was a different time.
ReplyDeleteUnited SUCKS. However, I would argue this is also the parents fault. They made the arrangements. They didn't even set her up with a phone. These parents are assholes.
ReplyDeleteThank God some airport pervert didn't get hold of her.
ReplyDeleteThese stories have been so boring this week. Lazy Enty get it together.
ReplyDeleteAnd @Sunny. I'm one of those people who stops kids and asks if everything's OK. I can't believe NO ONE would help. Although an a former Chicagoian, that airport is a nightmare. It's easy to get lost. But I love the rainbow tunnel as you take the 4 mile journey outside. Rainbows :D
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@Amber, sports blog ? My ears are perked:)
ReplyDeleteMy son has flown alone several times since he was 9, on different airlines, but never with a layover. I have always had to sign paperwork along the way, along with the people that were accepting responsibility for him. Within the last few years they raised the age to 15 and raised the fee as well. He flew a few weeks ago and I was forced to wait until the plane was empty so the flight attendant that signed for him could walk him out and get my signature proving receipt.
ReplyDeleteAgent - it's true! I started at a smaller one, and was recruited for WithLeather for a while. Satire sites. I've also done from sports-related food pieces for a blog on our local paper's site. Lacking inspiration, I've been on hiatus for quite some time. My BF is an NBA writer, so it almost seems silly for me to do it now.
ReplyDeleteQuestion
ReplyDeleteIf its a minor child travelling alone--- can't you check them in like luggage?
Just wondering .......
Along with ThisIknow, I am a former flight attendant that worked at United. It is not SOP to walk and leave a UM without the attendant handler at the door. They sit and wait until they arrive and they are personally handed off. And while I totally agree FA's can be complete biaytches it is incomprehensible that absolutely everyone she asked refused to help her. I'm not saying they aren't guilty and attitudes are UAL are totally trickle down (my entire reason for leaving-if you don't like the public don't work with them in close quarters)but these are mainly women and they have kids too. Something seems a little amiss.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I were flying to France on boxing day 1999. Due to big storms in France the airports were closed and we were diverted to Heathrow. There was a girl across the aisle from us we assumed to be around 16. Nope, she was 13 and her mom and pop put her on a plane without telling anyone she was a UM. NOW she's in a country she's not expected in and we have zero idea when we'll get to France. We took care of her and then a group of other women came out like mama hens and joined in keeping her safe until the FA's could take over from there. She had NO money that wasn't dollars so we bought her food, got a calling card (dialed because she didn't understand international calling) so she could contact her friends waiting in France to let her know she was okay and made sure someone watched her to keep her safe.
THIS is why I believe people are good. The group of ladies willing to make she she was okay was amazing.
Sorry for the long post.
*sure*
ReplyDeleteI think the world of commerce has become a completely amoral place over the last 30 years. I heard the most cynical radio ad this week. Office Depot runs an ad that sounds like a public service announcement. A child's voice talks about the poor children who can't afford to buy school supplies. Bring your donated school supplies to any Office Depot and they will be passed on to poor kids. Where would you then buy those extra school supplies to donate to the poor? Office Depot of course. It's not charity, it's sales promotion disguised as charity.
ReplyDeleteRant over.
United is THE worst. Sad to say but at the end of the day nobody cares about your kids but you. Every parent should know this. I don't think this would happen with SW or Delta.
ReplyDeleteColor me old fashioned but I'm more wary of any parent who would put a 10 yr old on a plane with layovers. Extra charges for supervision be damned.
ReplyDeleteI also don't understand why anyone in their right mind would send someone willingly to Michigan.
(I lived in Detroit)
I hv to agree. However, that doesnot excuse the airlines intense bumbling of situation.
DeleteThis story is just business as usual in the airline industry. I've been flying thru Chicago ORD airport mostly on American Airlines and over the last 5 years their customer service has COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED. No agent to check you in or deal with any issues - just a kiosk instead of a person! No one notifies you that your flight gate has changed, etc. Flying today is a bit like taking the bus and not knowing where you are going. No one is going to help you, no one cares. Really sickens me, esp. considering the cost of a flight these days.
ReplyDeleteLazyDay, that's obscene. Jesus, we suck.
ReplyDeleteWhere I worked we had a huge "enforced volunteer" effort each year to bring in school supplies for the needy. Then one day, a female was brazenly going through the items, in clear sight of everybody, and picking out stuff or herself. We got it on security camera and the effort was discontinued. Same as the Christmas / holiday gift drive.We would buy bikes and these revolting employees would try to take them out the back door to put in their new cars.Ten years ago they had to discontinue the annual July 4th HUGE picnic because a large group of certain employees would bring in large coolers and steal the food. The Christmas party (used to be elegant and in a very nice place) also was cancelled, again because of the new wave of employees. We switched to a non mandated volunteer $ contribution. We ended with more money and used it to donate to women's shelters . We made the VP of the center be the treasurer. Yes, certain people do suck.
ReplyDeleteI commented on a disaster of a flight from Las Vegas through Houston and on to Tampa last week. It was on United and it was a freakin' nightmare.
ReplyDeleteThey have rules that they don't follow. We listened to an announcement three times telling us to put our overhead baggage in handle first , wheels out. The attendants in the aisles helping folks put every single bag that would fit in wheels first, and most were oversized, some had to go in sideways. Minor, I agree but a big *tell* about their culture.
It doesn't surprise me one bit that they had no time for a child. I hope in this case that daddy sues. Being on her own for four hours in an airport is the very least of the things that could have happened to that child.
Agent - certain people suck, tis true. But lots and lots of other folks don't. Like Sherry's posse who helped that poor girl out. Like the fine folks I work with who put on the dog for families who need help during the holidays.
ReplyDeleteI so wish I could show you a picture of the piles and piles of food we provided at Thanksgiving, as well as the tremendous outpouring of gifts at winter holiday time (celebrating the oil day of your choice). The first year I participated, I cried actual tears of joy. It was a tangible expression of love.
We also help folks all year long with basic clothing needs, school supplies, etc. It is among the best work I've ever been a part of.
*holiday* NOT oil day. Sheesh!
ReplyDeleteI've been flying alone, over-seas as well might I add to Germany, since I was 4. Everytime I flew (with British Airways or Dela and Southwest) and I was always taken care of. British Airways actually has a room for kids to go to that has snacks, toys/tvs/books for every age, couches and rest areas.
ReplyDeleteBy far the best service I have ever recieved was from them.
Amber are you a flight attendent? How hard was it to get the job? I'm seriously considering it
Sherry and Frufra - you are good people! God Bless!
ReplyDeleteAgent - That's horrible, but I'm not surprised. There is always one to ruin the party for everyone.
I remember a flight I took after my Gma's funeral (not United). Flying home from Phoenix and the plane was delayed and delayed. We got on the plane sat for awhile with no AC and then had to get off. There was a sweet old man stuck in a wheel chair. The FAs left him by the gate. It was really F'ng hot (bc it was summer in Phoenix). I got him some water and he was so grateful. I think we waited another 3 hrs for the next flight. Then I though what if he has to go to the bathroom. What would happen? I talked with him for awhile and discovered he was 93 yo! Oh my! In amazing health, but I was still worried for him to be by himself.
@cinephreak - the flight attendants are ThisIKnow & Sherry. My "it's true!" (if that's what you saw), was in reference to Agent's comment after I mentioned I used to write for a sports blog. :)
ReplyDeleteHer Dad is hot.
ReplyDelete@Frufra, I agree , I was responding to the previous comment "Jesus, we suck". 'We' don't suck, and it's up to us to expose those that due and get rid of 'em. In this case, we collectively got 49 employees fired in one year for stealing from out charitable efforts. The average pay was 60k. And we converted the donations to $ and increased the value by 25% in the first year. A lot of the increase was due to folks who had previously refused to donate because they could not stand this group of people who consistently did this over a 15 year period. Took a lot of effort and a lot of fighting with HR, but it worked ! I applaud anybody who does anything, even tiny, to assist people in need. Woman in Distress is my charity of choice.
ReplyDelete@ABlake - I live about thirty minutes outside of Grand Rapids. It's not so bad here. I am curious which camp they were sending her to because I'm not aware of any that would warrant a cross country trip.
ReplyDeleteOutrageous!
ReplyDeleteI haven't flown United since 2003 after they completely fucked my siblings and me after our dad died. I won't bore you with the details of our long story, but let's just say I learned the hard way that customer service is NOT their priority and have boycotted them for nearly 10 years now.
I hope that professor finds a way to bring United to their fucking knees. My experience wasn't as egregious as losing a 10-year-old alone at O'Hare, but I hate that airline plenty for what they did to us.
http://youtu.be/5YGc4zOqozo
ReplyDeletewell, not the first and not the last snafu from United Airlines.
About a month ago a disabled Veteran with a service dog had problems with United. Different employee's of United "kicked his Dog" repeatedly.
ReplyDelete@ABlake there is more to Michigan then just Detroit. We have lots of camps for children and adults. All the colleges have them and YMCA, Churches, GS, BS, then there are the specific sport or school course camps. Most of us that have ever lived around the Great Lakes always come back because the Lakes draw you back. I even lived in Ventura in HS and LA, Ojai and Santa Barbara for College. The ocean just does not cut it. I like water I can see through without the meat eating fish in it.
Wow, Agent. You continue to impress me, lady. It's crazy that 49 people were stealing from your charity drive! I've never heard of the like!
ReplyDeleteSorry if I came across as holier-than-thou earlier. I am just passionate about making a difference, and don't want people to get discouraged from being a part of doing something great. I used to feel like I couldn't possibly do anything "big" enough to make a difference, but I've come to realize that each little act is a gift in and of itself.
@Frufra, in fact the contributions grew substantially once the greed and stealing stopped. Remember, these are co-workers that are rated along side you for performance reviews. If they will steal, well, they'll cheat. That's how we got rid of them. Every single one was cheating at their job functions, causing other employees to lose out on bonuses. But the energy it took to get this done within a corporation was exhausting. Now I walk dogs for shelters and find it so relaxing that I'm embarrassed to call it a volunteer effort:)
ReplyDeleteIf I could give you one piece of advice---NEVER fly w Delta buddy passes unless you wanna sleep in airports and never reach your destination.
ReplyDelete@Agent - sometimes I feel like I get more good out of my work than what I'm doing for others. Does that make sense? Like you said, it's a little embarrassing. But I think that's just the reward for spreading good will - you get more than you give. Life is pretty awesome, huh?
ReplyDeleteAll I have to say is that is bullshit. Those bastards need to be fired. Professionals my ass.
ReplyDelete@Frufra, indeed !
ReplyDeleteMy 12 yr old daughter flew unaccompanied minor for the first time about a month ago on United. She was flying from SLC to Atlanta with a layover in Denver.
ReplyDeleteWe had a good experience. She had a wristband and a packet and was accompanied every step of the way. They did have a special room in Denver with snacks, a bathroom and movies for her to wait in.
We had to practically sign our lives away to pick her up (which was fine by me!). We had to show our ID and her birth certificate and travel info to get a gate pass, then show ID and sign for her again at the gate itself before they would let us have her. And yes, she had a phone with her so she could call if something went wrong.
All that being said, United is developing a bad reputation, but I find it hard to believe not one person in the airport would help a child when they asked.
a developmentally disabled woman with maturity of a toddler was taken on a day trip and left overnight in the forest here a few weeks ago.
ReplyDeletehow in the FUCK do you leave behind your charge when you are the caregiver??
When I was in Travel School we learned a lot about UM = unaccompanied minors. They were NEVER to be left alone,were watched by a attendant on the plane and escorted everywhere until they were turned over to their caregiver and ONLY their listed caregiver. I believe in the early 2000's (weird) they did away with that out of fear the child would be targeted by a pedo after seeing the UM badge on their neck. Anyone know if they still do this?
jax, is that the one where the mom left her in a bar because she didn't want to deal with her anymore, or a diff one? So horrible, so sad. Hope it's the same case and that it didn't happen to ANOTHER MD person :(
ReplyDeleteI hate O'Hare. I was nervous when my 81-year-old mother had to change planes there. I told her if she gets lost or confused to ask an airline employee for help. I was so worried about her. She has trouble walking for long distances. I am not going to let her do that alone again.
ReplyDeleteYes, it sounds like every airline employee screwed up, like a terrible domino effect. They promised safe transport and they didn't deliver. However--and I'm sure I will be attacked for saying this--I would NEVER allow my small children to fly anywhere alone. NEVER. Flight attendants are not babysitters, and airlines are not day care providers. They shouldn't even offer this service. A child shouldn't fly alone until he/she is old enough to handle things independently. If I couldn't afford to fly with my own child to ensure he arrived safely at his destination, he/she wouldn't go. Period. Those parents are lucky their little girl was only scared out of her mind and not packed into some nutjob's carry on bag and sold to traffickers.
ReplyDeleteAlso, how many of you have had an airline lose or damage your luggage? When you check your bag, don't you know in the back of your mind that there is a very real chance your bag won't show up, or when you go to claim it you will find your panties strewn across the baggage carousel?! Isn't that why we all make sure we pack our most valuable and delicate items in our carry on bags? Why would anybody in their right mind trust a precious child to a steady stream of perfect strangers that they would trust with their laptops, jewelry or cameras?!!
ReplyDeleteSorry, I meant "that they would NOT trust with their laptops, jewelry or cameras?!!"
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately when I started reading this it sounded completely plausible...for United. For the past 15 years I've had it in my contract that I won't fly United/Continental (added Continental when they bought them out) b/c of the consistently poor service and bad people in the company save a few gems. There's no sense in complaining about it b/c anyone with any kind of sense of decency has left the company by now and there's no one left except complete and utter assholes, especially at supervisory levels. Honestly, they shouldn't even be allowed to be in business so the airline industry can keep on complaining all they want but if they see people traveling a lot less and their profit margins lessening it's not b/c of 9/11 and higher gas prices but b/c they have absolutely no respect and basic courtesy towards their customers, including First Class and especially on United.
ReplyDeleteI miss Continental. I know it wasn't perfect but was 100x better than United.
ReplyDeleteHoly crap...what a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteI was putting my daughter on Air Canada next to United checkin in Philly last weekend an it was a total clusterfuck...so I guess they suck everywhere?
@Dianne P - totally agree with your comment. Where is the parents' culpability in sending a 10 year old alone on an unnecessary flight? Seems like a hell of a lot to expect a 10 year old to cope with (a flight through one of the busiest airport, only to end up with more strangers at a camp)....although I am an admittedly over-coddling parent!:)
ReplyDeleteHorrific. I can't imagine allowing my 10 year old to go to camp halfway across the states from home unacompanied let alone on a flight as far in this day in age. I have flown United dozens of time and never had one problem with them though.
ReplyDeleteI miss the days of comfortable flying, where blankets, movies, drinks and snacks were served with a smile on US Domestic flights. I remember when United was solid. To me, it started to turn when they bought shitty US Airways and America West. continental was the last decent one left. So sad. Love flying international though, so many foreign carriers still have it together.
ReplyDeleteUnited sucks, and I know this from experience. None of their people give a crap about anything but picking up a paycheck and doing the least amount of work possible for that paycheck. I hope the guy sues!
ReplyDeleteI used to travel alone when I was a kid... yep, TWA. "You're gonna like us, TWA!"
ReplyDeleteMy last trip (over 3 years ago) was on Air Canada. I liked it. I was late into Toronto and they gave me free Molson Canadian AND a free hotel room because I missed my connecting flight.