Thrown Off All United Flights
When my Delta flight from Palm Springs to Boise landed in San Francisco, it was unexpectedy grounded. Passengers were rushed to an existing United flight to continue to their destinations. My 6 year old and I were last to board the crowded United 737 and were directed to the last 2 seats, which were at the tail of the plane. All carry-ons had been stowed and the overheads were overstuffed, so we were told to put our bags under our seats. These spaces were overstuffed as well. I asked a flight attendant for assistance and when she could find no place for our bags, she told me to sit on them and fasten my seatbelt. I complied, but being at the window seat and because I am over six feet tall, I was hunched beneath the bulkhead in a position that would be impossible to maintain for the duration of the flight. I asked her if it would be alright to disembark and board a later flight that had more space. She snapped that she would need to ask the captain, so I asked her to please forget about it and not bother the cockpit. She left, then returned with another flight attendant who asked me what my problem was. I answered that I had wanted to wait for a flight with more space, but had changed my mind and I again asked to drop the matter. I then turned to look out the window because I had tears in my eyes and didn't want anyone to notice. Both flight attendants left, then angrily returned and loudly asked why I was crying. (I wasn't crying, but my eyes were brimming.) They created a scene and theatrically announced that the captain was mad at me and that I was responsible for making the flight late. I saw all the passengers behind them turned to watch as I whispered to please just drop it. Then the flight attendants told me - and the rest of the passengers -that I was banned from the flight and would have to leave immediately. Holding my son's hand and carrying our luggage, I walked the aisle of shame in front of a full flight.
At the United desk in the terminal, I was instructed to go to Delta. It required riding a bus from, literally, one end of San Fransico International to the other end. At Delta, I was informed that it was a United matter. We went back to United. This was repeated for a total of 10 bus rides. When I returned to United after the tenth bus ride, there was nobody in line. Rather than negotiate the maze of ropes winding in front of the counter, I walked straight to the ticket agent with whom I had been speaking each time. This time he had an associate with him. The associate told me to return to the start point and use the rope line. I said that there was nobody in the line, and that I knew where I needed to go. She said that she wouldn't see me until I returned and walked the (empty) line. I did so, and then gave the familiar agent the message I had most recently been told at the Delta counter. The associate interrupted and asked for my name. I handed her my boarding pass and she said, "You DON'T even KNOW your own NAME?" I told her my name and she told me to return to Delta. I caught the bus for the eleventh time in a five hour period, and when I arrived the Delta agent told me that I had been kicked off all United flights. Delta arranged to have me catch the last Alaska flight of the day out of SFI to Boise, via Seattle. My 7:00 am flight from Palm Springs arrived in Boise at 1:00 am the following day. It would have been quicker to drive.
And United permanently lost 2 of the bags I had checked in Palm Springs.
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Jun 1, 2011, 1:00 AM
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