[AirlineComplaints.org]

Dear Members,

We regret to inform you that yet another member of the airline industry (in this case a former Continental employee) has deceived this community once again by posing as two separate people: EXCO is countrynewsman.

This was countrynewsman's last post on May 7, 2009:

Have a good time, folks. I'm outta here as well. Good luck, Mr. Administrator.

This was EXCO's first post on July 27, 2009:

I think "fouled up" would be appropriate.

When questioned about this, this user made up a story and lied about having multiple accounts. When the noose got tighter, this person decided to accuse the Mod team of being "Nazis" and threatened to "expose" us.

This is not the first time this happens at AirlineComplaints.org and we are certain it won't be the last. This problem only seems to occur with members of the Airline Industry who have an agenda and interest to protect. If it seems that the Mod team is strict at times, it is precisely for reasons such as this one. We must - first and foremost - protect the integrity of this community and complaint process to ensure fairness for all.

Needless to say, countrynewsman/EXCO has been permanently banned.

In the interest of transparency, here is the full exchange:

Originally Posted by EXCO

Thank you for confirming what a Nazi you are.

Not to worry, I will no longer post on this forum, however, I intend to post elsewhere what is clearly your true intent.

Don't bother answering; I shall not respond to you.

If you are using multiple accounts on AirineComplaints.org in violation of our rules, you have 1 week to come clean on this thread and your accounts will be merged and preserved. If not, you will be exposed and permanently banned from this forum.

[AADFW]

Mr. Moderator, I'd like to point out that I predicted this back in May:

Originally Posted by AADFW

I'm betting that "new" pro-airline members with "new" screen names will emerge in the very near future and post with a similar degree of frequency. Stay tuned.

I think that the core issue at play goes well beyond multiple accounts: I submit that the solution here is to permanently remove the likes of PHXflyer, SilentBob, and others in the same genre for the cancers that they are. My feeling is that this site should be a safe haven for consumers who have been wronged by the airlines rather than a soapbox for those who clearly favor preservation of everything that's wrong with the industry.

If the ultimate goal is to make commercial aviation better in America, why not take a more aggressive and proactive approach in safeguarding the forum?

[Butch Cassidy Slept Here]

I won't deny the idea of silencing all the airline stooges on here is very appealing. However, to do so would make us no better than the stereotypical American Air "Sky Nazi" (flight attendant.) Besides there are moments--granted, few and far between--when the airline people offer-up genuinely helpful information. The recent commentary about the customer who couldn't get a wheel chair from Delta Air is a good example.

Eliminating the "Airline Sympathizer" label, and simply assigning "Airline Employee" to all those who's posts tend to, overwhelmingly, favor the airlines over the customer, would be a good step toward clarity, or, calling a spade a spade. I, and I doubt anyone else, has the time to troll every chat board ever created to try to determine who, on here, is telling the truth, or lying, about their airline affiliation.

If it makes the airline people feel any better, I would have no problem "wearing" the label "Airline Consumer Advocate," or something along that line.

[Silent Bob]

Well if you are gonna call a spade a spade then let's call this forum what it is - a forum where, in this case, complaints can be made and discussed, debated, and so forth. To say that myself, phx, or anyone else who carries the "symphathizer label" be banned altogether, well isn't that a form of censorship? You're basically telling the mods, aadfw, that because we disagree with some of the complaints we shouldn't be here. And that in and of itself is simply wrong. I mean if you don't like the fact that we speak "in favor" of the airlines, you can also follow your own words and simply walk away.

What Country did, well I don't agree with it; I don't think anyone does. But it's taken care of, we move on. The mods will weed out anyone else using multiple accounts. AADFW if you want this site to be a "soapbox" as you put it for those who feel they have been wronged by the airlines, then simply push for the mods to remove the reply feature altogether. Ok so you ban all the "sympathizers" and we actually go away... How hard is it for someone else to step in and speak in favor of the airlines? (unlike country, i'm talkin new blood). It's an "open forum", open and shut. Do I agree with a lot of the posts? no. A lot of them are simply ridiculous, that's not being pro-airline, that's just common sense, something that I am a strong advocate for, something in which this country lacks. We seem to believe that if anything goes wrong in our lives, especially when it concerns the airlines, we find a way to place blame on anyone BUT ourselves. I'm not talkin about misconnections or being stranded elsewhere, I'm not talking overbooking, I'm talkin when someone is clearly late for their flight, they come here and look for sympathy. Ok post your complaint, that's fine, but in the end if your wrong your wrong. If the airlines are clearly in the wrong then i totally agree they need to make amends. But if you, the person who is making the complaints, is in the wrong, then just accept it.

These are not the words of a man who sits behind a computer only tap out rebuttal after rebuttal over a complaint, this is coming from a guy who literally travels almost weekly and sees not just how agents act towards my fellow travelers, but also how my fellow travelers act towards agents.

Oh and as far as I know, no one really cares about the "sympathizer" label. Unless of course they complained to the mods in private, I can't speak of that. I just know that openly in the forums no one has questioned the label. Well someone did, but only to ask why we have it. But in the end, no one cares about it. But basically if you're gonna have an open forum, your opening yourself up to the possibility that yea, your gonna get airline employees who will defend their jobs, and of course you'll get frequent travelers such as myself who speaks of what they know. Why is that such a bad thing? It doesn't make it wrong and it doesn't make the person who is complaining any more right. So we agree, to disagree.

[Jetliner]

Originally Posted by AADFW

My feeling is that this site should be a safe haven for consumers who have been wronged by the airlines rather than a soapbox for those who clearly favor preservation of everything that's wrong with the industry.

So, would the same apply to those on here that want to use the forum as a soapbox for their own agenda and to bash the airlines, without ever having posted one single actual complaint themselves? And when they get called out, instead of owning up, they abandon ship on the subject, and then come up with some other unrelated angle.

I myself am not trying to preserve anything. I will call a spade a spade. There are legitimate complaints, but at the same time there are also plenty where the passenger was in the wrong, as Silent Bob has pointed out.

If you want a recent example, there was the poster who said that he booked on Etihad Airlines, and had a lengthy transit stop. He expected the airline to provide him with a meal voucher, and got upset when they told him no. Now, he knew when he booked this, that he knew he was going to be there for several hours. So, why is the airline wrong on this?

The problem is that some of the "Pro Airline" folks on here are so hell bent on bashing the airlines, that they don't see common since logic. They just take anything said against the airlines at face value, instead of stopping to pay attention to the details.

[Jetliner]

Let's just add another example. Look under Continental, at the 25th anniversary post. That person expects the airline to have a backup plane in every city.

[The_Judge]

Originally Posted by AirlineComplaints.org

If you are using multiple accounts on AirineComplaints.org in violation of our rules, you have 1 week to come clean on this thread and your accounts will be merged and preserved. If not, you will be exposed and permanently banned from this forum.

I'll "come clean" I have an account, HNLboy, that I made sometime in February. Don't remember why I made an additional account but it was not for suspicious intentions. I have 4 posts in that account and all 4 were to report spam only. No agenda on my part. I enjoy reading and now posting much less to the reviews here.

[AirlineComplaints.org]

Originally Posted by AADFW

Mr. Moderator, I'd like to point out that I predicted this back in May:

Unfortunately, you were 100% correct.

Originally Posted by AADFW

I think that the core issue at play goes well beyond multiple accounts: I submit that the solution here is to permanently remove the likes of PHXflyer, SilentBob, and others in the same genre for the cancers that they are.

We will not ban members who follow the rules. We want to keep all channels of communication open, and often times Airline Employees and Airline Sympathizers (who tend to be Frequent Flyers) are able to provide unique insight into a complaint. Having said that, we will continue to insist that all posts in response to a Complaint remain respectful and helpful towards the OP as this is a Pro-Consumer forum.

Originally Posted by TheJudge

I'll "come clean" I have an account, HNLboy, that I made sometime in February. Don't remember why I made an additional account but it was not for suspicious intentions. I have 4 posts in that account and all 4 were to report spam only. No agenda on my part. I enjoy reading and now posting much less to the reviews here.

Although this is yet another case of a member of the Airline Industry having multiple accounts on this forum, we can confirm that it was not used maliciously. Regardless, since he has come clean, we will merge the accounts and TheJudge will remain a member of this forum as long as he respects the rules. Thank you, TheJudge, for coming forward.

[PHXFlyer]

During the period of my suspension several months ago I created a generic screen name/account for the sole purpose of communicating via private message to a few individuals on this forum. I never posted using that screen name and never intended to so it was not done with the same intentions or agenda as others had. Furthermore that account has not been accessed since being reinstated.

[AirlineComplaints.org]

Originally Posted by PHXFlyer

During the period of my suspension several months ago I created a generic screen name/account for the sole purpose of communicating via private message to a few individuals on this forum. I never posted using that screen name and never intended to so it was not done with the same intentions or agenda as others had. Furthermore that account has not been accessed since being reinstated.

Thank you PHXFlyer for coming forward regarding your second account, Guest602. Although you also violated the forum rules, we will merge the accounts and your status as a member here will be preserved since you have come clean.


This is a reminder to everyone that you have 3 days left to come forward regarding your violation of the Multiple Accounts rule. If you do not come clean on this thread within that time, all your accounts will be permanently banned. No exceptions.

[Gromit801]

If the creators of this site didn't want any feedback from those who won't always back up the complainer, they could have gone the route of someplace like "My 3¢ Worth" which doesn't allow feedback.

[Jetliner]

Boy, I'm about to disappoint a few folks on here. Only one account for me. I stand behind what I say, and whether you want to agree or not is up to you. I don't need to give myself false support.

[AirlineComplaints.org]

Our 7-day Amnesty is over.

Unfortunately, there are 2 more airline personnel who have violated our rules. They did not come forward and hoped they would go unnoticed. We believe they did not come forward because - unlike those who did come forward above - these airline personal actually posted under 2 different accounts, thereby attempting to manipulate this forum and its members.

1) User Corbel has also been posting under user neal.

2) User rudybjr has also been posting under user getoutthere.

(You can view all posts made by the 4 usernames above by clicking on their usernames and then clicking on the "Find all posts by" link.)

Attempting to manipulate this forum by registering and posting under multiple accounts will not be tolerated under any circumstances. All users above have been permanently banned.


Folks, please note that ALL instances of multiple accounts have been perpetrated solely by pro-airline personnel. Again, if we seem strict, it is because we are constantly given reason to be so. We also know that this is not the first nor the last time this will happen.

It is unfortunate that some pro-airline personnel feel the need to come to a pro-passenger forum to manipulate its members.

We thank those who have chosen to come forward to preserve their accounts and trust they will not violate the rules in the future. Their secondary usernames have been merged into their main account.

No more amnesties will be given for multiple accounts violations. Future violators will be immediately and permanently banned.

We do our utmost to keep this forum clean, fair, and helpful.