United "loses" 10-year-old girl on flight

I'm astonished at how calm the parents remained. If this was me, I'd have driven over the airport and screamed at the people at the United counter until my vocal cords ripped.

 

There's probably only one in each airport area. It wouldn't surprise me to find that there's really not enough demand to justify each airline having staff, etc. for this service, so they source it to the one company.

 

One of the Facebook comments pointed out the third party outsourcing of the unaccompanied minor program.

You would hope this outsourced company has done background checks on their workers, lest, another Jerry Sandusky gets hired.

 

That's another reason the airlines would be tempted to outsource this function.

BTW, Southwest has an unaccompanied minor program, but not for any flight that involves switching a plane. Even if it's the same plane, if the flight number changes, no go.

 

I have one requirement when I'm booking flights.

Not United.

That's it and it's been that way for a decade or so. During that time, I've been booked (by someone else) on a United flight twice and was fucked both times...

Like Azrael said, Jet Blue and Southwest are considered "bargain" airlines and I've been treated far better by them then I ever was on United.

 

I remember when I was 12, my parents, and my cousin's parents, put us on a Greyhound bus in Lansing, Mich., to get to Upper Michigan for our summer camp. It was one of those buses that stopped in every little burg, so it was something like a 14-hour drive when just going by car would take you six or so. Fucking bastard cousin had a lunch bag that contained food for me, too, except no one (including him) told me he was supposed to share.

As for the "bad parents" comments on the site -- christ, it's a cliche that when anything the least bit bad happens to a child, the first and loudest comments are about how I WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO MY CHILD I WILL BE WITH THEM BY THEIR SIDE ALL THE TIME UNTIL ONE OF US DIES BECAUSE I'M SUCK A GREAT FUCKING PARENT WHO LOVES MY KID MORE THAN I LOVE MASTURBATION SO FUCK YOU YOU AWFUL PARENTS GET CHILD SERVICES ON THE PHONE. I've seen comments, based on bad things that happened, that basically say if your child gets raped or murdered out of your sight, that's what you and your child deserve for being so careless.

 

I can't remember the last time I flew United and there wasn't a delay. And usually a delay of at least four hours. One time making the short hop from Omaha to Denver we were delayed because the crew was over its hours or some nonsense and two other United flights left before mine did. Had I driven I would have made it sooner. Unfortunately, we fly United often because my wife's brother is a pilot for them and we can fly standby (which through United is a special kind of torture) and what not. I used miles on United to get a flight to DCA in October, so it's free but I also am sure I'll be delayed somewhere. At least it's nonstop.

And also know this fun secret about United, they overbook their flights to the extreme. Likely more than any airline. Sometime in the 30, 40-plus range on big popular flights. How they get away with that I'll never know.

 

On the big, cross-country flights, and over the holidays, they overbook by about 25 percent. United is notorious for doing this and people who aren't experienced travelers don't always know the rules about what is owed to them if United bumps them from the flight.

 

Maybe that's why the kid handled it so well, too. Hard as it may be to resist the urge to scream and yell and go nuts, the calm, clear-thinking approach usually works best.

 

This is just me, but if I'm that parent, and the airline keeps putting me on hold, then I'm making a call to the police.

Call the PD in both cities, and tell them you're daughter is missing at the airport, and the airline is unable to locate her.

 

Exactly.

That'll shake them up very quickly.

 

I don't think I am one for over-reaction, or screaming on the phone to some representative... but I think placing a call to Chicago PD is a damn good idea.