Originally Posted by
Sunfish
I paid business class on my last flights in the U.S. and it made no difference. U.S. carriers (with the exception of PSW) were absolutely pathetic. Then add to that crappy terminals. and the TSA Gestapo. Then there is customs and immigration, which isn't any better.
I used American airlines and travelled in the U.S, for twenty five years from one end of the country to the other and I won't be going back because of the current American worldview that all air travellers are either criminals or potential terrorists. The stories of excessive use of force, intimidation, rotten reliability of service, abuse and outright theft are legion. Just ask Mem Fox what happened to her a few months ago. I've seen people abused myself and also copped some from an airport cop for changing queues at check in.
As for Red Jets comment:
How is it possible that United even allowed more passengers on to an aircraft than there were available seats? Then "Red Jet" demonstrates the customer service attitude that has now made United airlines famous: - the customer is just a serf who should kowtow to the captain of the aircraft over a commercial matter that has nothing to do with the captain at all. United ground staff made a simply massive mistake and then compounded it by involving law enforcement, which seem s to be the only American response to problems these days.
To put that another way, the passenger removed was very lucky he wasn't shot and killed.
They didn't. They filled the aircraft then decided they wanted 4 of those seats for crew. They didn't follow their own rules which say when someone refuses, you increase the offered compensation to a point where they accept... let's face it, by putting those crew on board, they were perhaps saving hundreds or at least tens of thousands in delay and accommodation costs so what's one or two thousand dollars to entice a pax to give up their seat. What they did instead was typical heavy handed American solution to everything. All I can say is I wish it had happened to me because I'd quite like to retire.