United Breaks Guitars? United Loses Luggage?

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Dave Carroll is an amusing sort. He became something of a celebrity after United broke his guitar and he vowed to retaliate in song, by highlighting the deficiency. He’s produced two amusing ballads, and has one more to go to fulfill his promise.

The singer, who is Canadian, was flying to Colorado Springs, was forced to fly United again because they were the only carrier he could. For more than an hour on Sunday, he was told he could not leave the international baggage claim area at , where he had flown from Saskatchewan, because his bag was delayed, not lost, and he had to claim it.

However, staff told him to stay and claim his bag, and U.S. Customs officials told him to leave the area. The bag itself did not show up, at least not till Wednesday morning.  It was, amusingly, packed with United Breaks Guitars CDs(maybe that is why they lost it). Such confusion happens, but being caught in the unpleasantness of a lost bag is, alas, a common occurrence, and certainly one an audience would identify with if he did write a song about it.

Carroll had been invited to Colorado by RightNow, a software company. His song stylings about United have made him a popular speaker on .

“It crosses all income levels and languages and geographies,” Carroll said. “We all don’t like feeling disrespected or insignificant.” United promised to investigate.

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  • http://joytripproject.org/ James Mills

    Steph Davis is a frequent flier who regularly travels with a parachute. Accustomed to packing it as a carry-on it’s only when flying coach that this professional skydiver and BASE jumper checks her chute and the rest of her gear as luggage. But the next time Davis flies the indifferent skies she’ll likely think twice about trusting an airline with her professional cargo. On a recent flight from Zurich to Washington/Dulles though she landed safely, her parachute did not. United Airlines lost her bag.
    While other travelers most often pack only a change of clothes and a few toiletries, Davis found herself without the equipment she uses to make her livelihood. Containing a custom-made wing suit for aerobatic flight and a parachute sporting her sponsor’s logo, the lost bag is worth more than $12,000. After more than a week without her equipment the only restitution United is prepared to offer is a $250 travel voucher and the promise of an expedited search. In the mean-time Davis is grounded.
    As travelers on most airlines are now required to pay fees starting at $25 for checked baggage it begs the question of whether or not these fliers have a commensurate increased expectation of service and security. A letter sent to all airlines by the Department of Transportation on October 9th asks the carriers to review their policies related to the reimbursement of passengers’ expenses as they pertain to lost, damaged or delayed baggage. The letter further asks that all airlines be prepared to compensate travelers up $3,300 for verifiable expenses.

    It’s possible the DOT has taken interest the airline luggage handling in the light of a case earlier this year when United Airlines badly damaged the guitar of singer songwriter David Carroll.

    After weeks of wrangling United ultimately denied Carroll’s claim for restitution taking no responsibility for the broken instrument. Plying the tools of his trade the musician did the only thing he could do, he wrote a song and video that posted on YouTube. To date the tune United Breaks Guitars has received more than 5 million downloads. Under the embarrassing pressure of social media United caved and paid Carroll for his busted guitar.

    Throughout the morning the Twitterverse has been blazing with comments in support of Davis. Many have threatened to boycott United Airlines until her base gear is replaced.

  • http://www.hotelcentralpark.com erin

    I had a nightmare once too with lost bags, our flights were delayed, we nearly missed our connecting flights and thenm of course the bags were lost it was a terrible start to the trip.

  • http://www.palacehotelindia.com conor

    I read about this guy on another blog his videos about his troubles are really funny, especially the first one.

  • Rick

    I returned this past Sunday (Dec 20, 09) from New York to San Jose via United. I am still waiting for my bags. Need more be said? Ok, in my plus thirty years of flying for business, only..I say ONLY United Airlines has lost my bags. You mix that with a group of employees that seem to feel they are exempt from the rant of the public and you have the forumla for a business that will soon go under. Then we, the public, will have to listen to the whining of their union pointing fingers at management.

    United deserves to be bought out by Southwest who can bring some order to this garbage airline.