Many of you have asked whether I have resolved my photo incident with United Airlines. The answer is yes. We have been in regular contact for the last couple of weeks and while I will not be walking away from the incident with a heap of compensation, I now know that United is taking this issue seriously and the chances of what happened to me ever happening to another passenger are slim.
In terms of compensation, United has agreed to pay for the new ticket I had to purchase from Istanbul to Baku and has offered modest additional non-monetary compensation. More importantly, though, I now have a channel of communication open with United that will not close as my issue fades away. I did not demand to meet with big wigs over this incident, but there will be opportunities going forward to dialogue with those in positions to effect change.
United asked for nothing in exchange for this compensation and I continue to tell my story, including most recently to CBS News. There is much I have to write about on Live and Let’s Fly and I prefer not to drag out this drama even longer, lest is appear self-serving, but I do want to more to hear my story—I want people to be aware that they can be thrown off an airplane or arrested for snapping pictures onboard, even if the chances of this happening are now much slimmer.
Two data points hearten me. First, a source tells me that United FAs have been specifically instructed that passengers may take photos onboard aircraft as long as it does not involuntarily impinge upon the privacy of another passenger or interfere with the duties of the crew. Second, Marty—a friend of mine on Flyertalk—posted this earlier this week:
I had a not-so-pleasant experience with a FA on UA last week. When I received the United survey about my flight, I rated this flight and the crew with the lowest scores possible. Thinking it would go into United’s Survey Black Hole, I was surprised today to receive a call from GS CS in DTW.
We discussed the issue and the CSR asked me if I got the name of the offending FA. I told her that I didn’t see a name tag and was certainly not going to ask, as I didn’t want NYC police waiting for me at the gate upon landing. I then referred to Matt’s incident. I asked her if she was aware of it.
She told me that they had an office-wide briefing on the incident. So at least it seems that they are taking it seriously.
If res. agents are being briefed on this incident, I think it is fair to conclude that UA is taking this matter very seriously. United has graver problems to contend with than dealing with the fallout of a blogger thrown off a flight, but my story did inflict damage on United and continues to, as more stumble upon my story and media outlets continue to pick it up.
Here’s my commitment to you. For reasons that I will discuss tomorrow (because so many of you have expressed incredulity and downright contempt that I would continue to patronize United Airlines after what happened), United will remain my primary carrier. I’ll make that case tomorrow and ask all of you whether I am being rational. But in continuing to fly world’s largest carrier (at leAAst for now), I pledge to do everything in my power to keep United accountable, particularly respecting its photo policy. Flying them often will help me to do this—and I also want anyone else who runs into any sort of photography issue on United Airlines to write me. I will tell your story to the world.
This whole incident has been a dream in a way—work keeps me busy enough and it is like I have had a third job over the last two weeks in dealing with all the fallout from my ill-fated flight to Istanbul. I am still answering e-mail that I received (to the tune of several hundred per hour) when I first posted about this incident and if I have not yet responded to your note, I will do so soon.
I could be angry at United. After all, I never got the apology from management that was deserved. I could be angry at the paltry compensation I received compared to someone, for example, who is downgraded from business to economy on a trans-Atlantic flight (a $1,000+ voucher). But I am at peace about this whole affair—it opened my eyes to many things and I will have a more watchful eye going forward, hopefully to the benefit of all of you.
Matt-you were just covered by Brett Baeir on Fox News so this incident may continue to gather steam.
Great interview on KYW (CBS) — grew up watching them/ listening to their radio!
Should asked to be comped to GS.
And the CBS story was linked on Drudge so many new folks will be exposed to the incident.
You’ve done a good job of spinning your story and playing to the tin foil crowd. Right or Wrong you had the photo policy enforced. You should’ve sat your ass down and waited for the flight to take off and addressed the FA in private. Instead, you summoned her over to you to take your jacket and tried divulging your status, blog, and life to her in front of the business class cabin. You could’ve taken your time to think of a good way to engage her after getting your ego hurt. Unfortunately, you didn’t have the self-control to do so, and condescendingly came up with “I’m not a terrorist”. How pretentious does one have to be to carry a business card for their blog? Forgive some of us for not pitying your 1st world problems.
Matt, have you found out what the FA told the Pilot and Ground Staff to get you removed from the flight?
Honestly, it’s not irrational for you to continue to fly UA. I’m not sure why you’d catch heat for it. Let’s look at it rationally:
Situation –
You were booted from a flight without good cause. You are a top status member of that airline’s affinity program. You fly UA often.
Aftermath –
Direct line to management. Company-wide awareness of the incident. Company-wide policy effects, not fully known but probably stating the incident was not to happen again. News/media attention shedding light on the issue. Still a top tier status member at UA. Still probably located somewhere that it makes sense to fly UA.
Why wouldn’t you stay with them? The actions of one crew don’t speak for the whole company, and frankly, the firestorm after the fact virtually ensures it won’t happen again to you and probably not to anyone else either. If there’s ever anything going on that you don’t like, you now have a line to management and the media, in addition to this well-read blog.
IMHO, it makes absolutely no sense to start over with another airline given the history and the conclusion of the story. Good for you, I’m glad you spoke up about it and didn’t let it go. I do hope you use the new outlets you have to highlight the other silliness encountered in air travel.
Hey Klint, you should have been arrested for interfering with a flight crew.
You are not owed an apology…you owe the rest of the airplane an apology for being such a stuck-up DYKWIA idiot and holding up the flight over something so petty.
Nobody cares about you, so why should the FA or United? They were cmpletely within their regulations…you screwed up.
You are an embarrassment to the flying public and certainly to the blogging community. Please don’t report on this anymore…because no one cares beyond the people who place affiliate credit card links in your blog and it makes you look so sore it is funny. Later.
I’m in the category of those who were incredulous at your decision to remain loyal to UA. I’ll admit, I hold a grudge, so if this were me, I would have demanded a personal apology from the FA, or at least an apology from the 1K desk for the airline not handling the situation properly (not for enforcing the policy, regardless of how dumb it is, but for lying to get you booted from the flight). But, after reading this, and your trip report of your flight back from IST, I can understand why you would stick with them. Though I still encourage you to give the dAArkside a chance before it’s swallowed up by US Airways 🙂
@theblakefish don’t get all butt hurt because you don’t travel enough to make any kind of status and have to sit in 32B.
@Stan He was trying to explain what he was doing so he could have a reasonable flight and not have a FA breathing down his neck the entire flight. Why is it wrong to carry a business card as a blogger when he travels? Do you not carry business cards when you are on a business trip? Since travel blogging is a side business why would he not have a card? United is changing their policy because they know it’s ridiculous don’t be jealous because you have never affected company wide change at such a large organization.
Are both you of the same person posting with different names? LOL
@Matthew you are still insane for making UA your primary carrier. Unless you are a hub captive and/or no other airlines route network works for you I can understand. If not I don’t see why you are still there. You are owed an apology for being treated like a terrorist and the paltry compensation doesn’t nearly cover all the BS you have had to go through. If UA did that to me I would be gone oh wait I am AAlready gone.
Absolutely hilarious to read some of these idiotic responses to your plight (are you guys the FA and captain perhaps?) Ha, Ha…then read some other trip reports where the FAs are taking the photos for you! Those of us who travel regularly know that the the rest of the world just laughs at the idiotic displays of “security theater” so evident on US airlines and in US airports in general. What a joke air travel has become in the US. it really is too bad that people in this country are just apparently too stupid to notice how they have less and less freedoms every day.
Pls stop reporting on this story, no one really cares except you and maybe 3 others who consider their best friends a plastic card with 1k printed on it. You did deserve to be arrested and put in the dc jail where your “status”, business card, and dykwia attitude would have earned you exactly nothing. If you think all of united is buzzing about you, you are wrong. There are dozens of Bufoons that get thrown off of flights daily.
I assume you had a digital camera. Couldn’t you have just shown her the one picture you had taken??
@Donald: They were not interested.
As a flight-attending travel writer who has had a related on-board incident myself, I felt compelled to comment on your story on my own blog. If you happen to be interested: http://fatravelwrite.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/re-thrown-off-taking-photos/
Glad you have such a healthy perspective on the whole thing and have found resolution.
The sports talk show guys on Yahoo Sports were even talking about the “incident” this morning.
Some guy going through the TSA checkers was caught with a smoke grenade. It was confiscated and he was allowed to continue. They then went on to talk about “the guy who got thrown off a United flight for taking pictures of the seat” They opined that something was wrong about these two incidents. Grenads.. OK. Taking seat pictures.. not OK. Hmmmm…
Matthew —
As an active travel blogger myself, I have taken dozens of pictures inside airplanes on a number of different carriers, using everything from the phone in my camera to my full-sized digital Canon SLR. No one has ever said a word to me, so I was shocked to read your ordeal… until I realized: It’s United. I shouldn’t be surprised.
I posted my take on your issue on my blog at http://www.travelpro.us/2013/03/blogger-thrown-off-united-airlines.html and it has received over 500 hits in less than 24 hours.
I’ll also be following up with a digest of various airlines’ photo policies, none of which I have been able to find on-line, where it would be more useful for pre-travel planning than having it in an in-flight magazine.
Best of luck, and safe travels!
Matthew,
On February 24, 2013, I filed a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency about United’s photography prohibition policy.
Today, the Agency gave United until April 4, 2013 to respond to the complaint.
I will be posting updates on twitter: @AirPassRightsCA
I flew 787, and took a bunch of pictures, and crew was very helpful about it. I’m glad they let me stay on the plane 🙂
I would honestly say if you continue to patronize united they truly wont learn. The fact you settle for such meager compensation for all the trouble shows that you wasnt serious about proving that you are in the right for the photograph.
I would honestly say if you continue to patronize united they truly wont learn. The fact you settle for such meager compensation for all the trouble shows that you wasnt serious about proving that you are in the right for the photograph.
Stan you are simply wrong.
What should have happened was that the pilot and FA should have apologized to you personally. I’m a public schoolteacher. If I, or one of my peers, obviously violate policy or act unprofessionally, you can bet we’ll be either on the phone or meeting face to face with the aggrieved parent to offer a copius mea culpa at the school’s direction, whether we like it or not. The union can’t “help” avert this, either; I have been a union rep and the Education Code and the contract clearly favor the employer here, not the employee. I wish it were the same with United personnel.
I still have a One Pass account with Continental. I really only had one really bad experience with them in nearly twenty years of flying them on average at least once per year. Now that they’re United, I have no brand loyalty towards them. When I fly on vacation come Christmas, I’ll take whichever airline offers me the best deal, period. Brand loyalty means little me anymore when loyalty back to the customer from United clearly means so little. Others I know have had mediocre treatment and service aboard United, so this isn’t a knee jerk reaction on my part. I’m just waiting to see who will give my family and I the best deal. United holds no special place in my heart. I’ll even fly on one of AA’s ugly new liveried planes if they offer better service than United.
I also agree with Barnassey. The compensation you received was minimal and frankly, insulting. One thing I’ve really learned in nearly two decades in the classroom is that to modify a child’s behavior (think of the child as United or as the childish FA and pilot), you have to sometimes punish them in some meaningful way. Otherwise, they will never learn. They’ll continue with the same old behavior. All you’ve done is to enable United to continue said bad behavior.
Matthew-
I have come to the conclusion that you are a SUCKER. You should have complemented UA with your feet and walked away. If they wanted your business again, they should have to earn it — and that’s not something you are responsible for cajoling them into doing.
Of course, repeat the story, and make it clear just how abhorrent United’s (and its FAs) conduct was, right up until the time (and on their own volition) they BOTH correct the problem, AND compensate you for the time, inconvenience, expense, and mistreatment — which are four distinct things.
You & UA seem to deserve each other.
Cheers.
Matt –
You could have at least done the “name and shame” for the pilot and FA. Those two clowns deserve to be shamed in a public forum for their actions, at a minimum – and maybe even given a nice little pink slip for their behavior. (Certainly the FA deserves this, at a minimum.)
It would be nice to hang an albatross around the pilot’s neck, and tattoo a scarlet letter on the FA’s forehead.