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Home  >  United Airlines  >  United Airlines Warns Crews Of Violence In Latin America
United Airlines

United Airlines Warns Crews Of Violence In Latin America

Matthew Klint Posted onMay 5, 2022May 4, 2022 25 Comments

A string of recent incidents in Latin America has prompted United Airlines to warn its flight attendants to exercise extreme vigilance and maintain situational awareness while on layovers.

United Airlines Urges Crews To Be Vigilant After Incidents In Latin America

While mugging, robbery, and other violence can occur anywhere in the world, flight crews have recently been victimized in two Latin America nations, prompting a memo to flight attendants warning them to exercise extreme vigilance.

In two instances, flight crews were robbed at gunpoint in Colombia. In another instance, a “security incident” involving United flight attendants took place in Brazil.

United Airlines warns its crews:

Do not leave the hotel with expensive items, including jewelry, watches, cash, etc. Observe your surroundings and take note of any suspicious behavior, such as someone following you after leaving a restaurant. Consider staying in if you are planning to leave the hotel after dark in countries with higher crime rates, and be especially vigilant about your surroundings if you do go out.

In the event of a robbery, remain calm and obey the robber’s instructions. Money and property are not worth the price of your life. Assure the robber you will cooperate and take no action that may jeopardize your safety. Don’t make any quick or unexpected movements. After a robbery, get to a safe place and contact the police or local authorities—relay as much information as you can about the robber to assist in their investigation.

The advice is sound and applies to all travelers: it’s simply not worthwhile. Your phone is replaceable. So is your cash or your other electronic devices. You are not replaceable.

I would add one other piece of advice: backup your data immediately. I’ve learned the hard way (not through robbery, thankfully, but by other means) and lost hundreds of pictures because they were not backed up. The moment I reach wi-fi, the first thing I do is backup my photos. At least for me, my photos are much more valuable than my phone itself. Having everything backed up in the cloud makes me much less likely to fret over losing the phone.

CONCLUSION

The rare and specific warning to United Airlines flight crews follows a string of events in Latin America including Brazil and Colombia. But wherever you are in the world, whether you are a flight attendant or not, exercising caution and common-sense discernment like leaving valuables behind and not resisting a robbery make a great deal of sense.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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25 Comments

  1. Will Reply
    May 5, 2022 at 9:43 am

    Probably need the same email warning for layovers in San Francisco and Chicago

    • David Reply
      May 5, 2022 at 3:06 pm

      Damn you beat me to it.

    • N1120A Reply
      May 7, 2022 at 2:55 pm

      Moron

  2. Airfarer Reply
    May 5, 2022 at 10:05 am

    Police investigation? That did give me a chuckle.

  3. Stuart Reply
    May 5, 2022 at 10:08 am

    Not sure how this is a ‘new” thing. It’s been an issue with crews in Brazil for years. In Rio many U.S. crews stay at the Grand Hyatt which is in Barra da Tijuca as, though quite a distance from the airport, is one of the safer areas of the city. Still, don’t be out walking the beach at 10:00PM.

    In S.P. just use common sense. Not sure where UA crews stay there but if they are bussing them into the city that’s on UA. There are plenty of crew hotel options close to GRU with very little reason to transport them to the center which can be 1-2 hours in traffic. They will be fine at the GRU Marriott for a night.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      May 5, 2022 at 10:09 am

      Crew contracts require city hotels.

      • Santastico Reply
        May 5, 2022 at 10:41 am

        “Do not leave the hotel with expensive items, including jewelry, watches, cash, etc. Observe your surroundings and take note of any suspicious behavior, such as someone following you after leaving a restaurant. “ This is the basics of living or visiting Latin America. Unfortunately that is how it is so not sure why United FAs didn’t know this. I have see so many people that travel there feeling they are just in the downtown of a quiet small American town. They walk with huge cameras hanging from their necks, expensive watches, laptops out, etc.. Well……

      • Stuart Reply
        May 5, 2022 at 10:43 am

        I’m assuming this means International crew contracts. As airport hotels domestically are full of crews.

        Interestingly, many foreign crews are often at the airport properties. The Frankfurt Airport Marriott/Sheraton, as an example, is often brimming with crews from around the world. Have seen huge entourages of EK crews checking in there on many occasions. So, I guess this is a U.S. FA thing. Typical. God forbid they should have to stay at an airport hotel.

        However, if the issue is safety, one should think practically. Discussing this with international crews would make sense in changing the location of the layover hotel to keeping them around the airport area. In Rio, Barra da Tijuca is the best option and it makes sense to keep them there. But if there are issues in S.P. happening, start shifting crews to the airport properties and be done with it. I am sure their contract can be adjusted to account for safety concerns.

        • Matthew Klint Reply
          May 5, 2022 at 10:44 am

          Correct, for United at least.

        • N1120A Reply
          May 7, 2022 at 3:01 pm

          Crew contracts for US carriers require city hotels on international and also on domestic for layovers over a certain number of hours. The reasons are varied, but include both the ability to enjoy the layover time as well as the varied options to eat and the like. Using Frankfurt is not the greatest example, because of how close FRA is to central FFM. But still, last I checked, United crews stayed at the Westin in Konstablerwache.

      • Jerry Reply
        May 5, 2022 at 2:59 pm

        I was at the GH in Barra for a week last month and there were crews galore there, specifically a lot of BA crew. I also spotted Latam, and I believe EK/EY has been there in the past.

        • Stuart Reply
          May 5, 2022 at 3:04 pm

          AA also uses it. Or at least did pre Covid. Safer area, decent rates, and three dining options make it a pretty good layover hotel. During the day you are fine to walk or bike the neighborhood or go to the beach as well.

  4. Santastico Reply
    May 5, 2022 at 10:11 am

    So did they find an old article from a newspaper and thought this was news? Latin America has never been a safe place but unfortunately as someone born and raised in Latin America I feel safer there than in Chicago, Seattle or San Francisco.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      May 5, 2022 at 10:12 am

      Of course it has been going on for years, but I think the context for this story is that there have been a string of very recent incidents impacting crewmembers.

  5. koggerj Reply
    May 5, 2022 at 10:47 am

    Every country south of the border are third world sh*t holes

    • Santastico Reply
      May 5, 2022 at 10:50 am

      And Chicago, San Francisco, Minneapolis are what?

      • koggerj Reply
        May 5, 2022 at 5:05 pm

        Also Sh*tholes.

      • Jackson Waterson Reply
        May 6, 2022 at 2:10 am

        Third world populations. It’s not White evangelical Christians terrorizing neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro or the Bronx, Manhattan, Chicago, or in Sweden. We know what groups commit a disproportionate amount of violent crime but it is literally a crime in Europe to say it out loud and maybe a crime in Canada.

        Anytime someone is criticized for not wanting to rent their homes to or hire certain groups, remember that they have rational reasons for doing so. The ones who are irrational are those who try to prevent them.

    • A Reply
      May 5, 2022 at 12:48 pm

      And yet they are still better than living in Louisiana, Alabama, Kentucky, WV, Miss., etc…

      • DavidM Reply
        May 6, 2022 at 12:50 pm

        Really? You sound like a coastal elitist who would never be caught visiting “flyover” states. But then again, I doubt folks in those areas would ever miss someone like you.

  6. CHRIS Reply
    May 5, 2022 at 12:25 pm

    Must be a bunch of “dreamers”.

  7. John Ham Reply
    May 5, 2022 at 3:13 pm

    I have my photos automatically backup on cellular instead of just wifi

  8. Rahul Iyer Reply
    May 5, 2022 at 7:59 pm

    The issue of crime and violence is nothing new. This is not just Latin America. The same thing is in Asia, Europe, Australia/Oceanic, and Africa. Isn’t common sense to be aware of your surroundings, listen to locals, not flash your cash, and go in groups at night? GEEZ! Use your head!

    BTW my wife and I are world travelers. We have been to Colombia. Wonderful country. Haven’t experienced any issues there. Just use your head.

    Those people who compare a country to their rear end need to get out experience more of the world.

  9. David Reply
    May 5, 2022 at 8:44 pm

    Matthew, how on earth can you think the incendiary graphic you constructed to put at the top of this post was either helpful, appropriate, or honorable?

  10. Maxine Reply
    May 6, 2022 at 10:26 am

    My motto when I was a FA – don’t wear your white collar jewelry to your blue collar job. My Tag stayed home and my Timex went to work!

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