Cruel and heartless customer service or merely protecting the integrity of the business class cabin and stopping a scammer from trying to upgrade? That’s one question surrounding another United Airlines story that will leave you feeling sad. But the greater issue is reflected in my title.
You can read the family’s side of the incident in the Facebook link below, but I’ll try to summarize–
- Family reunion in Los Angeles
- Two members of the family were in Australia, including an 94-year-old
- Family pooled together so that grandma could fly in business class
- But being an aged women, she required help eating and using the restroom
- Flight from Melbourne to LA went off without a hitch — granddaughter flew in economy but provided assistance to her grandmother during meal service and when grandma needed to use the lavaotry
- Flight back to Melbourne was a different story — crew refused to help
- Choice given: take grandma back to economy class or get off the plane
- Granddaughter chose to move grandma back to economy class
- Grandmother arrived in Australia with swollen legs and stiff neck and was prescribed Valium by doctor
- Upon complaining, United offered her an $860 refund and a $500 voucher, but stated crew had a “different recollection” of what happened
Here’s a more formal complaint.
The Greater Issue: Access
By law, carriers are required to provide basic accommodations (without advance notice) to the infirm and disabled. Here’s what United promises—
Individual safety briefings
Customers may receive an individual safety briefing to ensure they are properly advised of safety procedures. These individual briefings can include an explanation of where and when to exit and an inquiry to the most appropriate manner in which the customer may be assisted.
En route assistance
Flight attendants will offer assistance to semi-ambulatory customers in getting to/from the seat during boarding and/or disembarkation and to/from the onboard lavatory. They may assist with loading and retrieving carry-on items and other assistive devices stowed on board the aircraft. They will also assist with meal preparation such as opening packages and identifying items. They cannot assist with any medical services, assistance inside the lavatory, or in actual feeding.
According to the granddaughter, FAs refused to help. The granddaughter stated that grandma eats only bread and needs help buttering it. She also needs help walking to the lavatory, but can be alone inside. She requested to provide the assistance.
I think most reasonable people, like the FAs on the flight to LAX, would naturally allow that. But wouldn’t you think the FAs would at least say, “We are not permitted to allow you to go in and out of the cabin, but it our duty and privilege to help your grandmother to the bathroom and back to her seat. No food, including the butter and salt/pepper, will be sealed, but we will happy to provide assistance where needed.”
Boom. Situation diffused. Instead, if the family is being truthful, the FAs simply refused to help.
Lawsuit time…
The Greatest Issue: Dignity
I travel with my 89-year-old uncle around the world and thankfully he is able to run circles around men decades younger than him. When he is no longer able to, I don’t know if we’ll still travel. But if we do, I will not tolerate him being guilted and made uncomfortable for being old, especially when federal law mandates certain reasonable accommodations. Although I plan to always be seated next to him, he recently flew Lufthansa First Class alone. I’m sure they would have treated him royally even if he did require assistance to the lavatory.
Many on FlyerTalk are siding with United, arguing that the dignity of the business class cabin must be preserved. What about the dignity of the person? Is your sense of entitlement so great that you would rather see a woman suffer than “endure” a bit of additional foot traffic in the business class cabin?
There is this amazing thing some humans have. It’s called common sense. No one is arguing that daddy flies business and his six kids take turns coming up from economy class to sit on his lap. No, this is an old woman who needs help. A little discretion goes a long way. Rules are merely points at which deviation is measured from.
CONCLUSION
Skeptics will argue the woman should have purchased a second business class ticket for her grandmother if she wanted to help her. That’s about as stupid as saying you should have purchased a larger home if you needed more room. You buy what you can afford. Here, the family did their best to honor their elder and provide at least some semblance of comfort for her.
As far as I can tell, the woman was treated poorly and FAs shows a profound lack of empathy by failing to find a reasonable accommodation as the outbound crew had done.
The point is not to focus on every single United customer service story that comes out, but to cover those events that must make “the Friendly Skies” aware that it must totally upturn its culture of service. A few bad apples spoil the entire crop.
Really disappointing and something I can relate to with my own family. My father is disabled and has a hard time moving around, he usually needs someone to help especially in a plane. That is why I usually have my mom or myself next to him in First Class (using upgrade certs or paying for the upgrade). If he has to travel by himself, I always try to book him on Alaska as I know their FAs always try to assist in these types of situations. I’ve had good experiences with AA crewmembers as well (only on domestic flights).
I understand why people might not like a family member coming back and forth between their seat in Economy and their family member’s seat in Business. However, if the FAs in Business don’t want to assist at all especially if the PAX needs to use the bathroom then having a family member assist is the best way of dealing with this. However it’s a completely different story if the family member tried to get a free upgrade.
Buy business class or just flown her in economy. I’m with United on this one. What if everyone did this.
Did you not read the article or do you work for United?
This story is grossly inaccurate the said grand daughter kept trying to take the empty seat in business class and united said no. To help her grandmother, well it’s fine to help grandma but not take the next seat. It wasn’t that they didn’t want her up there but they were trying to score a free seat in business and then come up with this elaborate story. #RealTalk
Were you on the flight?
Since when does a UA flight to Melbourne go out with open seats in business class?
U want to sit in business class?? Then PAY for it!!! U expect an FA to help a passenger to relieve herself and handle your food at the same time?? Yeah go right ahead, good luck with that! Sheezzz ppl these days are so pathetic.
Yes, pathetic, selfish, despicable people like you who think an elderly person should be told to pee in her pants instead of being helped to the lavatory door. She didn’t asked to be wiped…she just needed help from her seat to the door. She just needed help opening her butter container. But I suppose that is too much for self-centered people like yourself.
People are simply rude today. They seem to think they should.geet paid and not doing a job at all. If FAs don’t have a good customer service attitude, they should be fired. I mean, we pay all that money for a flight and get treated like dirt. Work ethics seem to have disappeared.
VFTW covered this a few days ago and claimed it was fake news, but that page has been removed and I do see this being reported on major news websites. So is this a true story? If so, it further establishes a pattern of gross customer service on the part of United. But I’ve also heard the same thing of AA.
I missed it. Will ping Gary.
Everyone does not do this. In this case you are talking about having a family member provide assistance, not sit in business class. Seems to me like this is a small concession that United could have made but chose not to.
In my experience, this is typical for United and exactly what their CEO referred to when discussed being flexible with the rules. Unfortunately, geeting a battleship like UAL to turn with all the entrenched union members will be difficult if not impossible. Ever see one of the senior UAL flight attendants help with a bag in the overhead ? No? me either. “I’m not allowed to help with your bag” they whine. “its against the rules”.
This is why you should vote with your wallet and select a different transportation provider. Only when their stock price goes down will United care about being more customer-friendly. United reports after the market close today. Hpefully, it s a wake up call.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2017/01/08/flight-attendant-carries-passenger-2/
Although I feel for the passengers. The airlines responsibility as an unpaid babysitter can only go so far. If the passenger needs assistance during the flight, its my understanding that they can pay extra for that. Similiar to paying for an unattended child from point A to point B. Even though they paid for an upgrade to business class, they are not entitled to special attention.
I don’t think they were looking for the FAs to actually butter her bread, but only to allow the granddaughter to breech the curtain from economy class and periodically help her grandmother.
Agreed. As a side note, United needs some bad press to balance out all of the good ink they’ve earned lately. Oy.
Agree w/your article Matthew & rjb also. The first flight was accommodating so there were no issues. The second flight felt like they couldn’t allow it– what was the difference? The airlines do need to work on creative, acceptable solutions in situations like these w/customers. They are not black/white, right/wrong typically, and the best solution will be one where the customer experience is a positive one. Then it is win/win for the customer & the airline.
So I read that the granddaughter wanted a seat in business class for no charge and the FAs denied that. I agreed that that seemed a little much but it seems really bad customer service that they wouldn’t allow the granddaughter to come up and help the grandmother at intervals.
If that is the case (she wanted free upgrade) then I will loudly condemn her with a follow-up post.
Rule 14.
Far be it from United to do something kind like make an allowance if their was an empty seat.
Oh wait, UA beats up old people for fun and kicks folks out of an exit row on the way to the wedding.
Customer service at all costs – I get it!
Why should United give that seat to her as opposed to a frequent flier who may not have qualified for an upgrade? Those days of discretionary upgrades to first are long over and I’m disappointed to see an experienced travel blogger cater to the masses by feigning ignorance on that matter. The FAs CANNOT authorize an upgrade and have no discretion on that mater any longer.
We are not talking about a free upgrade in this case, only coming up to help grandma to the lavatory or open her food.
Buy another ticket for your food feeder .
United only in trouble if they did not assist up or down for bathroom
United promises to assist in “food preparation” — that is all the old woman needed and her granddaughter volunteered to do it for United if the FA were too lazy.
A little mistake there in your bullet points. It should say 94 instead of 89 years old.
i once met somebody whose sister was a flight attendant at united. when i asked him how she liked her job, he said she loved seeing the world “but she can’t stand passengers.”
lol
The last time I walked onto a UA flight in business the FAs were less cheerful than the average funeral home greeters.
Something is very wrong with that airline.
I agree with Mathew 100% on this one.
“Many on FlyerTalk are siding with United, arguing that the dignity of the business class cabin must be preserved. What about the dignity of the person? Is your sense of entitlement so great that you would rather see a woman suffer than “endure” a bit of additional foot traffic in the business class cabin?”
That’s Flyertalk in a nutshell: Me, me, me 24/7