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Feature Stories
Previous features are archived here.
Frequent Flying 101 - Know Before You Go! Ed note: Welcome to Rob's 'Travel Advice' column. This represents the first in a hopeful new series of columns by a frequent flier guest contributor to the site. As a fan and frequent reader of this website, I'm also a long-time frequent flyer. Frankly, I hardly ever fly United anymore, as I primarily use a competitor, and have lifetime elite status in its loyalty program. No matter which airlines you can fly, there are always complaints and unhappy passengers. Many such complaints I see here on Untied.com appear to be from infrequent flyers, many of which I suspect are accustomed to flying prior to 9/11, when free hot meals were served in economy on many flights, and on those flights, enough food was catered for the entire plane. Nowadays, unless you are traveling in first or business class domestically, there is no free meal in economy. Most carriers now sell food on flights. The only major exceptions are Continental, which offers free food during certain mealtime hours, and Southwest, which does not sell or offer meals. I do believe they provide free snacks, and more substantial snack offerings on their mid-con and trans-con flights. Also, I understand a few airlines may offer complimentary food in coach on their flights to and from Hawaii from the U.S. mainland. On the other major U.S. carriers flying domestically, snacks are usually sold on flights of two or three hours, and sandwiches and other cold entrees are available for purchase on longer flights. Nowadays, however, these "Buy on Board" food and snacks are not catered for each and every passenger, but only for a limited amount, based on usual and customary passenger demand. This candidly means that these Buy on Board offerings sell out from time to time, and/or could be periodically short catered, leaving many passengers hoping to buy a snack box, sandwich or potato chips out of luck and starving. Don't let this happen to you! I strongly suggest to anyone traveling in the economy section to always bring some food on board with them, to avoid such disappointment. Most airports have plentiful restaurants offering take out food for your trip, so plan to arrive early enough to buy something to eat on the plane, or bring something from home. If you are going to connect in another city to continue your journey, my advice is to bring or buy enough food for both flight segments. Don't make the mistake of planning to shop for food in your connecting airport as your first flight could be delayed, and you won't have any time to do this, as the time to make your connection has shortened. Caution - if you are connecting in another country, don't bring food with you as you might not be able to enter with it. Also, don't bring water or other liquids with you if you are connecting in another country, as you may have to go through security all over again, and such liquids are prohibited. Speaking of liquids, I also urge everyone to buy a bottle of water once you clear security (or bring an empty bottle and fill it from a water faucet once you've passed security). Having your own bottle of water in flight is a necessity as drink runs by the flight attendants in flight are fewer than in years past. Also, supplies are limited. All too often I see complaints on Untied.com from thirsty passengers. Many times the flight attendants are stingy with the water (and other drinks) because their supplies are almost depleted and/or not enough was catered in the first place. Always, always bring your own water! I have a few final notes on this topic of food in flight. If you do enhance your dining in the sky experience by purchasing a sandwich, snack item, or alcoholic beverage in flight, be aware that only one form of payment might be accepted, for example, by credit card only or cash only. Some airlines, like American, only accept credit cards as payment, but their regional carriers, American Eagle and American Connection, only accept cash at this time. Buyer beware, and be prepared! Furthermore, be advised when traveling on late night "red-eye" flights, food concessions and restaurants in airports might be closed well before your flight departs, thus finding food to bring on board might be difficult. Also, if you do wish to buy on board, be advised that airlines flying these red-eye flights usually don't cater sandwiches for sale, only non-perishables such as potato chips, trail mix, cookies or pre-packaged snack boxes. Again, plan ahead and bring food with you (if needed) for overnight travel. I hope these tips I've shared will make your next flight a good one, and won't necessitate a complaint to Untied.com or other similar website. Have a happy, safe, and enjoyable flight. Bon voyage, Rob
Penalty for doing the right thing Despite informing United that I'd come down with the flu right before my flight, and UAL Reservations saying it was "OK" not to fly and cause concern given the huge sensitivity to the current AH1N1 virus (May 2009), when I tried to rebook my ticket for 3 days later I was told by Ms. Shannon in reservations that it was my "own dumb fault" for not flying when sick (and coughing on everyone -- my comment). I was also told that I should pay $1100 *more* (beyond my $400 ticket) in fees to fly to join up with my wife and daughter. I guess my other choice was to go on (and suffer through) the flight from LA to Hawaii, cough on every United employee I'd see, and then alert the media in Hawaii so the whole planeload of vacationers could be quarantined. But I'm not a bad person or vindictive like that, and I think there's a lot to be said for "taking the high road" and "karma," and working with consumer reporters or legal channels instead of being a jerk. This berating me for having make the good social choice for my fellow passengers was pure stupidity from UAL, however, so I contacted the local TV news media in San Diego and LA. NBC jumped on the story first, and did the piece you can see above. Five minutes before the news truck arrived at my house, UAL called to say it "was all a big misunderstanding" and "of course" they'd honor my ticket and appreciated my not flying when sick and not causing a panic. Yeah, right. Honestly, though, the person at the Exec Relations Dept *was* very nice and professional, but it takes someone senior and with the right "pay grade" to make a common-sense decision, unfortunately. See news coverage of this story here.
It takes a Senator
More amusingly, Mr. Musselwhite informed UAL that he endorsed his cheque and sent it to us at Untied.com. We're sure UAL management is happy to know that they're helping fund our site. (FU hat courtesy of anonymous UAL employee.)
Also, in response to our query about one of the names originally given
in his letter, which was accidentally repeated, Mr. Musselwhite
provided some elaboration: "All those I spoke to at United were from
India, and they sounded like it. I was speaking to Haji, not Denis.
The names they give are as dishonest as everything else at
United."
October 31, 2007
Senator Ken Salazar Dear Senator: I need your help. I have been trying to get a refund from United Airlines, and they simply won't respond. It is really quite amazing. Perhaps they will respond to you. I recently booked a trip to Europe on United Airlines on their website. When I purchased my ticket on United.com, United offered me an upgrade to Economy Plus seating for about $225, which I accepted... and paid. The last leg of the flight was canceled and I was put on another plane which was oversold by 22 seats. I was forced into a regular Economy seat, because they said there were no more Economy Plus seats. So my complaint is very simple: United Airlines collected money for Economy Plus seating that they did not provide me. Consequently, they clearly owe me a refund. Customer Service people at the airport said I would get a refund, but they said I had to request it on the website. They flatly refused to do anything, even though they were the ones who did this to me. So I filed the request on the United website. I never got a reply. So I called the Customer Service number and talked to "Todd", who eventually put me on hold to investigate my request. While on hold, the call was dropped. I had spent about 20 minutes on the line with him when the line was cut. So I called the Customer Service number again and talked to "Shane", who eventually put me on hold to investigate my request. While on hold, the call was dropped. I had spent about 30 minutes on the line with him when the line was cut. So I called the Customer Service number once again and talked to "Denis", who eventually put me on hold to investigate my request. While on hold, the call was dropped. I had spent about 20 minutes on the line with him when the line was cut. So I called the Customer Service number again and talked to "Sid". I explained what was happening, and I requested a supervisor. I was put on hold to await an available supervisor. While on hold, the call was dropped. So I called back and made the same request. This time, I eventually got "Jack", who said they would offer me either a coupon on my next full-fare ticket (which I never buy) or 15,000 miles added to my Mileage Plus account. But he said they would NOT refund any money!!!!!!! I explained that they cannot collect money for a seating upgrade and then not provide it. I asked him if that was indeed what he was saying. This made him nervous, and without saying a word to me, he transferred me to... "Savio" in Customer Relations. I was trying to have a discussion with "Savio" when the line was dropped. So I filed yet another online request on the United.com website. That was about 10 days ago, so that request was ignored too. So... that is 8 formal requests to United Airlines... with no refund... no actual reply at all... and never any justification for keeping the money! Their strategy is clearly to stonewall me until I give up. Stunning arrogance!!!!!! I am amazed that United would show such behavior. I am amazed that they are allowed to behave this way. I am amazed that politicians tolerate this kind of behavior. Since you allow this, I request that YOU try to get United to respond. I also request a very tough Passenger Bill of Rights that stops the blatant abuse of customers by United Airlines. I await your reply. You can reach me via the contact information shown below. Thank you. Sincerely, Steven D. Musselwhite
UAL loses another customer My flight was supposed to depart Kalamazoo to Chicago on Sunday morning. But UAL cancelled it three times in a row, while flights on other airlines continued going out on the same route. When the flight was first cancelled, I asked UA if they could put me on any other flight, to which the nice man responded with a firm "no". Another possible flight was later cancelled. I hung around until the next day, as a third flight was cancelled, just two hours before I was to fly out. I finally talked to a Delta agent who really helped me out and I managed to get home on Tuesday morning. Otherwise, I might still be sitting in the airport. I know that you could care less with all the people you fly, but why did it take so much insistence on my part before you agreed to switch me over to Delta? I lost a day of double-time as a result. Furthermore, your employee who was checking me in lost my picture I.D. No one from United apparently bothered to look for it, as it was only located by a Delta employee who saw it on the United counter and returned it to me. I have always flown with you before I got married and moved out here, but now, you've lost my business. I'm not writing for flyer miles or money off my next trip; I want you to know why your customers are leaving.
How to Reach UAL (in the UK) I have been trying to organise a refund for exorbitant telephone costs of some 300GBP (approx. US $600) for calls to United to resolve a problem I had with a booking. It took me something like 8 hours to get through and get it organised. It really annoyed me that United didn't appear to have any UK telephone numbers for me to call (as the 0870 number routes you to some far-off place). Ed note: In the UK, where, like in many parts of Europe, there is no such thing as "free calls", calling an 0870 number can cost as much as ten times the rate of a regular, local number. It is thus a preferred option for companies to have the customers foot the (expensive) bill for their calls. Fortunately, Heathrow reception staff (not United) gave me a local number to try, and I thought, hmm, these guys must have lots of phones so I experimented with several changes to the last two digits and here's what I found:
Ed note: Now that the cat's out of the bag, it wouldn't surprise us if these numbers are changed shortly. If so, as the poster suggests: Try dialing other numbers, with variants of the last two digits. Hopefully you'll end up talking to the right person. At the end of this ordeal, I managed to get my phone bill refunded, along with a credit of 25,000 airmiles to my account. You're more likely to obtain a satisfactory outcome to a complaint if you get in touch with your country's UAL office; the Heathrow team told me that they have the ability to be more flexible in managing complaints than their HQ in Chicago. Ed note: Perhaps not for much longer after this information becomes public, but it never hurts to try. Regardless, I am still quitting UAL as my preferred airline and switching to the the One World alliance. It's a shame but I just have no faith in UAL. You support an airline and they don't give you anything of recognition in return.
Another Small Claims success
I began my quest in March of 2007. I tried several times to contact United through the phone and letters. They went unanswered. No satisfaction. We asked Amex to intercede for me. They did so but apparently they didn't do a thorough job. I wrote to United Airlines Refund Department on July 20, 2007. Excerpts from that letter: "I respectfully request a refund of $729.60 for the two unused tickets referenced above and for which the travel itinerary is enclosed.... When I purchased the tickets through your 800 number on February 22, 2007, your reservations agent, a female, assured me the tickets would be fully refundable if I cancelled 'at least 24 hours before the flight.' Verbatim quote. I am positive. I wrote the words as she spoke...I am not suggesting she intentionally misrepresented your company's police. I rather believe she simply made a mistake. Human error." I obtained a certificate of mailing from the Post Office. I never received a response from United. I contacted the Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division to find out who is the corporate representative for United in Oregon. They gave me the name (Prentice Hall Corporation System) but the office was closed and the phone disconnected. The State asked me to serve papers through the Corporation Division. I did everything they suggested. They said when I served them it was the same as serving the agent. Because United did not respond, the small claims court ordered a deficiency judgement against United. This got United's attention and an attorney (Sarah Vaughn) from United called. She began the process to see that I received the refund. I received the check for my out-of-pocket court expenses about two or three weeks ago. My Amex account was credited for the price of the tickets this week.
Lawsuit pending...
UAL bungles big time, but can't even admit their mistake. As the passenger write, "Let me get this straight, United cancels my flight, United causes me to miss my flight the next day, United gets an antagonistic attitude and won't fix the ticket when they can, because a DELTA Airline agent has to talk to the UNITED agent to get him to do his job, for a fee, and I did ask for a refund...."
UAL is never responsible... unless?
Ed note: This story caught our attention because it combines several
illustrations of what United continues to do wrong, year after year:
It is further interesting that the sequence of events described by Ms. Waldeck is fairly similar to that which befell the passengers who were Abandoned in Cheyenne during the same storm system last December. Both situations include flight rerouting, a series of broken promises, and being stranded in an intermediate city for several days. In the case of the Cheyenne passengers, after sufficient negative publicity, UAL finally relented and agreed to offer compensation. But rather than extend the same courtesy to Ms. Waldeck and cover her hotel and other essential expenses incurred, UAL is choosing to play the "we do not refund hotel, meal, car rental and alternate flight expenses" card. Come on, United, sure you do... but apparently, only if USA Today is about to run another story! Ms. Waldeck has now received a total of $650 in flight vouchers (that can only be used one at a time). UAL's customer relations indicated that this is the best they can do. Untied.com is encouraging Ms. Waldeck to file her demand in Small Claims Court should UAL not offer the compensation she has requested. See the original complaint letter and the following reply from UAL (click to enlarge) as background:
Ms. Waldeck's follow-up response appears below: March 12, 2007
Ms. Faith A. Liedberg RE: Ref. # 5707081B/Your letter dated March 5, 2007 Dear Ms. Liedberg: I am in receipt of your letter dated March 5, 2007 which you wrote in response to my complaint dated January 2, 2007 about services rendered to me by United Airlines in conjunction with a December 19, 2006 flight. Although I do appreciate your response, it is unacceptable for a number of reasons. In your letter, you make several misstatements of the facts and appear to have based your decision regarding my compensation on incorrect information and factual inconsistencies. First, your logic for denying my compensation seems to be based entirely on "inclement weather," when in fact, my travel was scheduled to be completed before the inclement weather even began. In paragraph one you refer to "the December blizzard" and in paragraph two begin your rationale with "Inclement weather presents challenges... severe snowstorms impacted United's service... on December 20..." Frankly, these "explanations" are irrelevant to me because my travel, according to the contract UAL made with me, was to have been completed on December 19. The only reason I was in Denver on December 20 (the day the weather hit) was due to a multi-hour delay leaving Los Angeles related to my aircraft's mechanical problem on December 19. This mechanical problem resulted in my missing my connection in Denver the afternoon of December 19. You state in the third paragraph of your letter "...passengers do not receive compensation from United for costs resulting from weather, air traffic conditions or other circumstances beyond our control." Indeed my presence in Denver on December 20 was directly under your control and could have been obviated. I was to have been in and out of Denver the day before the storm started, and would have been had it not been for the mechanical delay in Los Angeles on December 19 -- something that was entirely under UAL's control. The second misrepresentation of my situation is stated in paragraph four of your letter, where you wrote "If a flight irregularity prevents you from reaching your planned destination, we help to arrange the first alternate transportation available." Here, you ignore one of my chief complaints about my experience: I was informed by a UAL telephone representative on December 21, while trying to make arrangements to get out of Denver, that my entire itinerary had been canceled on December 20 at 8:49 PM. and that UAL had no further responsibility for helping me find travel arrangements. I did not authorize UAL to cancel my itinerary; therefore, with this action, UAL breached its contract with me and rendered any promise to "arrange the first alternate transportation available" completely null and void. You do not acknowledge this fact anywhere in you letter even though I brought it to your attention in my January 3 letter. Similarly, you seem to be ignoring the fact that I was told to cancel my reservations and make my own alternate arrangements early on during the storm. Although I refused to do this, UAL apparently did it for me. This approach to "customer service" hardly represents your pledge to "help arrange the first alternate transportation available." Third, your agreement to reimburse the "unused portion" of my United ticket is inconsistent with what I was told on December 21 and December 24 by UAL telephone representatives -- that I had already been credited with the full amount of my ticket. The only acceptable resolution on the issue of my ticket is either a full cash refund or full credit ($432) toward future travel. However, the matter of my hotel and other expenses can only be rectified by direct cash reimbursement, as I requested in the January 3 letter. In the final paragraph of your letter, you encourage me to "use the travel certificate... to help with... unexpected expenses." $250 toward future travel does not begin to compensate for what amounted to nearly $1000 in out of pocket cash expenses, compounded by the incredibly poor to nonexistent service I received from UAL during the period in question. I am not going away. Your response was completely unacceptable and based on a total distortion of what really happened to me on the days of December 19, 20, 21, and 22. I am giving you one more chance to get it right before I take legal action against United Airlines. I expect to hear from you by March 23, 2007. I am once again requesting:
If I do not hear from you in such a way that satisfies my requests, I will file an action against United Airlines in Orange County Superior Court for its breach of contract. I am well aware of my rights, and look forward to resolving the matter with less drastic measures. I hope that you and your colleagues choose to cooperate. Sincerely, Jennifer H. Waldeck
Helpless at Check-in
I had an agent check my bag in Las Vegas (Jeanine Forrester) who was rude, arrogant and sarcastic. I told her that I was late for my flight, but still outside the 45 minute check-in window. There was no crowd in the Premier Line I was the only one. After I asked her to help me she went on chatting with her co-worker for 5 minutes then slowly did some other paperwork for another 5 minutes. She then allowed me to check my bag as a late check, which it was after 10 minutes of waiting on her. I told her that my bag would not have been late if she had decided to help me in a timely manner. Jeanine replied that I should have gotten to the counter sooner and not tried to interrupt her. She slowly processed my bag and informed me that if it did not make the flight I would have to retrieve bag at ORD myself. Upon leaving the counter to catch my flight in the most sarcastic tone imaginable she said and I quote (because I took the time to write it down) "you should go straight to the gate, we will not delay the flight for you and good luck with your bag." I knew then my bag was not going to make it to Chicago any time soon. When I arrived in Chicago, I waited for the bag, hoping I was wrong and it would be there. It was not, so I went to baggage claim and they looked up the bag claim check and said it would be on the next flight about 90 minutes later. I asked the very nice gate bag claim agent if they could deliver it to my house the next day and he said that he could not because Jeanine had carefully noted the "late check time" in the record and he could not override it, but at least he tried to help. I waited and still no bag even though I was told it was on the next flight and one more after that. I went home and had my son go out to ORD the next evening and still no bag. I called United and filed a delayed baggage claim and was able to retrieve the bag two days after leaving LAS. Jeanine is most likely still laughing. Should she be customer facing to your top customers? I work for Hewlett-Packard Company and do 60% of my flying on United. United is HP's preferred airline and I think that I have the right to be shielded from the type of behavior that Jeanine Forrester displayed on March 12, 2007. I would like to Federal Express a formal complaint to the President's office at United. Would you please provide the contact information and address. Ed note: Contact information for UAL personnel is available here, but letters sent to the "President" or CEO Tilton are funelled through the usual Customer Relations channels, which means it will be read by someone with (hopefully) a grade 10 education and if you're lucky, you'll eventually receive a form letter in reply. The problem, of course, isn't necessarily Jeanine Forrester or other UAL employees of this nature, but rather, with the attitude of upper management that not only tolerates such behavior, and worse, treats the airline's employees in a similarly hostile manner. Given the workplace atmosphere at UAL, it's little wonder that such incidents occur on a daily basis.
Intimidation and Whistleblowers Ed. note: The abuse of power this former employee experienced at UAL is all too typical, but the details of his experience are, we believe, of special interest, in particular as this relates to potential safety issues. Under these specific circumstances, we've suggested that the writer consider legal action under the Whistleblower Act, as have a number of other former UAL employees. An explanation of why early brake releases are both unacceptable and unsafe is provided below. Other examples of retaliatory actions by UAL against whistleblowers, documented on our site, include the treatment of Tim Hafer, David Lawson, and George Gulliford
Media organizations who wish to follow-up on this story can contact us
through this web form.
Just wanted to let you know that a week after my "feature of the week"
article came out last month, UAL contacted me about reinstating me to
my position after being terminated 2 years ago. We had the 3rd step
hearing and have been asked to come back.
The reason I was terminated was because I got into a verbal
confrontation with a fellow employee. When the other employee
reported the situation, he reported that it became physical. It was my
word against his and they believed him. There were no witnesses or
cameras for proof.
After my 1st hearing (2 years ago) the rmp mgr offered me to return to
work the next day on a level 4 if I admitted to hitting the
employee. Because I denied the physical contact - UAL held me out of
service (terminated) for 2 years.
At the 3rd step hearing I was told UAL would not be paying me 2 years
of backpay, but I'd keep my seniority and come back at a level 0. I
feel I've been wronged and need to find out what I can do. I lost my
job and lost pay for 2 years because I didn't admit to something I
didn't do.
More passengers abandoned
United does it again! On February 8, they abandoned 100
passengers in Nebraska. This follows a similar incident in
December, exposed by USA Today, in which UAL abandoned 100
passengers in Cheyenne and refused to cover their expenses. After several months of media pressure, the airline finally relented and is now prepared to reimburse passengers for their expenses.
January 13, 2007
I started as a ramper at LAX and thought I would always work there and
eventually retire with the company. I loved my job and the benefits.
I was sadly mistaken through the 7 1/2 years I was employed and saw
how I was just a number and could be replaced anytime. After
Sept. 11th, I was sent to ORD because I couldn't hold my seniority.
Four months later I was called back to LAX. I noticed how the
Supervisors they hired at LAX had no prior airline experience - people
off the street - and couldn't tell me what kind of plane I was loading
much less any airport codes. These people were "supervising" me!?!
United at the end of one year hit the charts and surveys as being the
#1 On-Time Airline. We all know the pilots were asking for early
brake-releases to show on paper the on-time departures. As long as we
were getting the flights out on time ALL the time, managment decided
we didn't need all the manpower and bumped a bunch of us back to
part-time. The Safety Committee wanted all rampers who witnessed
early brake releases to report the captain of the flight and
supervisor who allowed it to them. I was on a push crew - pushing the
aircraft into the alleyways and taxiways. Countless times I was asked
to release brakes. I had a pilot on a 737 tell me he could re-program
the flight computer in the cockpit to show that brakes were released
even if they didn't physically release them. I told him I had
problems with that and told him I'd report him and he told me that
would be a mistake. I had reported a few of the captains and
pilots. I've heard that they run the company since they make so much
money and - of course they fly the planes. The following week a
fellow worker antagonized me in starting an argument with me and I
told him if he didn't shut up I'd kick his ass. He reported it to
management and they walked me off the premises that night for saying a
verbal threat.
It was my mistake for saying what I said and another mistake for
telling the truth. I think it was a conspiracy to get rid of me. The
safety committee and union told me they'd back me up if I reported the
captains and supervisors. They haven't done too much for me seeings
that I'm still out of work after 2 full years without pay or benefits.
I'm ready to go after UAL for Wrongful Termination and the Union for
False Representation. I know of fellow employees who have been drug
tested positive with cocaine while operating equipment around aircraft
who've made it back to work within 6 months.
Ed note. In response to our request, the former employee provided
the following elaboration on the history and implications of early
brake releases.
Wow - UAL is screwed up!
I have had some severe customer service issues in the past and have
consulted Untied for advice. I have read some of the topics posted by
United employees and it is absolutely appaling and repugnant to see
what the company does to its people.
Having a relationship with UAL seems to be like having a relationship
with an abusive spouse or parent! Basically, one is tortured by
subjective decision making, silence, smugness, cynicisim, and a total
lack of communication. I hate the India call centers - they are
absolutely worthless and actually end up causing more problems with
you book a flight through them or call them for customer service. I
have never, ever had to deal with more unhelpful, unintellignet staff
ever in my life.
It is now proven to me that UAL is a giant house of cards - it is not
a sustainable airline or business model, it's just a scheme to make a
ton of money for the four or five guys on top before it goes bankrupt
again, screws its employees, defaults on its loans and leases, and
alienates its stockholders and customers. It won't and can't last.
They just make due until the next uptick in travle trends.
What does Glenn Tilton know about running an airline? If he ran an
oil company than why hasn't he done a better job of hedging fuel
because that's why they are crying about losing so much money.
UAL's publicity stink with Mo'nique
July 2006 was a record month for complaints against United Airlines.
The reason? On July 23, the airline threw US comedienne Mo'Nique
Imes-Hicks off a New York-bound flight from Chicago after a dispute
regarding ownership of her hairdryer. In response, the comedienne
went public with a call to boycott the airline and UAL realized they
had a public relations disaster on their hands. Our site (Untied.com)
alone received 80 letters out of a total of
412 on this topic... we doubt UAL will be disclosing how many
they received! While these complaints against the airline are
certainly warranted, it should be noted that experiences of passenger
mistreatment, similar to Mo'Nique's, if not worse, occur many times
every day on United. The only difference in this case is that the
victim was able to draw public attention to the incident far more
effectively than most of the thousands of others who have posted their
stories in our database.
Stick to Southwest!
United is in trouble and they really do need to work
on a business strategy rather than try to intimidate or flush out good
employees. If they want to run a communist airline, maybe they should
setup their headquarters somewhere in the Moscow area. Maybe they
would get more passengers if they went to Russia. As for myself, I
think I will stick to Southwest. I will feel safe knowing that I'm not
on the same airline that treats their employees the same way they
treat their pets.
The loss of my airline
United Airlines has been raped of its assets. United Airlines
employees have been victimized. United Airlines customers have been
silenced.
United Airlines was the best airline. We, the employees, and our
customers, made it the best.
Management, from the CEO'S, the many, many VP's, the Board of
Directors, stole the airline. You created many spin-offs, plus, you
sold our computer system, our buildings, mortagaged our planes, gave
what cash our pensions did have to a company, PBGC, who is already 23
billion dollars in the hole, you gave 50 million dollars to US Air,
just to talk, and we sell US Air as if we own it. Where did the
money go?
What is so sad to me about the loss of my airline, is the loss of my
United family. United got ugly.
After Sep 11, on its first anniversary, The Fire Fighters Memorial
Service, is held at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. Hundreds of
family members came from all over the world to attend the services.
United would not waive services charges for changes, did not offer any
type of discount, nor was any United offical at the service.
The name has not only been tarnished, but the company has been
disfigured beyond recognition. I hope your continued advancement of
our company will continue to line your pockets, as the above mention
article clearly states.
Bullets on the plane? No problem!
Ed. note:
We received this report from Judy Salmon back in February but were
requested not to publish it at the time. Ms. Salmon
was justifiably concerned about her job, given the long history of
retaliatory actions by UAL against whistleblowers, some of
which have been documented on our site.
As Ms. Salmon has recently been offered a position outside of the
airline industry, she is now prepared to post her story as she feels
it important for the traveling public to be aware of UAL's disregard
for safety.
Readers should note that Untied.com has been raising
the safety issue since early 1998.
UAL's response was exactly the same back then as it is now... cover
their ears and deny that the problem exists, despite all the evidence
to the contrary.
I have been with UAL for 16 years and am appalled at many of the
things I have seen, primarily an incident that occurred in July
2004. It both saddens and frightens me to see first hand how
disinterested UAL is in the safety of both its employees and
passengers.
To briefly summarize, bullets (live 22 caliber shells) were found
on my flight from Denver (DEN) to Tampa (TPA). The first one was
found by a passenger. It was handed over to the purser who in turn
gave it to the captain.
He agreed to notify ground security in TPA and the
appropriate people would meet the aircraft.
Upon arrival in TPA, the only individual present was the agent
meeting the flight. When my flying partner and I demanded to know
what was going to be done, we were told that the cleaners were going
to give the plane a "security sweep". That's right, the cleaners!
They were on the plane for less than 10 minutes.
We then left the plane to go to Operations. On the tarmac, we
passed the pilots who were going to take us to Chicago and asked
them what was being done. They were not even aware of the situation,
but the new captain told us he would find out about it.
We then found out that they were planning to board us
and continue on with no more discussion. My flying partner
and I did not feel that the plane had been properly searched, nor
were the passenger manifests checked. In other words, NOTHING had
been done.
We took it upon ourselves to search the lavatories and galleys and
then decided to check the floor on our hands and knees. This is
when I saw a second bullet on the floor by the sidewall. I called
out to my flying partner who was searching several rows ahead of me.
The captain came back, yelling at us to calm down and be quiet.
He claimed that the bullets were mere BB's. Wrong: I happen to be a
shooter and know my bullets. He told us there were numerous reasons that
bullets would be on the plane and that we had better shut up or would be
accused of planting them. Needless to say, this comment disturbed me.
He took the bullet and returned to the cockpit.
At this point we began discussing whether or not we felt safe to
fly. Components for a zip gun or similar weapon can be brought
onto an aircraft and assembled onboard. The bullets are supposed
to be the most difficult item to get through security. The captain
(Scott Gray) overheard us and told us that we were welcome to walk but
would be fired. Obviously, he has no authority over us in that capacity.
We ultimately decided to take that plane back to Chicago as we had
no support from either the captain or the purser. I spoke to several
pilots after the incident and they told me that the plane should
never have left TPA until a thorough search was conducted and
passenger manifests (both inbound and outbound) scrutinized.
UAL attempted to bury or drop the entire incident until I went into
a duty superviser's office prior to my next assignment. I was
extremely upset and in tears and told her I wanted the situation
and its handling investigated: if this was standard operating
procedure, I was very concerned getting back on an airplane. I was
instructed to write an internal report that was supposedly forwarded
to numerous individuals for investigation. I also filed a report
on SkyNet.
I recieved a copy of the captain's response (submitted on his behalf
by another individual), containing numerous lies, and nothing further
from anyone else in the airline.
Picking up the Pieces
Ed. note:
Untied.com has received dozens of pleas for assistance from former
UAL employees who were terminated under similar conditions to the
following letter writer. We have reported
on such cases in the past but as the airline's fortunes continue
to tumble, it seems apparent that any hope of recovering one's job
have gone the way of the pensions. Untied.com's only advice is to
give up on the airline, seek whatever employment opportunities you
can, and consult with legal representation as to the possibility
of legal action against UAL.
It is heartening, at least, to see that for some former employees,
life after UAL can be rewarding!
I was terminated during a FAML and my health records were petitioned
by my in-flight supervisor - Elaine Higgins in JFK. It was disclosed
that I had been recently diagnosed with HIV and I was going to MIA
for specialized treatment in Miami at a research center at Jackson
Memorial for my condition. I was then immediately terminated by
her when this was found out. I became no longer cost effective and
was promptly disposed of and left to die without my job, health
insurance in this very undignified manner.
I still barely survived a few years after this date, lost my home,
lived from indigent care facilities from the state and became nearly
homeless if it werent for a dear friend taking me into her home.
I have since managed to pick up the pieces in my broken life from
United and have a good position now working as a Marketing Director
and Consultant Foreign National as well as South Florida Investors.
My salary is now approx 5 times what I was making at United Airlines
and they did not destroy and defeat me as they hoped. However, I
have never forgotten how this company which I offerd years of loyalty
simply discarded me and hoped I would simply die at a time when I
really needed their compassion and support.
Good luck with your cause. If you need any of my documentation I
will be glad to provide it for your very worthwhile efforts.
Glenn Tilton's new home
For all those feeling sorry for the state of UAL's finances,
you might find some relief to learn that not all of the
airline's personnel are suffering. We recently learned
of CEO Glenn Tilton's 2004 purchase of a vacation home
in sunny Florida at a cost of $2.2 Million. Well, at
least we know where he'll be spending his pension funds.
From the
Sarasota County Property Appraiser site:
2004 Detail Information for Parcel 0007-11-1108
Parcel Property Address: 2377 GULF OF MEXICO DR 2E4 BLD 2
Sick about the Pension Pull
A former passenger writes...
It is so, so sad what is happening to United Airlines. It makes me
sick to my stomach.
Dedicated UAL workers... who have spent their working careers to
United... and are now told that 10, 15, 20, or more years of service
does not matter. As far as United is concerned, the company's
commitment to pay the pension promised that employee, can and should
be DISREGARDED, by way of United running to the bankruptcy judge.
I USED to be a Premier Executive Frequent Flyer on United. ... Now,
I wouldn't fly United even if it was free.
United corporate spokespeople now whine that a strike by United
workers "would be illegal"... But screwing long-time employees out
of their pensions is NOT illegal???!!! Are you kidding?!
If that is the case, something is now seriously wrong with the laws
in the United States, in terms of what is "legal" versus "illegal".
Let alone, what is moral versus immoral.
Another threat from UAL?
Received from: "John"
Your continued operation of this site because of a personal
vendetta is sickening. Do you not realize there are many thousands
that depend on United for employment - just like you depend on your
employer (if you even work) for your livelihood. As a United employee
I have appeared on your site several times. I guess you dont bother
to check facts - you just arbitrarily print whatever slander someone
wants you to print about a United employee. I have solved literally
thousands of problems for thousands of United passengers. But it
is the one person that wants something unreasonable that you enjoy
focusing on. Get a life. Get a real job and find out just how
difficult the real world can be. Nobody takes your site seriously.
Why dont you use all of this energy to do something good instead
of trying to tear down an airline and put a lot of people out of
work. Is United perfect? Of course not. No company is. No person
is. Even you. God forbid someone gets a hold of your faults, launches
a site and invites everyone that has ever had any contact with you
to complain. You printed unsubstantiated claims against me personally.
If I see my name on your childish site again I will take legal
action against you for allowing slanderous postings about me to be
printed. Don't think I can? Try me. Have a nice day.
Ed. note:
As per the disclaimer,
"John", like all UAL employees, you are invited to provide information
to refute any posts on the site, whether from passengers, employees,
or the site maintainers. With regard to "trying to tear down an
airline", if you check with some of your many colleagues who have
written me in appreciation of my efforts, you may realize that it
is your own management, and not Untied.com, that has been responsible
for UAL's continual demise. As for your threat, a brief perusal
of the site's history should inform you that I don't respond as a
coward to intimidation.
Would I fly UAL? Absolutely not!
Gregory Kevakian has given us permission to post his reply to a
passenger fearful of flying on a United aircraft:
Thank you for your e-mail. Before we get started, I want you to know
that the information I will provide you is mostly my opinion. What you
do with that information is entirely up to you.
To address your concerns regarding your fears about flying aboard United
Airlines aircraft you must know that the airline is currently under
bankruptcy protection.
When my story hit the Internet several years ago, I started to receive
e-mail from individuals who allegedly where current United Airlines
employees at the time. Most of the e-mail described maintenance
violations which the alleged employee felt that "if allowed to continue
people may start losing their lives". These alleged employees sent me
e-mail stating that they did not know what to do because they feared of
losing their jobs if they came forward.
At the time, I was only addressing workers' comp violations perpetrated by
United Airlines and thus decided to act as a liaison between the United
Airline employee who wanted anonymity and the federal government who
would receive the anonymous complaints from me for further investigation.
At first, the appropriate government agencies would do nothing because I
would not disclose the e-mail address or the name of the United Airlines
employee who was making the complaint (known as whistle-blowing here in
the United States) However, over time, the e-mail became so voluminous,
I decided to forward them to members of Congress and the US Senate.
It is my belief that because of our persistence, more investigations
will follow concerning United Airlines.
I would imagine that current employees of United Airlines morale must
be at an all time low. They had to endure several pay cuts, their
pensions may have been depleted, and they may live in fear that if
they report any infractions of any kind during this time they risk the
chance of losing their jobs needed to support their families. I would
imagine that their thoughts are consumed with fears like, "Will I have
to endure further pay-cuts in order to keep my job with this airline?";
"How will I be able to retire if my pension is depleted?" and "Should I
look for employment elsewhere before the bottom falls out?" If current
United Airlines employees are going to work harboring such fears instead
of concentrating on their jobs is, in my opinion, a formula for disaster.
In my opinion, it is only a matter of time.
I have agreed to testify at the request of Tim
Hafer who is just one such United Airlines employee whistle blower
on record. I believe CBS will air a story concerning the United Airline's
mismanagement of their maintenance sometime in June of this year.
Would I allow any of my family members to fly United Airlines under the
current circumstances? Absolutely not! To show you how adamant I am
about this issue; back in December of 2003, I had to fly from Phoenix,
Arizona to San Francisco, California then back again in order to be
present in front of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board for a
settlement hearing between United Airlines lawyers and mine. At that
time, United Airlines was obligated to pay for my air fare and sent
me two tickets aboard United Airlines aircraft. I refused the tickets
and demanded that United Airlines purchase my tickets aboard Southwest
Airlines. United Airlines had no choice but to comply with my request.
End result; I flew to San Francisco, CA then demanded to present all
the evidence I had to the WCAB judge concerning unlawful termination
of employment. Almost immediately, United Airlines lawyers offered
$90,000 settlement on the workers' compensation matter only (which is
usually no more than $5,000 in most cases) with the understanding that
the unlawful termination matter will not be addressed at that time,
but I would be allowed to address the claim in United States District
Court which is now pending. In my opinion, United Airlines knew I had
enough evidence to support my unlawful termination claim and opted to
pay $90,000 instead of $5,000 in order to prevent such evidence from
being presented at that time. I was at the court house less then 15
minutes and soon found myself flying home aboard Southwest airlines with
a $90,000 settlement in hand. Now I move on with my unlawful termination
claim against United Airlines in federal court.
What airline would I choose if I was to fly to Australia with my family?
I would probably choose Quantus with their code shares such as American
Airlines, etc. My next choice would be Air New Zealand.
I sincerely hope this e-mail adequately addresses your concerns and that
you have a great time in Australia. Feel free to contact me at any time.
No reply from UAL
Ed. note:
This is a recent follow-up we received from a passenger being
treated to the usual UAL "customer satisfaction" routine. The
initial complaint can be found
here.
This is my third time contacting United and still not getting an iota of
a response. I feel my concerns are being disregarded and tossed aside. The
letter and e-mail I have written were polite and to the point. More reserved
than most wold be. As this was a gigantic colossal mistake on your part,
especially as I was traveling with my 75 year old mom, Marilyn Hall. Please
check your records for this long horrendous ordeal we went through almost
a year ago, traveling from Brussels to the USA. The time frame for a
professional speedy response from you folks has come and gone, but to be
totally ignored is downright rude and unprofessional regardless of your
current situation, which is exactly why, while I was stuck in Washington
DC you did not put me up in a hotel. No hotel was honoring United,
as they felt they would be stuck with the bill.
Kevakian vs. UAL round 3
Ed. note:
The following letter was written by Greg
Kevakian, in response to a fellow, former UAL employee, who
congratulated him on his success against the airline.
It's really quite amazing, despite the years of
revolving-doors corrupt mananagement at UAL, that the airline hasn't
yet learned the lesson: you can't keep playing the bully -- trying
to intimidate both former passengers (like the maintainers of
Untied.com) or former employees (such as Mr. Kevakian and others
featured on this site) -- without some of us fighting back.
Just wanted to thank you for your response. I have received so
many e-mails like the one you sent me that it has been overwhelming.
Thus far in the past three years I have received over 5,280 positive
e-mails. During that same period of time, I have only received 4
negative e-mails from misguided UAL employees. It saddens me that
a company like United Airlines mistreats its employees as well as
their customers.
To give you an example of how petty and ignorant the current UAL
management is, I submit the following. United Airlines management
is fully aware that I have been assisting whistle blowers for the
past three to four years. Said efforts resulted in UAL not obtaining
government support of federal loan guarantees and fines imposed
upon them by the DOT. In retaliation, UAL filed a civil complaint
against my wife and me on or about October 15, 2004 in Arizona
Justice Court (Case No. CV04-07563-RB) for failure to pay on pass
travel charges in the amount of $1,700 back in 1998... only problem
for UAL is that I had paid these charges.
Therefore, I counter-sued UAL in Arizona Superior Court (CV-2004-023911)
in the amount of $850,000 for harassment and infliction of emotional
distress. The Arizona Superior Court accepted my counter-claim and
I immediately received two calls from a Tina with the law firm of
Hammerman and Hultgren (tel. 602 264-2566) representing UAL, who
said they would drop their complaint against me if I would drop
mine. I said "no."
On December 20, 2004, there was a status hearing within the United
States District Court of Arizona (Kevakian v. UAL, Inc:
CIV-02-02404-PHX-SMM) concerning my unlawful termination civil
action against the airline. Prior to the hearing, I was contacted
twice by another lawyer, R. Shawn Oller with the law firm Littler
Mendleson (tel. 602 474-3600) representing UAL, who indicated that
UAL would drop their civil action against me if I dropped mine.
Again, I said, "no."
The federal court refused to drop my civil complaint against UAL
pending the final decision of the bankruptcy judge in Illinois.
UAL's legal counsel then filed paperwork that attempted to intimidate
me by saying they had more evidence to present. In response, I
will shortly be presenting much more evidence against UAL in the
federal court of Illinois and Arizona. For example, I have personal
knowledge that UAL hired ex-felons prior to 9/11, willfully and
knowingly, in breach of their own security protocol. UAL management
did not care. All they cared about was hiring anyone that would
work for low wages during ESOP.
The same information will be forwarded to representatives in Congress
and the DOT. If you and others would like a voice, please forward
me e-mail that I will present on your behalf. We can fight, we can
make a difference and maybe one day United Airlines will be the
great airline it used to be.
When I applied initially for the job at UAL, my references included
an FAA Inspector, pilots and others involved in law enforcement.
These are the same types of individuals that have agreed to stand
by me as I move forward within the courts.
And like the folks at Untied.com, I don't bluff.
Best Regards,
Gregory S. Kevakian
How UAL treats the US Army
I am an officer in the Army National Guard activated almost continuously
since right before 9/11 including a recent 16 month stint in Iraq from
which I have just returned.
During my first military leave (16 weeks from Sept 2000 to Jan 2001), my
department (at United HQ in Chicago) was undergoing a "reorganization"
from which it emerged almost double its previous size. During this
reorganization, it was deemed necessary to grant international UAL
employees work visas to come work at UAL HQ in Chicago.
Despite this, I was never returned to a permanent position upon my return
because "all jobs had been filled." This is depite the fact that I
had an unblemished record with a history of frequent merit promotions
(almost annually between 1995 and 2000 ... before I was deemed a
"military nuisance"). As a result of going from permanent full time
(hired in 1995) to "temporary" employee as a result of my military leave,
I was automatically put at the top of the list for furlough after 9/11.
The job was supposed to fall under the protection of USERRA (Uniformed
Services Employee Remployment Act) but since USERRA is littered with
loopholes, UAL "successfully" applied it as it saw fit and got rid of
me for my "frequent absences."
Despite this, UAL continues to benefit from Department of Defense travel
contracts. I find this baffling. Why would a non-supportive airline
continue to receive these benefits?
I filed a complaint with the Department of Labor which United slowed down
by taking its sweet time in answering basic questions. Questions required
prior to my filing a lawsuit. Unfortunately, I was activated again
for 9 months right after 9/11, and then for 18 months for Operation
Iraqi Freedom. Hence, due to my time away from the US, my case has
"festered" and United has basically won by default because I failed to
"reply" in time.
Why am I being penalized simply because I had to go fight in a distant
war and did not have the benfit of lawyers and subpoenas (very difficult
to find these in the Iraqi desert)?
Does United have a conscience? It should stop calling itself a US flag
carrier as, in this veteran's opinion, it does not deserve to fly the
Stars and Stripes.
I am happy to say that I am now employed by a non-US flag carrier
(Mexicana Airlines)) that is EXTREMELY supportive of my reserve service
(going as far as discouraging me from resigning my commission after
coming home from Iraq ... something I seriously considered).
Greg Kevakian
Since my last post to you, I have received hundreds (not an exaggeration)
of e-mails from United Airlines employees asking for help concerning
their workers' compensation case against the airline. I am presently
unable to answer all the e-mails so I thought I would make a post here.
For those of you who have a workers' compensation claim currently against
United Airlines, it is imperative that you see legal counsel. There are
NO up-front costs in retaining a workers' compensation lawyer. You will
sign an agreement and the lawyer will receive just 12% of the settlement
amount at the end of your case. It is my opinion that 12% is the best
deal in town when retaining workers' compensation legal representation.
These lawyers do a lot of work for the money they receive.
Next, prepare for United Airlines management via their self-insurer
Gallagher Bassett to do everything possible to delay your benefits.
United Airlines has a history of forcing a delay on claims so that the
employee either quits or gives up entirely. DON'T GIVE UP. Prepare to
fight back and prepare your spouse and/or family that things will be tight
until you reach a settlement. Even if United Airlines delays for several
years, if you persist, the company will eventually have to pay you.
Look at it as forced savings for the benefit of you and your family.
United Airlines management counts on frustrating you and if you ever had
to deal with UAL legal counsel and Gallagher Bassett you will know what
I am talking about.
For those of you that are concerned that by contacting me United Airlines
management will eventually find out who you are, there are no worries.
When you initially contact me using your legal name, I immediately code
the file deleting your legal name. Your legal name is then sent off
to another individual with offices in another country (no affiliation
with the Untied website). If United Airlines ever attempts to obtain
my records, all they will get is coded files.
Several e-mails has asked me to give them e-mail addresses of others who
contact me so that they can form some type of support group. For the
reasons previously stated herein, I can not comply with such a request.
For those who still desire to go through me for governmental agency
contact, I forward your concerns to the proper individual(s) using the
code name set up for your file. The intent of any investigation is not
to get any employee fired from their job, but to expose a trend that
poses a threat to public safety and security. I will gladly take the
heat for you.
I have only received two negative e-mails from current United Airline
employees. Both e-mails asked me why I was trashing the airline. I am
not trashing the airline. I am trashing individuals currently within
United Airlines management who, in my opinion, are trashing the airline
by mismanagement and neglecting their employees and the fare-paying
passenger. To those two individuals I explained that their loyalties
should not be with the airline but rather to their fellow employees
and the passengers who make a choice to fly United Airlines.
As it stands right now, in my opinion, a select few will profit from
the tailspin that UAL is currently experiencing either in salaries and
bonuses or what I call golden parachute agreements which will pay even
if the airlines fails. If you think those select few care what happens
to existing and/or retired UAL employees, I suggest you rethink your
exposure.
Finally, for those of you that sent me e-mail expressing fears that UAL
management will fire you for making any waves during the re-organization.
All I have to say is that there will come a time in your life when you
must decide not to let fear dictate what you do. Trust me, I know it
is not easy especially if you have a family to care for. However, my
experiences has shown me that if you put fear behind you and move on
what you believe is to be true, the rewards are infinite in scope and
will have a positive benefit to others.
If you are already singled out by UAL management for termination,
start keeping a log. After all, they have already started documenting
everything that, in their opinion, you did wrong. A court of law may
interpret the facts differently.
If you have not figured it out by now, UAL management is not, in
my opinion, selected by whom is best for the job. The individual is
selected by whom the group decides will agree with their way of thinking.
In school we used to call this a "clique". I truly believe that if the
proper individuals who actually qualified for the position got the job
as opposed to the individual that was liked the most by the group for
whom that person would work for, United Airlines would be in much better
shape then it is today.
In closing, it has been brought to my attention that certain individuals
within United Airlines management is telling employees not to contact
me because their information may help my federal civil case now pending
against United Airlines in the United States District Court. Their
assumption is correct. The paralegal's currently gathering all the data
will direct information to my civil case if they believe said information
will benefit the action in my favor. In return, I help those who ask.
This will probably be my last posting on Untied.com. With that said,
I want to pay tribute to my wife Dawn, who stood by me and never
complained once. My wife has shown me love, patience and acceptance
to a level unsurpassed by anyone else in my life. It's that kind of
unconditional love that made me realize that, together, we have it all.
Dawn, I will always love you.
Take care everyone!
June 29, 2004 update
As you probably know, it became official on today's date, UAL will
not receive federal aid. A lot of hard work from concerned individuals
contacting the appropriate government officials in order to bring to light
what has actually been going on at UAL has finally paid off. The effort
was a coordinated one involving ex-employees of UAL and select employees
currently employed with the airline. Based on information and belief,
those employees who were involved with the effort and who are currently
employed with the airline will be submitting their resignations forthwith.
The current management of UAL and hopefully soon to become the former
management of UAL attempted, in my opinion, to not only fool the United
States government, but their employee-owners as well. As it stands this
very moment, UAL would have to fill every seat on every aircraft for
over a period of 35 years in order to turn a profit. This of course
factoring that fuel costs remain at current levels.
This is a new dawn for the airline, one in which I hope that I will have
some part in even if it is from the sidelines.
Legal counsel has advised me that I can no longer express my opinions
on your site because there will eventually be a conflict of interest.
With that said, I want you to know that you have been a good friend
and I commend your efforts trying to fix a problem that could not be
fixed because of the attitudes of certain current management of UAL.
Case in point, when I was working as a Gate Agent for UAL at San Francisco
International Airport back in 1998, the airline installed boarding pass
machines so that the passengers were responsible for inserting their
ticket stub and collecting it on the other end. When I discovered that
the boarding machines did not work as designed, I started to manually
collect the boarding passes which was not only more efficient, but
added to security as well because you had that immediate contact with
the passenger. A member of management at SFO approached me and said,
"What are you doing?" I responded by saying to him, "You cannot treat
these people like cattle." He responded by stating, "Yes you can.
They need to be trained and besides, where are they going to go. We have
all the flights, we have all the routes. We are United Airlines!"
That attitude and arrogance permeated throughout most of UAL management.
It was that attitude and arrogance that led to UAL's downfall.
Eventually, via private funding, a new management team will take over.
We hope that this new management team will be concerned with Safety first,
then its employees and then of course the fare-paying passenger.
I extend an offer to assist any UAL employee who receives retribution
from UAL management for doing what is right. Remember, one person can
make all the difference. That power is totally underestimated by current
UAL management.
To current United Airlines management I just have one thing to say... Till
we meet again!
June 20, 2004
This is Greg Kevakian former employee of United Airlines.
To refresh your memory, I wrote you some time ago and you featured me on your website. Thought I would
give you an update. I apologize for not writing sooner, but I received
some threats from current United employees when I first contacted your
site. I had to make sure my family was safe before contacting you again.
As you know, I sued United Airlines in Workers' Compensation Court.
What you do not know is that I won. United Airlines agreed to pay me
$90,000 of course under the condition that they admit no wrong doing.
I guess they decided to give me $90,000 because I am just a very nice guy.
I received the $90,000 (less legal fees) in January 2004. I relocated
my family to a new home in a secure area.
My attorney made sure that when United Airlines and I reached agreement
on the $90,000, I was still able to pursue my legal action against United
Airlines within the United States District Court.
With that said, I want each and every employee who currently works
for United Airlines to know that you can challenge the company
and win! If you fear company management I am offering an open
invitation to contact me. I truly want to help you. My e-mail is
flightpassions@yahoo.com.
Please be advised that my e-mail is being monitored.
The current United Airlines management will NOT be able to bring the
airline to profit. United Airlines's attempt to provide a "low cost i.e.
Ted" service in competition with carriers such as Southwest Airlines
is like hoping to win the lottery. Please remember that it is the
current United Airlines management that flew UAL (an employee-owned
company---another joke) into the ground. When I was fighting UAL, I
warned then, on this site, to unload UAL stock. Those who did, saved
thousands of dollars in losses.
Now let's discuss my motive in writing to this website now.
As I stated previously, my lawyers made sure, despite the workers'
compensation settlement, I would be allowed to pursue my federal
action against the airline (Kevakian vs. United Airlines, Case No. CIV
02-02404-PHX-SMM within the United States District Court for the District
of Arizona). Currently, said action is STAYED due to the current UAL
bankruptcy.
I extend my invitation to all current United Airlines employees to send
me e-mail describing violations of federal and state laws perpetrated by
United Airlines management. Those of you in maintenance that know that
'Squawk Sheets' have been ignored in order to improve on-time performance.
I would like to hear from pilots and flight attendants that have been
forced to fly by United Airlines management when they knew in their
hearts that it would be unsafe to do so. I am looking for crews that
have flown the Hawaii run to SFO then the CHI.
I assure you, you will be protected.
For those of you who have a wrongful death suit against United Airlines
for 911, being an ex-employee of United Airlines, it is my opinion. UAL
was never concerned about airline safety. Prior to 911, as a United
Airlines employee stationed at San Francisco International Airport,
one of my responsibilities was to provide security checks at each gate
operated by United Airlines. To do this, UAL management would provide me
with faux grenades, pistols and other weapon replicas and it was my job
to try to get them through security. I was able to circumvent security
each and every time. Albeit, that I submitted the appropriate report
concerning the breach of security, to my knowledge nothing was ever done
to correct the problem. Then of course, we had 911. I still have copies
of the reports I filed with UAL at that time. If providing these reports
will lead to more increased security and overall safety to the public,
I will gladly provide them to persons who will have a legitimate need
for the information (i.e. government authorities and legal counsel)
Prior to 911, I know that UAL has hired people currently on probation who
were required to wear an ankle monitoring system. How do I know this?
Because I worked side-by-side with said individuals at San Francisco
International Airport from 1997 through 1998. I am all for giving a
person a second chance in life because one was given to me, but I do
not believe that it was prudent for UAL management to hire individuals
who were currently on probation/parole for obvious potential in breach
of security. Said individuals where hired solely to save money during
ESOP and for no other reason. It is my opinion that only individuals who
successfully complete their probation and or parole should be considered
for employment and not before then.
To demonstrate the petty and vindictive mentality of current United
Airlines management; shortly after receiving my settlement check from
the airline, I received a bill for prior companion pass travel charges
in the amount of $1,700. At that time, United Airlines still owed me
over $700 in back wages so I offered to pay the difference of $1,000.
UAL refused. I responded by filing a Wage Claim with the Department of
Labor. UAL responded by declaring bankruptcy on the claim. I responded
by filing a Proof of Claim with the United States Bankruptcy Court which
is still pending. UAL hired a legal firm in Arizona who now calls me
on a weekly basis to pay up. I like to refer the United's actions as
those of a disgruntled employer. My legal counsel advises me to maintain
contact so that the matter can be resolved within my wrongful termination
claim filed with the United States District Court, District in Arizona;
CIV 02-2404PHX SMM currently on Stayed status pending the outcome of
the UAL bankruptcy.
I will continue my legal action against the airline in federal court.
In my opinion, United Airlines will never be a great airline for one
simple reason, management just doesn't care for its employees nor the
fare-paying passengers. United Airline's management is focused on a
select few that will profit from the labor of its employees and its
customers until the airline is flown into the ground. Case in point,
UAL has just authorized the expenditure for repainting all the aircraft
in its fleet. Until the inside (current UAL management) is repaired,
changing the outside will never make any difference in profitability
accept to add more debt to a futile situation.
I just wanted to give you some follow-up information on my case, which
you so kindly linked from the front page of your website. Just a few days
after you posted that link in late January, I received from United World
HQ a coupon for $275. This shows that they are indeed paying attention
to your site, but unfortunately are not paying attention to what I asked
for: a complete refund, not coupons. (you may recall that I specifically
told them not to bother sending me any coupons for future service,
as I wouldn't be flying their airline anymore)
This means that the ball is in my court, and it will shortly be bouncing
through the doors of the Second District Court of Eastern Middlesex
county in Massachusetts. I am looking forward to the showdown in the
small claims arena, and will let you know the results.
In the meantime, I would like to share with the users of your site my
own views and opinions gleaned from my own experiences dealing with
United:
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