United Airlines deserves everything that is
coming at them over the disgraceful treatment of a passenger on an overbooked
flight.
No matter how much events may have been
worsened by real or imagined comments from either party, the simple fact of the
matter is that the passenger entered into a contract with the airline, was in
his seat, and then United decided to break the contract.
But this sort of thing happens far too
often and personal experience has me on the side of the passenger every time.
It was in Edinburgh after the 2007 World
Cup game between the All Blacks and Scotland that I arrived at Edinburgh
Airport to find my ticket would not respond at the check-in machine for a
Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt where I was to catch a flight to Marseille en
route to my next stop in Aix-en-Provence.
Approaching the inquiry queue at
Lufthansa's check-in I was given no explanation and told to stand in a line to
one side. The line grew steadily and discussion started that others had also
been unable to get their tickets to respond at the appropriate place.
After a considerable period of time, and
almost to the scheduled departure time, a muppet, not literally, but for all
intents and purposes a Lufthansa lackey who looked and sounded like one,
emerged to tell the group that our flight was full and we wouldn't be making
our trip.
That was it, no apology, no explanation,
just go and shove it up your arse.
As an aside, I could never understand why a
supposedly international airline would bother to overbook a flight when there
was an international sporting event in that city and there would obviously be
people wanting to get out of town with a minimum of fuss. I don't accept that
rugby isn't a German sport – people employed in these companies know when all
sorts of events, sporting, cultural or otherwise are on.
One by one we checked with the poor person
behind the inquiry counter, it wasn't her fault (we were to hear that many
times in the next hour or so) and she told us to go to another counter to try
and book another flight.
So those who were still prepared to fly
with Lufthansa duly approached this other counter where another muppet showed
little or no concern for the inconvenience his company had imposed on myself
and my fellow travellers.
It wasn't his fault, he said. But it was
his airline's fault, he was told.
A seat on a later flight was arranged, but
it meant missing my connection to Marseille. Another flight was then arranged
for 6.45am the next day. So a night sleeping at the airport then?
"Oh no sir, Lufthansa will arrange
accommodation for you."
And that's another story, we'll get there
soon.
While there is a complete feeling of
helplessness, because scream and carry on as much as you like (which I didn't,
I left that to others) there is nothing that is going to change, there is also
a sense of power. You see the Lufthansa man is vulnerable, and he feels the
pressure.
You tell him you are a working journalist
and you need somewhere to do the work that Lufthansa has denied you the
opportunity to do in the comfort of your hotel room in Aix-en-Provence later in
the evening. So he does get you a place in their flight lounge where you can
wait for your flight.
He advises that compensation for your
inconvenience will be available when you get your accommodation voucher at the
desk in Frankfurt.
Have you ever been to Frankfurt Airport? It
is not small.
It is a Lufthansa hub, so there are a lot
of desks you can call at looking for an accommodation voucher. After walking
around for about 45 minutes the requisite desk was duly found, and another
queue was formed.
While my own details were being sorted,
accommodation voucher, offer of a free Lufthansa flight as compensation which
drew the response "Why would I want that, I don't ever intend to fly
Lufthansa again" which drew a snort and an upraising of eyebrows, out of a
door appears another Lufthansa muppet who claps his hands and says, "All
staff stop work please, we are having our farewell for so-and-so."
This doesn't go down well at 11pm after you
have been dicked around by said airline. So your response is not unexpected.
"Er, hang on a minute mate, we're in
the middle of some important business here as the result of a stuff-up made by
your airline."
"But we're farewelling a staff
member," he said.
"Sorry mate, we've been 12 hours,
(taking in the time difference) getting sorted, your staff member can
wait."
Anyway, once all that was sorted, those of
us left standing were to be found in a queue waiting for the bus to take us to
our accommodation.
It was at this point that I struck up a
conversation with a young Swiss couple who had been to the said Rugby World Cup
game the day before. It turned out he had gone to school in England and had
played rugby, was a big All Blacks fan and the trip had been a birthday present
from his wife. This fact is important as we will see.
The bus arrived and we headed off into the
night to pull up at this hotel just down the road. In we go, bags and all, the
bus disappears and we troop into reception.
Checking in we are informed that the hotel
is completely booked out. Nice one Lufthansa, didn't even check if there would
be room at the Inn.
Well this proved the tipping point for my
new Swiss friend.
It would be fair to say Hitler at the Nuremburg
rallies could not have been more animated than the dressing down my Swiss
friend gave the poor chap behind the desk. Paint almost peeled from the walls
as he gave it full throttle.
I mean, it gets like that when you have
struck incompetence and lack of care for more than 12 hours, taking in the time
difference, of course.
Eventually, the bloke behind the desk rang
the next hotel down the line and Hallelujah, there were rooms to spare.
So now a taxi had to be called to provide
the travel. Lufthansa got that bill too as I recall.
By 1am you finally have a room but it's a
hollow victory knowing that because of airport security requirements you will
have to be up at 5am to go back to the airport. And after an effort like that,
the heart is racing and the last thing it feels like doing is slowing down in
order for you to sleep.
In all you feel like you might have had two
hours sleep. But you do get up, and it was just as well you were early because
the security line is right out the door. Sunlight helps your way across the tarmac
and about an hour later you are in Marseille and heading for Aix-en-Provence.
Can I get a plug in here for the delightful
university town in the south of France? If there was anywhere you were going to
relax after the ordeal you had been through it would be in Aix.
Ah, but you're a working journalist on
assignment and a quick check of your fellow media tells you there's a press
conference at the All Blacks hotel that morning.
A few days later, you are in Toulouse
airport awaiting a flight to London where you will eventually catch a train to
Cardiff for that fateful quarter-final event. On the wall of the departure
lounge is the European Union's Passengers' Rights poster which is well worth a
read. It is available at this site, start about Article 5 for the relevant
information, it is worth knowing if you are ever bumped.
I should say that at no point did Lufthansa
ever make the effort to put a copy of passengers' rights in front of us.
So, Lufthansa, United Airlines, you're all
at it, and it stinks.
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