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View Full Version : United Airlines burns passenger luggage, then stonewalls



Sarah
02-10-2009, 02:50 PM
As Shannon Tadel waited in the Syracuse, N.Y., airport for her flight back to Chicago on Dec. 1, a United Airlines employee approached her and asked if he could speak to her privately.

"He said, 'Your luggage has been set on fire,'" Tadel recounted later. "I kind of chuckled at him because it was so unbelievable. I was like, 'Um, OK.'"The employee explained that her bag, containing most of her wardrobe, had been placed too close to the exhaust of a belt loader used to deliver bags to the cargo hold. Someone turned on the equipment and, voila, luggage flambe.

A dumbfounded Tadel boarded the plane, not quite sure what to do. Moments later, the pilot summoned her to the cockpit.

"He said, 'Do you see that over there? That's your luggage,'" Tadel recalled.

She looked out the plane's window and saw a man with a hose and a big plume of smoke.

The pilot told Tadel her smoldering luggage would not be allowed on the plane. She nodded in agreement.

The pilot went down and fished her medicine out of the smoking bag. When she returned to her economy seat, an apologetic crew member upgraded her to first class.

For more than two months, Tadel said, that was United's last act of kindness.

When she arrived at O'Hare International Airport, what remained of her belongings were stuffed into a much smaller bag and placed at baggage claim. Tadel opened it to find a hodgepodge of clothing and undergarments. A pair of jeans was pockmarked with burn holes. A blouse was charred and crumpled. Her turtleneck sweater was splotched with black soot.

The bulk of her belongings, roughly two-thirds of what she had packed, was simply gone.

She said that on Dec. 2 she spoke to a customer service agent, who took her information and told her she needed to file a claim form. Tadel said she went online Dec. 4 and filled out the form. She also submitted a detailed list of clothing and incidentals that were damaged or missing. She estimated her loss at $3,300.


The Chicagoan said she also sent a hard copy of the form to United's claim office the same day.

Weeks later, the airline then sent her a FedEx slip and asked her to send the damaged clothing back. Tadel said she took pictures of the clothes, then sent them to United on Jan. 8, along with a third copy of her claim form.

After waiting three more weeks for United to respond, Tadel reached the end of her rope. On Jan. 29, she e-mailed What's Your Problem?

"I have sent numerous e-mails, called several different numbers ... sat on the phone for hours hoping someone can help me," said Tadel, 25. "I have left many voice mails and yet still I have no response from the company."

Tadel said she wanted closure.

"I just feel exhausted by the whole experience," she said. "At first the whole situation seemed very unrealistic and almost a joke. However, it is not a joke. The airline set my luggage on fire and I am left feeling put out."

The Problem Solver called United Airlines spokeswoman Robin Urbanski on Jan. 30.

Four days later, a United customer service representative called Tadel and told her the airline was going to dry clean the clothing that survived the fire, then get back to her about the final resolution.

The next day, someone from the airline called again and offered to cut her a check for $3,000.

Read the full story at the Chicago Tribune (http://www.chicagotribune.com/chi-tue-problem-0210-feb10-2,0,7469720.column)

shinek
02-12-2009, 12:21 AM
Glad she finally got something, but after going through all that, I think she deserved a little more than just the cost of the luggage (almost). I would have asked for a little more and thrown out the name of a good law firm. I'm not in favour of frivolous law suits, but in this case I think she at least deserves a little something extra.

I've had lost luggage issues in the past, but they've never set fire to it, as far as I know.

acelockco
02-15-2009, 03:12 AM
It is very sad to hear about people that get pushed around by big businesses. I am glad to see she got reimbursed and agree they should have done something more to compensate her for all of the difficulty she went through.