When she inquired as to whether the airline would reimburse her if she found a room herself, the agent just shook his head briskly. Two weeks ago my wife and I clocked about six sweaty miles running between gates for a last-minute standby ticket from San Francisco to Boston after our flight was canceled. A United pilot, all silver wings and silver hair, stood behind us in a ticketing line. A week later my stepdaughter's cross-country United flight pulled out of the gate and stopped. Passengers got no more information for almost an hour.
Friends report similar events.
The captain on a London flight turns back from the runway at the last minute. Flying the fractious skies of United, exasperated and enraged travelers are encountering meltdowns in terminals across the country. If you're on a UAL flight these days, you're likely to change from a person in transit to a hunk of raw meat caught between two ferocious combatants. Under federal law, pivotal airline personnel are not allowed to strike. The result has been a debacle for passengers.