Just Plane Stupid

By Mike Schuster Feb 12, 2009 9:45 am

United Airlines sets fire to passenger's luggage.

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Anyone who's left an iron on, or rested a hairdryer next to a hand towel knows: Personal belongings and excessive heat don't mix well. Perhaps someone should have shared this nugget of information with the baggage handlers at United Airlines (UAUA), since they seem blissfully ignorant of this particular cause-and-effect.

Yesterday, the Chicago Tribune shared the story of Shannon Tadel - a Chicago resident who was scheduled to fly from Syracuse, New York back to Illinois last December. Before she set foot on the plane, however, a United Airlines employee pulled her aside and casually informed her that her luggage was on fire.

Assuming her bag wasn't protesting Vietnamese oppression, Tadel learned that it was, in fact, the fault of the baggage handlers.

Tadel's luggage was resting too close to the exhaust pipe of a belt loader (the device that delivers your bags to the cargo hold). When the machinery was turned on, the exhaust couldn't escape and simply smoldered Tadel's luggage to flames and ashes.

The United staff profusely apologized to Tadel and provided her with a complimentary first-class trip home. And yet for 2 months after the incident, Tadel started to believe that would be the end of her compensation.

After arriving in O'Hare and been handed the few simmering remains of her personal items, Tadel promptly spoke with a customer service rep from United. The rep told her to file a claim form and estimate the cost of the loss.Tadel filed the claim 2 days later for $3,300.

Aside from a FedEx slip to send the damaged clothes back, Tadel was greeted with silence for 2 months.

Furious and with little other recourse, Tadel fired off an angry missive to the company and demanded that her numerous notices and voice messages be answered.

Finally by February, a representative spoke with Tadel and offered her $3,000. She accepted, wanting the whole situation to be over.

United disputes the timeline of correspondence Tadel provided the Chicago Tribune and maintains that "luggage immolation" is very uncommon with the airline.

Fiery belongings seem like a major indiscretion, but other airlines give that gaffe a run for its money. Here's Minyanville's look at the best of the worst.

Twitter: @mcs212