United to Passengers: Enjoy Your Flight, Idiots

By Mike Schuster Feb 24, 2009 2:30 pm

Flight attendants tell passengers how they really feel.

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United Airlines (UAUA) wants you to know that it really, really doesn't care for its passengers. When company staff isn't igniting your luggage with an exhaust pipe, they're casually calling the people in coach "idiots" before drink service.

After announcing plans to close its complaint line, United sees no reason to curb the trash talk - though they have shown some customer courtesy by cutting back on extra fees,

In a letter to The Consumerist, a frequent business traveler writes about his experience on a recent United flight from Chicago to Denver. The customer, named Nicholas, enjoys tuning in to cockpit communications to ease tension during takeoff and landing.

On this particular flight, however, he was able to hear the flight attendants' private line. Nicholas remarks that most of the conversation was routine, but at one point he heard one friendly-sky type say they'd "start on drinks for the idiots in coach."

Soon after that, a fellow passenger informed the flight attendants that they could hear what they were saying. Nicholas concluded by saying "They stopped using the communications system and offered no apology. I've sent the story to United and surprise… no response."

And starting in April, writing the airline will be the only means of voicing your complaints, since the company is shutting down its customer call center. A United spokesperson said that "people who e-mail or write us are more satisfied with our responses."

Perhaps. But that probably won't be the case when each response begins with "Dear Idiots."Twitter: @mcs212