txhunter58
Long Time Member
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Below is a letter a friend of mine sent to United Airlines after a recent hunting trip. He is a 78 year old retired Methodist preacher and one of the most gentle persons I have ever known. Long read, but worth it.
To whom it may concern:
On Sunday, May 29, my friend, John W&^&&, and I were scheduled to fly on United Airlines from Houston to Winnipeg, Canada, to go on a five day, guided bear hunt. The hunt was to be headquartered at Riverside Lodge near Dauphine, Manitoba, Canada. The cost of the hunt was $2,900.00/person. We arrived at the Houston airport at 7:00 am to prepare for flight 527 departing at 8:56 am. The Houston flight went to Chicago where a change of planes was necessary for the last part of the trip to Winnipeg. Both of us checked our luggage which included two rifles for hunting. The rifles were in identical aluminum metal cases with combination locks. The rifle cases were opened, examined, and approved before we left to go to the boarding area. At approximately 8:30 am, a woman from United appeared at the boarding desk to inform me that I would not be boarding the plane as the lock was broken on my gun case. I argued with her stating that less than an hour before, the locks were working fine and had been approved by the airlines and by airport security. She was adamant that the lock was broken and that I could not fly on flight 527 to Chicago. She informed me that I was to come with her to the luggage area. I touched her on the shoulder and said in disgust, ?Let's go.? At this point she became very upset that I had touched her and called the police to escort me out of the airport. I went with the police to collect my gun case. When we reached the gun case, it was obvious to me and to anyone who looked that the lock was not broken and working perfectly. When I confronted the two United employees standing there with the obvious fact that the lock was not broken, I was told that the real problem was that the case had combination locks and the airline required a case with a pad lock. I told them that Mr. W*%*& rifle was in an identical case and was on the plane headed for Winnipeg. That did not seem to matter at all. Because the gun cases were identical, it turned out that United Airlines accidentally put my luggage claim tag on Mr. Wagner?s gun case and his tag on my gun case. We did not discover this until later in the day. As the police escorted me to the door, both commented they thought I got a bum deal!
I drove back to my home in Beaumont, Texas and went to Gander Mountain Sporting goods store where I bought another gun case, one to be locked with a padlock. Later that afternoon, in reading the policy concerning gun cases posted on the United Airlines website, I was surprised to see in English with no small print that the airline accepts both combination and pad locks.
In the meantime, I had rebooked another flight to Winnipeg for Monday, May 30, 2016. The airline charged an additional $194.60 for the ticket. The flight was UA1499 from Houston to Winnipeg with a layover in Chicago. The flight was scheduled to leave Houston at 5:28 am on Monday morning. I was told to be there two hours early which means I had to be at the airport at 3:30 am. When I arrived at the airport at 3:30, I was surprised to learn that United Airlines turns on their ticketing computers at 4:00 and that United Airlines employees would be on duty starting at 4:30 am. I was successful in getting my tickets and luggage tags and at 4:30 I got in line (with a number of other people) to again check in my gun case. By the time, I got to the window, it was 5:00 am and too late to beat the 45 minute deadline for luggage being checked in before flight time. I had gotten up at 1:00 am in Beaumont and driven to Houston for a 5:28 am flight to be told that I would now be on a later flight. Concerned about my suitcase that had been checked on Sunday, I called customer service and was told that my suitcase was in Chicago and would be on the same plane I would be on flying from Chicago to Winnipeg. When I arrived in Chicago, I again checked on my luggage and was reassured that it would be with me when I arrived in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, when I arrived in Winnipeg, I learned that my suitcase had been returned to Houston. My suitcase did not arrive at Riverside Lodge until Wednesday afternoon. My suitcase held all my clothes, including my hunting clothes and the bullets for my rifle.
Mr. W**^& was forced to spend the night at a hotel in Winnipeg. He met me at the airport mid afternoon on Monday, May 30, and we drove to Riverside Lodge near Dauphine, Manitoba, (a four hour drive) but one day of our five day hunt was lost.
On our return flight to Houston, I used my metal gun case with the combination locks. There was no problem.
txhunter58
venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
To whom it may concern:
On Sunday, May 29, my friend, John W&^&&, and I were scheduled to fly on United Airlines from Houston to Winnipeg, Canada, to go on a five day, guided bear hunt. The hunt was to be headquartered at Riverside Lodge near Dauphine, Manitoba, Canada. The cost of the hunt was $2,900.00/person. We arrived at the Houston airport at 7:00 am to prepare for flight 527 departing at 8:56 am. The Houston flight went to Chicago where a change of planes was necessary for the last part of the trip to Winnipeg. Both of us checked our luggage which included two rifles for hunting. The rifles were in identical aluminum metal cases with combination locks. The rifle cases were opened, examined, and approved before we left to go to the boarding area. At approximately 8:30 am, a woman from United appeared at the boarding desk to inform me that I would not be boarding the plane as the lock was broken on my gun case. I argued with her stating that less than an hour before, the locks were working fine and had been approved by the airlines and by airport security. She was adamant that the lock was broken and that I could not fly on flight 527 to Chicago. She informed me that I was to come with her to the luggage area. I touched her on the shoulder and said in disgust, ?Let's go.? At this point she became very upset that I had touched her and called the police to escort me out of the airport. I went with the police to collect my gun case. When we reached the gun case, it was obvious to me and to anyone who looked that the lock was not broken and working perfectly. When I confronted the two United employees standing there with the obvious fact that the lock was not broken, I was told that the real problem was that the case had combination locks and the airline required a case with a pad lock. I told them that Mr. W*%*& rifle was in an identical case and was on the plane headed for Winnipeg. That did not seem to matter at all. Because the gun cases were identical, it turned out that United Airlines accidentally put my luggage claim tag on Mr. Wagner?s gun case and his tag on my gun case. We did not discover this until later in the day. As the police escorted me to the door, both commented they thought I got a bum deal!
I drove back to my home in Beaumont, Texas and went to Gander Mountain Sporting goods store where I bought another gun case, one to be locked with a padlock. Later that afternoon, in reading the policy concerning gun cases posted on the United Airlines website, I was surprised to see in English with no small print that the airline accepts both combination and pad locks.
In the meantime, I had rebooked another flight to Winnipeg for Monday, May 30, 2016. The airline charged an additional $194.60 for the ticket. The flight was UA1499 from Houston to Winnipeg with a layover in Chicago. The flight was scheduled to leave Houston at 5:28 am on Monday morning. I was told to be there two hours early which means I had to be at the airport at 3:30 am. When I arrived at the airport at 3:30, I was surprised to learn that United Airlines turns on their ticketing computers at 4:00 and that United Airlines employees would be on duty starting at 4:30 am. I was successful in getting my tickets and luggage tags and at 4:30 I got in line (with a number of other people) to again check in my gun case. By the time, I got to the window, it was 5:00 am and too late to beat the 45 minute deadline for luggage being checked in before flight time. I had gotten up at 1:00 am in Beaumont and driven to Houston for a 5:28 am flight to be told that I would now be on a later flight. Concerned about my suitcase that had been checked on Sunday, I called customer service and was told that my suitcase was in Chicago and would be on the same plane I would be on flying from Chicago to Winnipeg. When I arrived in Chicago, I again checked on my luggage and was reassured that it would be with me when I arrived in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, when I arrived in Winnipeg, I learned that my suitcase had been returned to Houston. My suitcase did not arrive at Riverside Lodge until Wednesday afternoon. My suitcase held all my clothes, including my hunting clothes and the bullets for my rifle.
Mr. W**^& was forced to spend the night at a hotel in Winnipeg. He met me at the airport mid afternoon on Monday, May 30, and we drove to Riverside Lodge near Dauphine, Manitoba, (a four hour drive) but one day of our five day hunt was lost.
On our return flight to Houston, I used my metal gun case with the combination locks. There was no problem.
txhunter58
venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
