Sorry for the lack of updates. There have been...no updates. Still trying to get a lawsuit together but having issues mobilizing the other passengers. Which makes no sense considered this email I got recently...
Another Continental Poop Plane 9/21/07...Happened to us 9/21 leaving Phoenix for Europe. Turned plane around 1 hour into flight. Husband tried to quickly make a paper "boat" to ride the waves down the center isle and under seats. Total chaos at Phoenix on return - no guidance for passengers; couldn't find our luggage for 4 hours; gave us a certificate for a free drink and discount on future flight. Overheard staff say the maintenance crew was only able to "install" limited amount of chemical to toilet before flight....where best to register complaint and get action? Missed our connecting flight and an important day of business in Italy. - MF
Register complaints and get action? Start with US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of Transportation (Aviation Consumer Protection Division) and Continental themselves. If you don't like what they have to say (and I think you won't) go to the Better Business Bureau. Good luck, MF. You are going to need it.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Full Text of Complaint Regardling Continental Flight 1669Y
The Baltimore Sun has since taken down the article I linked to yesterday regarding this horror-show. In searching for a new link I came across the full text of the passengers complaint letter. Posted here in its entirety--it's worth reading the whole thing:
Dear Continental Airlines Customer Service Supervisor:
This letter is to notify you of the absolutely terrible customer service experience that I and my fellow passengers on flight 1669Y received from your company and many of your employees during our flight from Caracas to Newark on July 29th, 2007.
To briefly describe our experience in this letter will never do justice to the pathetic treatment we received during and even after this terrible ordeal. Nonetheless, we feel compelled to attempt to explain what happened in an effort to voice our concerns and frustration with your company.
In short, minutes before we were supposed to land in Newark, the captain announced that because of weather conditions, we would be re-directed to Baltimore. After landing in Baltimore, we were repeatedly told that we would either disembark there or fly back to Newark within a reasonable timeframe.
We ended up locked in the plane, sitting on a runway for about seven hours. We did not have water, food, toilet paper, etc... The toilets were clogged and completely unsanitary. Moreover, there were a number of children and older and special needs passengers (including a diabetic and a pregnant woman) who desperately needed attention, or at least food and water.
After we started clapping and peacefully voicing our frustrations (we'd now been on this plane for close to 12 hours for what was supposed to be a 4 hour flight!), the older female flight attendant proceeded to threaten us with arrests and even called the local police on the plane, almost as if hoping to escalate the situation (the other flight attendants were actually quite nice and supportive).
It wasn't enough to not treat us with any decency or respect as customers or human beings, we were now being treated as criminals. After the local police came on the plane and realized that we were justifiably upset and in good behavior, they decided to let us disembark to a waiting room inside the airport, where we were yelled at to keep close to the wall by overzealous officers with an attack dog.
The only things we were offered were water and pretzels, and some of the passengers, especially the sick/older ones, were clearly in need of nutrition- a full 12 hours after we had received our first and last meal on the plane. Nonetheless, your Baltimore airport personnel were unable or unwilling to provide anything more than pretzels and water.
Moreover, on our way to and from the waiting room, no one was there to help senior and disabled passengers, leaving our fellow passengers the responsibility of pushing wheelchairs, etc... We were then back on the plane for close to another hour before taking off to Newark, where we landed a full 13 hours after we initially took of in Caracas.
But things almost got worse once we landed. Not only were we not greeted or guided by Continental employees to help us with transfers, flight re-bookings, etc.., but the service, incredibly, was even worse at Newark airport. Most of us missed our connecting flights, and only some of us received hotel accommodations, leaving other passengers, including some with children, sleeping at the airport.
The Continental personnel in Newark was not helpful at all, and far from reassuring and assisting us in good faith, was EXTREMELY rude to us, yelling at us and making offensive comments (they even yelled at a fellow passenger and told her to shut up and call the 800 number if she had a problem with their service). We would have expected that after 13 hours on a plane, your team would at least have someone waiting for us telling us where to go, and not leaving us to our own devices, running around from counter to counter, only to be yelled at by your counter employees if we were lucky enough to find them.
Needless to say, the experience was a completely appalling and shameful.
There is absolutely no excuse for what we experienced. While understandably, safety comes first and you do not control the weather, you should control your employees and their service level, and should have satisfactory action plans in place for when this happens.
What we experienced shows a complete lack of leadership and customer service management, from your management, captain, and down to your airport personnel. We expected a much higher level of service from your company, especially since you presumably pride yourselves on your level of customer service. Not only did we not get good service, we were actually insulted and degraded throughout this experience.
To say that we are quite disappointed, even appalled, would be an understatement.
We demand a formal apology and a full refund of our fare or comparable compensation for the terrible treatment we received. We will be informing our friends, family, and the media about this experience. If this issue is not satisfactorily resolved, you can expect us to further escalate it. Thank you in advance for resolving this matter promptly. Attached you will find 72 signatures from my fellow passengers supporting this request.
Sincerely,
The Passengers of Flight 1669Y
Dear Continental Airlines Customer Service Supervisor:
This letter is to notify you of the absolutely terrible customer service experience that I and my fellow passengers on flight 1669Y received from your company and many of your employees during our flight from Caracas to Newark on July 29th, 2007.
To briefly describe our experience in this letter will never do justice to the pathetic treatment we received during and even after this terrible ordeal. Nonetheless, we feel compelled to attempt to explain what happened in an effort to voice our concerns and frustration with your company.
In short, minutes before we were supposed to land in Newark, the captain announced that because of weather conditions, we would be re-directed to Baltimore. After landing in Baltimore, we were repeatedly told that we would either disembark there or fly back to Newark within a reasonable timeframe.
We ended up locked in the plane, sitting on a runway for about seven hours. We did not have water, food, toilet paper, etc... The toilets were clogged and completely unsanitary. Moreover, there were a number of children and older and special needs passengers (including a diabetic and a pregnant woman) who desperately needed attention, or at least food and water.
After we started clapping and peacefully voicing our frustrations (we'd now been on this plane for close to 12 hours for what was supposed to be a 4 hour flight!), the older female flight attendant proceeded to threaten us with arrests and even called the local police on the plane, almost as if hoping to escalate the situation (the other flight attendants were actually quite nice and supportive).
It wasn't enough to not treat us with any decency or respect as customers or human beings, we were now being treated as criminals. After the local police came on the plane and realized that we were justifiably upset and in good behavior, they decided to let us disembark to a waiting room inside the airport, where we were yelled at to keep close to the wall by overzealous officers with an attack dog.
The only things we were offered were water and pretzels, and some of the passengers, especially the sick/older ones, were clearly in need of nutrition- a full 12 hours after we had received our first and last meal on the plane. Nonetheless, your Baltimore airport personnel were unable or unwilling to provide anything more than pretzels and water.
Moreover, on our way to and from the waiting room, no one was there to help senior and disabled passengers, leaving our fellow passengers the responsibility of pushing wheelchairs, etc... We were then back on the plane for close to another hour before taking off to Newark, where we landed a full 13 hours after we initially took of in Caracas.
But things almost got worse once we landed. Not only were we not greeted or guided by Continental employees to help us with transfers, flight re-bookings, etc.., but the service, incredibly, was even worse at Newark airport. Most of us missed our connecting flights, and only some of us received hotel accommodations, leaving other passengers, including some with children, sleeping at the airport.
The Continental personnel in Newark was not helpful at all, and far from reassuring and assisting us in good faith, was EXTREMELY rude to us, yelling at us and making offensive comments (they even yelled at a fellow passenger and told her to shut up and call the 800 number if she had a problem with their service). We would have expected that after 13 hours on a plane, your team would at least have someone waiting for us telling us where to go, and not leaving us to our own devices, running around from counter to counter, only to be yelled at by your counter employees if we were lucky enough to find them.
Needless to say, the experience was a completely appalling and shameful.
There is absolutely no excuse for what we experienced. While understandably, safety comes first and you do not control the weather, you should control your employees and their service level, and should have satisfactory action plans in place for when this happens.
What we experienced shows a complete lack of leadership and customer service management, from your management, captain, and down to your airport personnel. We expected a much higher level of service from your company, especially since you presumably pride yourselves on your level of customer service. Not only did we not get good service, we were actually insulted and degraded throughout this experience.
To say that we are quite disappointed, even appalled, would be an understatement.
We demand a formal apology and a full refund of our fare or comparable compensation for the terrible treatment we received. We will be informing our friends, family, and the media about this experience. If this issue is not satisfactorily resolved, you can expect us to further escalate it. Thank you in advance for resolving this matter promptly. Attached you will find 72 signatures from my fellow passengers supporting this request.
Sincerely,
The Passengers of Flight 1669Y
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Just When You Thought it was Safe to Fly Continental...
...they go ahead and do something like this. This almost rivals the antics of Continental's Poop Flight. Sure it doesn't involve nearly as much excrement, but check out these details:
Nice to see our favorite airline is up to their old tricks!Passengers enraged by the hours they spent on a Continental Airlines jet on BWI airport's tarmac without food, water and toilet paper are joining a growing campaign to curb what they describe as "appalling and shameful" airline experiences.
More than 120 people on Flight 1669Y were headed from Venezuela to Newark, N.J., on July 29 when a storm diverted their plane to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. When they finally got a respite in the airport terminal, they said, they were guarded by an "attack dog."
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Airlines Behaving Badly
I go away for a couple of days and the news is swimming with information about airlines treating their passengers as sub-humans. I'm sure the heavy rain on Wednesday morning didn't help, but all of these stories are inexcusable:
Troubleshooter: A diverted flight, a broken promise - Southwest Airlines diverts a flight and then reneges on their promise to reimburse passengers for substitute transportation arrangement. Shady!
Delays Ease at Philly Airport - Hundreds Stranded by Weather, Construction - Bad weather of course is unavoidable, but how these airlines chose to treat passengers during weather delays is well within their control. And leaving them stranded for six hours on a plane with overflowing toilets and nothing to drink only to cancel their flight at the end of it all is definitely not acceptable. Shame on your US Airways!
And here's an issue a bit closer to our Continental debacle
No go on flight When a plane takes off without a working restroom - American Airlines flight takes off with no working restroom and the FAA and EPA finger point each other to determine if this is legal. Sure this flight was only an hour long, but it's denying passengers basic rights. Incorrigible!
Troubleshooter: A diverted flight, a broken promise - Southwest Airlines diverts a flight and then reneges on their promise to reimburse passengers for substitute transportation arrangement. Shady!
Delays Ease at Philly Airport - Hundreds Stranded by Weather, Construction - Bad weather of course is unavoidable, but how these airlines chose to treat passengers during weather delays is well within their control. And leaving them stranded for six hours on a plane with overflowing toilets and nothing to drink only to cancel their flight at the end of it all is definitely not acceptable. Shame on your US Airways!
And here's an issue a bit closer to our Continental debacle
No go on flight When a plane takes off without a working restroom - American Airlines flight takes off with no working restroom and the FAA and EPA finger point each other to determine if this is legal. Sure this flight was only an hour long, but it's denying passengers basic rights. Incorrigible!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Poop Flight in the Wall Street Journal: Sty in the Sky
Yours truly is quoted a couple of times in today's Wall Street Journal. The whole article is worth reading as it deals with the general unclean and unsanitary conditions of airline travel lately. Our flight of course trumps all the other stories. This is everyone's favorite part:
Ms. Bushman needed a different type of fresh air after the infamous Continental flight, on which sewage overflowed during the flight from Shannon, Ireland, to Newark, N.J. "I know that smell from spending summers as a teenager on a farm,"Ha! It's pretty funny that he used that. He kept on asking me to describe the smell on the plane in increasing detail and "outhouse" and "farm" were some of the nicest things I could see being put into print. It actually smelled worse.
she says.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Poop Flight Passenger: Works in Aircraft Maintenance, Sick of Continental's "Lies"
I got a great email yesterday from a fellow passenger on the poop flight. This happens a couple of times per week as we gain momentum on our lawsuit so I certainly don't post them all here. What made this email so interesting was the fact that this passenger has "a 25 year background in aircraft maintenance and operations and observed things with a little different perspective" Wow! His perspective below...amazing...
"I have been keeping up with all the discussion about our horrible flight back from Amsterdam. My wife and I both contacted Continental Customer Services after we finally arrived home. She was basically ignored and I was told my concerns would be forwarded to corporate management. I, unlike many of the passengers on this flight have a 25 year background in aircraft maintenance and operations and observed things with a little different perspective. I tactfully presented my observations to the customer services representative and advised him the quicker they resolve this issue the better for everyone –especially Continental. Their blatant disregard for the health of passengers on this flight is unforgivable. I think the flight crew did as much as they could but we all know who calls the shots.
Corporate does and most likely the pilot was told not to return to Amsterdam. Instead, they diverted him to an airport with no Continental maintenance personnel. It was obvious just watching the efforts or lack of efforts at Shannon. They didn’t know how to work on a 767. They didn’t even know how to move the luggage containers to get to lavatory plumbing. This was obvious during the baggage reclaim comedy. Your presentation of fiction vs fact is very good but I prefer to call it lies vs facts. They most likely knew about the toilet problems and were told to get the plane back to Newark. A better option would have been to return to their hub at Amsterdam. At least there they have Continental maintenance and connecting flights for the passengers. I forgot, they apparently were not thinking about us. Yes, we could have been home much sooner without continuing the “Poop Plane Ordeal”. Again, I’ll bet Corporate $$$$ was calling the shots. There continues to be misinformation (lies) from them about the toilet stoppages. A 767 has 8 toilets (4 on each side). Each side is a separate system. Stoppage on one side would not put the other side out of service. If gloves are the culprit, they did it to both sides. Either way, the crew and passengers should have never been subjected to this fiasco. It was unnecessary and Continental’s slow and lackadaisical concern for their customers should cost them dearly. Their $500 voucher gesture with waiving any further claim is typical corporate tactics. I have worked with blood born pathogens and have had inoculations but my wife has not.
I will not be using the vouchers. They could have solved this gracefully but chose not to. I, like you, only wanted our sky miles back. Please add us to the list if this results in a class action suit."
"Air Travel Delays: Bad, Getting Worse"
"I am so frustrated that I'm past anger"
That's a quote from this Washington Post Article on the state of air travel. Nothing new here, more of the same stuff, but every little bit of press helps. It's worth reading, and I certainly understand the sentiment expressed above.
That's a quote from this Washington Post Article on the state of air travel. Nothing new here, more of the same stuff, but every little bit of press helps. It's worth reading, and I certainly understand the sentiment expressed above.
Friday, July 27, 2007
What Passenger Bill of Rights?
Who knew a video about the systematic watering down of the Passengers Bill of Rights and the dire state of being treated like a human by the airlines could be so amusing?
Via Consumerist
Via Consumerist
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Letter from an IT Guy at Continental
I got this email a few days ago from a Senior IT Specialist at Continental. He asked that his identity be kept anonymous. He's not sure why he sent me a note and frankly neither am I. As an IT person myself, I know that our jobs sometimes have little to do with the PR of the company we are working for. In this case, his job has little to do with the operations of Continental during our ordeal. I guess his point was that not all Continental employees are awful people towing the Company line, which I always knew. Either way it's nice to get some insight from the other side, if you even want to call them that.
Good Morning Dana!
Oddly enough, I felt compelled to send you an email in regards to your “poop flight” back to the US recently. It almost seems unbelievable to me, the decisions that were made by some of the Continental employees during the events that occurred. For whatever it means at this point, as a Continental employee I felt terrible that you all had to sit through it.I am somewhat pulled in both directions because naturally I want to see the company I work for flourish, but I also want the customers of the company I work for to enjoy the service we provide. Continental does get tons of awards and press about the great customer service they provide, and are admired throughout the airline industry, but being on top in the airline industry doesn’t necessarily mean the airline industry overall is that great at customer service.
I do fly quite a bit with the benefits they give us, as do my parents and my fiancée. Many times I look at it as “I am flying for $15, I probably can’t complain”, but 80% of the time we have dealt with a gate agent who seems to have skipped the ‘Etiquette in working with customers’ course. My fiancée recently flew to NY, and due to her standby status I swapped her to another flight. I was on the phone with her at the time because she gets nervous travelling, let alone with the fear of not making it. Upon walking up to the gate agent’s counter, she asked if it looked as if she would make it on the flight and the agent responded “Listen… are you going to talk to me, or talk on the phone?”. I was appalled at her response, but somewhat expected it because it was par for the course in dealing with agents. Her tone stayed consistent throughout our dealings with her, and she refused to speak with me on the phone when I asked to. Minimal in comparison to your experience I know, but unnecessary none the less.
I work in the IT department as one of the people who are the final contact for our technology solutions at all the airports. Regardless of the time, location, and the issue, we have taken so much pride in the fact that we do whatever we can to make sure we prevent a delay or any other customer inconvenience we can. From day one our managers have stressed resolution time, and simply that we have a huge impact on the travel experience, so they make sure we know our job, and know it well. We are the extremely behind the scenes people who don’t get much customer interaction. It saddens me to see other branches of the business not taking such pride in what they do, and the faces our customers deal with projecting their bad day on them. I will admit it isn’t every gate agent, and I have met some great people… but it shouldn’t be a crap-shoot on who you will get on the day you travel.
I guess I am taking a chance by sending this to you… I don’t know how managers look at an employee getting involved in any way with a corporate issue. Hopefully I can stay somewhat anonymous in this, or just possibly take it as a letter of sympathy from an employee from me to you. I know there have been a few messages left by other employees apparently who were rude, and taking more of a “you vs us” side on the issue. We’re not all bad :-) hope you’re having a good week.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Email Continental CEO Larry Kellner...
...and give him a piece of your mind!
As I previously mention, I sent a letter via snail mail to Continental Airlines CEO Larry Kellner after receiving a non-apology form letter from him regarding the poop flight. Surprise, surprise--I never heard back.
Yesterday, Consumerist published an article linking to traveler's friend site Elliot.org, with a list of 9 airline CEO's email addresses and other useful complaint contact information. From the Continental contact page I was able to get Larry Kellner's email address, so in case anyone else is interested in writing him, here it is:
Larry.Kellner@coair.com
I forwarded him a copy of the original mail I sent almost a month ago. Within a couple of hours I had a voicemail from Deborah Lewerke, a representative from Continental whom I spoke with last month, the woman who was very pleasant but told me that the current voucher offer was the best that Continental could do. When I told her it wasn't enough she apologized and we ended our call.
So I was surprised to hear her voice again, especially when she said in an exasperated voice "I THOUGHT we ALREADY discussed this" I left her another message saying "Yes we discussed this and respectfully your offer wasn't good enough. That is why I went over your head to the CEO. The fact that his office kicked it back to you is insulting. We will see you in court"
Planning on emailing Continental's Customer Care to tell them how you don't want to be treated like the passengers on the poop flight were? Why not send the same email to Mr. Kellner while you are at it? Thanks for the support!
As I previously mention, I sent a letter via snail mail to Continental Airlines CEO Larry Kellner after receiving a non-apology form letter from him regarding the poop flight. Surprise, surprise--I never heard back.
Yesterday, Consumerist published an article linking to traveler's friend site Elliot.org, with a list of 9 airline CEO's email addresses and other useful complaint contact information. From the Continental contact page I was able to get Larry Kellner's email address, so in case anyone else is interested in writing him, here it is:
Larry.Kellner@coair.com
I forwarded him a copy of the original mail I sent almost a month ago. Within a couple of hours I had a voicemail from Deborah Lewerke, a representative from Continental whom I spoke with last month, the woman who was very pleasant but told me that the current voucher offer was the best that Continental could do. When I told her it wasn't enough she apologized and we ended our call.
So I was surprised to hear her voice again, especially when she said in an exasperated voice "I THOUGHT we ALREADY discussed this" I left her another message saying "Yes we discussed this and respectfully your offer wasn't good enough. That is why I went over your head to the CEO. The fact that his office kicked it back to you is insulting. We will see you in court"
Planning on emailing Continental's Customer Care to tell them how you don't want to be treated like the passengers on the poop flight were? Why not send the same email to Mr. Kellner while you are at it? Thanks for the support!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Continental "Feels Terrible" yet "Does Nothing"
I got an email from reader Allen who filled out Continental's Customer Care Form online and said this:
"I am writing in response to the recent article and the corporate responses to the "poop plane" incident (http://www.danabushman.com/here_is_the_house/2007/06/our_32_hour_fli.html) While normally I refuse to let stories of any kind interfere with the decisions i make when it comes to what businesses I choose to do, this one did a good job of convincing me to not fly Continental. The final nail in the coffin was the Continental employees who posted on the blog, hoping to discredit the first hand account. These underhanded tactics have guaranteed that I will never fly with you."
Continental's reply?
"Please be assured Continental Airlines takes the situation on Flight 1970 very seriously. We feel terrible about what happened and have reached out to the customers on the flight individually. Additionally, please know that we've implemented a number of new procedures both in maintenance and in operations to ensure we don't have this happen again. We clearly regret the incident and wish it had never happened. We know we have to do better to earn a customer's business long term.
I am not certain what blog you reference in your e-mail where a Continental Airlines employee discredited a first hand account of the situation, but I can tell you Scott O'Leary, Managing Director of Customer Experience for Continental Airlines, did confirm a first hand account of the flight details on FlyerTalk. I am attaching the link for your review.
Please copy and paste the link and reference post #36.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=703775&page=3
Thanks again for sharing your concerns. I wanted to be sure you knew we were listening. I do hope you will reconsider your decision regarding flying Continental Airlines in the future. Given the opportunity to welcome you aboard a future flight, I am confident you will experience the outstanding product we traditionally provide."
Allen tells me in his email that he checked this blog to see if Continental had offered any more compensation to the passengers--since they have not he says his points still stand and he will still refuse to patronize them in the future. Thanks for the support Allen!
And what have we learned from their reply? Well, they admit that they messed up badly--so much so that they need to implement new procedures in both maintenance and operations. Too little, too late for the passengers of flight 71 and 1970. And even though they were sent the link to my account with the proof that Continental employees were leaving comments to try to discredit me, they still claim they are "not certain what blog you reference in your e-mail" Well they have the link and it's all there in black and white, so they must not know how to read. That is the only conclusion I can come to.
"I am writing in response to the recent article and the corporate responses to the "poop plane" incident (http://www.danabushman.com/here_is_the_house/2007/06/our_32_hour_fli.html) While normally I refuse to let stories of any kind interfere with the decisions i make when it comes to what businesses I choose to do, this one did a good job of convincing me to not fly Continental. The final nail in the coffin was the Continental employees who posted on the blog, hoping to discredit the first hand account. These underhanded tactics have guaranteed that I will never fly with you."
Continental's reply?
"Please be assured Continental Airlines takes the situation on Flight 1970 very seriously. We feel terrible about what happened and have reached out to the customers on the flight individually. Additionally, please know that we've implemented a number of new procedures both in maintenance and in operations to ensure we don't have this happen again. We clearly regret the incident and wish it had never happened. We know we have to do better to earn a customer's business long term.
I am not certain what blog you reference in your e-mail where a Continental Airlines employee discredited a first hand account of the situation, but I can tell you Scott O'Leary, Managing Director of Customer Experience for Continental Airlines, did confirm a first hand account of the flight details on FlyerTalk. I am attaching the link for your review.
Please copy and paste the link and reference post #36.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=703775&page=3
Thanks again for sharing your concerns. I wanted to be sure you knew we were listening. I do hope you will reconsider your decision regarding flying Continental Airlines in the future. Given the opportunity to welcome you aboard a future flight, I am confident you will experience the outstanding product we traditionally provide."
Allen tells me in his email that he checked this blog to see if Continental had offered any more compensation to the passengers--since they have not he says his points still stand and he will still refuse to patronize them in the future. Thanks for the support Allen!
And what have we learned from their reply? Well, they admit that they messed up badly--so much so that they need to implement new procedures in both maintenance and operations. Too little, too late for the passengers of flight 71 and 1970. And even though they were sent the link to my account with the proof that Continental employees were leaving comments to try to discredit me, they still claim they are "not certain what blog you reference in your e-mail" Well they have the link and it's all there in black and white, so they must not know how to read. That is the only conclusion I can come to.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Legal Documents for Flight Passengers
Were you a passenger on Flight 71 / 1970 from Amsterdam to Newark on June 13th and 14th? Have you been disgusted with Continental's idea of a "refund", a $500 travel voucher? Are you looking to get your money back from Continental? If so, please be aware that we have a class action suit underway and we would love for your to join it. Here are the forms you would need to fill out. Download them and email or mail them to our attorney--contact information is below:
Marc Bern
Napoli Bern
115 Broadway
12th Floor
New York, NY 10006
(212) 267-3700
You can also email me for copies of the forms, but here they are for your convenience.
Marc Bern
Napoli Bern
115 Broadway
12th Floor
New York, NY 10006
(212) 267-3700
You can also email me for copies of the forms, but here they are for your convenience.
Babies On A Plane - Security Threat?
Continental is at it again--this time their Express Jet arm. If you haven't seen the story about them kicking a mother and her toddler off a plane because the child said (not screamed, mind you) "Bye, Bye Plane" repeatedly during the security safety speech, you should check it out. It's mind bogglingly asinine:
From ABC13.com
"The one and a half year old repeated 'bye-bye, plane' all though the flight attendant's safety speech. As she finished, she leaned over the gentleman who was sitting next to me, and she said, 'OK, it's not funny anymore. You need to shut your baby up,'" Penland said.
Penland explained Garron would likely fall asleep soon. The toddler wasn't crying or throwing a fit.
Penland told Eyewitness News, "She said, 'It doesn't matter. Regardless, I don't want to hear it.' And she said it's called baby Benadryl and (made a drinking motion.) And I said, 'Well, I'm not going to drug my child so you have a pleasant flight.'"
"He wasn't any louder than the adult passengers on the plane," said passenger Stacey Watts.
Watts sat just a few rows back from the Georgia mother and heard the entire conversation.
Suddenly eyewitnesses say the flight attendant announced they were returning to the gate and Penland would be removed from the plane.
Houston police received a report of a disturbance on a plane, but it appears when the officer got there, he didn't find any crime. In fact, Penland wasn't arrested charged or even given a ticket.
According to ExpressJet, the flight crew has the authority to remove passengers who interfere with the safe operation of a flight. Penland has a difficult time believing she or her son caused that type of problem.
"It was embarrassing," she said. "I felt helpless."
We did some checking and the airline doesn't appear to have any specific rules or policies regarding passengers talking during the safety instructions."
From ABC13.com
"The one and a half year old repeated 'bye-bye, plane' all though the flight attendant's safety speech. As she finished, she leaned over the gentleman who was sitting next to me, and she said, 'OK, it's not funny anymore. You need to shut your baby up,'" Penland said.
Penland explained Garron would likely fall asleep soon. The toddler wasn't crying or throwing a fit.
Penland told Eyewitness News, "She said, 'It doesn't matter. Regardless, I don't want to hear it.' And she said it's called baby Benadryl and (made a drinking motion.) And I said, 'Well, I'm not going to drug my child so you have a pleasant flight.'"
"He wasn't any louder than the adult passengers on the plane," said passenger Stacey Watts.
Watts sat just a few rows back from the Georgia mother and heard the entire conversation.
Suddenly eyewitnesses say the flight attendant announced they were returning to the gate and Penland would be removed from the plane.
Houston police received a report of a disturbance on a plane, but it appears when the officer got there, he didn't find any crime. In fact, Penland wasn't arrested charged or even given a ticket.
According to ExpressJet, the flight crew has the authority to remove passengers who interfere with the safe operation of a flight. Penland has a difficult time believing she or her son caused that type of problem.
"It was embarrassing," she said. "I felt helpless."
We did some checking and the airline doesn't appear to have any specific rules or policies regarding passengers talking during the safety instructions."
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Passengers of the Poop Flight Lawyer-Up
Unfortunately it has come to this: Our request for a full refund of the fare paid has gone unanswered by Continental. They continue to blame the passengers for the septic system issues, even though we have proven that they existed before we boarded the plane. They have only issued us travel vouchers worth a fraction of the cost of our tickets. And the use of those travel vouchers waive our rights to file a claim against them in the future. I'm afraid it's not enough and we will be suing to try to recoup some of our travel costs.
So we are now being represented by Marc Bern at Napoli Bern Ripka LLP in Manhattan. They will file a complaint with Continental shortly. In the meantime, we need to alert more of the passengers of the flight to give them the option to join the suit. If you were a passenger on flights 71 and 1970 on June 13th and 14th and are interested in pursuing legal action, please contact the attorney as soon as possible.
Marc Bern
Napoli Bern Ripka LLP
115 Broadway, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10006
Phone: (212) 267-3700
So we are now being represented by Marc Bern at Napoli Bern Ripka LLP in Manhattan. They will file a complaint with Continental shortly. In the meantime, we need to alert more of the passengers of the flight to give them the option to join the suit. If you were a passenger on flights 71 and 1970 on June 13th and 14th and are interested in pursuing legal action, please contact the attorney as soon as possible.
Marc Bern
Napoli Bern Ripka LLP
115 Broadway, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10006
Phone: (212) 267-3700
More Photos of the Poop Flight
You may have seen these, but just in case, these are the photos Collin Brock took on our flight
A flight attendant wears a mask and a hair protector as sewage overflows from a toilet on Continental Flight 1970 from Amsterdam to New Jersey on Thursday, June 14, 2007
A flight attendant wears a mask and a hair protector as sewage overflows from a toilet on Continental Flight 1970 from Amsterdam to New Jersey on Thursday, June 14, 2007
Bags are put down to corral sewage flowing from a toilet on Continental Airlines flight 1970 from Amsterdarm to New Jersey on Thursday, June 14, 2007
Paper and some sort of powder are laid down to dry up sewage flowing from a toilet on Continental Airlines flight 1970 from Amsterdarm to New Jersey on Thursday, June 14, 2007
Trash is taken off the plane in Shannon Ireland, almost 24 hours after the plane landed to fix the toilets. Trash removal and cleaning added another 2 hours to the already epic 22 hour delay.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Continental Ranked #6 in WSJ's Airline Report Card
Continental somehow pulls out a #6 rank in this WSJ report card on our nation's airlines. They ranked dead last in on time arrives and bumped passengers but scored surprisingly high on lack of cancelled flights and mishandled baggage. I can only attribute their overall ranking on #6 to the fact that there is no category for "Raw Sewage Flowing"
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Joe Sharkey's Column in the NYTimes About Our Flight
Fellow passengers of the infamous "Poop Flight", Lauri Grossman and Catherine Carlozzi are quoted in the latest Joe Sharkey column in the NYTimes about the deteriorating state of our air travel system.
Click here to read the whole thing
Click here to read the whole thing
Here's a highlight:
"These are not isolated incidents. At the heart of the problem is the fact that airlines have squeezed their capacity and their work force so much that there is not an inch of slack when something goes wrong, including bad weather.
For several years, some airlines have been reducing their unionized maintenance work force and outsourcing routine maintenance, while passengers have been complaining that aircraft cabins are dirty.
With some justification, the airlines blame the Federal Aviation Administration for not upgrading the air traffic control system to handle current demand adequately.
But a growing number of people are directing their anger at the airlines and demanding federal legislation — a so-called passenger bill of rights — that will make the airlines adhere to specific rules on how long passengers can be held on a parked plane, and impose regulations to address cabin ventilation and public health issues like overflowing toilets."
For several years, some airlines have been reducing their unionized maintenance work force and outsourcing routine maintenance, while passengers have been complaining that aircraft cabins are dirty.
With some justification, the airlines blame the Federal Aviation Administration for not upgrading the air traffic control system to handle current demand adequately.
But a growing number of people are directing their anger at the airlines and demanding federal legislation — a so-called passenger bill of rights — that will make the airlines adhere to specific rules on how long passengers can be held on a parked plane, and impose regulations to address cabin ventilation and public health issues like overflowing toilets."
Monday, July 2, 2007
Breaking Ties With Continental
Remember when I said I paid for our roundtrip, first class flights to Europe with frequent flyer miles? Well those 200,000 miles came from purchases made with this card over the last 9 years of my life. Nine years of working towards something special flushed down the toilet (or not actually) when Continental effectively ruined my vacation and didn't refund me for taking a ride on the poop plane.
I had paid the balance off completely years ago and just kept this card for large purchases to get the miles, but the other day I decided I didn't even want it anymore. I called the number on the back and asked to cancel my account. I was immediately transferred to their "Customer Retention Department" where they asked me what they could do to keep me as a customer. I already have a 0% APR and they keep offering to increase my limit which I always decline. So, the nice man on the other end wants to know, what can they do to keep my business?
I gave him the high level overview of the poop flight and told him that was my one and only reason for cancelling this card--that I don't want to do any business with Continental until this issue is resolved to my satisfaction. He said "Wow!" a couple of times, and laughed a bit before telling me that he always has a comeback to try to convince people to stay, but he had no comeback for me this time and if he had been in my shoes he would be doing exactly the same thing. Then he cancelled my account. Bye, bye Continental!
Continental Losing Customers Left and Right
Maybe not left or right, but I've gotten many comments and emails from people saying they are writing to Continental to complain about this incident. Not only that, they are also refusing to patronize Continental again until there is a more satisfactory resolution made to the passengers of the poop plane. I'll highlight particularly good emails when they come in. Here's one from David H.:
Hello, I recently came across your blog via that BoingBoing article, and it was absolutely horrifying to read. I was planning to travel all over Europe this fall, using Continental most of the way, and I'm glad I read this first; nobody deserves to travel under those sorts of conditions, and even if mistakes happen, nobody deserves that kind of customer service. I hope that since Continental ignored your attempts to get a quite legitimate refund for what happened, that the courts will make that decision for them. At any rate, I sent an email to Continental saying they've lost another customer, and hope that one more voice in the outlash can make them realize that thanks to the internet, the consumer voice can no longer be muffled by corporate insensitivity. Good luck with your fight! I have forwarded this to my friends and associates as well.Thanks for the support David!
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Continental in the News - This Time Doing Something Right! Sort of...
A Continental flight last week from Massachusetts to New Jersey was grounded in Connecticut due to bad weather. They waited two hours on the ground for the storm to pass before the flight attendants surprised the passengers with a very kind gesture:
Via Consumerist:
Via Consumerist:
Isn't it sad that the crew did this fantastic thing for the passengers but were afraid that corporate would reprimand them for "breaking the rules"?I was flying from Massachusetts to New Jersey on Continental Airlines on this past week. There was terrible weather over New Jersey and while the plane took off on time, a half-hour in to the 47 minute flight we ended up circling over southern Connecticut. After a number of "we'll only be holding here for a few minutes" updates, an hour had elapsed and the pilot told us that the storm that held us up was making it impossible to get to New Jersey and that they didn't have enough fuel to get back to Massachusetts. We were diverted to a remote airstrip and were told that we'd just refuel and then get to New Jersey.
Of course, the "30 minute refuel" turned into 2 hours stuck on the tarmac at this airstrip because the storm came right through our location.
At this point we'd been on the plane for 4+ hours and despite some individual heavy sighs, most people were still pretty pleasant. We were all blown away when the flight attendant came on the PA and told all of us that they had a surprise: the crew had called in an order for pizza and had 10 pizzas delivered to the plane. They also told us not to write into Continental about this because "they'd get in trouble".
It turns out that the pilot paid for the pizza out of his/her pocket! It was a remarkable gesture, and what I found really terrible was that the crew felt that they'd get in trouble with the airline for being so thoughtful, generous, and kind to the passengers.
So, I definitely think that this particular crew deserves a pat on the back, and provided that Continental doesn't penalize them for their actions, then the airline deserves a pat on the back for hiring such high quality people. I've modified some of the info in the story to mask the identity of the flight and crew - but I feel that the story deserves to be told nonetheless.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
My Response To Continental CEO Lawrence Kellner
As you may remember, I got a non-apology form letter from Continental CEO Lawrence Kellner in the mail earlier this week. Here is a copy of my response sent via snail mail to him.
Dear Mr. Kellner,
I received a letter from you written June 22nd in response to Continental flight 71 on 6/13 from Amsterdam to Newark, which on 6/14 became Continental flight 1970 from Shannon, Ireland to Newark. I also received a letter from Martin Hand as well as a follow up call from Deborah Lewerke 10 days after I called to complain about the flight. While I appreciate your responses I must say that I am extremely displeased that Continental is not willing to offer me a refund of the 100,000 frequent flyer miles I used for this flight. For this experience I believe Continental should be refunding me all 200,000 miles spent on my roundtrip flight as this debacle effectively ruined my vacation. As you might realize, a request for my miles back is an indication that even after all your company put me through, that I would be willing to give you my business again and effectively allow you to have a second chance at making me a satisfied customer.
In case you are unfamiliar with the details of the flight and what exactly I take issue to, a recap is below:
When we boarded the plane in Amsterdam, the flight attendants told us there was an issue with one of the toilets that was delaying our departure. We finally took off and less than an hour into the flight all the toilets stopped working. Another hour later they had landed us in Shannon Ireland to fix the plane. We spent the next 24 hours there, most of that time sitting in the terminal with no update on what was going on, until we boarded the plane again the next day, over 24 hours later. As soon as we got onto the plane the flight attendants told us the toilets were still not working and we would need to “hold it” for the duration of this 8 hour flight. When we asked about rebooking onto another plane we were told we were free to do so, but that we would be on our own and that Continental would not reimburse us for the flight we left. In other words, Continental would leave us stranded in Ireland unless we were willing to ride on a plane for 8 hours with no bathrooms.
Shortly after takeoff from Shannon, the toilets began to overflow. Human excrement flowed into the aisles, soaking the carpet and getting on the passengers shoes and belongings. One toilet worked, but not at full capacity and we were told to limit our consumption--to eat and drink as little as possible for the next 8 hours. During that time we were forced to endure the smell of human excrement recycling through the cabin. We were potentially exposed to harmful bacteria that can cause infection with this type of long term exposure to human waste. It was a shameful and disgusting experience.
Upon our return, Continental has stated that the issue causing the blockage was latex gloves flushed down the toilet, and they have implied that it was the passengers of our flight who did so. With the toilets not working the second we got on the plane, this is certainly a fabrication on your company’s part. Even your spokeswoman Deborah Lewerke admitted to me that she believed it was the cleaning crew in Shannon who flushed the latex gloves, even though your company’s official statement still condemns the passengers.
All the passengers of this horrendous flight are looking for is their money (or miles) back from Continental. I was flying First Class and spent 100,000 of my miles (saved up as customer of yours over 9 years) to pay for this flight, 200,000 for roundtrip. Continental is only offering to compensate me 50,000 of those miles, a fraction of what was spent, for the privilege to fly with human excrement. Continental’s service has been disgraceful during this entire matter.
I am currently speaking to attorneys to determine if a multi-plaintiff lawsuit is the next course of action. I have contacted 30 of the other passengers of the plane and we are all in agreement that the suit is the only course of action unless Continental refunds us 100% of what was spent.
The decision is yours—we would love to spin this story positively for you and show how compassionate your organization was, recognizing the ordeal we have been through and compensating us fairly. No one is looking to get rich here; we are just looking for a refund. That is the least Continental can do for us.
Thank you for your time and attention,
Dana Bushman
Dear Mr. Kellner,
I received a letter from you written June 22nd in response to Continental flight 71 on 6/13 from Amsterdam to Newark, which on 6/14 became Continental flight 1970 from Shannon, Ireland to Newark. I also received a letter from Martin Hand as well as a follow up call from Deborah Lewerke 10 days after I called to complain about the flight. While I appreciate your responses I must say that I am extremely displeased that Continental is not willing to offer me a refund of the 100,000 frequent flyer miles I used for this flight. For this experience I believe Continental should be refunding me all 200,000 miles spent on my roundtrip flight as this debacle effectively ruined my vacation. As you might realize, a request for my miles back is an indication that even after all your company put me through, that I would be willing to give you my business again and effectively allow you to have a second chance at making me a satisfied customer.
In case you are unfamiliar with the details of the flight and what exactly I take issue to, a recap is below:
When we boarded the plane in Amsterdam, the flight attendants told us there was an issue with one of the toilets that was delaying our departure. We finally took off and less than an hour into the flight all the toilets stopped working. Another hour later they had landed us in Shannon Ireland to fix the plane. We spent the next 24 hours there, most of that time sitting in the terminal with no update on what was going on, until we boarded the plane again the next day, over 24 hours later. As soon as we got onto the plane the flight attendants told us the toilets were still not working and we would need to “hold it” for the duration of this 8 hour flight. When we asked about rebooking onto another plane we were told we were free to do so, but that we would be on our own and that Continental would not reimburse us for the flight we left. In other words, Continental would leave us stranded in Ireland unless we were willing to ride on a plane for 8 hours with no bathrooms.
Shortly after takeoff from Shannon, the toilets began to overflow. Human excrement flowed into the aisles, soaking the carpet and getting on the passengers shoes and belongings. One toilet worked, but not at full capacity and we were told to limit our consumption--to eat and drink as little as possible for the next 8 hours. During that time we were forced to endure the smell of human excrement recycling through the cabin. We were potentially exposed to harmful bacteria that can cause infection with this type of long term exposure to human waste. It was a shameful and disgusting experience.
Upon our return, Continental has stated that the issue causing the blockage was latex gloves flushed down the toilet, and they have implied that it was the passengers of our flight who did so. With the toilets not working the second we got on the plane, this is certainly a fabrication on your company’s part. Even your spokeswoman Deborah Lewerke admitted to me that she believed it was the cleaning crew in Shannon who flushed the latex gloves, even though your company’s official statement still condemns the passengers.
All the passengers of this horrendous flight are looking for is their money (or miles) back from Continental. I was flying First Class and spent 100,000 of my miles (saved up as customer of yours over 9 years) to pay for this flight, 200,000 for roundtrip. Continental is only offering to compensate me 50,000 of those miles, a fraction of what was spent, for the privilege to fly with human excrement. Continental’s service has been disgraceful during this entire matter.
I am currently speaking to attorneys to determine if a multi-plaintiff lawsuit is the next course of action. I have contacted 30 of the other passengers of the plane and we are all in agreement that the suit is the only course of action unless Continental refunds us 100% of what was spent.
The decision is yours—we would love to spin this story positively for you and show how compassionate your organization was, recognizing the ordeal we have been through and compensating us fairly. No one is looking to get rich here; we are just looking for a refund. That is the least Continental can do for us.
Thank you for your time and attention,
Dana Bushman
Other Airline Screw-ups in the News
Is it just me or are things getting worse with the airlines? Two scary delay stories were published yesterday.
First, this JetBlue flight from Florida to JFK that had to land in Atlantic City, NJ due to bad weather and the passengers were trapped on the plane while waiting for the storm to pass. After hours of waiting, the crew timed out and there was no replacement crew in AC, so JetBlue offered to put passengers up for the night. Some spent as much as $1000 to take limos into NYC rather than stay the night. The next day it took until 2:30 pm before a crew and boarding passes could be sent down from Newark. While this delay is crazy, the fact that it was weather related is one saving grace for JetBlue. The main interesting fact to point out is that JetBlue "refunded the passengers' fare and also gave them free tickets for future flights" Perhaps they should relay this remediation strategy to Continental, eh?
But the worst flight story I've heard in a while: this Delta flight from Utah to Newark, where the plane was unable to land in Newark due to high traffic and bad weather and landed in Syracuse, NY to refuel. Once on the ground some mechanical issues were uncovered so after waiting for hours the passengers were told they could either stay in Syracuse for the weekend or ride on chartered buses down to Newark. But here's where the story gets really crazy--one of the chartered buses crashed on the way to Newark, killing the driver and injuring 12 people on board. No word yet on how Delta is going to make it up to these people.
First, this JetBlue flight from Florida to JFK that had to land in Atlantic City, NJ due to bad weather and the passengers were trapped on the plane while waiting for the storm to pass. After hours of waiting, the crew timed out and there was no replacement crew in AC, so JetBlue offered to put passengers up for the night. Some spent as much as $1000 to take limos into NYC rather than stay the night. The next day it took until 2:30 pm before a crew and boarding passes could be sent down from Newark. While this delay is crazy, the fact that it was weather related is one saving grace for JetBlue. The main interesting fact to point out is that JetBlue "refunded the passengers' fare and also gave them free tickets for future flights" Perhaps they should relay this remediation strategy to Continental, eh?
But the worst flight story I've heard in a while: this Delta flight from Utah to Newark, where the plane was unable to land in Newark due to high traffic and bad weather and landed in Syracuse, NY to refuel. Once on the ground some mechanical issues were uncovered so after waiting for hours the passengers were told they could either stay in Syracuse for the weekend or ride on chartered buses down to Newark. But here's where the story gets really crazy--one of the chartered buses crashed on the way to Newark, killing the driver and injuring 12 people on board. No word yet on how Delta is going to make it up to these people.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
We've Got Our Own lolcat!
The passengers of the poop flight now have our very own lolcat
Based on this lolcat
We now have this one
via BoingBoing
Official Communiques from Continental
I'm stockpiling a bunch of paperwork from Continental, so here are the scans of everything we have gotten from them thus far.
First off, here is the infamous drink voucher they gave us when we got off the plane. I my defense the thing was bent so all I saw was the ability to get a free drink or movie headset on my next flight. If I had seen the bottom portion--up to $100 off my next flight over $400...well that makes a huge difference! I would have never made such a stink (ha, puny) if I knew they were offering us so much!
Next up is the travel voucher I got towards my next flight. I've scanned the reverse side where you can see cashing it in waives my right to file any claims against Continental. Classy!
Now comes the PR drivel! Lots of non-information from Martin Hand, Vice President, Customer Care and Sales Resources. Continental Customer Care? Isn't that an oxymoron?
And finally, the sincerly apology but no remediation letter from Continental CEO Lawrence Kellner.
I've written responses to them both and will post up here soon.
First off, here is the infamous drink voucher they gave us when we got off the plane. I my defense the thing was bent so all I saw was the ability to get a free drink or movie headset on my next flight. If I had seen the bottom portion--up to $100 off my next flight over $400...well that makes a huge difference! I would have never made such a stink (ha, puny) if I knew they were offering us so much!
Next up is the travel voucher I got towards my next flight. I've scanned the reverse side where you can see cashing it in waives my right to file any claims against Continental. Classy!
Now comes the PR drivel! Lots of non-information from Martin Hand, Vice President, Customer Care and Sales Resources. Continental Customer Care? Isn't that an oxymoron?
And finally, the sincerly apology but no remediation letter from Continental CEO Lawrence Kellner.
I've written responses to them both and will post up here soon.
Give Continental A Piece of Your Mind!
A very kind reader named Matthew Burns wrote to me yesterday to say that he had emailed Contintal Customer Service, linking to my blog account and explaining:
The best part of the story is that Continental called him back within a matter of hours (it only took them 10 days to call me back!) to try to defend their refund actions to him. He says he is still of the mind that they have not done enough to remedy the situation and that he will continue to withhold his business until a more satisfactory resolution is presented. Way to go!
If you feel the same way, email Continental here and give them a piece of your mind!
"that I, my family, my friends, my friends friends and their families, will never ever fly Continental. If this is how they treat their customers, I'll just go with another airline."
Thanks for the support Matt!The best part of the story is that Continental called him back within a matter of hours (it only took them 10 days to call me back!) to try to defend their refund actions to him. He says he is still of the mind that they have not done enough to remedy the situation and that he will continue to withhold his business until a more satisfactory resolution is presented. Way to go!
If you feel the same way, email Continental here and give them a piece of your mind!
The Airline Shills are Out in Full Force
Here's something you might not know about me--I work for one of the largest computer software companies in the world. I know a lot about this series of tubes that some people like to call the Internet.
So when you go to my extremely detailed and personal account of this flight on Metroblogging and leave inflammatory comments saying that "the only rude person in the terminal was you" and "this sort of post is why many people thing Americans are crybabies" not to mention "The airline industry is bankrupt, barely holding on. This kind of flight is what you get for budget travel. You get what you pay for"--here's a hint. I CAN SEE WHERE YOU ARE COMING FROM. It's a login site labelled "Continental Crew Message Board Communications" Duh.
Way to be stealth--consider the airline shills powned.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Boing Boing'ed
Welcome Boing Boing Readers! Our story was mentioned yesterday in their short link roundup and again today with a dedicated post: Pile High Club: passengers on poop plane are pretty pissed. Much thanks to Xeni Jardin!
I've gotten lots of pissed off comments about my posts regarding this flight, telling me that I'm a "privileged, whiny bitch", that I should "just get over it" and that I should "watch Schindler's List to see what mistreatment and hardship really looks like" (That last one was particularly amusing) But I've gotten even more comments expressing sympathy, horror and support. To the latter, thank you.
It's important for me to get across that we are not a litigious bunch--the passengers of flight 71/1970 were some of the most giving and respectful people I've dealt with in a long time. Now that the ordeal is over, we are just looking for a refund from Continental, no more but certainly no less. A $500 flight voucher is a fraction of the cost of the flight and is not even remotely the same as a refund. Anyone who can't understand that and is angry at us for picking on poor Continental surely has their head planted firmly up their ass.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
First Pass at Legal Representation
I just spoke with Lawrence Goldhirsh. Mr. Goldhirsh an attorney with the Negligence department at Weitz & Luxenberg, P.C. in New York City. Goldhirsch, an expert in aviation law, is author of "The Warsaw Convention Annotated: A Legal Handbook," considered by the legal community a bible for international aviation. I told him the main points of our flight and he said he will speak with his partners to determine whether or not they would like to proceed with the case. Hopefully I will have an update on that by tomorrow.
Mr. Goldhirsh has represented the passengers of JetBlue during their recent Valentine's Day debacle, as well as spearheaded many other aviation suits.
Mr. Goldhirsh discussed with me the tenets of the Montreal Convention, a ruling that limits the amount that passengers can sue for on international flight. The irony is that if our flight was domestic there is no limit to the amount we can sue for. Unless anyone was physically hurt during the flight (or later develops an ailment such as hepatitis due to exposure to waste on the flight) then only thing we can actually sue for is the delay. The maximum amount each passenger can receive on a delay suit (which he thinks we would be entitled to given our experiences) is 4,150 Euros per passenger (approximately 5,600 USD each)
If all 168 passengers join the suit that would mean Continental will need to pay almost 1 million dollars plus legal fees for our trouble. While that will not bankrupt them by any means, it would send a clear message that they can’t get away with treating people the way they have. I think Continental is betting that we won’t bother because no one will get rich off of this settlement. But it’s never been about getting rich, it’s been about compensating people by giving them their money back plus a little bit extra for their time and inconvenience.
The main issue at this point is the number of plaintiffs. Mr. Goldhirsh said the more passengers we have on board the stronger the case, the more likely it is that his firm will take it. I told him we were at 25 as of today and gaining ranks with each day. If his firm does decides to represent us they can also go to the media to announce their intentions and give their contact information to any additional passengers who want to join up.
Are you a passenger from Continental Flight 71/1970 interested in joining into the fray? Contact me at dana.bushman@gmail.com
Mr. Goldhirsh has represented the passengers of JetBlue during their recent Valentine's Day debacle, as well as spearheaded many other aviation suits.
Mr. Goldhirsh discussed with me the tenets of the Montreal Convention, a ruling that limits the amount that passengers can sue for on international flight. The irony is that if our flight was domestic there is no limit to the amount we can sue for. Unless anyone was physically hurt during the flight (or later develops an ailment such as hepatitis due to exposure to waste on the flight) then only thing we can actually sue for is the delay. The maximum amount each passenger can receive on a delay suit (which he thinks we would be entitled to given our experiences) is 4,150 Euros per passenger (approximately 5,600 USD each)
If all 168 passengers join the suit that would mean Continental will need to pay almost 1 million dollars plus legal fees for our trouble. While that will not bankrupt them by any means, it would send a clear message that they can’t get away with treating people the way they have. I think Continental is betting that we won’t bother because no one will get rich off of this settlement. But it’s never been about getting rich, it’s been about compensating people by giving them their money back plus a little bit extra for their time and inconvenience.
The main issue at this point is the number of plaintiffs. Mr. Goldhirsh said the more passengers we have on board the stronger the case, the more likely it is that his firm will take it. I told him we were at 25 as of today and gaining ranks with each day. If his firm does decides to represent us they can also go to the media to announce their intentions and give their contact information to any additional passengers who want to join up.
Are you a passenger from Continental Flight 71/1970 interested in joining into the fray? Contact me at dana.bushman@gmail.com
Monday, June 25, 2007
A Call Back From Continental! It Only Took 10 Days!
I just received a call from Deborah Lewerke, the Continental representative handling our flight.
She was a very nice lady who explained to me the whole issue with the septic system, what went wrong in Amsterdam and again what went wrong in Shannon. She told me that they found several set of latex gloves in the flush/suction mechanism (even though there are two septic system on the plane they share one flush/suction mechanism) and that they knew they were not the same type of gloves used by the mechanics who work on the plane. When I asked her if they were the same type of gloves used by the flight attendants she said she didn’t know. When I asked her who she thought put the gloves in the septic system she told me it was her personal opinion that it was the cleaning crew in Shannon. When I told her we were upset at the implication that it was a passenger who flushed the gloves down she said that was only her personal opinion and that the company could not speculate.
She told me Continental’s final offer to all coach passengers was a $500 travel voucher and to business/first was a $1200 travel voucher. I told her that this wasn’t enough to buy even a one way ticket back to Europe in either class and that we wanted to be refunded all of our money. She said that was all the company was willing to offer. She said the company would void the certificate and offer me 25,000 miles each instead, which is half the mileage cost of the tickets we purchased (business/first). I’m not sure what the mileage equivalent is for coach passengers.
She also gave me the number of their risk management department 713-324-5666 and said we could speak to them about reimbursement for any medical test or ailments that we thought we had in connection to the flight. I'm still not sure if we are waiving our right to this by accepting the travel vouchers or miles and she was not sure either.
I thanked her for her time and for being a gracious messenger, but told her we were of the belief that a full refund plus compensation for time lost was the minimum requirement from Continental to make this right. She said she would pass that on to her superiors. I'm not expecting another call from them.
She was a very nice lady who explained to me the whole issue with the septic system, what went wrong in Amsterdam and again what went wrong in Shannon. She told me that they found several set of latex gloves in the flush/suction mechanism (even though there are two septic system on the plane they share one flush/suction mechanism) and that they knew they were not the same type of gloves used by the mechanics who work on the plane. When I asked her if they were the same type of gloves used by the flight attendants she said she didn’t know. When I asked her who she thought put the gloves in the septic system she told me it was her personal opinion that it was the cleaning crew in Shannon. When I told her we were upset at the implication that it was a passenger who flushed the gloves down she said that was only her personal opinion and that the company could not speculate.
She told me Continental’s final offer to all coach passengers was a $500 travel voucher and to business/first was a $1200 travel voucher. I told her that this wasn’t enough to buy even a one way ticket back to Europe in either class and that we wanted to be refunded all of our money. She said that was all the company was willing to offer. She said the company would void the certificate and offer me 25,000 miles each instead, which is half the mileage cost of the tickets we purchased (business/first). I’m not sure what the mileage equivalent is for coach passengers.
She also gave me the number of their risk management department 713-324-5666 and said we could speak to them about reimbursement for any medical test or ailments that we thought we had in connection to the flight. I'm still not sure if we are waiving our right to this by accepting the travel vouchers or miles and she was not sure either.
I thanked her for her time and for being a gracious messenger, but told her we were of the belief that a full refund plus compensation for time lost was the minimum requirement from Continental to make this right. She said she would pass that on to her superiors. I'm not expecting another call from them.
