So @united pulled us off a plane twice last night. First was the weather, the second time they waited hours for “catering” and the crew timed out. Stuck overnight. This morning the plane is delayed again because ... “catering.” Terrible logistics is a consequence of cost-cutting.
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This is yet another example where people and their experience isn’t the metric that counts for the way the world runs. There is neither significant competition no regulation to protect people, and the people who run all this get paid very well—by a very different set of metrics.
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I’m not asking for special treatment I do really want to get to my destination but I’m fine. The way people were abandoned was terrible. The way that nobody made sure people didn’t get put on a plane without catering and made to wait for three hours and deplane was terrible.
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Pretty much. It’s really the way things are run that is the problem. There just wasn’t people assigned to deal with the aftermath either. One ground person was running around the airport trying to find blankets. Cold, crying kids.
https://twitter.com/ddn/status/1159438851112411138 …Show this thread -
Yes, costs are externalized. Tech companies, airlines, fossil-fuels, etc. A lot more profitable because longer-term costs as well as a lot of short-term issues are externalized. Environment, climate, people... https://twitter.com/ZannaJoy/status/1159442532637577216 …
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Lol, also we have a new crew this time. They are bright and chipper, but the passengers are all grizzly veterans who know one another and helped each other out for the past day.
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Like, our boarding door is closed. Ha ha we did this twice before yesterday. Wheels up or nobody’s taking it seriously.
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The plane is still sitting at the gate, and they’re adding delays 10 minutes at a time. If they try to deplane this crowd again, I will be probably be livestreaming the beginning of the Great Passenger Mutiny! They don’t understand, this group has had a day to organize.


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Ok.
#MyUnitedJourney. 17 hour delay and counting, deplaned twice, no capacity to try to actually take care of the stranded people.pic.twitter.com/JlWnUes20l
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Well, we are moving off the gate. Honestly, at this point the only other feasible option was to abandon the plane to the feral passengers. Still, nobody’s taking anything for granted until wheels up.
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Well! Kinda moving. Next update at landing I guess. I hope! Looong flight. Hopefully they don’t make us do a pitstop for “catering” in the middle.
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We returned to gate for a service issue. Once again, if nobody takes charge crew will time out because it’s a long flight. You’d hope
@united logistics would know but after deplaning twice, I don’t think so. (This time, I brought food on board. Last time we were stuck for hours).Show this thread -
There has been no flying so far. Get on plane, wait for hours without food or water, get off the plane, stuck at airport get on plane, repeat. I think we’re refueling now also! Why and how now? Who knows?https://twitter.com/riceysu/status/1159469875171143680 …
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For example, now approaching a 20 hour delay,
@united could start having a new crew ready to step immediately into the plane. Passengers have been deplaned twice, can’t do it three times. But like yesterday they will likely just wait till it happens because it’s cheaper.Show this thread -
We’re now apparently waiting to be refueled! Still at the gate. Why? I dunno. If that was going to need to happen, why didn’t it happen immediately? I don’t know. What happens if it takes too long? Who knows?
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Too soon. There’s a chance that
@United will try to get people off this plane for the third time but now after a sleepless night. Last night wasn’t pretty, I can’t imagine what might happen now.https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1159476120401694721 …Show this thread -
#MyUnitedJourney is now a delay of more than 20 hours, a looming threat of being taken off the plane for the third time. I think we sat at the gate, seatbelts on, unable to move maybe eight hours of that time? Opening door at gate again.Show this thread -
And the important point here is that this didn’t have to happen this way. There is of course a way to run things that anticipate and manage these hiccups without making the passenger suffer this much. Costs are externalized while airlines make profits.https://twitter.com/jack_dele/status/1159477616849670144 …
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Ha ha we heard “prepare doors for departure.” Yeah right. Fourth attempt. Our formerly chipper third crew is now worn down too. The passengers are kind of like the veteran prisoners who have broken down the latest batch of new inmates.
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If I don’t update soon, either we have actually taken off, or created our own self governing commune on the plane on the tarmac.
It is totally feasible with the bonding and know-how accumulated among the passengers. And we have a mostly-stationary plane at our disposal.Show this thread -
Still on the tarmac! Stationary! I’m mentally measuring where to put the pots in the plane for growing mint.
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Updating from the air! We are still on our way and I have since learned a bit more. It’s even more outrageous in some ways, if you can believe it. (These are “nazar” emojis, supposed to ward off bad luck. Hope they work better than United’s logistics operation.


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I've since learned: We left gate—THIRD TIME—hours late due to catering delay. After an hour, United goes back to gate kick out unhappy passenger. We must also now refuel? Refuelers are late—also can't align hose. We were ONE MINUTE AWAY from crew timeout and being deplaned AGAIN.
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To update everyone: I have finally arrived at my destination. :-)
https://twitter.com/zeynep/status/1159733270872911872 …
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I shouldn't be ungrateful to
@United's failure of logistics. Upside of being stuck in an airport overnight is that I'm suffering less from jet lag in Hong Kong—up most of the night in US, so up during the day Hong Kong time. It's a weekend of protests here.. so onward.
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End of conversation
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