YouTube heroes Dave Carroll and Bing Futch win airline compensation

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6708792.ece

The days of complaints in triplicate, airline delaying tactics and
premium-rate customer call centres are over. If you want compensation
for your damaged luggage, you just need to write a song.

Dave Carroll spent nine months trying to win compensation when his
guitar was broken during a flight between Chicago and Nebraska last
spring. He eventually accepted that he would get no payment from
United Airlines, so he took the battle online.

With his band Sons of Maxwell, Carroll wrote a catchy, folksy tune
called "United Breaks Guitars". Then he recorded a video featuring
callous baggage handlers maiming instruments and posted it on
YouTube.

"I should have flown with someone else, or gone by car, because United
breaks guitars," he croons while perched on a suitcase on a runway.

People liked the comic ditty and sent it to their friends. One week
and 2 million views later, Carroll was invited for a series of
television and radio interviews and his cause was mentioned on CNN and
the Oprah Winfrey Show.

United Airlines relented on Friday and donated $3,000 in Carroll's
name to support music education through the Thelonious Monk Institute
of Jazz.

Bing Futch, a second disgruntled passenger, saw Carroll's song and, on
the day that United announced they were finally writing a cheque, he
posted his own aviation protest song on YouTube.

Northwest airlines left no time for a second viral protest movement
and yesterday they stepped in to say sorry and offered money towards
repairs.

Futch is also a musician, although his personal passion is for the
rare double-necked mountain dulcimer, a fretted string instrument.
Futch was on the way to a gig in Indiana when he found his instrument
was damaged after a flight with Northwest airlines.

He did not fill out the online complaint form within the required 24
hours last month, so he was worried that he would receive no
compensation. However, within a single working day of his video
"Northwest breaks dulcimers" hitting the web, the airline were in
touch.

"We've reached out to the customer and offered our apologies and
compensation," said Susan Elliott, a spokeswoman for Delta, who owns
Northwest airlines. She said that his dulcimer was damaged, in part,
because it was packaged in a soft-shell case but they still decided to
offer compensation.

Futch's song, in a similar tune to Go West by the Pet Shop Boys, has
an even more memorable chorus.

"Northwest! Where baggage handlers roam.
 Northwest! You'll be taking pieces home."

==============

"CJB"  wrote in message 
news:6caa0919-b994-4077-a294-417f34180c48@s31g2000yqs.googlegroups.com...
> YouTube heroes Dave Carroll and Bing Futch win airline compensation
>
> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6708792.ece

Their cause was greatly helped by a good song, well performed

even the video was good

--
song in memory of my father http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/
and other greatest hits

Gill Smith wrote:
> "CJB"  wrote in message
> news:6caa0919-b994-4077-a294-417f34180c48@s31g2000yqs.googlegroups.com...
>> YouTube heroes Dave Carroll and Bing Futch win airline compensation
>>
>> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6708792.ece
>
> Their cause was greatly helped by a good song, well performed

Although none of this changes the fact that anyone who checks a guitar
or similar instrument, esp. in a soft-sided case, is an idiot.

Bob M.

"Bob Myers" <nospamplease@address.invalid> wrote in message 
news:h4533t$th0$1@usenet01.boi.hp.com...
> Gill Smith wrote:
>> "CJB"  wrote in message
>> news:6caa0919-b994-4077-a294-417f34180c48@s31g2000yqs.googlegroups.com...
>>> YouTube heroes Dave Carroll and Bing Futch win airline compensation
>>>
>>> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6708792.ece
>>
>> Their cause was greatly helped by a good song, well performed
>
> Although none of this changes the fact that anyone who checks a guitar
> or similar instrument, esp. in a soft-sided case, is an idiot.

Northwest airlines should release the follow-up.

--
song in memory of my father http://www.gillsmith999.plus.com/
and other greatest hits