The Video Piling-On Continues ….
This youTube video may be old news to some of you, but I’ve just seen it for the first time. This is Southwest Airlines flight attendant David Holmes bringing it, impressively, with some slow-starting, almost unlikely audience participation by these front-seated business passengers.
Just as with United Breaks Guitars II, you have to watch closely and stay with it all the way to the last second. Welcome aboard!
United Breaks Guitars, Song 2: Ms. Irlweg! Come To Your Senses!
Dave Carroll, he of great YouTube fame for shaming the dysfunctional and heartless United Airlines with a viral hit about how the airline broke his guitar, has released Song 2 of the trilogy he promised in July. In this video, we meet Ms. Irlweg, a girl-next-door hottie, who Dave imagines that he might pair up with, if only she would approve the reimbursement from United for his busted Taylor. Like the first song, the tune is catchy, though way different. It’s the kind of music that could only come from a Canadian — kind of a cross between honky-tonk and Biergarten tuba, with a little New Orleans flavor. I call it “tuba-tonky:”
American Consumer Council: “United Is Broken”
by Thomas Hinton
President & CEO, American Consumer Council
[Editor: Regarding "United Breaks Guitars" on YouTube:] While Dave Carroll and Taylor Guitars have come out winners, one must wonder what in the world United Airlines’ management was thinking? Did no one at United Airlines call a “time out” to ask their colleagues, “Hey, how do we come out of this scenario without egg on our face?” Sadly, this isn’t an isolated case at United Airlines. Acts of stupidity and customer abuse are repeated multiple times every day by a growing number of disingenuous United Airlines employees who lack common sense and do dumb things that alienate their customers and passengers. I’ve witnessed it personally in Chicago and Denver several times. Of course, it begs the obvious question — why?
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A Tale in Three Adverts
We can thank Dave Carroll and “United Breaks Guitars” for exposing the keen library of United videos on YouTube. Culling through them is like rummaging around in the old attic trunks of the airline industry. There are little slices of United history for every generation from the 1950’s to 9/11 to now. I’ve selected three to show here. All were produced within 2-3 years following the 9/11 attacks.
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United Breaks Guitars: The Saga … In Video
Canadian musician Dave Carroll posted his viral-revenge video on YouTube on July 5, some eight months after United Airlines baggage handlers damaged his guitar and the airline refused to compensate him for his loss. Dave’s musical tribute to corporate idiocy went viral almost immediately, logging 1 million hits in about 36 hours. It quickly became a media phenomenon as well as a public relations disaster for United. Here’s the timeline:
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