Support the Arts – United Breaks Guitars
This post isn’t exactly photography related and I rarely re-post what is going viral on Youtube. But this one is a little close to my heart and affects all the arts.
There is a great song by Dave Carroll (http://davecarrollmusic.com/) called “United Breaks Guitars” about his experience with United Airlines when they broke his guitar with the help of some baggage handlers tossing luggage. I feel his pain as I travel with equipment and this is a big fear. Frighteningly, my last flight with United could have ended similarly. I was carrying a little under $20,000 in equipment in my carry on bag (a couple nice pro cameras, a flash, my computer, etc). My carry on bag is reasonably compact, a bag on my shoulder….. a lot smaller than what most people are dragging onto planes these days: especially since they are bringing 2 to 3 bags on. Regardless, everyone is in a mad rush to get on the flight and United does little to regulate it, so me being polite and actually following the announcements is one of the last to get on the plane. So the Flight attendant tells me I will have to check my bag as they have run out of space since everyone is jamming these extra bags over my seat. I tell the guy really nicely I can’t because of the crazy value and fragile nature, and I would have to leave the flight before checking it. He was such a nasty person. He obnoxiously threatens that if I couldn’t jam it under the seat, he would personally pull it and therefore me from the plane. No empathy for me, my medium bag or for the fact that his airline would never reimburse me the cost if they lost or broke professional equipment. I might be paraphrasing a little, but he said something like, “It better fit under the seat COMPLETELY.” and with a mean tone. I walked down that aisle and there was crap everywhere. But low and behold, the attendant walked past all of it to double check I complied. United sucks.
Here is the great song. I think I would love it even if I liked United.
Available on Itunes for download.
Thanks!
Michael Creagh
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Michael Creagh is a New York Fashion Photographer specializing in Advertising, catalogs, magazines, models and editorial work. Check out his international award winning photography at the websites and blogs above.
