Disastrous flight to Honolulu

I agree that your letter is well written, and I'm sorry that such an
incident happened to you.

I know the offender was not my father...but he has been known to take
crabs on flights with him(leaving MD to a state where
relatvies/friends don't get to eat crabs as often as they might like
since they aren't available in their state). I'm not sure how he has
checked them, but I believe that he has taken a typical non-styrofoam
cooler, stuffed with the crabs and lots of ice packs...I believe he
checked the cooler through with his other luggage...not as a carry
on.(most of this was pre-not being able to bring liquids on planes).

I can see why the cooler leaked, as security likely made him cut the
duct tape to check the contents of the cooler...but should'a had
something with them/him to re-seal the cooler.

Personally I think the passenger is mostly to blame...what IDIOT
doens't know not to put a cooler with liquid in it in an overhead
compartment...sideways/right side up/whatever.

Like I said, I'm sorry this unfortunate incident happened to you...but
traveling with crabs isn't unheard of.

Today I received an email reply from United stating that while they
understand my frustration at being inconvenienced, since no United
employees were involved, my request for compensation cannot be met.
However, because they feel bad this happened, they are willing to to
offer me a $100 voucher for future travel on their airline.

I am pleased that they at least responded to my complaint, but I do
feel they bear partial responsibility for the incident and am somewhat
disappointed at their seeming lack of concern over keeping this
particular customer satisfied.

This is bizarre to me, since I just travelled to Hawaii recently and
they made me discard a miniature container of fruit I had (sealed)
because it contained liquid. How this slipped by security is a real
mystery!

That sounds absolutely repulsive...to be covered in crab liquid for a
long flight? UGH!

I don't know where to begin. I've read all the other responses and add
my sympathy/empathy to that expressed by others.

I'm not affiliated with any airlines, TSA, nor do I know anyone (I
hope!) that would be so foolish as to carry crabs on board an aircraft
and then mishandle the carrier so that the liquid contents drenched
you.

But I do feel dreadful that you went through this. This is
inexcusable.

United should, at the very least, allow you to fly free for the rest
of your life, plus refund the cost of this trip.

Whether or not TSA allowed him through security is one thing, but the
United flight attendants should have recognized that the cooler would
not fit under a seat or in an overhead compartment and prevented him
from taking the cooler onboard the aircraft.

Bless you. I wish you a happy and healthy baby and that this dreadful
trip is soon forgotten.

Ew! I'm sorry that this happened to you, and you should definitely get
a least a heartfelt apology. Did the man apologize to you?

I didn't know you could fly when you're 9 months pregnant, but good
luck with your baby.

I find this very concerning! I'm VERY allergic to shellfish and even
having them in close proximity makes my eyes water up and my throat
feel uncomfortable. If I ingest them I could die. I'm so glad that did
not happen to me because that would be a very bad situation. The fact
that TSA/United Airlines allowed them on their flight makes me VERY
VERY upset! An airplane is the last place I would expect to have
seafood on, I hope United compensates you for your discomfort.

crabs?! who does that?! ew. i think the flight attendants should
have been made aware of a guy trying to shove a package of CRABS into
compartments. gross.

I feel for you. Have you heard anything from the airline? I would have
complained to the TSA asap and the media. This should have been on
CNN. I'm glad you were not allergic to shellfish, it would have been
murder. I hope you are ok now. Mazel Tov on your birth!

This is a great well written letter. It's unbelievable and awful what
happened to you, especially during a pregnancy where the smell is
magnified! I remember that well!

I think this guy who spilled the contents on you should have asked for
help with how and where to store this thing. I'm wondering why it was
opened and not secure myself, how it got on board also? I think it was
completely idiotic for him to attempt to store it up there not even
assuming what may happen. It should have fallen on himself!

That smell is sure to have embedded itself into the upholstery and
carpeting, even if the seats were vinyl it's going to hang around.
With the stagnant air in a plane they are going to have to do some
work getting that out. It's not something that can easily be ignored
once that stench sets in. I empathize with you completely and hope
they contact you soon. Please let us know.

Good luck to you with the birth of your baby that is coming up very
soon! I hope you have an easy and safe delivery!

Well written, and I agree, some sort of compensation is due. The Tsa
is at fault for letting the passenger through, but so are the airline
staff both at the gate and onboard for allowing him to struggle with
an oversize carry on. If you don't get an apology and some symbolic
perk, then I would take this one to the press, if you can. It's a
winner of a story.

Gross!

You have presented a well written letter. It is calm, factual and does
not deteriorate into a ranty obnoxious whinefest. I hope when the
authorities verify the facts presented, you are compensated for the
miserable trip. Please let us know what happens.

I agree that TSA seems to be more at fault here than United. I think
if they can make me take off my flip flops to check for bombs then
they should make sure a cooler full of crabs is not allowed in the
cabin. That being said, I live in Alaska, coolers full of crab are
pretty common, however they are usually checked as baggage and
properly secured, taped, and made sure to be watertight. I don't know
about elsewhere but in our extremely small town the TSA are people I
grew up with, they are not specially trained, they just happened to
fit the criteria and filled out an application. I hope you get an
apology and some sort of compensation.

faced him... and vomited right on his pants.

Well written, and very legitimate. The airlines should not have
allowed him on the flight with his crabs. I didn't think they allowed
that any longer. And the funny thing, if you can find something, you
can buy fresh crab anywhere now and by schleping it back home yourself
you're not really saving any money. Perhaps they were souvenirs of
his trip.

I hope you get some type of apology from the airline.

Oh, my gosh, how awful!

I would strongly suggest that you send a copy of this letter to the
TSA. I don't know what they'll do, but they should know. And file a
complaint with the FAA as well.

My goodness! I just cringed reading your letter...you poor thing -
that was just gross! I think that you should forward this letter to
your governing body for air travel asap! (I don't live in the US)

Take care!

Ew. It's a good thing you aren't allergic to shellfish. This is
definitely a security issue, not only because thing like that aren't
allowed, but because of the allergy risk. Shellfish can be like
peanuts for some; the "fumes" alone can trigger a reaction.

Another "security" thing that surprised me was that they let you on
the plane 9 months pregnant. I know several people who have been
denied flight because they were past 7.5 months. Sometimes you can get
away with a note from your doctor, but they are reluctant to do this
even if it's for a funeral or something like that. I don't know of any
doctors that would approve flight for a vacation. Flying so late in
your pregnancy is a real risk to your health.

This is more the TSA's fault than United's. They should never have
let this man past security with a cooler full of live crabs. You can
file a complaint with them but all you'll get is a canned response.

I do think the Flight Attendants should have paid more attention when
this guy boarded but I do feel the bulk of the blame belongs squarely
on the shoulders of the TSA. If a toddler can't have his sippy cup,
this guy should not have had live crabs.

I really don't understand how in the world this guy was allowed on
board, not only with a carry-on that clearly didn't fit, but crabs to
boot. I just returned from a vacation, and they made it very clear
that only certain size carry-ons would be allowed on board. And trust
me; they were enforcing it (at least on my airline).

While I do think crab-boy deserves some of the blame, the majority of
it rests on United. I'm usually anti-compensation for inconvenience,
but this goes beyond it. I think you do deserve some kind of
compensation because the airline clearly didn't do its job.

Definitely contact the TSA, and let us know how it works out.

Last night I was reading a travel book (I'm planning a vacation, yay!)
and...

Apparently some airports will sell you live shellfish.

You just pick a lobster (or crabs, I suppose) from a tank and then put
it in a cooler with ice (no idea if it's dry ice or not).

The key here, however, is that it's beyond security, so you get a
sealed package that's specially made for flying. In this case, it
doesn't sound like this guy had an airport-bought bunch of crabs.

That's a horrible story. I am sorry that happened to you! Keep us
posted on what (if anything) the airline does to remedy this. I find
it incredibly suspect that they allowed something like that onto the
plane given the strict rules that they are supposed to be following
these days. Very scary!

What is a TSA?

Sorry about this terrible experience. Allowing this carry on is a
clear threat to passenger safety and violates FAA and DOT regulations.
It is United's responsibility to make sure carry ons allowed on the
plane are safe, and in keeping with regulation. You should definitely
report this episode to the department of transportation. You can do
so by sending an email to their email hotline at airconsumer@dot.gov

I think the same was as everyone else.

I would add that I think they should cover your laundry expenses too.

I guess at 9 months pregnant youre bound to be a bit crabby.

TSA is a joke. My husband and another soldier recently flew from
Georgia to Dallas. Another passenger on their flight had a jar of
peanut butter, which was confiscated, and my husband's traveling
companion (in civvies) had his Dr. Pepper thrown away. But my husband
(who was in uniform) forgot to remove both his lighter and his pocket
knife and was able to take both items on board the plane!!

I'm sorry you were drenched in crab juice. If they were going to allow
the crabs on board, they should have had a flight attendant secure it
somewhere (upright!). I have to admit, I am surprised you got on the
plane too - I wasn't allowed to travel when I was 9 months pregnant.

As other have said, the TSA should have been alerted. While this
wasn't a bomb, it's clear that someone in SFO didn't do their job.
There is no way that this should have been allowed.

That said, asking the flight attendant to contact a TSA representative
would have delayed your flight many hours. And, at this point,
contacting the TSA is going to accomplish little. However, hopefully,
they will ensure that the TSA agents (if not the airline) know proper
procedure.

Just last week, here in DC, a woman was stopped by the TSA for
carrying baby milk! The TSA put the video on their web site..

I'm glad I wasn't you. In addition to the incredible stink and the
wetness, my allergy to crabs would have put me into shock and stopped
my breathing, most likely.

Ruth R.,
Let me go way out on a limb here.
Considering what everybody said my guess is that passenger was an
airline employee.
Call it a wild guess but the late to board might make it so.
We might never know.
If you do please stop back and let us know what the airlines does.
Good luck.
BillR. ( no relation... :') )

Let me get this straight... I'm not allowed to bring a bottle of
unscented disinfectant on a plane, but this guy could bring a
container of crabs? It's because I'm yellow, isn't it?

There are some airlines who seriously need to smarten up.

First of all, I also don't see how he could have gotten that on the
plane either. My family just recently got back from a vacation in
Daytona Beach and my son bought a tiny turtle and a plastic carry
case. There was just enough water in it to keep the turtle covered
(maybe 1-2oz), and they would not let my son take it on the plane with
him. We had to leave the turtle behind. Second, If this really
happened I am sorry, but... I think that maybe your just trying to get
some of your vacation money back or a free flight out of this. Almost
9 months pregnant and traveling all the way to Hawaii? That wouldn't
make sense to me traveling that far and risking going into labor.

I doubt anyone could make up that story, not to mention the fact that
there were witnesses, including the employees.

I was 32 weeks pregnant the day we left and flying with doctor
clearance. Most domestic airlines don't even require a doctor's note
until 36 weeks. There was no concern about me going into labor on what
was only a 5 hour flight.

If United is concerned about the veracity of my story, they can check
with any of the flight attendants on the flight that day or any of the
passengers seated around me. It wasn't something that will be easily
forgotten by anyone who was there.

I'm with everyone else - - I don't understand, in this day and age of
screening, how the guy was able to get past TSA with a liquid filled
cooler that that most likely contained live crabs. And I also don't
understand how if you could clearly see he was carrying a large
cooler down the isle of an aircraft that the flight attendants didn't
notice it and question him about what it contained.

If you can't carry on more than 3 ounces of shampoo then how in the
world does someone figure they can carry on a styrofoam cooler full of
crabs and water!

I would think someone (either the airline, TSA or ideally the
inconsiderate passenger) owes you compensation of some form.

BTW - - good job on the letter. You clearly outlined what happened
and didn't get overly dramatic or make unreasonable demands. To me
this is the type of letter that should get results.

Oh, that's disgusting! You have my sympathies, strong smells tend to
upset my stomach also.

I would have been miserable if that happened to me on a flight. I
hope you had a good time on our vacation despite the bad start.

I think I'd be complaining to the TSA too, if I were you. I can
understand how a passenger could get past the airline employees with
something in their luggage that they shouldn't have had, but the
security screeners should have picked up on it and, if it wasn't worth
stopping him themselves, given the airline a heads-up.

I'm not ordinarily a fan of requests for compensation, but in this
case, whether or not any of their agents behaved inappropriately, it
does sound as if you got markedly inadequate service. Did you talk to
a supervisor when you got to Hawaii?

Was the man and/or his carryon removed from the flight?