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UNITED AIRLINES, Abuse Stranded Disabled Veteran and His Service Dog at Dulles Airport!
If you’re planning a trip and want to fly the friendly skies, you can skip United Airlines. As an avid business traveler, I spend about ten days in the air each month. Airline employees and flight attendants, appear to be poorly trained, and are incredibly rude.
For one disabled veteran, traveling with his service dog, was not only verbally abused by two United Airline employees in Dulles airport, but his dog was kicked as well. Where does UAL hire their employees? County jail?
For Astrochicks to say they’re disgusted by the airline employees behavior, is an understatement. I’m even more disturbed, that United has not fired these individuals. We all have a choice who to fly, UAL is not one of them for me.
Paws and Stripes Founder, Jim Staneck’s, flight from hell included being stranded at the Dulles Airport for two days.
Staneck and his service dog Sarge spent 48 hours stranded in the Dulles Airport after numerous flight cancellations and delays. Wounded in battle, Staneck suffers from a brain injury that makes it difficult for him to concentrate under stress. When he struggled to understand changes to his itinerary an employee at the ticket counter insulted him.
“He said, ‘Just read it’ and I said, ‘Sir I can’t read it,’ and he said, ‘What are you retarded?’” Staneck recalls. “Prior to this I told him I have a brain injury and PTSD, I’m a disabled vet, this is my second night here; I need help.”
To make matters worse, Staneck says Sarge was kicked twice by United employees. He said the second kick was so hard that it sent her flying.
“(He) kicked her so hard on the rib cage, that she flew into my lap… He said he was afraid of dogs,” Staneck said. He and Sarge literally hid in a corner until they were able to board a flight home.
Personally, Astrochicks would like to know which United Airlines employees kicked the poor dog and insulted Straneck. I’m hoping someone will come forward and identify them. They deserve to have assault charges filed against them. What’s wrong with people today? Kicking a animal and abusing disabled veterans? Pathetic. I hope he files a lawsuit! You can read the full story here.
Can you elaborate on how UA flight attendants in particular were “poorly trained, and [..] incredibly rude” in this example? What I read so far is about customer service / ticket agents, right?
In my opinion, Airline travel is not what it use to be. I’m a former Continental employee, (now owned by United), I worked for the airline several years ago.
I fly out of LAX, I have seen passengers asked to leave the plane because they didn’t close their laptop fast enough, shut the cell phone down, etc.
I have seen flight attendants to allow passengers screaming kids run up and down the aisle, creating havoc. In fact, 20/20 did a piece on the unfriendly skies last friday.
For United, I realize there are amazing employees who work for the company, who care about their passengers, and take pride in their job.
Unfortunately, why United Airlines has not addressed the appalling and criminal behavior of staff at Dulles airport is beyond me.
You don’t get much lower than low, when you abuse a disabled veteran and kick their service dog so he goes flying against the wall. WHo does that? That is a person who has serious anger issues, probably abuses his family at home, and is a tragedy waiting to happen.
For United Airlines not to address the issue publicly, not fire the employees immediately, tells me how this company is run. POORLY!
If this happened at a restaurant, the waiter would be fired and arrested for assault. What’s the difference?
Shame on United, I will never fly that airline again.
United Airlines made a lot of money transporting military to Viet Nam and return flights to the U.S. You made a lot of money from us veterans, now we see how you treat us
IT SAYS IT ALL WHEN UNITED PILOTS WANT TO STRIKE, THIS AIRLINES NEEDS TO FIRE ALL THE MEN CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE AND HIRE WOMEN, ESPECIALLY SINCE ANY REAL HELP THIS VET GOT WAS FROM WOMEN. MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE TRAVELED EXTENSIVELY AND HAVE HAD GLITCHES WHERE CONNECTIONS WERE MESSED UP BUT TRUTHFULLY ANY RESOLVE AND WONDERFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT WE RECD WAS FROM FEMALE EMPLOYEES IN ALL CAPACITIES.
This is not only unprofessional,but blatant disrespect for an American veteran who is disabled and relies on his service dog. It is a good thing I was not there to witness, because I would have kicked those employess who abused a service dog. I would have done as my way to defend a diabled veteran who gave service to his country. It would of been worth a few nights in jail to defend this man and his service dog.
My wife was flying down to Long Beach on United, She had a cast on her arm after an elbow surgery. My wife asked if the stewardess could help get her bag out of the overhead and she replied “if I helped everyone get their belongings out of the overhead, I would be in a cast”. While flying my son, 15 on his first flight with United, to San Francisco, he stated he was treated very rude by the staff. I have never flown United since.
How dare they. Their actions are against federal law. We have a service dog and we have pursued anyone disregarding this law and have been proven right. Even had a desk clerk laid off,without pay, for several days. I hope this veteran asks for and gets a lot from this epidosde
such horribleness! i wanna know who kicked his dog and called him retarded! i wanna knock them down..he fought for your rights to be a retarded like they were to him! ugggghhhh..MAYBE YOU WEREN’T RAISED RIGHT, BUT PPL WHO SERVICED IN THE MILITARY SHOULD BE TREATED WITH THE HIGHEST RESPECT! ALWAYS. whether they are retired, disabliled or join 12 month ago! shame on you american airlines!
“Fly the Friendly Skies”
I am totally disnmayed why any one would abuse
a person and Iwould never fly on American Airlines again.
I have a service dog & if anyone, employee or otherwise kicks her, 1 split lip, coming up. immediately.
I cannot believe the person who did this is not
already fired. I will never fly United Again
As a retired employee of UAL (retired in 2003) I am appalled at what I’ve seen lately, since the UAL-Cont merger. Too many people out of work to tolerate this behaviour. Fire them immediately, although I know it’s very hard since the customer service agaents are unionized !
Is there actually any corroborating evidence for this guy’s claims?
“Is there actually any corroborating evidence for this guy’s claims?”
I know everyone wants to grab their pitchforks and torches but….. I have the same question. Are there any witnesses to this?
A delayed/cancelled flight is not an employees fault. I also don’t see how a customer service agent could possibly kick that giant dog (the one in the picture) so hard it landed in the mans lap. Something doesn’t add up here.
Why would this person have access to kick your dog so hard they fly into your lap? Just seems odd to me.
I’m grateful for this mans service in protecting our country. I don’t doubt he feels he was mistreated, I’m very sorry he feels this way.
However, “Wounded in battle, Staneck suffers from a brain injury that makes it difficult for him to concentrate under stress.”
Due to this injury, it’s possible he may be overreacting.
Whatever happens, I hope UA thoroughly investigates these claims and takes appropriate actions.
If you watch the entire video, I know it’s long, he was stranded in Dulles Airport for 3 days. That’s not normal, there was another article about passengers who arrived in Chicago that were stuck in China for 3 days, if you follow United Airlines tweets, there are thousands of angry passengers talking about how rude customer service was, etc. This is only one mans story.
He was leaning against the wall, his dog was laying down, and was kicked. An employee kicked the dog twice walking by, he does say in his video the first time he thought it was an accident, the second time no. It’s like when you move a dog over with your foot to hard, it becomes a kick. The dog was kicked into his lap. If the employee wanted the dog moved, he could have easily said can you please move your dog over here. Service dogs are NEVER allowed to be touched while in service. He has a video of the dog on the plane and the dog is shaking like a leaf.
When he provided documentation to the counter he had a brain injury, his military ID, he told the counter person what was wrong with him. The counter person wanted to know why he couldn’t stand in line for the 3rd day, was it because he was retarded.
Needless to say, any passenger stuck in an airport for 3 days is unacceptable, uncomfortable, and unnecessary. The merger with Continental has not been easy or successful.
The disabled veteran finally did get home after his flight was cancelled for the 3rd time which means he would have been there 4 days, he flew home American, after a NYC employee in Dulles helped him out.
The veteran is very nice in his video, he says he wants this to be an education, that some disabilities aren’t always physical, especially for veterans. PTSD and brain injuries are serious, which require assistance for the rest of their life. United Airlines needs to train its staff to be more sensitive to all passengers flying.
Jacy, I watched the entire video. Still, the story doesn’t add up.
He spends about 3-4 minutes talking about the incidences that he says matter the most, but spends the remainder of the time talking about all this other stuff that, for the purpose of drawing attention to invisible wounds and the usefulness of service dogs, is superfluous. It seems like a tactic of misdirection. Get people riled up about experiences perhaps common to most, and slip in the (possibly untrue) parts that are a part of your message.
It also begs the question about why he didn’t contact police the second time his dog was abused. Why did he wait to post a youtube video about all of this instead? I get that he doesn’t want to boycott the airline, but shouldn’t justice be rendered against the animal abuser? Either there’s more to the story than he’s letting on or there’s no story at all.
And again, there are no corroborating witnesses. He was able to record his dog huffing anxiously (which could occur for a number of reasons, like the rare occasion of riding on a tram) but couldn’t perhaps pull some gotcha journalism on the offender?
I think a mass call for more evidence should be made. There are many veterans out there and there are many individuals willing to scam citizens simply by saying “I’m a vet”. When scams occur they run the risk of destroying the trust of the people. This can negatively affect the vets who really do need the help.
He has a head injury, they lose train of thought, and I think its horrible you’re so cynical towards this mans story.
First, they lose his bag after the first flight is cancelled. They refuse to deliver until the next morning, although it says rush. He has to drive an hour each way to get his bag at midnight. The next day is flight is cancelled, he’s stuck at the airport for 12 hours, the next day his flight is cancelled and he is stuck for 12 hours. Please tell me how happy you would be in the same circumstance? Would you love United or would you be upset? Now add the fact that you have PTSD, a severe brain injury, and you’re traveling with an animal. That makes it worse. Now add that the staff are rude, now how do you feel. How much proof do you need? It’s already been confirmed he was stuck in Dulles for 3 days. He only got home because he flew American.
I fly 10 days a month, there are certain flights I avoid because I think the staff are horrible. My preference is Southwest Airlines and Jet Blue. United and US Airways, I will never fly period, too many bad experiences with lost luggage, delays, etc.
My father is disabled, he flies Southwest with his service dog. I fly back and forth with him to provide help and support. They are nothing but kind to us and very helpful. My dad gets really stressed out easily and I could see how the veteran would just lose it after the 3rd day. My dad could never survive being in an airport for 3 days.
I don’t see this guy asking for handouts, he’s asking for awareness, promote conversation, and as AMericans we are upset that he was treated that way. I don’t doubt his story, he doesn’t have to prove anything to me. I fly enough to see the difference between airlines customer service.
Southwest Airlines just donated 1.2 million dollars in travel to military veterans and families. I would like to see other airlines do the same. They charge enough with all these crazy bag fees, they need to give back.
We will have to agree to disagree.
There is never an excuse to treat a person with such meaness, no help & Never should a person or animal be kicked,hurt period.How United treats its employees is something that needs to be looked @ as it all comes down to the mighty dollar with United corporate @ the grunt workers better be efficient $ make that $$ & as far as United employees union goes in protection of their job with United look again as its not all that. Ask United or the UA supervisors @ Washington Dulles what happened to UA flight attendant 23 years & based @Dulles Holly Phields Farmer whose 2nd UA scheduled return to work date was September 8 2010 in the morning but never boarded her scheduled flight to Chicago O’Hare? Hollys friend reported her to 911 dispatch @ 11:00a.m. a suicide in progress as Holly too was diagnosed with PTSD & a few more mental illness after Sept 11 2001 she was working inflight that tradgic day.The police who knew Holly well from her prior attempts reported to 911 would take over 7 hours to locate her, deceased 6:30p.m. in The Washington & Old Dominion Park, a UA employee Im told went to ID her body Sept 9 2010 but UA never announced,acknowledged her death neither did the local news. I am glad Mr. Stanek found media outlets willing to share how horrible he & Sarge were treated & Im sure there are plenty more stories of inhumane treatment by UA that I hope people will share.
As a nation, we have to care about others. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day of our lives. I have the utmost respect for our military families and the sacrifices they make for us.
As a passionate advocate for disability and animal rights, I’m disturbed by United Airlines attitude. I realize a few bad apples, does not mean that all UAL employees are that way. Still, they need to take responsibility for their actions. They need to pay employees more and provide the training they need for stressful situations.
My heart goes out to Paws and Stripes Founder, Jim Staneck, I hope that this horrible situation will foster a positive discussion and enlightenment for our service peoples needs.
This man seems to be gaining attention for his own company. His dog, Sarge, was turned down to be trained by professionals.
So he decided to train his own dog himself and start his own company. His website says he used the Dillender Method. When I googled this method the first page to come up was his own and the second page was under construction. It makes me question just how well trained his dog, Sarge, is.
Also, from his own story he says several employees went out of their way to compensate him including vouchers for hotel, food and cab fare even when he was no longer eligible. So saying he was stuck for 3 days is completely misleading.
Also, his dog was kicked on two separate occasions at 2 airports and he didn’t say anything at the time? Why wait and make a youtube video days later? Why not take down names of the employees who kicked his dog or the one employee who asked him if he was “retarded.”
This entire story just doesn’t make any sense.
I don’t understand why he didn’t bring his medication with him. The TSA website “states that passengers with medical conditions are not subject to the same restrictions for their liquid or gel medications as are imposed on other liquids carried on board.”
Why blame the airline for delayed flights and not having your medication with you?
He made a YouTube video after he got home four days later.
Jim Stanek was featured on a Lisa Ling segment, “Invisible Wounds of War Breaking Their Silence” which is on YouTube. According to Lisa, Jim Stanek was booted from the military because he was deemed ”too hostile for combat” which doesn’t sound nearly as sympathetic as ”traumatic brain injury” but it sure explains a lot. Besides hostile, he was described as full of anger, anxiety, aggression and rage. Rage that is tearing his body and family apart as well as turning him into a ”miserable #^($#” by his own admission. And yet he said nothing and was perfectly saintly as two different people kicked his sweet dog on two different occasions? Evidentially Mr. Stanek has a tendency to exaggerate wildly, and might just be too hostile for air travel as well as the Army. (Resubmitted in case Jim’s word is deemed to filthy and won’t pass moderation).
So it says in the article that the UA employees had not been fired yet but later states that they didnt know who it was that this terrible thing. So did you look into who did it or not?