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A nappy change prompted high security alert on a recent United Airlines flight from DC to San Francisco. Philip Shishkin recalls his brush with authorities.
The United Airlines flight from DC to San Francisco, a 6-plus hour slog in a decrepit aircraft, had just landed and pulled up to the gate. Passengers leapt up from their seats, grabbed their bags and clogged the isles maneuvering to escape the cramped, unpleasant and outdated experience that flying on many U.S. airlines has become.
Over the PA system, the captain counseled patience. There was a delay, he said, and clicked out. A few minutes later, he came back on, and said it would be a few more minutes. He clicked out again. People weren’t happy. They grunted and swore under their breaths as they slumped back into their seats. Phones trilled all around. Airlines rarely tell you what’s going on in a single helping, but prefer to dribble out bad news in installments. And sure enough, it took a few more minutes for the captain to finally indulge us with this: “members of San Francisco police are on their way to meet the aircraft,” he said. And that’s when I knew United Airlines really was as ridiculous as I thought.
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