The power of one

The other day I was speaking to Dave Carroll, the musician who famously had his guitar broken by United Airlines baggage handlers. Dave had just come back from Washington, where he had been giving testimony at a hearing on passenger rights. He had been asked to attend the hearing by Kate Hanni, who leads flyersrights.org. That organisation is lobbying for a maximum amount of time that an airline can keep people 'hostage' in delayed aircraft before giving them the opportunity to get off. One of the issues is that airlines should provide basic amenities, such as potable water, for passengers in such a situation. Dave Carroll wants airlines to allow musicians to take their instruments on board aircraft. Isn't it good to see individuals getting the opportunity to challenge the airlines like this?

You would think that airlines would be taking these matters somewhat more seriously, especially after the embarrassment that United suffered after Dave's song United Breaks Guitars captured over five million YouTube views. But Dave is adamant that airlines still have a long way to go in understanding that their market is made up by a collection of individuals. Says Dave, "I'm not sure the airlines are learning anything". Meanwhile, the second United Breaks Guitars song has been uploaded onto YouTube. Will Dave see through his promise to issue a third song? "I said I would do three and I'm going to do three," he told me.

Dave Carroll has a good piece of advice if you happen to checking in a delicate item. Never ask for a 'Fragile' sticker. "It's a target," he says. "I know of baggage handlers who look for items with 'Fragile' stickers so they can break them."

You have been warned....