 !!PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE!!
This article is a follow up to yesterday's article which Iain posted.
Here is the letter which Iain & Julia sent to United. It is included here so that it could be cut and paste somewhere else - but is also available as a downloadable Microsoft Word document.
Feel free to use all or part of the letter in your own letter to UAL. If we are to achieve anything we must move quickly to create awareness within United - layoffs are imminent.
United Airlines
Customer Relations-WHQPW
P.O. Box 66100
Chicago, IL 60666
USA September ----, 2001
Re: United Flight 929/ LHR to ORD/ September 11, 2001
Flight Deck Crew: Captain: Mike Ballard
First Officer: Terence Hartsfield
First Officer: Rick Richard
Cabin Crew: Supervisor: Paul Garforth
Purser: Natasha Gagarin
Flight Attendants: Nancy Seige Jennifer Evans
Wayne Merritt Judith Bliss
Zoe Brew Colleen Donnellan
Pedro Tosti Sarah Rowe
Suzana Aliagas Bianca Ince
John Lee Callewyn Veronica van Craenenbroeck
Dear United Airlines,
We was were passenger on UA Flight 929 that left London's Heathrow airport
at 11:00 am on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 bound for Chicago. Due to the terrorist
attack on America later that day, our flight was diverted to Gander airport,
Newfoundland. We subsequently spent the next 5 days in Gambo, Newfoundland before
finally continuing on UA929 to Chicago arriving at 10:30 am on Sunday, September
16.
The purpose of us writing this letter to UAL is to inform you of our utmost
praise, respect and love for the wonderful crew of flight UA929 who did everything
they could to keep us informed of events as they unfolded and took each one
of us into their hearts and treated us as if we were family.
Right from the start of this ordeal, Captain Mike Ballard and his flight deck
crew did everything they could to keep us informed of the events as they unfolded.
During our unscheduled descent into Gander, 3.5 hours from Chicago, despite
not knowing the travesty that had hit at home, Captain Ballard reassured and
calmed the bewildered and worried passengers of their own safety and the integrity
of our 777 aircraft. Upon arrival in Gander we had been made aware that there
had been a major disaster in the US and in an effort to better inform the passengers,
the flight deck crew were able to raise BBC World Radio which was then channeled
into the audio system so all the passengers could listen and be informed.
The moment news came across the audio system about the nature of the events
that had occurred in New York and Washington, tremendous shock and sadness descended
upon the passengers and cabin crew, many of whom were visibly distressed and
upset at what they had heard. At that time and despite their own feelings of
loss and pain, the cabin crew set about comforting the many passengers who needed
support. It was a time of great emotional stress at hearing of the shocking
attacks at home and also not knowing of what was to become of us. It was to
be almost 24 hours that we were all to spend together on our Boeing 777 before
disembarking. In this time the crew was confronted with many problems ranging
from a malfunction in the aircraft's bleeder valve that provides air conditioning
, to a lack of food for every body on the aircraft.
Through all this, the crew were upbeat and friendly and did their wholehearted
best to keep us informed, reassured and comforted. Some passengers were distressed
about relatives who might have been in the WTC or the Pentagon or onboard the
planes that were involved in the attack. Communication during this time was
very difficult. Yet, for every one of these passengers, the crew tried and in
many cases succeeded, in connecting passengers with their loved ones, sometimes
sharing their own cell phones, to at least,touch base and ease the
anxieties of their passengers. During this 24-hour period, most of the passengers
became familiar with the flight deck crew and cabin crew of UA929 and we felt
very, very privileged to have been the recipients of their professionalism and
caring.
The ordeal for UA929 and her passengers and crew did not finish with our disembarkation.
The passengers were taken off to the small town of Gambo, about 30 minutes from
Gander airport, while the crew were housed in a hotel in Gander. For the rest
of our stay in Newfoundland the remaining 196 passengers were cared for by the
Salvation Army and the people of Gambo who took us into their community and
opened their hearts and generosity to the large influx of stranded passengers.
We wish to also take this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of these most
dear people of Newfoundland who treated as their own and pulled out all stops
to ensure our safety and comfort.
During our time in Gambo, we were delighted with and excited by periodic visits
from Captain Ballard and his crew. With each visit came an impromptu meeting
at which Captain Ballard followed by other crew members would brief us as to
our current status as well as the procedures that would be followed when we
were finally to re-board UA929. Each meeting concluded with many questions from
various concerned passengers, to which the crew always did their best to provide
an informative answer and always in a friendly and sympathetic fashion. In some
cases the crew did not have immediate answers but took note of the passenger's
name and their question so that they could subsequently contact the appropriate
authority and get the information that was required-this was then relayed back
to the passenger from the crew at their hotel. After these meetings the crew
would then mingle with the passengers engaging in conversation and getting to
know each one of us on a more personal level.
UA929 finally departed Gander on the morning of Sunday, September 16. For many
of us , Chicago was not the final stop and further connections were required
to get to our destinations. We again are so very grateful to Captain Ballard
and the crew for ensuring that United Airlines Operations were made aware of
our plight. Because of this, we and many other passengers were able to be placed
on connecting flights and get to our destinations that same day without further
delay.
It is very difficult for us to find all of the appropriate words to commend
the flight deck and cabin crew of UA929. We feel that we were truly blessed
to have had such wonderful and professional people at our service, who always
put the needs of their passengers before their own and who will forever remain
in our hearts and minds. This letter seems such a small token of our appreciation,
but we truly hope that in writing, the extraordinary efforts and humanity of
this crew will be duly recognized and rewarded by the United Airlines corporation.
Yours sincerely,
Iain L. Campbell
(Premier 100K; MPN 00168168764)
Julia R. Campbell
(MPN: 00308100553 )
encl. Photographs.
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