This morning I flew from Washington Dulles to Tampa on United 99. I take this flight at least once a week and it's very rarely exciting, but today was an exception. I was seated in seat 2B (it was an Airbus 320), and as boarding finished up I saw the captain come aboard with five…
Continue reading: I flew with Captain John McFadden!
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
HOW TO FIX UNITED AIRLINES:
Step 1. Invent cloning machine.
Step 2. Politely ask Captains Flanagan and McFadden to step into the machine.
Step 3. Distribute clones throughout fleet.
Step 4. Go back and add Captain Sullenberger if necessary.
Leadership, work ethic and effort flow from the top down. Once the crews and ground staff see what a fantastic job captains like the above two are doing, they might just fall in line and lose the attitude. (Although, cloning UAX@SFO would be a good start for the ground staffers...)
Great! It's always fun to be around people that really like their job. So few of these guys and these execs have really figured out that there are ways to make the service provided by the industry a little less of a commodity. Oh, wait, Southwest has.
I recall flying with Capt McFadden once and also wrote about it on FT. I was upgraded to F between ORD and LGA and he did similar. Although I don't recall coffee and a contest, he did make great announcements, turn on Ch 9, and distribute handwritten notes on his business card to all F pax. FANTASTIC representative for UA.
Yup, had the same captain on an SFO-EWR flight lat month. Same wonderful experience, including receiving his business card that I still carry in my wallet.
I had Captain McFadden last week SMF-ORD. For Father's Day, he was at the front of the plane handing out the 10% off certificates to every father.
He actually came out into the gate area prior to the start of boarding to introduce himself and talk a bit about the flight. He was flying that flight so no special briefing on Channel 9, but he did point out a number of points of interest along the way.
It's definitely folks like Captain McFadden, Flanagan (both of them), and the other great ones that make United special.
Thanks for sharing this; really makes my day just hearing about it. Bravo Captain McFadden, an absolute pro.
I am a United Airlines Flight Attendant and I have had the honor of working with Captain Mc Fadden on a special assignment team for TED. He is truly an inspiration. He genuinely cares for the safety and comfort of each person onboard. His simple acts of kindness make such a difference, and I'm thrilled so many others have been able to experience it! Thanks John..YOU are the BEST!
Flew many times as a federal agent (USDOJ) across this Great Country and outside the ZI (USAF)...you make (our) Scotch-Irish name proud...outstanding MO.
jm