In terms of fun weekend controversy, it looks like will.i.am had a bit of a lounge issue with United this weekend, via The Daily Mail. Let me say upfront that my impression is that will.i.am is actually a really good guy… for what it’s worth.
Here are his Tweets from yesterday, in chronological order:
#unitedAIRLINES is the worse. Im a member & I have my card to prove it. but they tell me my card is fake & kick me out the lounge#ouch
And then this, which is confusing because the corresponding picture is of the United Global First Lounge (which you can’t buy a membership to) and not the United Club:
Ha ha ha I got kick out the club…
#unitedCLUBsucks… http://twitpic.com/e3fbzr
And then he makes his own lounge:
I fly so much…a business should know who their customers are…its ok im making this my lounge http://twitpic.com/e3fcdc
And then the pilot asks him to “take a selfie:”
I get kicked out of the @united lounge because they say I’m not a member…oh well…& then the @united pilot asks me to take a selfie
#WTF
But really that’s okay because he got them there safely:
@Ferg_peabody @united yes I did…he flew us to our destination safely…that’s what’s important…I’m over being kicked out the lounge…
So as an airline/lounge nerd I’m kind of curious about what happened here. He was traveling to DC, and the furniture in his “makeshift” lounge suggests to me that he was flying out of JFK Airport. Someone correct me if I’m wrong, please.
If that’s the case:
- Was his United Club membership card actually expired, or was he just trying to use the United Global First Lounge when he only had access to the United Club?
- If the latter, surely they could have communicated that to him more clearly.
- If that is indeed the United Global First Lounge New York JFK, why on earth would he fly United on a CRJ between JFK and IAD when he could fly one of the Shuttle services with first class out of LGA and into DCA?
Yes, I’m perhaps more fascinated by this than I should be! It’s normal to see celebrities rant about their flying experiences, which can usually be chalked up to them being douchebags since they think they deserve special treatment. But this is a case that’s genuinely puzzling.
(Tip of the hat to Jim)
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