Customer Service Story – United Airlines

A few years ago Kelly Drake and United airlines caused a media frenzy after the airline went out of their way to ensure they were able to satisfy his need. This airline customer service story will warm your heart.

It all began when Drake got a call from his brother, it was about his mom, she’d been suffering from Rheumatoid arthritis for years, and the medications she used to treat the ailment had weakened her immune system. She was dying.

Drake caught the next flight from San Francisco (where he works) to Lubbock, Texas, via Houston.

“I knew this itinerary was a risk because the stopover in Houston was only about 40 minutes, and my connecting flight was the last flight to Lubbock that day,” he says. “But I needed to get there as soon as possible, so I took the risk.”

As fate would have it, United flight 667 was delayed in leaving San Francisco. This meant that Drake might not get the chance to see his mother before she passed. He became visibly upset and broke down in tears.

Sofia Lares a United airlines flight attendant tried to comfort him. “She said she would do everything she could and brought extra napkins for my tears,” Drake said.

Lan Chung another United airline flight attendant, got Drake’s flight number and sent it across to the flight Captain. By the time Flight 667 landed in Houston, his connecting flight to Lubbock was supposed to have left the gate.

According to Drake “As I was running up to the gate, the gate agent saw me coming and shouted, ‘Mr. Drake? We’ve been expecting you!” he said.

“That’s when I knew they had conspired to help me. She waved me onto the plane without looking at my boarding pass.”

United airlines had held the flight for him, and he was able to make it to Lubbock as scheduled.

“Had I missed my flight to Lubbock, I would not have been able to tell my mom goodbye,”

Drake said. “When she died, I realized I was wiping away my tears with the extra United napkins that Sofia had given me the day before.”

Drake remains very grateful to the flight crew that made it possible for him to bid his mum a final farewell, including attendants on his San Francisco flight and Captain Edward Goldstein and the flight’s first officer, Dirk Chilian.

Needless to say, after such a intense experience with the airline Kerry Drake would be remain a strong advocate and loyal a customer.

An Airline customer service story like this is not common, as airlines are not known for being so customer-centric, especially in developing countries. (Read: Exceptional Customer Service Story – Southwest Airlines) This event put United Airlines on international news as an Airline that cares and goes the extra miles for customers. The story has been retold and shared by numerous people on various websites and customer service forums.

Although there is a risk that other passengers on-board the United Airlines flight were inconvenienced, the impact of such stories about companies going above & beyond for their customers is invaluable on brand image.