United Breaks Guitars: Band Takes UA Baggage Complaint to YouTube

Some might call it a taste of sweet revenge, but for musician Dave Carroll, it was a creative way of expressing his disappointment with United Airlines baggage handling, after they smashed his guitar and refused to pick up the $1200 tab to fix it.

Carroll and his band, based in Halifax, NS, were changing planes at Chicago's-O'Hare airport March 31, 2008, when the heard a passenger exclaim, "My God, they're throwing guitars out there," Carroll said. After spending nine months of unsuccessfully reasoning with United Airlines, including with representatives from the United States and India, he finally decided to write a few songs to describe his experience.

Meanwhile, United officials who have seen the video are asking Carroll for permission to use it internally to help change its culture.