If United Airlines had just been proactive, Elliot Pembrook said, it would never have come to this.
But after the Los Angeles man was mistakenly identified as one of two terrorists responsible for the massacre in Paris that killed 12, and removed from a flight that landed at Newark-Liberty International Airport last month, the airline's belated apology and monetary remuneration weren't enough.
"What they offered me," Pembrook told NJ.com, "was a slap in the face."
It all transpired on Jan. 8 when Pembrook was traveling on a United Airlines flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Newark, N.J. A fellow passenger thought Pembrook was one of two terrorists responsible for the massacre in Paris the previous day, when the offices of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo were stormed by Islamic extremists upset that the publication had published satirical cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. Twelve people were killed.
A fellow passenger alerted a flight attendant, who in turn alerted the pilots, who in turn called federal authorities saying they had a passenger that resembled suspect Said Kouachi. U.S. customs agents and police boarded the plane when it landed at Newark and detained Pembrook for two hours.
But it was the aftermath that bothered him most. Pembrook said United never acknowledged the incident and only apologized - three weeks later - after he reached out to the carrier.
"I wanted an apology, and I just wanted some kind of explanation," Pembrook said. "…I didn't go up to the customer care people at the airport. I didn't want to get in trouble for yelling at anybody about how I was treated. Customs said that United's decision was stupid but that they had to act, and the U.S. Marshal that showed up simply asked, 'Is this the guy?' and then immediately left. No one from United ever showed up during any of this or at the end to even blurt out an, 'Oops I'm sorry.'"
When United did contact Pembrook, it was with an e-mailed apology and a $500 credit.
"What they offered me was a slap in the face, especially as I had to contact them and their response took something like three weeks," he said.
A United spokesman told NJ.com, "Whenever a crew member or a customer has cause for concern, relaying that concern to the proper authorities is absolutely the right thing to do. The authorities are the right ones to determine whether the threat is legitimate."
Johnson added, however, "We should have reached out proactively. We hope that he will understand that our apology is sincere and that he will give us another chance."
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