A CANADIAN musician who accused United Airlines of breaking his prized guitar has taken his revenge, writing a song that has become an internet hit and a public relations disaster for the airline.
Dave Carroll composed United Breaks Guitars and posted it on YouTube after he said the airline damaged his treasured Taylor acoustic at Chicago's O'Hare airport last year.
Dave Carroll strums away his frustration.
"We were sitting at the back of the plane with the band and a woman who didn't know we were musicians yells out, 'Oh, my God, they're throwing guitars outside'," Carroll said.
After months of trying to get the airline to pay compensation and help repair the instrument, valued at $C3500 ($A3853), Carroll changed tack.
"I had this sort of epiphany," he said. "I'm going to write songs about your airline and I'm going to put them on YouTube and talk about my experience."
On Thursday, United Breaks Guitars had nearly half a million views on YouTube and had been covered by the major news networks. The video features the folk-rockers looking on in horror as "United" ground staff clumsily play catch with a guitar case and pound it with mallets.
A United Airlines spokesman told the Los Angeles Times the "video is excellent and we plan to use it internally as a unique learning and training opportunity to ensure that all our customers receive better service".
The American Federation of Musicians said Carroll's case was "not unlike the classic David and Goliath story", and highlighted a common problem for musicians. "With this one song, David has remarkably been able to accomplish something that lobbyists have been trying to resolve for 10 years," said Bill Skolnik, an AFM vice-president.
AFP