After some 2,000,000+ (that's right -- over two million) flight miles, this is a first for me: A 6-hour delay, due to some undisclosed "security issue."
But as if that weren't bad enough ....
Passengers were already positioned in their seats. There were the standard announcements about the flight time, and there was even something said about how we were going to depart Fort Lauderdale and arrive in Newark "on-time."
Then, it got weird. Fast.
Suddenly, in plain sight (for all to see), a flight attendant abruptly rushed from the back of the plane, past all the passengers (with her bags), the pilot and co-pilot, quickly exited the cockpit, retrieved their items from the first-class cabin's overhead baggage-storage areas, and left the plane ... (way before the passengers did)!
What seemed liked an eternity later, after those crew members departed, an announcement was made that the flight would be delayed some SIX (6) HOURS (because of that unexplained "security issue"), and that all passengers needed to take their belongings and deplane.
(I thought the Captain went down with the ship. Oh, wait, not @ United!)
Ended up staying down in Florida, missing meetings in NYC, and incurring additional costs, like a rental car.
Other passengers missed connections.
Not good, United.
(Far from "friendly" skies, this morning.)