Passengers expect little from air travel nowadays. They want to land within a few hours of the scheduled arrival time, preferably at the same time as their luggage, and they want their person and belongings to be in one piece.
 
So when United passenger Dave Carroll discovered that his $3,500 guitar had been smashed by workers (who were seen tossing guitars), he contacted the airline. But he did so after the 24-hour statute of limitations for complaints expired. ...