On his website, Carroll explains the ordeal:
In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didn’t deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say “no” to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise.
What is remarkable is that, despite our political differences, everyone on this blog seems united in disgust over the reduction of service, comfort, and courteousness on airlines. They are fast becoming what the telephone company was once as an industry: viewed as a monolithic bureaucratic soul-crushing industry.
Update: The tactic of singing to airlines appears to work. United Airlines reportedly now wants to “make it right” with Carroll. Now, if only all of us had a band and a video good enough to go viral.