We’re not sure what is going on with Continental Airlines lately but people are writing in to let us know that something foul is afoot. The latest indignity also involves the Manchester, NH airport. Apparently, a reader who was unable to get to Cleveland on time was told that the airline simply forgot to schedule a pilot for his flight.

Reader Andrew says:

I was supposed to be flying from Manchester to Cleveland on June 20 at 2:05 p.m. I arrived at the airport extremely early, checked in, and settled down in a chair to watch the end of the second World Cup game that day. When I got up, I walked around and glanced at the “Departures” screen to see if my flight was on time. Answer: nope, it was cancelled, as was the next flight to Cleveland. Thinking it was some sort of mix-up, I went to the gate and the man working confirmed that they were both cancelled. “Why?” I asked. He let out a big sigh and said that someone at Continental “forgot to arrange for pilots for these two flights.”

It sounded ridiculous – what airline is going to “forget” to send pilots where they need to go? Isn’t that sort of a basic step in running an airlines? Regardless, I got a ticket for a flight at 8:05 p.m. and asked for some sort of compensation. He gave me an incredibly generous $12 voucher for food and sent me on my way. When I landed in Cleveland, I was walking through the airport and overheard a few flight attendants talking about their weekend. They had a pretty good weekend – except for the “Manchester Mess.”

Sometimes flight delays aren’t due to mechanical problems – they come down to human error.

In other news, we’ve posted an update to our other Manchester Continental Airlines story. Now that just leaves us to post this:

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.