United We Stand, Disgruntled We Fall

http://money.cnn.com/2009/04/06/news/companies/airline_quality/index.htm?postversion=2009040610
I recently found myself standing in front of the United Airlines kiosk waiting for said machine to vomit forth my boarding pass while a watchful but mostly disdainful UA employee kept me in his peripheral vision. A fellow random traveler whose audible sighs wafted past me was clearly in some sort of distress having to do with the inability of his kiosk to answer his question. "These prompts don't have the info I need" he called to no one in particular. Dead silence.
I had just finished so I thought I'd lend a helping hand. "What do you need?"
"My gate number is nowhere to be found on my boarding pass OR the computer screen, and I keep having to log back on with my confirmation number because it shuts me down when I take too long." I checked his methods just to make sure he wasn't some sort of idiot or flat out bat s*%t crazy and his gate number was in fact, a mystery. Putting on my most gracious face and using the polite voice I learned to substitute for my shrill God given one in kindergarten, I tried to summon one of the four airline employees who stood not two feet away. "Can you help him find the screen he needs?" I implored. "Just read it" one delightful layabout suggests.
You can probably imagine how this case scenario deteriorated until whatever shreds were left went swirling down the vortex into the land of "travel horror stories".
The end result was one very unhappy male traveler who stalked off, shaking his head and saying "flying is just not what it used to be". So true.
I can't say I wasted too much time contemplating his sorrow, as my trip was a whirlwind all girls extravaganza in Vegas that included spa time, a private cabana at the pool, endless gambling and late nights dancing, but it did give me food for thought when I returned.
I've flown every airline numerous times in my life and in my opinion no other carrier has lost it's touch quite as obviously as United. Snarky comebacks to travelers questions, rolling eyes at simple requests, inability to keep a level head over simple infractions (in this case a toddler repeatedly pushing the stewardess call button). Next time I fly Continental.