tomas
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Post by tomas on Apr 11, 2017 6:31:35 GMT -8
Overbooking is just another nasty habit the airline industry uses to squeeze ever larger profits. The idea that a paying passenger would have to get off a plane against his will in order for United to fly crew members to another airport is ludicrous.
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Post by Campfires&Concierges on Apr 11, 2017 7:01:56 GMT -8
Ok, I'll play devil's advocate, because I am so over the media-manufactured outrage and click bait articles that everyone is so fond of these days. Did United F up majorly? Yes and so did Chicago law enforcement, who are actually the ones physically removing him from the plane.
However...this "doctor's" reaction was extreme and did not help matters at all. There were 3 other people who were asked to leave and did so without incident. This guy went into toddler tantrum mode and somehow thought that would help things. Once he was removed from the plane, he escaped law enforcement and ran back onto the plane...as if that would somehow work out and the flight would take off?! Seems to me this doctor thought he was the most important person on this plane.
If you travel enough, you're going to get bumped. Sh*t happens.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Apr 11, 2017 8:25:15 GMT -8
I'm actually rather surprised that they got no takers at $800, though of course having to wait a full day for the next flight is not a small thing. Still, that would pay for a hotel, meals, and a chance to check out the town--or a flight on another airline. There are times when you can't wait--and I'd think that the airline could have paid attention to the guy's needs and turned to another person. Or, as some have noted, upped the ante. Or sent their crew members on another airline, or gotten the bumped passengers on another airline.
But above all, they should have worked it all out before boarding anyone.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2017 8:58:57 GMT -8
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Hungry Jack
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Post by Hungry Jack on Apr 11, 2017 9:01:01 GMT -8
Ok, I'll play devil's advocate, because I am so over the media-manufactured outrage and click bait articles that everyone is so fond of these days. Did United F up majorly? Yes and so did Chicago law enforcement, who are actually the ones physically removing him from the plane. However...this "doctor's" reaction was extreme and did not help matters at all. There were 3 other people who were asked to leave and did so without incident. This guy went into toddler tantrum mode and somehow thought that would help things. Once he was removed from the plane, he escaped law enforcement and ran back onto the plane...as if that would somehow work out and the flight would take off?! Seems to me this doctor thought he was the most important person on this plane. If you travel enough, you're going to get bumped. Sh*t happens. I actually agree. Both parties at fault. United needlessly escalated this, and that passenger was foolish. Apparently he has some history of bad behavior.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Apr 11, 2017 9:16:33 GMT -8
Overbooking is just another nasty habit the airline industry uses to squeeze ever larger profits. The idea that a paying passenger would have to get off a plane against his will in order for United to fly crew members to another airport is ludicrous. My understanding is that this was the crew for the return flight. On one hand, it's unfortunate that several people needed to be bumped, but there would have been a lot more unhappy passengers had the plane continued on and there was no flight crew available to fly it back.
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GaliWalker
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Post by GaliWalker on Apr 11, 2017 9:22:37 GMT -8
I actually agree. Both parties at fault. United needlessly escalated this, and that passenger was foolish. Apparently he has some history of bad behavior. ^ Sorry, I don't agree. Once United started it the customer was in his rights to kick up a fuss. United should have made it work, somehow, so that it was acceptable. Dragging a passenger off a flight when he didn't start anything is ridiculous. A couple of years ago, flying on Delta not United, a colleague and I were bumped off a business flight. We had confirmed tickets, but had not picked our seats when booking the tickets. This was enough for them to feel justified in kicking us off since they had overbooked. (Evidently, it is standard practice for airlines to overbook, especially on new routes, and then readjust the amount of seats overbooked over time. In our case, they had overbooked 10 seats.) There were some tears and angry displays (one lady threw her passport in the face of one staff member, who was quite maddeningly laughing about it later) but, like the 3 individuals on the United flight, my colleague and I quietly accepted our fate. Thereupon our luggage failed to reach us when we booked some other flights and we had to buy a new set of clothes to be presentable for our meetings. We should have kicked up a fuss.
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FamilySherpa
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Post by FamilySherpa on Apr 11, 2017 10:18:31 GMT -8
I've taken the option to leave an overbooked flight before and seen others take the option, but 1.) ive never heard of it being a cash offer. its usually an airline voucher for room, meals, & future flight of your choice and 2.) in my experience, the airline usually will raise the offer until they get a volunteer. Never seen them make a single offer and then forcibly remove someone.
I'm sure the passenger signed off on some fine print saying this could happen, so legally they are likely protected, but man what a PR blunder.
Airlines: It cannot possibly be any more insufferable to travel using airlines United: hold my beer.
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swiftdream
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Post by swiftdream on Apr 11, 2017 10:43:47 GMT -8
IMHO poor move on United's part. This should have been done prior to boarding. Exactly and that is indeed the policy of every airline that I've flown. They sold this 69 year old doctor a ticket, gave him a boarding pass and waved him through to find his seat and get in it. Then they drag him out of it when he finds that the next flight out is sometime the next day. That is not right in any way. Sounds like they have lost a billion dollars of net worth so far from the incredibly poor handling of this and the cop who overstepped his authority is on forced leave which they investigate. This bloodied doctor has a very good serious lawsuit. I don't know if they give cash money or not. When Delta entices folks to give up their seats at the gate long before boarding they offer Delta Dollars whatever that is. I quit flying United 20 years ago, didn't like their horrible policies. At that time I believe they were the number one airline to cancel a flight, not for maintenance problems or weather. Then they offered a 25 dollar voucher for the next United flight you would take, something I never did again. Flying is bad enough without people holding up their end of the deal.
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Hungry Jack
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Post by Hungry Jack on Apr 11, 2017 10:56:48 GMT -8
I actually agree. Both parties at fault. United needlessly escalated this, and that passenger was foolish. Apparently he has some history of bad behavior. ^ Sorry, I don't agree. Once United started it the customer was in his rights to kick up a fuss. United should have made it work, somehow, so that it was acceptable. Dragging a passenger off a flight when he didn't start anything is ridiculous. A couple of years ago, flying on Delta not United, a colleague and I were bumped off a business flight. We had confirmed tickets, but had not picked our seats when booking the tickets. This was enough for them to feel justified in kicking us off since they had overbooked. (Evidently, it is standard practice for airlines to overbook, especially on new routes, and then readjust the amount of seats overbooked over time. In our case, they had overbooked 10 seats.) There were some tears and angry displays (one lady threw her passport in the face of one staff member, who was quite maddeningly laughing about it later) but, like the 3 individuals on the United flight, my colleague and I quietly accepted our fate. Thereupon our luggage failed to reach us when we booked some other flights and we had to buy a new set of clothes to be presentable for our meetings. We should have kicked up a fuss. Do you realize that once the situation was ceded by United to the FAA (ie, federal authorities) that it became a federal legal matter? If a federal official asks you comply with an order, it is generally a very good idea to do so. There is a legal and safety reason to comply. I am not completely sympathetic to the passenger. Note that this does not absolve United from their role in escalating this to that point. They should have upped the ante. Now they have a huge PR nightmare on their hands.
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GaliWalker
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Post by GaliWalker on Apr 11, 2017 11:11:09 GMT -8
^ Yes, I do realize this, but this only became a 'safety issue' because United made it so.
By the way, I think it isn't only the FAA authorities that have the legal right to order you about, airline staff can do so too. However, don't you think that this law is to keep things safe and harmonious, if the passenger is the one creating the ruckus? e.g. A passenger is belligerent to others, or there is an emergency onboard. To allow things to come to a head, resulting in kicking people off a flight forcibly is on United.
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Hungry Jack
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Post by Hungry Jack on Apr 11, 2017 11:13:58 GMT -8
^ Yes, I do realize this, but this only became a 'safety issue' because United made it so. I think we agree on that. But once it got to the (Unnecessary) point of getting the federal police involved, that guy should have complied. This was not some crazy strip search or racial profile (United chose the passenger). It was a federal officer asking a person to comply with federal law.
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GaliWalker
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Post by GaliWalker on Apr 11, 2017 11:17:01 GMT -8
^ Yes, I'm with you there.
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tomas
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Post by tomas on Apr 11, 2017 13:27:40 GMT -8
I'm not sure it was federal officers ejecting the passenger. I'm not sure it was even the local cops, rather it was mall cop equivalents the airport hired.
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tomas
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Post by tomas on Apr 11, 2017 13:29:22 GMT -8
My understanding is that this was the crew for the return flight. On one hand, it's unfortunate that several people needed to be bumped, but there would have been a lot more unhappy passengers had the plane continued on and there was no flight crew available to fly it back So out of the hundreds of pilots that United has in their system they couldn't move a different group to that flight? This was United's screw up, the passenger shouldn't be forced to lose his seat.
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