United Airlines initiates self-immolation

[Brad Johnson]

Overbooked a flight then had an employee wanting a seat. Asked for pax to voluntarily get off the flight. When none did they picked one and dragged him off by force.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/04/10/police-violently-drag-man-from-united-plane-after-airline-reportedly-overbooked-flight.html


Their Facebook page is starting to smoke.

https://www.facebook.com/United/


In United's attempt to save face I'm guessing said passenger will eventually get an enormous apology from United corporate and a flight crew will be "enrolled in customer service training". If I were him I would insist on a free lifetime supply of family-size first class ticket vouchers.

Brad

[wmenorr67]

In United's attempt to save face I'm guessing said passenger will eventually get an enormous apology from United corporate and a flight crew will be "enrolled in customer service training". If I were him I would insist on a free lifetime supply of family-size first class ticket vouchers.

Brad

On some other airline other than United.

[K Frame]

Holy *expletive deleted*it...

I know what I'd have...

I'd have a team of lawyers and a lawsuit for, oh say, $100 million...

[K Frame]

Looks like United has already sanitized their facebook page, because I'm not seeing anything on it at all.

[Brad Johnson]

Looks like United has already sanitized their facebook page, because I'm not seeing anything on it at all.

Comments on unrelated posts have taken a pointed and very unsavory tone.

Brad

[MechAg94]

I was thinking in the past I had heard of airlines offering people incentives to get bumped to a later flight.  Like cash or first class voucher or something.  I figure someone would have volunteered if the incentives were good enough.  

I wonder if they bothered to pull his luggage off the plane (assuming he had any).  

[MechAg94]

Many passengers filmed the incident on their phones, and one said the man was a doctor who was required to fly home for work.

Tyler Bridges tweeted, "Not a good way to treat a doctor trying to get to work because they overbooked."

"He told the police and the United employees he had to be at the hospital in the morning to see patients," Bridges further explained.

Yeah, because everyone knows doctors don't have enough money to afford good lawyers.   

I would say the United employees chose poorly. 

[zxcvbob]

Looks like United has already sanitized their facebook page, because I'm not seeing anything on it at all.

Page down a little.

[TechMan]

Comments on unrelated posts have taken a pointed and very unsavory tone.

Brad

Yea they have...

Jeremy Griffith
Jeremy Griffith Hello, I am into BDSM, do I have to pay extra for the punch in the face? I noticed the doctor had three hired goons, is that a package deal or do I pay a la carte? All kidding aside, I am never, EVER flying United again, I could only imagine that happening in front of my kids, or god forbid happening to me. I used to fly you guys solely when you were Continental for business, but I can guarantee you Southwest will be getting my business in the future. No excuse is good enough for what you guys did.

[Ben]

I was thinking in the past I had heard of airlines offering people incentives to get bumped to a later flight.  Like cash or first class voucher or something.  I figure someone would have volunteered if the incentives were good enough.  

Yes, I've done that once before, for a free round trip to anywhere in the continental US, and I believe it was even on United. I've only done it once because on the probably 7-10 times I've been on a flight where they asked for someone to stay behind, other people got there ahead of me. A couple of times they started with stuff like "1000 frequent flyer miles" and worked their way up from there until they hooked a fish.

Nothing in the story indicates they offered an incentive. I have to wonder if for some reason they didn't, because I've never seen one turned down by the time they get to "free round trip ticket". There's pretty much always at least one person on a flight who's not in a big hurry.

[makattak]

This is one instance where the Airline likely acted completely lawfully.


And are going to pay for it, good and hard.


Just a reminder, just because something is legal doesn't mean it's a good idea.

[K Frame]

OK, I was looking for a separate thread....

[Fly320s]

This is one instance where the Airline likely acted completely lawfully.


And are going to pay for it, good and hard.


Just a reminder, just because something is legal doesn't mean it's a good idea.

This.

There are many ways to be right, but this is the worst way to do it.

[K Frame]

This is one instance where the Airline likely acted completely lawfully.


And are going to pay for it, good and hard.


Just a reminder, just because something is legal doesn't mean it's a good idea.

I seriously question that. What right do they have to get the police to force a paying passenger out of his seat, against his will? Seems that the police should also be paying very hard on this one, as well, since they were responding not to a security issue but a business practices issue.

[Brad Johnson]

Seems United's attention has been gotten'd

https://www.facebook.com/United/photos/a.218041034900113.48865.199504650087085/1327123630658509/?type=3&theater

Comments range from brutally direct to outright hostility. Up less than ten minutes and already over 500 responses.

Brad

[grampster]

The Blaze is reporting airline offered $400, then $800 and some free tickets.  2 of the 4 people needed to be bumped took the incentive.

[Ben]

The Blaze is reporting airline offered $400, then $800 and some free tickets.  2 of the 4 people needed to be bumped took the incentive.

I don't ever recall cash offers when I ran into those circumstances. Hard to believe they could only find two people who were willing to be a little late to wherever they were going for $800 cash and free tickets. I'd do that in a heartbeat, including changing appointments and stuff if it were business travel. I would expect at least 25% of the passengers on that flight were just going home or to some leisure activity.

I'm not excusing United dragging the guy off the plane, but geez, I guess I'm out of touch with the definition of "good deal".

[TechMan]

This was posted in Brad's third link:
 

[RevDisk]

I seriously question that. What right do they have to get the police to force a paying passenger out of his seat, against his will? Seems that the police should also be paying very hard on this one, as well, since they were responding not to a security issue but a business practices issue.

Yep. If the police are smart, they settle that one quick. It's not the coal mining days were the police were expected to be corporate goons. Cameras and regional newspapers made life hard for cops that saw themselves as the enforcement arm of whatever the local big business was. United Fruit still holds the world record, they practically owned the USMC for a couple decades.

The guy was demanding the service he paid for. While United legally can probably cancel a ticket for any or no reason, doing so to a doctor because they want to send an employee... That's just bad PR, right there. If a patient died, that'd be hilariously bad PR to the point were it would likely end up in a textbook somewhere.

Guy did nothing wrong other than being unhappy about being bumped. And he had a fairly correct view of the situation. I'm rarely one to believe certain classes deserve special treatment. "Doctor on the way to a hospital" warrants consideration. Ditto nurse, EMTs, whatever. Maybe if United was sending an emergency flight crew, mechanics, etc. But seriously, they couldn't find someone OTHER than a doctor to ask to give up their seats?

[K Frame]

"I'm not excusing United dragging the guy off the plane, but geez, I guess I'm out of touch with the definition of "good deal"."

I've not flown since the early 1990s (and I never intend to fly again), but I get the feeling that for a lot of people, given the monumental amount of *expletive deleted*it that they have to deal with security wise (squeeze your balls today, sir?) and the ever growing number of fees that people are less and less likely to respond to offers like this because it means doubling or even tripling down on the amount of *expletive deleted*it you have to go through.

[Fly320s]

I seriously question that. What right do they have to get the police to force a paying passenger out of his seat, against his will? Seems that the police should also be paying very hard on this one, as well, since they were responding not to a security issue but a business practices issue.

The same right a business has to kick you out of their store.  If you don't leave voluntarily, you will be forced out by those authorized to use force.

Just because a person has a ticket for a flight, that does not mean that person has a right to be on that flight.  If United decides to remove a passenger for any legal reason, then United may do so and may request the police assist.

[Fly320s]

"I'm not excusing United dragging the guy off the plane, but geez, I guess I'm out of touch with the definition of "good deal"."

I've not flown since the early 1990s (and I never intend to fly again), but I get the feeling that for a lot of people, given the monumental amount of *expletive deleted*it that they have to deal with security wise (squeeze your balls today, sir?) and the ever growing number of fees that people are less and less likely to respond to offers like this because it means doubling or even tripling down on the amount of *expletive deleted*it you have to go through.

Maybe.  Or they were holding out for more money. 

[RevDisk]

Normally I view BuzzFeed on par with World Weekly or other trash grade tabloids, but this made me laugh:

"When asked why the airline had the man forcibly removed, and whether that was standard procedure in cases of overbooked flights, United refused to comment.

Instead they told BuzzFeed News all further questions should be referred to Chicago Police. BuzzFeed News contacted Chicago Police and were told to contact the Chicago Department of Aviation. When BuzzFeed News contacted the Chicago Department of Aviation they were transferred to a TSA message bank. A TSA spokesperson later told BuzzFeed News they were not involved and to contact Chicago Police."

Ah, yes, start the blame game. How the TSA got involved is a mystery. They're not cops, they're screeners.

[BobR]

Normally I view BuzzFeed on par with World Weekly or other trash grade tabloids, but this made me laugh:

"When asked why the airline had the man forcibly removed, and whether that was standard procedure in cases of overbooked flights, United refused to comment.

Instead they told BuzzFeed News all further questions should be referred to Chicago Police. BuzzFeed News contacted Chicago Police and were told to contact the Chicago Department of Aviation. When BuzzFeed News contacted the Chicago Department of Aviation they were transferred to a TSA message bank. A TSA spokesperson later told BuzzFeed News they were not involved and to contact Chicago Police."

Ah, yes, start the blame game. How the TSA got involved is a mystery. They're not cops, they're screeners.

Not just blame but distance, as in let's get as far away from this one as we can, it won't end well.

bob

[K Frame]

"The same right a business has to kick you out of their store.  If you don't leave voluntarily, you will be forced out by those authorized to use force."

No.

MAJOR difference.

The passenger has already paid to be sitting in that seat. He's entered into a service contract with the airline (something you don't do just by walking into a brick and mortar store location).

Where's the due justification and cause for the police to be called into what is not a police matter?

It cannot be considered an trespassing issue, because A) the financial contract that exists between the passenger and the airline and B) because quietly sitting in your seat refusing a general cash offer to vacate the seat is NOT grounds to involve police.