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Post by hop2 on Apr 11, 2017 3:14:12 GMT
I think that UNITED should have acted like adults and accepted they screwed up and they shouldn't put their business needs ahead of a paying customer. That's not really accurate though - their "business needs" were just more paying customers. You bump 4 passengers on one flight so that you don't have to cancel a flight for 200 customers - which means rebooking them - which means more bumped pissed off customers. Should they have upped the compensation up to a point where they had volunteers for the flight from Chicago instead of dragging this man off the plane - of course. But the reality of sometimes having to inconvenience customers so you don't inconvenience MORE customers is a reality of many businesses. The question is can you inconvenience someone without creating a shit show that goes viral and makes you look ridiculous at best as you've dragged your paying customer off an airplane. Hey here's a thought, how about not selling the same seat multiple times in th first place??? I mean if you miss your flight they charge an arm & a leg to reschedule and put a standby person in it. So there simply is NO reason to sell seat 18c to multiple people It's a dick move and should be illegal
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Post by hop2 on Apr 11, 2017 3:19:45 GMT
I have never been a fan of United Airlines - anyone who I know who has flown them has problems - and I avoid them at all costs, thankfully coming out of the DFW area I have lots of better options. I understand that overbooking is a fact of life in the airline business - they know that a certain percentage of their passengers will be no show or will cancel last minute. I knew a business man who would have a seat booked on almost every flight in an afternoon so that he could get whichever flight was most convenient when he didn't know when he would be done finished with his business - his secretary would cancel the ones he would not use once his timing was known United's bad was they knew that they were over booked before anyone stepped foot on the plane. They knew or should have knows who they were going to deny boarding to, based on flyers that were checked in, and they should have held those 4 people back, only letting them on once they knew if there were seats (no shows who checked in). I will never have to fly United, I will find another way to get where I need to be rather than fly them I was upset when continental & united merged I liked continental but always had issues with united.
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,691
Jun 25, 2014 21:31:58 GMT
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Apr 11, 2017 3:43:38 GMT
That new video annabella linked shows just how much force was used. Abhorrent.
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azredhead
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,755
Jun 25, 2014 22:49:18 GMT
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Post by azredhead on Apr 11, 2017 4:45:58 GMT
I hope that in this case United get their pants sued off! I'm not a sue happy person or like the goverment involved in every aspect, but in extreme cases where the rules are being abused -there needs to be a step in somewhere. This is totally inexcusable in this case and how it was handled from the very begining. I hope it's true that Congress will do something. I can't imagine how this poor guy feels now being all over the news either or just that now it's how there how United handled the situation. My last flight was 20 min late because they over booked it and they were waiting for a flight crew member and then had to redo the paper work.
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TheOtherMeg
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,541
Jun 25, 2014 20:58:14 GMT
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Post by TheOtherMeg on Apr 11, 2017 5:32:14 GMT
I just read that Congress is now involved. The senior member of the Transportation committee has called for a congressional hearing into this and the practice of overbooking. United's bad day just got demonstrably worse. All United needs now to complete their trifecta of craptastic publicity is for Trump to get on Twitter and defend them (like he did Bill O'Reilly).
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Post by anniefb on Apr 11, 2017 8:09:46 GMT
Absolutely terrible.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 12:14:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2017 9:36:35 GMT
But...why in the world did the passenger not leave the plane and deal with it on the ground? Why didn't he get up on his own when security came to forcibly remove him? What did he hope to accomplish? That they would choose someone else? What if that person refused, and the next person refused and the next and the next? I hate to blame the victim, because what happened to him really was horrific, but he could have avoided it by just getting off the damn plane when he was told to. When you are on a plane, you have an obligation to obey all crew member instructions, whether you agree with them or not, whether they are fair or not. It is truly for the safety of all the passengers that you do what they tell you to do. I don't want to be in a metal tube 35,000 feet in the air with someone who isn't going to do what the crew members tell him to do. I just really cannot understand why he resisted to that extent. I don't understand this way of thinking. Why should he have had to leave the plane? He didn't " volunteer" to give the seat up that he had legally paid for. As far as he was concerned he had as much right to that seat, that he had paid for, as any other passenger on that plane. Why would he be expected to comply with the airline's incompetency in running their business Look at it another way. Would anyone go into a store and buy an article, go up to the register, pay for it and then as you walk out the door security stopped you and asked if you would " volunteer" to give your goods to another person who requested them but the stock had now all gone. Would you willingly do that? I doubt very much that anyone would . If you didn't would you expect security to drag you back & assault you so that they could give the goods, that you had already paid for, to another customer? The man didn't break any laws in what he did, so there was no need for the police to be there in the first place, let alone stand by and watch the man being dragged and assaulted. ( The person in that video that was dragging him, was wearing jeans so I'm guessing he was an airline employee rather than a policeman )
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Dalai Mama
Drama Llama
La Pea Boheme
Posts: 6,985
Jun 26, 2014 0:31:31 GMT
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Post by Dalai Mama on Apr 11, 2017 10:56:36 GMT
Um holy Crap! Wish me luck I fly united today!!! Although I do have a hard time envisioning them removing me from a plane here. I guess I should keep that in mind if they 'offer' They, the airline should be penalized in some way for a bait & switch or false sale it something. AND loosein court No but you can bet they will offer you a major pay-out if they're overbooked. Let's start the bidding at $3,000, shall we?
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Post by Really Red on Apr 11, 2017 11:30:50 GMT
But...why in the world did the passenger not leave the plane and deal with it on the ground? Why didn't he get up on his own when security came to forcibly remove him? What did he hope to accomplish? That they would choose someone else? What if that person refused, and the next person refused and the next and the next? I hate to blame the victim, because what happened to him really was horrific, but he could have avoided it by just getting off the damn plane when he was told to. When you are on a plane, you have an obligation to obey all crew member instructions, whether you agree with them or not, whether they are fair or not. It is truly for the safety of all the passengers that you do what they tell you to do. I don't want to be in a metal tube 35,000 feet in the air with someone who isn't going to do what the crew members tell him to do. I just really cannot understand why he resisted to that extent. I don't understand this way of thinking. Why should he have had to leave the plane? He didn't " volunteer" to give the seat up that he had legally paid for. As far as he was concerned he had as much right to that seat, that he had paid for, as any other passenger on that plane. Why would he be expected to comply with the airline's incompetency in running their business Look at it another way. Would anyone go into a store and buy an article, go up to the register, pay for it and then as you walk out the door security stopped you and asked if you would " volunteer" to give your goods to another person who requested them but the stock had now all gone. Would you willingly do that? I doubt very much that anyone would . If you didn't would you expect security to drag you back & assault you so that they could give the goods, that you had already paid for, to another customer? The man didn't break any laws in what he did, so there was no need for the police to be there in the first place, let alone stand by and watch the man being dragged and assaulted. ( The person in that video that was dragging him, was wearing jeans so I'm guessing he was an airline employee rather than a policeman ) I'm not the OP, but IMO everyone who gets on a plane knows that this is a possibility. You know your plane can be cancelled, your plane can be diverted and you know you can be bumped. Again, just to be clear, United personnel were ridiculous. I cannot believe that they resorted to violence to remove someone, but honestly, if I were sitting near someone who refused to leave the plane, it would make me nervous. I'm just saying we all know this crap (bumping) can happen. We can deal with it like an adult or we can deal with it like an entitled toddler, by refusing to move. If this man really is a doctor, I would approach the gate and explain the situation and show my credentials. I wouldn't go on a plane I was told NOT to go on and sit in a seat I'm not supposed to be in. So let me show you another way: You go to that same store and buy an article, go up to the register, pay for it and then as you walk out the door security stops you and asked if you would " volunteer" to give your goods to another person who requested them but the stock had now all gone FOR THAT DAY. In exchange for doing this, you would get $800, a hotel and the same goods the next day. It doesn't seem so unreasonable now. Again, just so I can be abundantly clear, United should not have resorted to violence, but we DO NOT KNOW what happened before that video. What had that man done? Had he rushed on a plane after being told no? I'm just saying this "doctor" handled the situation badly as well.
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Nanner
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,987
Jun 25, 2014 23:13:23 GMT
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Post by Nanner on Apr 11, 2017 12:02:28 GMT
I don't understand this way of thinking. Why should he have had to leave the plane? He didn't " volunteer" to give the seat up that he had legally paid for. As far as he was concerned he had as much right to that seat, that he had paid for, as any other passenger on that plane. Why would he be expected to comply with the airline's incompetency in running their business Look at it another way. Would anyone go into a store and buy an article, go up to the register, pay for it and then as you walk out the door security stopped you and asked if you would " volunteer" to give your goods to another person who requested them but the stock had now all gone. Would you willingly do that? I doubt very much that anyone would . If you didn't would you expect security to drag you back & assault you so that they could give the goods, that you had already paid for, to another customer? The man didn't break any laws in what he did, so there was no need for the police to be there in the first place, let alone stand by and watch the man being dragged and assaulted. ( The person in that video that was dragging him, was wearing jeans so I'm guessing he was an airline employee rather than a policeman ) I'm not the OP, but IMO everyone who gets on a plane knows that this is a possibility. You know your plane can be cancelled, your plane can be diverted and you know you can be bumped. Again, just to be clear, United personnel were ridiculous. I cannot believe that they resorted to violence to remove someone, but honestly, if I were sitting near someone who refused to leave the plane, it would make me nervous. I'm just saying we all know this crap (bumping) can happen. We can deal with it like an adult or we can deal with it like an entitled toddler, by refusing to move. If this man really is a doctor, I would approach the gate and explain the situation and show my credentials. I wouldn't go on a plane I was told NOT to go on and sit in a seat I'm not supposed to be in. So let me show you another way: You go to that same store and buy an article, go up to the register, pay for it and then as you walk out the door security stops you and asked if you would " volunteer" to give your goods to another person who requested them but the stock had now all gone FOR THAT DAY. In exchange for doing this, you would get $800, a hotel and the same goods the next day. It doesn't seem so unreasonable now. Again, just so I can be abundantly clear, United should not have resorted to violence, but we DO NOT KNOW what happened before that video. What had that man done? Had he rushed on a plane after being told no? I'm just saying this "doctor" handled the situation badly as well. Then let's say you were buying this out of stock item for someone who needed it - someone who was sick and had to have it. Would you voluntarily give (or sell) the item that your sick friend/family member needed? I sure wouldn't. This man was a doctor who had to see a patient the next morning. I hope the people responsible for the violence get charged with assault and fired. I hope the man sues the hell out of United. And I hope all of the airlines have learned something from this whole thing.
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Post by gar on Apr 11, 2017 12:14:33 GMT
Leaked letter from United's CEO praising employees - it's not going down well.
The Telegraph
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Post by pondrunner on Apr 11, 2017 12:22:39 GMT
I don't understand this way of thinking. Why should he have had to leave the plane? He didn't " volunteer" to give the seat up that he had legally paid for. As far as he was concerned he had as much right to that seat, that he had paid for, as any other passenger on that plane. Why would he be expected to comply with the airline's incompetency in running their business Look at it another way. Would anyone go into a store and buy an article, go up to the register, pay for it and then as you walk out the door security stopped you and asked if you would " volunteer" to give your goods to another person who requested them but the stock had now all gone. Would you willingly do that? I doubt very much that anyone would . If you didn't would you expect security to drag you back & assault you so that they could give the goods, that you had already paid for, to another customer? The man didn't break any laws in what he did, so there was no need for the police to be there in the first place, let alone stand by and watch the man being dragged and assaulted. ( The person in that video that was dragging him, was wearing jeans so I'm guessing he was an airline employee rather than a policeman ) I'm not the OP, but IMO everyone who gets on a plane knows that this is a possibility. You know your plane can be cancelled, your plane can be diverted and you know you can be bumped. Again, just to be clear, United personnel were ridiculous. I cannot believe that they resorted to violence to remove someone, but honestly, if I were sitting near someone who refused to leave the plane, it would make me nervous. I'm just saying we all know this crap (bumping) can happen. We can deal with it like an adult or we can deal with it like an entitled toddler, by refusing to move. If this man really is a doctor, I would approach the gate and explain the situation and show my credentials. I wouldn't go on a plane I was told NOT to go on and sit in a seat I'm not supposed to be in. So let me show you another way: You go to that same store and buy an article, go up to the register, pay for it and then as you walk out the door security stops you and asked if you would " volunteer" to give your goods to another person who requested them but the stock had now all gone FOR THAT DAY. In exchange for doing this, you would get $800, a hotel and the same goods the next day. It doesn't seem so unreasonable now. Again, just so I can be abundantly clear, United should not have resorted to violence, but we DO NOT KNOW what happened before that video. What had that man done? Had he rushed on a plane after being told no? I'm just saying this "doctor" handled the situation badly as well. So, its the customer's responsibility for the sake of not being unreasonable, not the store's even though the store is the party who sees the big picture of inventory, knows where inventory is and where it needs to be, had the opportunity before the fact to order stock appropriately, could have pulled that item from the shelf and put it on hold for the other customer given that they knew the other customer was coming... So if all I do is walk in the store and buy an item I kind of consider it mine now and think I have a reasonable expectation that I have fulfilled my end of the obligation now that I'm paid up and outside the store with a receipt in my hand, and I don't expect someone to come along and throw me on the ground for it no matter how sweet a deal they offer. United has hundreds of airplanes and hundreds of crew and the ability to see where every one of them is at any time, but they picked this one guy to bear the brunt of their decision making, but he is the unreasonable one?
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 12:14:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2017 12:27:32 GMT
I don't understand this way of thinking. Why should he have had to leave the plane? He didn't " volunteer" to give the seat up that he had legally paid for. As far as he was concerned he had as much right to that seat, that he had paid for, as any other passenger on that plane. Why would he be expected to comply with the airline's incompetency in running their business Look at it another way. Would anyone go into a store and buy an article, go up to the register, pay for it and then as you walk out the door security stopped you and asked if you would " volunteer" to give your goods to another person who requested them but the stock had now all gone. Would you willingly do that? I doubt very much that anyone would . If you didn't would you expect security to drag you back & assault you so that they could give the goods, that you had already paid for, to another customer? The man didn't break any laws in what he did, so there was no need for the police to be there in the first place, let alone stand by and watch the man being dragged and assaulted. ( The person in that video that was dragging him, was wearing jeans so I'm guessing he was an airline employee rather than a policeman ) I'm not the OP, but IMO everyone who gets on a plane knows that this is a possibility. You know your plane can be cancelled, your plane can be diverted and you know you can be bumped. Again, just to be clear, United personnel were ridiculous. I cannot believe that they resorted to violence to remove someone, but honestly, if I were sitting near someone who refused to leave the plane, it would make me nervous. I'm just saying we all know this crap (bumping) can happen. We can deal with it like an adult or we can deal with it like an entitled toddler, by refusing to move. If this man really is a doctor, I would approach the gate and explain the situation and show my credentials . I wouldn't go on a plane I was told NOT to go on and sit in a seat I'm not supposed to be in.So let me show you another way: You go to that same store and buy an article, go up to the register, pay for it and then as you walk out the door security stops you and asked if you would " volunteer" to give your goods to another person who requested them but the stock had now all gone FOR THAT DAY. In exchange for doing this, you would get $800, a hotel and the same goods the next day. It doesn't seem so unreasonable now.Again, just so I can be abundantly clear, United should not have resorted to violence, but we DO NOT KNOW what happened before that video. What had that man done? Had he rushed on a plane after being told no? I'm just saying this "doctor" handled the situation badly as well. I haven't seen any reports that said he got on the plane after being told not to go on there or of him sitting in the wrong seat Who was that reported by? United ?. I've seen videos and reports of him returning to the plane AFTER he was dragged off and assaulted. He looked as if he was in great distress and disorientated.....was he perhaps trying to escape from being further detained and assaulted? He virtually ran to the back of that plane on one video with blood pouring out of his mouth and coward at the back of the plane. Who was he trying to get away from? You might want to accept the $800 dollars but it's obvious that he didn't and that was his right IMO. It was meant to be voluntary and compensation for the passengers inconvenience and not applied by force. Voluntary and force are complete opposites to each other. As for getting on a plane knowing the possibility of it being overbooked........Yes, everyone knows that there is a risk of this happening, but unless someone,somewhere stands up for their rights it will continue to happen and Airlines will continue to do it but that doesn't give them the right to assault anyone. They should have taken his refusal to do so in the same manner that they accepted the refusal of everyone else on that plane....... he wasn't volunteering. What makes one refusal any more valid than another when they have asked for volunteers ....it doesn't IMO.
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Post by hollymolly on Apr 11, 2017 13:07:36 GMT
Then let's say you were buying this out of stock item for someone who needed it - someone who was sick and had to have it. Would you voluntarily give (or sell) the item that your sick friend/family member needed? I sure wouldn't. This man was a doctor who had to see a patient the next morning. With all air travel, there are significant risks that you will not make it home on time. What would his patients have done if bad weather caused his flight to be delayed until the next day? I understand that he could have a million different reasons for choosing that flight on that day, but knowing how often things go wrong with flight schedules, I wouldn't pin so much on a single flight unless I had no choice. In 7 years of business travel, There have been 5 times that I couldn't fly until the day after my original flight, all 5 times were due to weather (one was weather plus mechanical). I appreciate that he was resisting and that brought attention to the issue. I just know that I would not have let it devolve into violence if it were me. If I walked out of a store with a shirt I needed, and the store asked for it back to give to someone else, and offered me accommodation that I felt was insufficient, then I would certainly resist. However, when the security goons came out to force it from my hands, I'd give them the damn shirt. If someone wants to steal from me, a shirt or an airplane seat, I'll resist, but not to the point of jeopardizing my safety. That's my priority. Some things are worth that risk, an airplane seat is not, at least not to me. But I really don't want to overshadow the most important aspect of this. United did a terrible terrible thing and deserves to go under as a result. The doctor deserves a massive payout. I am normally against the concept of punitive damages, but this is a good case for them. The security people need to go to jail. None of this was in any way ok, and the doctor is undeniably a victim.
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Post by annabella on Apr 11, 2017 13:15:44 GMT
Why should he have had to leave the plane? He didn't " volunteer" to give the seat up that he had legally paid for. As far as he was concerned he had as much right to that seat, that he had paid for, as any other passenger on that plane. Why would he be expected to comply with the airline's incompetency in running their business Look at it another way. Would anyone go into a store and buy an article, go up to the register, pay for it and then as you walk out the door security stopped you and asked if you would " volunteer" to give your goods to another person who requested them but the stock had now all gone. Would you willingly do that? I doubt very much that anyone would . If you didn't would you expect security to drag you back & assault you so that they could give the goods, that you had already paid for, to another customer? The man didn't break any laws in what he did, so there was no need for the police to be there in the first place, let alone stand by and watch the man being dragged and assaulted. ( The person in that video that was dragging him, was wearing jeans so I'm guessing he was an airline employee rather than a policeman ) ITA This has become the norm and we've accepted it. The fact of the matter is it's not a normal way to run a business and I'm glad Congress is stepping in. Just like they did when they ruled that airlines can't keep passengers on runways for hours. This man was like the Rosa Parks for the rest of us standing up to the airlines.
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Post by annabella on Apr 11, 2017 13:16:19 GMT
That new video annabella linked shows just how much force was used. Abhorrent. My post was the top of page 6, I wonder who deleted a post so it went back to page 5?
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basketdiva
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,649
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:09 GMT
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Post by basketdiva on Apr 11, 2017 13:32:42 GMT
I'll admit that I've not read all 6 pages so maybe this has been addressed- were the security officers told to forcibly remove him? Why no outrage at those men for the way they carried out their responsibilities? Yes United intiated the situation but those security agents escalated it. I hope they too get sued.
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tduby1
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,979
Jun 27, 2014 18:32:45 GMT
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Post by tduby1 on Apr 11, 2017 13:35:24 GMT
I always feel there must be more to the story and perhaps there is. Maybe we do not know the REAL reason he was asked to leave the plane. However, if it truly was due to overbooking, the man was obviously allowed to board the plane initially, therefore he shouldn't have been removed because they were overbooked. Since he was allowed to board, whoever came after him should have been told they were overbooked and full. An airline shouldn't allow anyone to board the plane until they know they have a seat for them. The problem here is it wasn't any old passenger - it was a flight crew that needed to be in Louisville for a subsequent flight. I'm sure the plane load of people in Louisville wouldn't have been too pleased with their inability to fly because United couldn't get their crew to the airport. I haven't seen any report about whether this was a typical situation with the crew or a different flight or airport delay/cancellation impacted the crew. I'll reiterate my initial comment which is they never should have started boarding before they had their volunteers - BUT I do understand why they needed the crew in Louisville and weren't going to simply tell them you're the last ones here too bad so sad. But that was *their* (United) problem, not this man's. He paid his ticket and he made adequate arrangements to make sure he made it to where he needed to be on Monday. Why should *he* pay for United's lack of planning, rather than United. You know personal responsibility and all that. What makes United's plane full of people in Louisville more important than his hospital/ office full of patients. There were other ways for United to get their crew there. Stealing this man's seat (and any other time someone forcibly takes something that someone else has paid for it is considered stealing) could not have possibly been the best option.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 12:14:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2017 13:39:09 GMT
I'll admit that I've not read all 6 pages so maybe this has been addressed- were the security officers told to forcibly remove him? Why no outrage at those men for the way they carried out their responsibilities? Yes United intiated the situation but those security agents escalated it. I hope they too get sued. There was, various people on the plane can be heard on the videos expressing their disbelief and questioning what they were doing to him but they seem to have ignored everyone.
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Post by annabella on Apr 11, 2017 13:41:11 GMT
I'll admit that I've not read all 6 pages so maybe this has been addressed- were the security officers told to forcibly remove him? Why no outrage at those men for the way they carried out their responsibilities? Yes United intiated the situation but those security agents escalated it. I hope they too get sued. The officers have been put on leave.
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tduby1
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,979
Jun 27, 2014 18:32:45 GMT
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Post by tduby1 on Apr 11, 2017 13:52:43 GMT
related to the original response by united "refused to volunteer" They are kidding, right? Since when does anyone HAVE to volunteer? The refuse to volunteer comment is so ridiculous!
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Post by annabella on Apr 11, 2017 14:03:09 GMT
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scrappinghappy
Pearl Clutcher
“I’m late, I’m late for a very important date. No time to say “Hello.” Goodbye. I’m late...."
Posts: 4,307
Jun 26, 2014 19:30:06 GMT
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Post by scrappinghappy on Apr 11, 2017 14:08:35 GMT
The dr's character is irrelevant with respect to the way United handled the situation. If he can only work one day a week I could see why he would be desperate not to miss it
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tduby1
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,979
Jun 27, 2014 18:32:45 GMT
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Post by tduby1 on Apr 11, 2017 14:12:26 GMT
this was almost our situation 2 weeks ago. flying united, out of O'Hare, to new Orleans. I booked this flight over a year ago, and when I chose seats they were in the middle of the plane. then 2 mos ago they change the departure time, and must've changed planes too, cuz we were in the very last row. there were notices on the departure board that the plane was overbooked, they needed 2-3 people to volunteer to get bumped. this was an 11am flight. they could get one person out at 8pm, 1 out at 1am, and they didn't know when for the third. so we all board the plane and figure it's fine. then they say they had to add more fuel and we are overweight, we need 2-3 people to get off. no one volunteers. they are offering $800 credit. they announce again in 10 minutes, no one gets up. finally a different, very blunt woman comes on and tells us 2 people need to get off or they will start bumping random people or cancel the flight. I bet it was the same woman who announced on this flight, the reported words were almost verbatim what she said. time goes by and thankfully 2 passengers volunteered. :/ That's what happens when no one pushes the issue. The airlines just keep doing it over and over because it's more profitable to them than up'ing the ante to get people to voluntarily come off the plane. So, I'm grateful this guy exposed this disgusting practice. I read somewhere in one of the many articles on this that's come out today that some flights are overbooked by as much as 40%. That should be ILLEGAL. I know they might want to overbook by a certain percentage to not have empty seats when people are buying refundable - on the other hand, those refundable tickets are WAY more expensive, partly to cover the potential empty seats when people change their minds. But the airlines want to make money hand over fist on the no shows - make more on their refundable tickets AND oversell seats. So, now, they've been caught w/the pants down and I'm glad it's making the news so people can push back and get them back into some reasonable zone on how much they overbook and what they feel is reasonable as a response. That is what I am thinking. If he had gotten off the plane, he would have complained, no one would have cared and the practice would have continued, airlines robbing people of their seats.
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gloryjoy
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,332
Jun 26, 2014 12:35:32 GMT
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Post by gloryjoy on Apr 11, 2017 14:27:36 GMT
I watched the video, both of them, and it is disturbing.
To me it doesn't matter who is right or who is wrong, that's not the way to remove someone from a plane.
But can I just say no one was getting $800 cash, it was a voucher. which is probably only good for a period of time like a year. A voucher isn't much good to someone who isn't planning a vacation within a year. A voucher only makes you pay more money, it won't cover the costs of a vacation.
Offer me $800 cash, a night in a hotel and meals and if I didn't have to be somewhere the next day I would probably give up my seat. But for a voucher, no.
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tduby1
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,979
Jun 27, 2014 18:32:45 GMT
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Post by tduby1 on Apr 11, 2017 14:29:45 GMT
From what I read earlier was they had offered anyone $800.00 a hotel and food to give up their seat - when no one bit they had to randomly pick 4 people to stay behind - he was one of them. He did board after knowing he was not on the flight. I apologize if this has been discussed already - I tried reading through the replies but didn't see anything Everything I have read has said everyone was already on board and seated and a staff member came on demanding four people "volunteer" to disboard and then they did the random pick.
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tduby1
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,979
Jun 27, 2014 18:32:45 GMT
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Post by tduby1 on Apr 11, 2017 14:30:35 GMT
What United did was unquestionably wrong. I would be furious and United would be paying for my ticket on the next flight to my destination, regardless of airline, and giving me a huge voucher, and I'd still call my attorney as soon as I landed. What the security guys did was criminal assault, plain and simple. I hope charges are filed against them. But...why in the world did the passenger not leave the plane and deal with it on the ground? Why didn't he get up on his own when security came to forcibly remove him? What did he hope to accomplish? That they would choose someone else? What if that person refused, and the next person refused and the next and the next? I hate to blame the victim, because what happened to him really was horrific, but he could have avoided it by just getting off the damn plane when he was told to. When you are on a plane, you have an obligation to obey all crew member instructions, whether you agree with them or not, whether they are fair or not. It is truly for the safety of all the passengers that you do what they tell you to do. I don't want to be in a metal tube 35,000 feet in the air with someone who isn't going to do what the crew members tell him to do. I just really cannot understand why he resisted to that extent. This is exactly it. I do think United was completely wrong. Apparently this guy LEFT and then came back. Just because United is dead wrong, does not make this guy right. This guy was wrong, too. Maybe less wrong, but still, who does that? If I were faced with these guys pulling me off the plane and I was 69yo, I hope I'd be old enough and mature enough to get off the plane on my own two feet. I highly doubt that United is the only carrier who does this stuff. What is wrong about demanding to get what you paid for?
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Post by myboysnme on Apr 11, 2017 14:44:12 GMT
It DOES NOT MATTER why he had to get home - he could have no reason at all. The point of view of some posters is the reason United Airlines, and other airlines pursue this course of action against its patrons in the first place. The attitude that the customer did something to deserve it, the customer shoulda woulda coulda it does not matter.
The airline has one job and that is to get me from point A to point B safely. How they do it to earn my business is the rest of the puzzle. How they treat me, how much it costs, how much am I inconvenienced, that is their part of the bargain in getting my business. If I pay to fly on any airline and am treated rudely, disrespectfully, aggressively, hostily, then they are not worthy of my business, my money, or my time.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 28, 2024 12:14:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2017 14:55:48 GMT
I watched the video, both of them and it is disturbing. To me it doesn't matter who is right or who is wrong, that's not the way to remove someone from a plane. But can I just say no one was getting $800 cash, it was a voucher. which is probably only good for a period of time like a year. A voucher isn't much good to someone who isn't planning a vacation within a year. A voucher only makes you pay more money, it won't cover the costs of a vacation. Offer me $800 cash, a night in a hotel and meals and if I didn't have to be somewhere the next day I would probably give up my seat. But for a voucher, no. Exactly this! The EU has rules that the airlines must pay CASH (not, useless to many, vouchers) for displacement (http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/passenger-rights/air/index_en.htm#compensation). Trust me, in the US airlines' financial spreadsheets somewhere is a calculus of how many people they bump, how much in vouchers they offer and how many are redeemed. They make money on the refundable flights by charging much higher fares for refundable tickets, partly to cover no-shows, they make money on overbooking and they make money on useless vouchers that don't help people in the same way as cold, hard cash. But, as usual, the US laws kowtow to the corporations and allow these useless vouchers as repayment for real cash tickets, bought and paid for sometimes months ahead, being disregarded and repaid w/later flights and, to many, useless vouchers.
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Post by gar on Apr 11, 2017 14:56:16 GMT
related to the original response by united "refused to volunteer" They are kidding, right? Since when does anyone HAVE to volunteer? The refuse to volunteer comment is so ridiculous! Yup, define volunteer
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