Passenger dragged off overbooked United Airlines plane

[Toothiewabbit]

Nobody asked where are his checked bags?

 

[Jamesc]

I don't think it matters if he is really a doctor or not.

 

Does it matter if he had an appointment to see patients, or if he had booked a dirty massage the next day? He paid for the seat, was boarded fair and square. 

 

If the airline wants the seat back, they need to pay what the passenger deems as fair so yes, the compensation amount does matter. It  doesn't mean that they have to target this specific passenger's price point (which could be 1 mil for all we know) but there are many other passengers on the plane which could be willing to get off for more than 800usd worth of vouchers (maybe 800 usd cash?).

 

If only people read deeper. So he wasn't a real doctor and he was just going for 

 

a dirty massage?

 

Then I must apologise if I was going for a dirty

 

massage I wouldn't want to be kicked off to.

 

I now think the airlines were now wrong to beat him up

 

and kick him off the plane.

 

[Yewheng]

Sometimes overbooked for flight is unavoidable and we could understand it.. But it is how they handle the situation that is the key point whether they done it right or done it in wrong way.

 

For UA case is 100% handled it in a wrong way.. Why are they all allowed to board the plane 1st place? If it is really that last minute that all on board the plane and received instruction need to disembark one pax, there should have a better way instead of dragging the person out like that.

 

What is worst is the CEO message to their internal people. Instead of acknowledging the problem and it could be improved, he go and side UA for such untestful action. Like that UA staff will always feel they are right as they got the backing from CEO even through it is done in a bad taste.

 

Certainty it would be a downfall for UA. A lot of people sure will try their best to avoid travel with UA as much as possible. A lose lose situation.

Edited April 11, 2017 by Yewheng

[SuPerBoRed]

I don't think it matters if he is really a doctor or not.

 

Does it matter if he had an appointment to see patients, or if he had booked a dirty massage the next day? He paid for the seat, was boarded fair and square. 

 

If the airline wants the seat back, they need to pay what the passenger deems as fair so yes, the compensation amount does matter. It  doesn't mean that they have to target this specific passenger's price point (which could be 1 mil for all we know) but there are many other passengers on the plane which could be willing to get off for more than 800usd worth of vouchers (maybe 800 usd cash?).

 

In one corner .. we have a high handed corporate which handled the situation wrongly..  

In the other corner.. we have an individual with questionable comments who is trying to make money.. 

 

honestly.. i dont know who to support..  

 

I just dont think its fair to one-sidedly criticize UA...   

 

Personally.. i think there is still information thats lacking at this moment in time.. The actual lead-up... and the aftermath...  

[Jman888]

Congress steps in? And exactly what will they do? 

 

Norton said that she will be following up with a letter to committee chairman 

 

Write a complain letter. Big deal. 

 

 

 

she will complain to you friend donny, he is a good man and will settle this nicely    

[Ender]

Airline fault. If they last minute need to get 4 staff to fly to another airport, the passengers shouldn't be made to sacrificed for they poor human resource planning. They should pay last minute tickets from other airline to fly their staff over at their own expense. 

 

And in that sense, the flight is not over booked, every paying passenger has a seat, but more of a poor man power planning.

Edited April 11, 2017 by Ender

[Galantspeedz]

agree to the logic...  

 

tho the why it happened can be explained away... 

 

two couples where chosen.. but one guy volunteered mayb?

 

but my point still stands.. if he was in such a rush to meet his patients.. why didnt the wife disembark?? 

 

i just think his moral high ground is questionable...  

 

 *disclaimer* the treatment of him was WRONG. period.

I am just of the view he had intention to blow up the situation right from the start..   

 

If 1 guy volunteered, then they should pick another based on individual booking. simple?

 

And if really 2 couples was chosen, then why they insist the hubby get off but not the wife.

 

Was he trying to blow up the situation or were the airline trying to be heavy handed by giving a take it or leave it situation? 

 

Don't forget, based on what is mentioned, it looks like the staff were suddenly needed to be on board the plane rather than it being a fully booked situation. 

 

With all due respect, i feel you are taking the moral high ground instead or maybe just being devil's advocate

 

my take is if money can solve the problem, it is not a problem. it became a problem when they refuse to use money to solve the problem..

[Kusje]

In one corner .. we have a high handed corporate which handled the situation wrongly..  

In the other corner.. we have an individual with questionable comments who is trying to make money.. 

 

honestly.. i dont know who to support..  

 

I just dont think its fair to one-sidedly criticize UA...   

 

Personally.. i think there is still information thats lacking at this moment in time.. The actual lead-up... and the aftermath...  

 

Are you talking about the passenger?

 

He didn't ask for more money. He asked to stay in his seat.

 

The one who is trying to make more money is the airline when they:

 

1.Overbooked the flight $

2. Refused to raise their offer for passengers to volunteer (note that someone on twitter posted that a volunteer was available for 1600) $$

3. Refused to offer cash and instead offered vouchers which are worth much less than the face value $$$

4. Operating with the skimpiest staffing (if you really believe that the next day's flight wouldn't be able to take off without the crew as they had no standby - haha poor fellows cannot take MC?) $$$$ 

Edited April 11, 2017 by Kusje

[Yewheng]

In one corner .. we have a high handed corporate which handled the situation wrongly..

In the other corner.. we have an individual with questionable comments who is trying to make money..

 

honestly.. i dont know who to support..

 

I just dont think its fair to one-sidedly criticize UA...

 

Personally.. i think there is still information thats lacking at this moment in time.. The actual lead-up... and the aftermath...

It's okay to overbooked the flight as airlines also want to make most out of the money. But it is how they handle the situation which is not okay. The aftermath is more important factor then the cause itself. Edited April 11, 2017 by Yewheng

[Fuelsaver]

Agree w @Yewheng. Even passenger may attempted to blow up the matter, that must've almost triggered by the request for unboarding, unless the passenger was causing trouble right fr the start..

 

For the sake of the airline, the ceo should apologise n step down..

[1fast1]

It's 800 usd in vouchers not cash.

 

Yes, checking in early is important if you want to avoid getting bumped but this fellow was already on the plane...

Even more boh hua if vouchers.

[Kusje]

Agree w @Yewheng. Even passenger may attempted to blow up the matter, that must've almost triggered by the request for unboarding, unless the passenger was causing trouble right fr the start..

 

For the sake of the airline, the ceo should apologise n step down..

 

Yes. Quickly step down.. Plenty of money in it.

 

 

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-united-severance-20160503-snap-story.html

United Airlines pays $37 million to ex-CEO who quit amid a corruption investigation

[Ben5266]

People like you are so unoriginal - always telling customer service people

 

Look its not the money its the principle.

 

People like me are very original - when I tell the customer service person

 

Look its not the principle its the MONEY - they are always stunned like vegetable.

 

I cannot eat my principles but I can always use the money to go for a nice dinner. 

 

  

yalor yalor.

Like me.

Put my principle down and happily enjoying champagne in business....

 

I am low class.   

[1fast1]

Its not about the compensation amount.. the value of which .. varies person to person. 

 

I just see it as a situation where if no one bucks... its a waste of everyone's time. Of cus.. if i am not in a rush for that flight.. then i would step off.. if i have plans scheduled at the destination.. that would all screw up over this situation.. thats another story isnt it?

 

And.. that guy's identity (being a doctor) has yet to be confirmed... if his story (having patients appt) holds water or not.. is also yet to be confirmed.. 

 

I am of the opinion the guy is not an angel in the first place...  

 

Might i point out..  he was travelling WITH his wife...  they needed ONE more person to disembark...  

 

If it was SUCH an issue about meeting his patients.. why cant his wife disembark?

It seems you're willing to disbelieve everything a private citizen says, but are oddly uncritical and non-skeptical about a big corporate entity. Especially when the fault was theirs to begin with. They had options to send their staff onward to fulfil the exigency - not least among which might have been the "Uber" one you yourself brought up. And please don't give me any guff about Union rules (not sure who brought this up) - it's just a matter of how much money UA was prepared to spend to smooth things over.

 

In this case, the airline was being unfair to a paying passenger. For the sake of its profits. No higher motive.

[Jamesc]

Yes. Quickly step down.. Plenty of money in it.

 

United Airlines pays $37 million to ex-CEO who quit amid a corruption investigation

 

It always pays to do the wrong thing.

 

I stupidly always did the right thing and

 

that's why now I am so poor. I just want

 

to tell other people not to make the same

 

mistake.  

 

[1fast1]

People like you are so unoriginal - always telling customer service people

 

Look its not the money its the principle.

 

People like me are very original - when I tell the customer service person

 

Look its not the principle its the MONEY - they are always stunned like vegetable.

 

I cannot eat my principles but I can always use the money to go for a nice dinner. 

 

But your originality is totally misguided.

 

Because even if for YOU it's about the MONEY.

 

For THEM it's about the PRINCIPLE.

 

The principle being that if they give you money.

 

Then more Jamesc-s like you would want more money.

 

And giving more money is always against their principles.

 

Edited April 11, 2017 by Turboflat4

[Jamesc]

It seems you're willing to disbelieve everything a private citizen says, but are oddly uncritical and non-skeptical about a big corporate entity. Especially when the fault was theirs to begin with. They had options to send their staff onward to fulfil the exigency - not least among which might have been the "Uber" one you yourself brought up. And please don't give me any guff about Union rules (not sure who brought this up) - it's just a matter of how much money UA was prepared to spend to smooth things over.

 

In this case, the airline was being unfair to a paying passenger. For the sake of its profits. No higher motive.

 

What's wrong with more profits?

 

Big companies just pretend to care about

 

customers and employees but its all about

 

profits. When you beat up one or two customers

 

just spend a million or two on PR to smooth things

 

over. Too much emphasis is on people, their emotional

 

wellness or heath or whatever. We should just steam roller

 

people if they are in their way of more millions in money.

 

I would love to have factories in Pakistan employing children

 

making footballs or whatever but I just don't have the capital

 

to exploit my fellow men or their kids but if I had I gladly would. 

 

Edited April 11, 2017 by Jamesc

[Galantspeedz]

when people say it's because of principle, it just means the money offered is not enough.....