Thread: A man wouldn’t leave an overbooked United flight. So he was dragged off, battered

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Absolutely awful. The only way to go is to keep offering higher incentives until someone accepts. I free flight. No takers? Two free flights? Not takers? and so on.

But to drag off someone who has paid and been seated at random is disgraceful. I hope he sues the f*ckers for millions.

They claim to have offered $400 plus a hotel for the night and later $800
no takers
I guess, like Td members, all the passengers were millionaires (or wanted everyone else to think so )

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

United used to be a good airline and I flew them all the time. Now I avoid them like the plague. Too many downsizings and cutting routes and perks have put them pretty much at the bottom.

Same for me.

Originally Posted by nidhogg

But to drag off someone who has paid and been seated at random is disgraceful. I hope he sues the f*ckers for millions.

What I find out of line also is bumping a paying customer for employees. They said the United employees had to get to work, but obviously so did everyone else who didn't volunteer their seat. The guy they dragged off said he was a doctor.

WTF United. Your employee's jobs are more important than anyone elses?

United's new safety card for overbooked flights.

Originally Posted by blue

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Absolutely awful. The only way to go is to keep offering higher incentives until someone accepts. I free flight. No takers? Two free flights? Not takers? and so on.

But to drag off someone who has paid and been seated at random is disgraceful. I hope he sues the f*ckers for millions.

They claim to have offered $400 plus a hotel for the night and later $800
no takers
I guess, like Td members, all the passengers were millionaires (or wanted everyone else to think so )

Everyone has a price. Its a lot of inconvenience to get bumped from a flight. Once they went above $1,000 I bet they would have found takers.

A recent Thai flight out of Munich every single passenger was refused boarding they were rebooked on other flights. A Thai VIP commandeered the entire aircraft.

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Absolutely awful. The only way to go is to keep offering higher incentives until someone accepts. I free flight. No takers? Two free flights? Not takers? and so on.

But to drag off someone who has paid and been seated at random is disgraceful. I hope he sues the f*ckers for millions.

And he paid his money, buying tickets, then is randomly chosen to be booted.

Let's suppose you walk up to a gate, ticket in hand ready to board, and the crew says, "I'm sorry, the flight is full and we can't seat you".

Do you have a right to redress through a security guard at this point? Why can't you argue that they should require the airline to let you on the plane, through force if necessary, in spite of what the airline has told you about the flight being full?

If you can't do this (and of course you obviously can't), why?

The only difference between the situation I described and the one that happened is you are a person and United Airlines is a corporation.

Originally Posted by Cold Pizza

then is randomly chosen to be booted.

funny how they 'randomly' choose 2 couples - guess choosing 4 singles would be a bigger hotel bill

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Originally Posted by blue

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Absolutely awful. The only way to go is to keep offering higher incentives until someone accepts. I free flight. No takers? Two free flights? Not takers? and so on.

But to drag off someone who has paid and been seated at random is disgraceful. I hope he sues the f*ckers for millions.

They claim to have offered $400 plus a hotel for the night and later $800
no takers
I guess, like Td members, all the passengers were millionaires (or wanted everyone else to think so )

Everyone has a price. Its a lot of inconvenience to get bumped from a flight. Once they went above $1,000 I bet they would have found takers.

That would still be much less than having to cancel a flight due to not having a crew. Stupid decision making on United's part.

The media keep referring to United over-booking the flight. I don't think this is true once a boarding pass has been issued.

I imagine the employees were crew required for another flight.

If this guy really is a doctor and really had necessity to be in Louisville for Monday a.m. then the airline is in deep poo.

Negligent and poor business practices shown by the likes of United Airlines.

The crime is that they can get away with such unethical and illegal activities.....as they continuously do. And usually protected by the establishment and judicial apparatus.

This newly acquired [fashion] conscious of boycotting will have little effect, when they're subsidized and legally protected under decades of bankruptcy courts.

THE DENIAL BEGINS:

United Airlines boss says passenger dragged from plane was 'belligerent'
Oscar Munoz defends staff in letter over man forcibly removed from overbooked plane saying they followed procedures

The chief executive of United Airlines has described the passenger who was forcibly removed from an overbooked plane as “disruptive and belligerent”, and told the airline’s employees that they “followed established procedures”.

The airline has been vilified after aviation police officials violently removed a man from a plane at O’Hare international airport in Chicago on Sunday, in an incident captured on video by several passengers.

In one clip, posted by Audra Bridges to Facebook, guards could be seen aggressively grabbing then dragging the passenger down the aisle of the plane, which was bound for Louisville, Kentucky, as other passengers shouted, “Oh my God”, and, “Look what you did to him”.

In a letter to United Airlines staff, CEO Oscar Munoz said he was upset to see and hear about what happened but that he supported his employees.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...er-belligerent

united we stand ...
listen to the passenger? shouting out at 34 seconds
''good work guys - way to go''

Originally Posted by Troy

Whatever were the airline thinking?

Profits. The core prob is over booking. Overbooking needs to stop. When it's fully booked stop taking bookings even though, heaven forbid, the plane might take off with a few empty seats.

Originally Posted by Norton

Originally Posted by Troy

Whatever were the airline thinking?

Profits. The core prob is over booking. Overbooking needs to stop. When it's fully booked stop taking bookings even though, heaven forbid, the plane might take off with a few empty seats.

But in this case, that was not the problem. The flight was full and passengers were seated, but they turfed passengers off to make way for airline crew. Overbooking flights is a problem at the gate, not in the airplane.

So they think their staff getting to work is more important than hospital doctors. Wankers.

Americans are nasty people who are always looking for an opportunity to bash up strangers. It is their constitutional right and this oriental gentleman, chosen at random, was lucky that he was not shot.

I have only flown to America once and it was with United. They tried to kill me at Dulles by driving a truck across the runway. Luckily for me the pilot chickened out and aborted the landing. True story.When I arrived at a transfer point there were countless Americans phoning home to their loved ones to say that they too had survived.

I haven't been back since because they will get me next time and I don't want to die. I liked America, it was nice.

Originally Posted by nidhogg

But in this case, that was not the problem. The flight was full and passengers were seated, but they turfed passengers off to make way for airline crew. Overbooking flights is a problem at the gate, not in the airplane.

Ah. Now I see. In that case.

Originally Posted by nidhogg

The only way to go is to keep offering higher incentives until someone accepts.

Instead they did a godfather offer he couldn't refuse.

Originally Posted by redhaze

Could have went back to the airline and said "sorry, he refuses to move. He's not being violent or belligerent, this is a civil matter

Originally Posted by rickschoppers

United Airlines boss says passenger dragged from plane was 'belligerent'

I came this close in my previous post to saying this was going to be their go-to PR strategy. Actually had it typed into my post but deleted it because it didn't really fit into the point.

A predictable response to be sure. Don't think its gonna "fly" though, so to speak...

Originally Posted by klong toey

A recent Thai flight out of Munich every single passenger was refused boarding they were rebooked on other flights. A Thai VIP commandeered the entire aircraft.

KT you were supposed to add the just to hint at who it might have been

Originally Posted by Norton

Originally Posted by Troy

Whatever were the airline thinking?

Profits. The core prob is over booking. Overbooking needs to stop. When it's fully booked stop taking bookings even though, heaven forbid, the plane might take off with a few empty seats.

Indeed. Very simple and basic business practice.
Yet, seemingly not understood by the carrier and their ilk.

TOO LITTLE TOO LATE, THE DAMAGE IS DONE.

United Airlines CEO Apologizes After Video Shows Man Dragged Off Flight

The CEO of United Airlines apologized to customers on Monday following an incident on an overbooked flight where video appeared to show an elderly man being dragged from his seat and through the aisle of a plane.

Several videos posted on social media appeared to show three law enforcement officers pull a screaming man from his seat on the plane and then drag him by the arms down the aisle as shocked passengers look on. A witness told NBC News the ordeal began after the airline said the flight was overbooked and asked four customers to leave the plane and take a flight the following day.

United Airlines CEO Apologizes After Video Shows Man Dragged Off Flight - NBC News

It seemed to me that passengers were told, not asked to accommodate the four United employees, but maybe the facts will surface later.

Not that any such universal boycott would really come about, as most don't stand with any principles...