Yo Adrian....I made it on the plane!!
Apr 12, 2017 09:33:35 #
I blame United for overbooking in thr first place.As someone who spent his life in aviation I know they do it but I believe it to be bad business practice.j
Apr 12, 2017 09:50:29 #
SteveR wrote:
What policy? I fly and I don't know that there's a policy that they can kick me off a plane once I've been seated. I could understand being bumped before I was seated, but not once I was on a plane. Where does this policy come from. The news said that he backed out of the deal when he found out that he would not get home by morning when he needed to be at work.
You have to read the (very) fine print.
Apr 12, 2017 09:59:48 #
Martino
Loc: Northwest Florida
It wasn't overbooking. The airline wanted to carry a deadheading crew.
Regardless of the passenger's past, or the 'rules' of removing passengers, or the compensation offered, the issue was handled badly by all concerned. The passenger, the airline (it wasn't United, but Republic a United partner), the police who reacted out of proportion (hence the officer's suspension) and the United CEO who's initial comments were ill advised until he knew the complete situation.
A PR nightmare of the highest order. However the public will soon forget when they want their frequent Flyer miles or cheap fares at any cost.
Regardless of the passenger's past, or the 'rules' of removing passengers, or the compensation offered, the issue was handled badly by all concerned. The passenger, the airline (it wasn't United, but Republic a United partner), the police who reacted out of proportion (hence the officer's suspension) and the United CEO who's initial comments were ill advised until he knew the complete situation.
A PR nightmare of the highest order. However the public will soon forget when they want their frequent Flyer miles or cheap fares at any cost.
Apr 12, 2017 10:11:55 #
rfmaude41
Loc: Lancaster, Texas (DFW area)
DWU2 wrote:
Everybody is down on United - and, to an extent, rightly so. But, what about the jackbooted Chicago police that bloodied him?
It wasn't the Chicago Police, they were actually from Airport Security (of some kind).
Apr 12, 2017 11:30:35 #
When I enlisted in the Air Force back in the early '60s I was waiting at the Oakland, CA induction center for my ride to Lackland AFB. There was a news report on the TV about an AF colonel in Japan who wanted to return to the US with his family. There was an AF plane ready to depart for the states that had a bunch of enlisted men aboard flying home on leave, reassignment or discharge. The colonel, according to the report, bumped all the enlisted men so he could have the plane to himself and his family. After the plane was in the air, the commanding general heard about what happened and had the plane turn around and return to the base. The general bumped the colonel and had the original passengers reinstated. He also made the colonel pay for the fuel that was used. That was the story on the TV anyway.
Apr 12, 2017 11:45:35 #
alby
Loc: very eastern pa.
EdJ0307 wrote:
When I enlisted in the Air Force back in the early... (show quote)
......"WOW" the big guy sticking up for the little people..... don't see that much any more
Apr 12, 2017 11:59:41 #
If it was dead heading a crew that makes it worse.If the passenger had agreed to be bumped I do not see how he got on the plane. Surely there are boarding passes.
Apr 12, 2017 12:02:08 #
You pays your money, you gets your seat, you should be able to fly, period. Had a case here (Kauai, HI) just the other day. An executive on board a United plane, first class seat drinking the orange juice they'd just served him when the gate agent rushed on and told told to get off because "a higher priority passenger" needed to fly so the exec would have to get off ... or be taken off in handcuffs. A United crew member then intervened and gave him the choice of getting off or being moved into a middle seat in steerage where he sat between a couple headed for divorce and fighting all the way back to the mainland.
I hope he sues United into bankruptcy. He's got the wherewithal to do it. I've been subjected to such treatment (getting kicked off a plan as it was taxiing for takeoff) while a serving U.S. diplomat in a very 3rd world country many years ago but never thought we'd descend to such depths here in the U.S. I guess we're into making America great again, eh? I know...them's fightin words but these clustered incidents of threatening behavior by airline personnel or their "security authority" lackeys are not just coincidence. People who otherwise lack any authority in their lives seem to feel emboldened to take it out on anyone they now feel entitled to. Hope they feel better about themselves afterwards but United stockholders surely won't.
I hope he sues United into bankruptcy. He's got the wherewithal to do it. I've been subjected to such treatment (getting kicked off a plan as it was taxiing for takeoff) while a serving U.S. diplomat in a very 3rd world country many years ago but never thought we'd descend to such depths here in the U.S. I guess we're into making America great again, eh? I know...them's fightin words but these clustered incidents of threatening behavior by airline personnel or their "security authority" lackeys are not just coincidence. People who otherwise lack any authority in their lives seem to feel emboldened to take it out on anyone they now feel entitled to. Hope they feel better about themselves afterwards but United stockholders surely won't.
Apr 12, 2017 12:05:47 #
Funny as the thread progresses it becomes quite apparent that many have not read too much of what had already been posted...
Apr 12, 2017 12:30:06 #
jaycoffman
Loc: San Diego
The point is that everyone has seen all the airlines exhibit contempt for its customers in their pricing, routing and customer treatment that it's easy to sympathize with this guy. (Note: the LA Times has an article today about a guy last week who bought a first class ticket from United and was on the plane when they came and told him he had to get off because a "more important" customer had come along. They told him they would cuff him and drag him off if he did't go. Then they finally put him in the middle of the plane in the middle seat between two spouses who were divorcing and fighting the whole six hour trip and they did not at first even offer to compensate him for the cost difference between the seats. Unfortunately for United he is a CEO of a billion dollar company so he has the wherewithal to seek relief.)
An easy fix to this would be for the airlines to change their policy so that when they seat a person the contract is final and if someone else comes in later they simply don't get that seat. Overbooking is legal (not sure why) but it is a sharp business practice and not right by any standard of decent business practices. The airline is so wrong in so many ways.
Finally, to comments that he should have been arrested I guess they could have requested that but it's federal jurisdiction and from long experience I can't imagine them getting a U.S. Marshall to arrest him and even if so I can't imagine a U.S. Attorney's office prosecuting him. We used to prosecute airline passengers who were disruptive to a high degree or who sexually assaulted a passenger or crew member but nothing as stupid as enforcing the airline's stupid rules.
I would prefer not to fly United but contrary to the stupid statement they make on every flight, we do not usually have "a choice when choosing airlines" so there you go--we only have four carriers carrying 80% of our domestic passengers so not really much choice there.
An easy fix to this would be for the airlines to change their policy so that when they seat a person the contract is final and if someone else comes in later they simply don't get that seat. Overbooking is legal (not sure why) but it is a sharp business practice and not right by any standard of decent business practices. The airline is so wrong in so many ways.
Finally, to comments that he should have been arrested I guess they could have requested that but it's federal jurisdiction and from long experience I can't imagine them getting a U.S. Marshall to arrest him and even if so I can't imagine a U.S. Attorney's office prosecuting him. We used to prosecute airline passengers who were disruptive to a high degree or who sexually assaulted a passenger or crew member but nothing as stupid as enforcing the airline's stupid rules.
I would prefer not to fly United but contrary to the stupid statement they make on every flight, we do not usually have "a choice when choosing airlines" so there you go--we only have four carriers carrying 80% of our domestic passengers so not really much choice there.
Apr 12, 2017 12:48:02 #
jaycoffman wrote:
The point is that everyone has seen all the airlin... (show quote)
There is speculation as to who has jurisdiction over what areas. The Feds claim checkpoint and air....generally state or local police are visible and are available for enforcement of state penal code. I would suppose that could have changed.
Apr 12, 2017 13:17:50 #
I'm more sympathetic to the guy and his band that flew United from Halifax, Nova Scotia. There are three videos, funny to say the least. Google, "United Breaks Guitars". Just consider if it were your cameras, not his guitars. Of coarse, no one in their right mind would check cameras! But if you did, the videos will tell you what you have to look forward to. :)
Apr 12, 2017 14:06:29 #
jaycoffman
Loc: San Diego
Yes, jurisdiction on the ground and with our without the doors closed could have changed since I was there too--it's been about 10 years of taking pictures and riding my motorcycle since I was in the business. I still think it would be tough to get the locals to prosecute such a case--the press would kill them.
jaycoffman wrote:
The point is that everyone has seen all the airlin... (show quote)
Apr 12, 2017 14:15:08 #
jaycoffman wrote:
Yes, jurisdiction on the ground and with our without the doors closed could have changed since I was there too--it's been about 10 years of taking pictures and riding my motorcycle since I was in the business. I still think it would be tough to get the locals to prosecute such a case--the press would kill them.
No thank you! LOL!
Apr 12, 2017 14:31:37 #
I see the good doctor has appointed lawyers.migh cost United a few bucks.
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