USA Today: UA forcibly remove random pax from flight
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All I can say, after 40 years in the professional aviation business, is that I'm appalled by these UA thugs.
The man bought a ticket, paid for up front. As far as I can see, it's a legally binding contract. He saw his need to be on that particular flight as greater than that of the airline staff, who could have used other means. For him to be assaulted in that way was totally uncalled for.
United Airlines? They can stuff it.
The man bought a ticket, paid for up front. As far as I can see, it's a legally binding contract. He saw his need to be on that particular flight as greater than that of the airline staff, who could have used other means. For him to be assaulted in that way was totally uncalled for.
United Airlines? They can stuff it.
It was a short flight. For the amount of money they were going to have to offer to the offloaded PAX why wouldn't the airline just charter a small jet and move the crew that way?
What's the significance of him being Asian, 69 and male?
If he was white, female and 25 would that make a difference?
'How was work, honey?'
'Same old same old: just beat the crap out of some old foreign guy who wanted to go to work.'
If he was white, female and 25 would that make a difference?
'How was work, honey?'
'Same old same old: just beat the crap out of some old foreign guy who wanted to go to work.'
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Don't equate the man being pulled off the plane as a failure of protocol. 3 of the 4 people to be removed did so, the fourth didn't comply with lawful order from the police officer and you saw the result. The aircraft isn't a public place, if those responsible and with the authority to remove the pax did so properly, then it's incumbent upon the pax to leave.
Looking at what we know at the moment, the jury is still out on a number of assumptions you have made. For instance the Department of Transport rules say:
DOT requires each airline to give all passengers who are bumped involuntarily a written statement describing their rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't.
Equally:
DOT rules require airlines to seek out people who are willing to give up their seats for compensation before bumping anyone involuntarily. Here's how this works. At the check-in or boarding area, airline employees will look for volunteers when it appears that the flight has been oversold.
What marks this case out is that the pax was already on the plane and had a seat. So he was being forceably removed to accommodate someone else.
UA is going to have to provide some really strong reasons, in accordance with the policy, the DoT mandatorily requires, to justify their action.
We all wait with baited breath to hear their justification.
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From reports they got to $800 and a hotel.
CFR 250.5 fixes compensation for denied bording at 400% of the fare, with a maximum of $1350. (Can be less if they get rerouted to arrive within an hour or two)
Perhaps if they fixed it at $10,000, (not a percentage of the fare) there would never be another denied boarding.
CFR 250.5 fixes compensation for denied bording at 400% of the fare, with a maximum of $1350. (Can be less if they get rerouted to arrive within an hour or two)
Perhaps if they fixed it at $10,000, (not a percentage of the fare) there would never be another denied boarding.
indeed. However it does raise the question why the police were called?
all wait with baited breath to hear their justification.
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But they invited him onto their 'property' in the first place.
It would be interesting to see if airline such as UA were regularly off-loading passengers.
West Coast - clearly it is business. Wiki Gerald Ratner.
It would be interesting to see if airline such as UA were regularly off-loading passengers.
West Coast - clearly it is business. Wiki Gerald Ratner.
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Waiting for proof from UAL that a crew was being re-positioned, and not just a commuting crew that were being accommodated by their co-workers.
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The police were called because the passenger refused to leave. The pax doesn't have some absolute right to remain on private property. Thisis UA's property, if you're booted out of someone's business and refuse, do you honestly think management is just going to say, ok, you can stay.
onto their 'property' in the first place.
Name one thing from a legality perspective UA did wrong.
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It's not as salacious as you make it out to be, a DH crew needed to be on the plane. Moving crews, causing pax to be bumped is a daily occurrence. You may not like it, but that's business.
If an airline send a message that us fare paying passengers are just scum to be beaten up for their corporate convenience then that makes our fare buying decisions easy when considering where to spend our money.
Yes. I can envisage a sensible solution where you do just that and look for another solution. Sometimes the "red mist" or " I must show you who is the boss" is provoked to the forefront and the result deteriorates into something like this. There are times when you lose the battle to win the war. In a customer focused business this often happens.
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West Coast, please be so kind as mention which airline you work for.
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Hitchens has it spot on. But PR boo-boos are UA's standard fare. This organisation are probably run by gifted people who know the price of everything, but the value of nothing. Here is another classic. They fail to realise that it is cheaper to cough up what appears large sums of cash on the day rather than exorbitant amounts later on. This will only cost a few million. If the powers that be took their hands out of their trousers and considered real life they might save themselves millions in the long run. Serves them right.
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This 'doctor' doesn't appear to be mentally stable as he races down the aisle after reboarding the plane and chants 'I have to go home, I have to go home':
https://twitter.com/Tyler_Bridges/st...28695360663552
https://twitter.com/Tyler_Bridges/st...28695360663552
Well, I'm ex Army, RAF and airline captain with a couple of police officers in my extended family and, if as reported, this was a disgraceful assault on a legitimate passenger who had legally boarded the aircraft and was not behaving in a disruptive manner.
I do wish I was in his legal shoes in the USA right now
I do wish I was in his legal shoes in the USA right now
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Airbubba, I would imagine that being smacked in the mouth and dragged off an aircraft by thugs would upset many people.