Originally Posted by
Red Jet
Look - I am in no way defending the lack-lustre customer service in the US or their trigger happy gun culture. My point is simply this - they (United) stuffed up and boarded a full airplane and then realised they HAD to position 4 crew on the flight in question. It was extremely poorly handled by United without a doubt, but there was obviously a prelude to the viral videos that those of us who weren't on the plane are not privy to, and after 4 volunteers were sought and they had found no takers at $800 dollars per seat, the only reasonable way to proceed should have been to keep upping the bid until they found someone. The fact that they didn't is a major stuff-up and worthy of all the critique coming their way.
What isn't cool - is that once they had crossed the Rubicon and decided to RANDOMLY pick 4 guests, who were then INSTRUCTED to disembark the aircraft, the only option available to you is to comply with this instruction! As per aviation law, if the instruction came from aircrew, and by civil law if it was issued by the law enforcement officer. The customer in question refused to comply with the instruction and 3 customers (while most probably fuming under the collar) grabbed their hand luggage and left, while the good Doctor elected not to do it, and was physically fighting a lawful ejection from the aircraft.
Think this through guys - if an airline had to rescind the option of involuntarily disembarking a passenger after boarding, it would become completely unworkable and it would descend into anarchy. There are a number of reasons why this could become necessary, including Weight & Balance issues, performance issues, computer glitches where 2 boarding passes with the same seat number has been printed out (has happened to me personally more than once) and of course - upon reversal to manual procedures the chances of this occurring increases. There could be problems discovered with travel document deficiencies, Trump could throw a tantrum and issue a decree banning persons holding a passport of a particular color, etc.
So, if it ever happens that a person in uniform addresses you onboard an aircraft and says: "Sir (or Madam), you will need to get your hand luggage and follow me!" you just bloody well do it, however pissed off you are! There is no other option open to you, but then afterwards - by all means go on social media and pour as much bile as you like onto the airline for their ****ty customer service, - but you HAVE to do what you are told. An instruction to collect your hand luggage and disembark the aircraft is a lawful instruction - there can be no doubt about that in my opinion (needless to say - I'm only expressing MY opinion and you are free to hold a contrary one). Just know this - if I instruct you to disembark an airplane on which I am crew and you fail to comply, I will also call in law enforcement if available, otherwise I will handcuff you, and contain you until such assistance can be found. The passengers were not asked to get up and undress or dance a polka! There was nothing frivolous about it and as pissed off as the Doctor would have felt - if they had "abandoned" the attempt to get the Doctor off BECAUSE he refused, and then picked someone else - imagine the downfall of that! There is a ranking order onboard an airplane for a very good reason, the instruction issued was entirely reasonable and under the circumstances were deemed necessary by the airline and the ensuing law enforcement officer. It's in the fine print on any IATA carriers ticketing conditions (carriage is not assured even if boarding pass has been issued and the plane has been boarded, or words to that effect).
Pretty much what I've said regarding the legal aspect. What UA did was woeful but I think the words you are looking for are along the lines of (or words to the effect), the carrier reserves the right to alter the times, the dates, the method of carriage and/or the carriers involved in the services and the equipment to be utilized for any reason it sees fit.
You are correct about thinking it through. Something that used to happen at the most recent airline I worked for was downgrades from A330 to 737 (737 having fixed J class section as opposed to the other mob). If this happens enroute, e.g. in ADL on a transcontinental service (as used to happen at Ansett sometimes, from 767 to 737 or A320), the pax won't all fit on the aircraft so the pax who have boarded and are in transit are selected usually at random and placed on a later service. There's not point when the aircraft which is terminating stops at the gate in refusing to disembark. There are other issues as well... a slide goes U/S and the pax load has to be reduced. If this legal right to take pax off an aircraft is removed I can see some real cockups happening... airline forced to fix/replace the slide in situ, flight delayed to the point where crew are out of hours and now EVERYONE has to get off. Like I said elsewhere. An aircraft is property. You have a right as does a company to order someone off your property for whatever reason even if you've invited them there. If they refuse it's trespass. I've been told this by Police and by Security management at a previous airline. I remember saying at the time that if it was me, I wouldn't have been happy but I would have got off the aircraft and then raised hell with the airline management afterward.
The problem with the US these days is that if you simply argue once off the aeroplane or even at the counter over a baggage allowance, without raising your voice or acting in a threatening manner in any way but rather reasoned, measured discussion, there is still every chance in that country that you will be handed over to Police for 'becoming abusive'. I am so sick of hearing the US (a country I used to admire once) talking about their freedom, etc. when in fact they are every bit a third rate Police State these days. They have tens of thousands of police forces and they're all armed, they're mostly badly trained and over react totally in just about every circumstance. If anyone disagrees with that then I suggest they watch the tape of the African American man changing his tyre on the side of the road who was shot 6 times by a Police officer, effectively for nothing.
It is this culture that caused this incident... I mean, the 'Chicago Aviation Police' what the hell is that??? Do they also have a 'Chicago front curb, terminal entry police' and a 'car park police' as well... pathetic.
No one I believe thinks it's acceptable for a passenger to be taken off a flight because of the airline's requirements but it is legal and anyone who thinks it's not is living in lala land. It may not be good business practice, it may not be practical but it is legal. The only difference in this case was that the word was obviously received after everyone had boarded.