United Airlines violently drag passenger off overbooked flight

[editor]

Fucking hell. This has already caused a clusterfuck sized chunk of bad publicity for UA and rightly so, What a bunch of cunts.

On Sunday, a man was forcibly dragged off a United flight headed from Chicago to Louisville after he refused to give up his seat to a United employee who “needed to be in Louisville” for a flight the following day, The Courier-Journal reports.

Passenger Audra Bridges, who uploaded a video of the incident to Facebook, told the newspaper that United initially offered customers $400 and a hotel room if they offered to take a flight the next day at 3pm. Nobody chose to give up the seat that they paid for, so United upped the ante to $800 after passengers boarded, announcing that the flight would not leave until four stand-by United employees had seats. After there were still no takers, a manager allegedly told passengers that a computer would select four passengers to be kicked off the flight.

The man in the video apparently claimed to be a doctor who had appointments with patients the next morning. After he refused to give up his seat, Bridges says a security official threw him “against the armrest before dragging him out of the plane.” According to Bridges, the seemingly disoriented man came back onto the plane with blood on his face and the crew asked passengers to go back to the gate so that United crew could “tidy up” the plane.

http://gizmodo.com/hired-goon-drags-man-off-united-flight-after-he-refuses-1794168868

 

[editor]

Here's the traumatised/concussed/terrified/doctor they kicked off the flight. I sense the mother of lawsuits coming right up over this.

 

[dessiato]

I hope the courts treat them with the same brute force they treated that poor man.

 

[mather]

What cunts!

I hope the two security guards get jail time and that the doctor sues United for all their worth.

 

[Gromit]

Lucky for the airline that Americans arent that litigious. I'm sure he'll accept a mere apology.

Whatever amount they hoped to save by this action... hope they lose quadruple it.

 

[editor]

The United Airlines twitter feed is dripping in bad publicity

News about united airlines on Twitter

 

[bi0boy]

Overbooking is a reality of air travel. If you want to ensure you get somewhere on time, factor that in to your travel plans. Also, factor in other people delaying take-off because they didn't read the T&Cs of their ticket.

 

[Pickman's model]

This will end well

 

[editor]

Overbooking is a reality of air travel. If you want to ensure you get somewhere on time, factor that in to your travel plans. Also, factor in other people delaying take-off because they didn't read the T&Cs of their ticket.

Also: factor in being assaulted by uniformed thugs and dragged off the plane if you're flying UA.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Overbooking is a reality of air travel. If you want to ensure you get somewhere on time, factor that in to your travel plans. Also, factor in other people delaying take-off because they didn't read the T&Cs of their ticket.

Apparently, the United terms and conditions cover the possibility that passengers won't be boarded on a flight because of overbooking; but don't cover this situation - the removal of a seated passenger from the flight due to overbooking.

 

[Gromit]

Overbooking is a reality of air travel. If you want to ensure you get somewhere on time, factor that in to your travel plans. Also, factor in other people delaying take-off because they didn't read the T&Cs of their ticket.

They didn't overbook. There were the right number of passengers.

This is them going shit we got no standby spots when we need 4 of em.

I would argue that if it's that important to transfer staff for scheduled work, you don't do it via standby spaces.

 

[agricola]

Somewhat odd that they were willing to pay out $3200 and the cost of four hotel rooms just to avoid what is apparently a five hour drive.

 

[editor]

Apparently, the United terms and conditions cover the possibility that passengers won't be boarded on a flight because of overbooking; but don't cover this situation - the removal of a seated passenger from the flight due to overbooking.

Whatever their terms say, they have no right to attack and assault a customer in this manner.

 

[Dr. Furface]

And we thought Ryanair were cunts!

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

Whatever their terms say, they have no right to attack and assault a customer in this manner.

I agree: but in addition, there apparently is nothing in their contract which allows them to demand that a seated passenger de-plane because of overbooking.

Which means that the coming lawsuit will most likely be successful.

 

[editor]

I agree: but in addition, there apparently is nothing in their contract which allows them to demand that a seated passenger de-plane because of overbooking.

Which means that the coming lawsuit will most likely be successful.

It'll be successful regardless of whether the passenger was breaking UA's rules or not because he was assaulted, humiliated and left traumatised.

 

[NoXion]

Why couldn't the employees wait for a free seat? The passengers have already paid for theirs.

 

[Gromit]

Somewhat odd that they were willing to pay out $3200 and the cost of four hotel rooms just to avoid what is apparently a five hour drive.

If you were a family with two kids you could have cleaned up. Might have been worth pulling a sickie.

But I bet it wasn't $3200 in cash but rather flight credit to be used within 60 days or something.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

It'll be successful regardless of whether the passenger was breaking UA's rules or not because he was assaulted, humiliated and left traumatised.

The fact that there was not even a basis for the request, further solidifies the prospect of success.

You seem to be arguing with this point; not sure why.

 

[CRI]

Somewhat odd that they were willing to pay out $3200 and the cost of four hotel rooms just to avoid what is apparently a five hour drive.

You'd be lucky to get from O'Hare to Louisville in under 6 hours unless it's like 3 am. The interstate around Indianapolis is always clogged. Think a taxi would be pretty eye-watering, and probably some rule about flight staff hours of rest time before starting, or some such.

 

[NoXion]

You'd be lucky to get from O'Hare to Louisville in under 6 hours unless it's like 3 am. The interstate around Indianapolis is always clogged. Think a taxi would be pretty eye-watering, and probably some rule about flight staff hours of rest time before starting, or some such.

They could have got plenty of rest while waiting for the next flight.

 

[Orang Utan]

I suspect UA are unlikely to suffer any more overbookings on their flights

 

[CRI]

If you were a family with two kids you could have cleaned up. Might have been worth pulling a sickie.

But I bet it wasn't $3200 in cash but rather flight credit to be used within 60 days or something.

Quite likely. I got "compensation" for a flight that was cancelled due to the Icelandic volcano. It was a credit to be used within 90 days against a full price ticket. I went to book another flight as soon as the ban was lifted. It was cheaper to book a discount fare on line than to use the "credit note," and insurance wouldn't pay because as far as they were concerned, the airline paid compensation.

I wasn't planning on flying very far again, certainly not to the US for all the political and hassle reasons. Fuck me though, this incident is shocking. Terms and conditions, my ass. I hope he takes them to the cleaners and United go bust from a mass boycott. They had a reputation for being crap back when I flew to the US regularly, so I avoided where possible. They won't be missed.

 

[CRI]

They could have got plenty of rest while waiting for the next flight.

I think the point was they needed to be in Louisville to report for duty at a certain time the next day, so wouldn't have made it on time if taking the next flight. Shite planning if they expected essential staff to get there from standby.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Can't see them surviving this. Rightly so.

Is this the 'Trump Effect'?

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

[

Can't see them surviving this. Rightly so.

...especially coming on the heels of the 'pants' episode...

Two teenage girls barred from United flight for wearing leggings - The Boston Globe

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Can't see them surviving this. Rightly so.

Is this the 'Trump Effect'?

I don't know that much about US airlines, but can people actually boycott them without having to pay significantly more? Companies don't normally act like this unless they are pretty confident in their circumstances and so can deliver really shit customer service without worrying to much about the consequences.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

And we thought Ryanair were cunts!

Hush.

Ryanair might add an optional 'not being duffed up' surcharge...

 

[editor]

 

[editor]

And in UA's own words...