Please think twice about flying United

I believe the passenger has to share and own some of the responsibility in this case. It seems he is a real nudnik.

First, when you purchase an airline ticket, you enter into an agreement. Most don't bother to read the agreement or pay attention to it during the purchase process, but they are consenting to it nonetheless. Airlines have the ability to cancel or change your ticket for a number of reasons ranging from natural disasters to mechanical issues to overbooking. Inconvenient? Yes. Unfair? No. They tell you upfront.

Second, when confronted with danger, whether justified or not, I generally choose to get out of harm's way. This nudnik on the United flight decided to resist and paid the price. It's like how they tell bank tellers to just hand over the money during a robbery rather than risk getting hurt or killed. Even though the robbers are the ones in the wrong, it's best to let the police work it out later. Likewise, this nudnik should have worried about the moral and ethical issues a little later. Believe me, he is hardly the first person to ever get bumped from a flight.

Now, sure, I'm certain there will be some who think the opposite - that we must be brave and resist when confronted with injustice. Stand your ground, they'll say. This is how to bring about change. ... But I'll have to simply disagree. We are not talking about Tiananmen Square or Rosa Parks here. In this case, we are talking about a guy who got bumped from a flight - a possible outcome as outlined in his ticket purchase agreement.

United and the responding authorities also share in the blame for this terrible incident. They could have handled it much differently. But I don't let this guy off the hook entirely.

Maybe but he said no. And they simply could have asked a passenger another one. You have rights when you enter an agreement. And I am sure one of them is not to be dragged off. What they did is appaling \and personally I think he should sue for more then a million. Will not get that much but worth trying. My big problem is if I had a big business meeting that has a million dollar deal. I have to say no. Its madness to think otherwise
 
I sincerely hope that more consumer protection for airline passengers comes out this mess. This video went viral because it represented how airlines make us feel.

A quick google search of "contact my Congressman/Senator" will bring up easy to use forms to fill out to ask your representatives to increase passenger protections. Airlines have powerful lobbies, this is all we can do.

There used to be something called a "reciprocal rule" which mandated that, if there were seats on another airline, they had to put you on those flights and the other airline had to take you. American Airlines had room on its flight that afternoon but they don't have to do that anymore because it is cheaper to inconvenience your own customers.
 


I'm not certain why the guys background has any baring on the situation?
The situation itself? No, no bearing. He was treated the way he was treated.

His background is only helpful for people to understand if he is (or isn't) a professional troublemaker when they see/hear reports of this treatment.
 
It should also be noted it wasn't United that physically removed the passenger, it was CPD. They are the ones that got violent and will most likely (rightfully) have a lawsuit brought against them.

doesn't matter that it was the security people who used excessive force - it occurred on united's plane at the behest of united employees, making it united's responsibility and liability.
 


doesn't matter that it was the security people who used excessive force - it occurred on united's plane at the behest of united employees, making it united's responsibility and liability.

Yep. Legally United is responsible for what happens on their planes. United will be (and should) be liable. This incident could have been easily avoided had they just offered more money for volunteers rather than stopping at $800. Hopefully they'll change their long term protocols. The whole incident is frankly revolting - it's a story you would have expected to hear coming out of an Eastern Bloc country.
 
Yep. Legally United is responsible for what happens on their planes. United will be (and should) be liable. This incident could have been easily avoided had they just offered more money for volunteers rather than stopping at $800. Hopefully they'll change their long term protocols. The whole incident is frankly revolting - it's a story you would have expected to hear coming out of an Eastern Bloc country.

totally revolting and shocking! and deeply disturbing..... and that's all an understatement....
i can't begin to imagine it....who possibly could?
you figure once you're in your seat you're good to go...barring mechanical problems, weather, volcanoes and terrorists.....
but once i'm already seated?
you figure you might be refused boarding if you get there late and they've oversold the plane..
that they won't let you on the plane at all...
but once you're already on the plane??? they're going to throw me out for an employee who needs a seat???

they could have put those 4 employees on a private plane to get them to kentucky (or wherever it was they needed to go)...
or as you said, upped the offer to get off the plane...or made it a cash offer rather than vouchers...

but no, i guess knocking a guy unconscious, causing a severe concussion, breaking his nose and knocking out his teeth is a much better idea...
 

I don't blame UA for this. We get scorpions in our house in Texas fairly frequently. Grabbing it by the tail is a really bad idea. Covering it with something or smooshing it is better. I don't blame the passenger either; I think it was just one of those things. It probably either crawled in at an airport because it was warm and dark in the overhead bin or it was in someone's luggage from their home. I almost got stung by one at our house when digging out my son's dirty laundry. It apparently liked his warm, stinky laundry. I actually stepped on an itty bitty tiny baby invisible one in the carpet. It felt like a stepped on a sewing needle. You could barely see it even up close. I also suspect that the scorpion wasn't dangerous to humans, most aren't. They just hurt and suck. The press is just making a mountain out of a mole hill after the original United incident.
 
Be aware ... some of this stuff is just the "normal" operation issues that airlines face being blown up because every single thing that United does at this point is:
A. Assumed to be bad/dumb/malicious
B. A giant target

There's almost always another side to these kinds of stories, but right now United isn't getting the benefit of the doubt on "he said, she said" stuff. Not that I'm saying they deserve the benefit of the doubt. Just pointing out that anybody who's ever worked in air travel knows that a LOT of these kinds of things happen pretty much daily. I've done enough contract work at airports to have seen plenty.
 
I'm sure this has been mentioned in a previous page, but it should be noted, the flight wasn't oversold... they just needed room for their employees, so technically, the aviation law that they're hiding behind doesn't apply here....
Also to nite, wasnt it a flight that the equivalent drive is like 4 hours? (I think? I read it somewhere... might have been Pete's post on FB)
 
I'm sure this has been mentioned in a previous page, but it should be noted, the flight wasn't oversold... they just needed room for their employees, so technically, the aviation law that they're hiding behind doesn't apply here....
Also to nite, wasnt it a flight that the equivalent drive is like 4 hours? (I think? I read it somewhere... might have been Pete's post on FB)
More like 5 hours, but year ... clearly do-able.
 
If you are flying United in the near future, now's the time to buy your ticket. My short trip between RDU and IAD dropped by almost $120.
 

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