What makes you think the removal was "illegal." Their contract of carriage pretty much gives them the LEGAL right to remove anyone for any reason. Now, if could have been morally wrong, and otherwise ill-advised, but it was not "illegal" if their contract gives them that right.
Many of the legal opinions discussing it have suggested that since he had boarded he could be denied boarding this the contract opt out didn't apply.
I don't think their contract of carriage really covered this scenario and it may take the court case to get a ruling.
My limit would be the hokey pokey. I always liked the chicken dance.
But really, aside from the hyperbole, I have no issues with complying if the request is reasonable.
But here's the thing: who decides what is reasonable. That was my point with the would you take your pants off (a clearly unlikely and ridiculous request), sure everyone can agree that that is unreasonable but I can easily see the argument that asking a person to exit the seat they occupy and have paid for, to wait u til the next afternoon so someone else can use it instead as an unreasonable request.
Oh, that's a winner in the stupid reasons to change someone's flight accommodations for sure. I can understand cultural beliefs preventing the two men from wanting to sit near her & rub elbows with her. (Hey, who am I to judge. My religion puts chocolate eggs in Easter baskets, LOL.) However, the proper thing to do would to be to tell the two men that they knowingly booked those seats on a public flight, knowing that anyone including a woman could be seated in their row. Their options would be 1) They can move rows, and there may be none available that would suit them, or 2) better yet, book an entire isle to themselves on another flight.
Following from #2 above, if a flight is full and someone has booked and paid for an extra seat for any number of reasons (size, assistance dog, space), does the flight crew have the right to take that seat away?
So yes I believe that if someone doesn't want to sit next to another "type" of person for cultural beliefs they should purchase 2 extra seats, but I don't think the flight crew should change their roles, if he doesn't want a female crew to serve him them I guess he isn't getting a drink on this flight.
I don't think his religious beliefs entitle him to to anything that will negatively effect others. Ordering a suitable inflight meal, cool, ordering where other passengers can sit, or how the crew can do their jobs, nope.
What if he had been a KKK member who was asking not to sit next to an African American because of his beliefs? We would be horrified, and we wouldn't allow it-so I don't see why these men's reasons deserve anymore consideration.
As far as can they take their seat, again I think if you have paid for it it's yours and it should be treated no different than if it was occupied, if you have bought something you should get it.
there are many reasons why someone may be willing to double or triple (if getting one for each side) their cost, and if they have had the foresight to make preparations they shouldn't be left without because airlines are greedy.
I don't think United is responsible for his injuries. If it is found that the police did not follow protocol in their removal, that is their fault.
United may be guilty of breaching the contract of carriage, depending on how denial of boarding is defined. United is absolutely guilty of poor policies that created this situation, but I agree that may not rise to the point of legal culpability. Damage has been done to their brand regardless.
I am sure he could sue them for pain and suffering though.
This thread is jammed packed full of speculation, things like I "heard" but can't verify, arm chair lawyers, horrible thing said about the airline pilots wife that wrote the blog, misunderstanding and some silly scenarios to promote opinions. At this point, I think we all should will do the adult thing and base our opinions off fact and not what is written here.
OMG learn to take a joke, nothing horrible was said about the pilots wife.
