Article

2017-04-11 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

United Airlines CEO Apologizes After Video Shows Man Dragged Off Flight

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Posted by Fred 2017-04-11 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11133 views ] Top

#1 The total arrogance of this industry highlighted once again. They've treated people like cattle for decades. Perhaps this incident will finally bring about some change.

Posted by Besoeker 2017-04-11 00:24|| 2017-04-11 00:24|| Front Page Top

#2 And what if the Doctor's patients had died because he wasn't there to treat them?

Perhaps United Airlines thinks it can refund their lives to them...

Posted by CrazyFool 2017-04-11 00:57|| 2017-04-11 00:57|| Front Page Top

#3 The solution is obvious. Keep increasing the money offered to get off the flight. Everyone has their price.

Posted by phil_b 2017-04-11 01:03|| 2017-04-11 01:03|| Front Page Top

#4 The overbooking is whose fault? The Airlines CAUSED the problem. And then the airline arbitrarily drags a CUSTOMER off the flight by force and injures him in the process?

THE AIRLINE IS AT FAULT.
STUPID way to do business.

Don't book a flight on that airline. Just don't do business with them in future... take another airline. Remember them. Spend your money somewhere else. See how stupid they stay.

Remember them anyway.

Posted by Deadeye Bourbon1820 2017-04-11 05:31|| 2017-04-11 05:31|| Front Page Top

#5 Aviation Police?

Posted by Skidmark 2017-04-11 07:15|| 2017-04-11 07:15|| Front Page Top

#6 Good thing the guy wasn't wearing leggings.

Posted by JohnQC 2017-04-11 07:34|| 2017-04-11 07:34|| Front Page Top

#7 Don't forget Deadeye - they also forcibly removed the PAYING CUSTOMER to make room for UNITED EMPLOYEES.

Posted by CrazyFool 2017-04-11 07:49|| 2017-04-11 07:49|| Front Page Top

#8 And you now know why I opted for retirement.

I do not ever miss my weekly trips to and from airports.

Posted by AlanC 2017-04-11 07:51|| 2017-04-11 07:51|| Front Page Top

#9 And you now know why I opted for retirement.

But WAIT there's more! Even before airline passenger boarding, there is NOTHING any more disgusting than being herded by Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport, attitude ridden, Federal Job Corps TSA chimps. NOTHING !

Posted by Besoeker 2017-04-11 08:05|| 2017-04-11 08:05|| Front Page Top

#10 As long as they're jamming them into the sardine cans, they could care less about it. Just remember you and I bailed them all out after the grounding on 9/11. Just another form of entitlement.

The old CAB rules on the books had the requirement that if you have one of the old fashion paper tickets (not your modern print out), the airline had to get you on the next available flight to your destination regardless of carrier.

Posted by Procopius2k 2017-04-11 08:25|| 2017-04-11 08:25|| Front Page Top

#11 Reason #453 that I don't fly United.

Posted by DarthVader 2017-04-11 08:35|| 2017-04-11 08:35|| Front Page Top

#12 Three issues:
1. Yes, any airline can remove a paying customer if they deem it appropriate. Read the fine print on your ticket. It is my understanding that 40,000 paying customers were undramatically "bumped" last year.
2. The Gendarme may be at fault for physically injuring the person said to be a Doctor, but there may be some blame to go around here. Btw, would my Doctor act in a manner like the one deplaned? If so, I'd be thinking about changing Doctors.
3. The PD Supervisor via UAL personnel may not have accurately conveyed the situation to the cop on site. If the copper only knew "disruptive person on an airplane," well, that may have needlessly got some adrenaline going.

But, as I told the Missus last night while she glared at me through jaundiced eye "What is, is, and United will weather the storm."

Posted by Harcourt Juth4746 2017-04-11 08:49|| 2017-04-11 08:49|| Front Page Top

#13 But, as I told the Missus last night while she glared at me through jaundiced eye "What is, is, and United will weather the storm."

...and the inevitable legal action and monetary awards to the removed passenger will be picked up by future UAL customers. Never mind the inconvenience suffered by the passengers permitted to stay aboard the flight.

Peanuts or crackers? Peanuts, crackers?

Posted by Besoeker 2017-04-11 08:56|| 2017-04-11 08:56|| Front Page Top

#14 What moron let the to be bumped passengers board? Don't you have to be assigned a seat? They don't have an algorithm to keep two people from being assigned the same seat? Me think there is more to this.

Posted by Crusoling Turkeyneck1852 2017-04-11 08:56|| 2017-04-11 08:56|| Front Page Top

#15 Trespassing plus failing to obey commands of a crew member. It's an open and shut case.

I'm ashamed of Rantburg for supporting this lawbreaker.

Posted by Harcourt Angoluting9366 2017-04-11 09:24|| 2017-04-11 09:24|| Front Page Top

#16 There is more. They did the normal overbooked weeding at the gate, and boarded the remainder. All good so far.
THEN UA found they had to move four of their own (UA) personnel, and decided to offer the typical monetary reward for volunteers. No volunteers; too low a bid on UA's part. Then it became a "fuck em, drag their asses off" thing. Three went grudgingly, one didn't want to volun-selected. The rest of the story we've heard. The ethnic chinese Dr. (I don't know if he was a real doctor) appeared to be in shock when he re-boarded, bloodied, muttering about them trying to kill them. No info on that. So what is unsaid is they got a fifth person to volun-select? If the doc re-boarded, a seat had to be open. (Then they had to un-board to clean up the blood? What?) I am made of questions here.

Posted by Whiskey Mike 2017-04-11 09:43|| 2017-04-11 09:43|| Front Page Top

#17 ^^^^UAL troll

Posted by chris 2017-04-11 09:43|| 2017-04-11 09:43|| Front Page Top

#18 It's simple. Overbook, fine 10K per. Not cost effective to do anymore. You think your K streets reps in Congress will back that? I have a bridge in San Francisco to sell you.

Posted by Procopius2k 2017-04-11 10:03|| 2017-04-11 10:03|| Front Page Top

#19 I think Harcourt is right. When the airline crew tells you to leave the plane you must do so. It does not matter if their reason is justified. I suspect United acted legally but stupidly - it wouldn't be the first time.
That said, I can easily understand the doctor - and everybody else - not wanting to be stuck in Chicago...

Posted by Glenmore 2017-04-11 10:21|| 2017-04-11 10:21|| Front Page Top

#20 I'm ashamed of Rantburg for supporting this lawbreaker.

I'm ashamed that anyone thinks its ok to boot a paying customer that has already been seated merely because an EMPLOYEE wishes to take that seat at the last minute. Fuck UA for being so foolish.

Posted by Crusader 2017-04-11 10:32|| 2017-04-11 10:32|| Front Page Top

#21 But, of course: StarTrek actor John Cho blames Trump for United’s forced removal of passenger

Who woulda' thought Chinese Takeout would turn into such a problem?

Posted by Harcourt Juth4746 2017-04-11 10:46|| 2017-04-11 10:46|| Front Page Top

#22 Go to your room.

Posted by Pappy 2017-04-11 10:52|| 2017-04-11 10:52|| Front Page Top

#23 Police are now serving computers!

Posted by Hupinetle Chavinter7433 2017-04-11 11:13|| 2017-04-11 11:13|| Front Page Top

#24 A public relations disaster that could have been averted. Corporate stupidity. It will cost UA a bundle in lost ridership. Despite that airlines can legally remove a passenger from the plane, I've got a feeling there is a legion of attorneys salivating to take on this case.

Posted by JohnQC 2017-04-11 11:32|| 2017-04-11 11:32|| Front Page Top

#25 Who woulda' thought Chinese Takeout would turn into such a problem?
Posted by Harcourt

That is so funny!

Posted by jvalentour 2017-04-11 13:06|| 2017-04-11 13:06|| Front Page Top

#26 For some reason United Stock went up yesterday?

Weird thought came to me. What if the feds found out a terrorist had boarded, this would be a nice way to remove them without freaking out all the other passengers.

Posted by rjschwarz 2017-04-11 13:23|| 2017-04-11 13:23|| Front Page Top

#27 United Airlines sux so bad I don't understand how they're still in business.

Posted by Abu Uluque 2017-04-11 13:30|| 2017-04-11 13:30|| Front Page Top

#28 I am not seeing UAL stock going up. It started at 70.15, dipped to 68.36 maybe around 11 AM, turned up to nearly match its open 69.54, seems to be trending down now. Market seems to be signaling a loss of ~2.5% of its cap, so $550M out of $22.08B. Expensive seat change.

Posted by Whiskey Mike 2017-04-11 13:45|| 2017-04-11 13:45|| Front Page Top

#29 Stocks down $1.4 Billion.

Posted by Thomoth Smith2015 2017-04-11 14:08|| 2017-04-11 14:08|| Front Page Top

#30 Perhaps down today but Fortune was reporting the stock soaring yesterday despite the incident. CNBC also reported that but their links now go to a report about the stocks falling as PR catches up.

Posted by rjschwarz 2017-04-11 14:29|| 2017-04-11 14:29|| Front Page Top

#31 I'm actually afraid to fly commercial but I try to at least once a year to catch up on my drinking and praying.

Posted by Deacon Blues 2017-04-11 16:11|| 2017-04-11 16:11|| Front Page Top

#32 United spokesman Jonathan Guerin said Tuesday that all 70 seats on United Express Flight 3411 were filled, but the plane was not overbooked as the airline previously reported. Instead, United and regional affiliate Republic Airlines, which operated the flight, selected four passengers to be removed to accommodate crew members needed in Louisville the next day.

Posted by Crusader 2017-04-11 17:31|| 2017-04-11 17:31|| Front Page Top

#33 Explain to me any other business that sells something they don't have without getting charged with fraud? You pay for a ticket (usually with small print that says non-refundable) a contract is made. If you miss the flight or blow it off, the seat is already paid for whether filled or not. The practice of overbooking is an old scheme made 'legal' by airline lobbyists and Congresscritters who look the other way to the practice that would not be tolerated in nearly every other business.

Excellent point !

Posted by Procopius2k 2017-04-11 17:33|| 2017-04-11 17:33|| Front Page Top

#34 That's a good one Deacon.

Both right, both wrong. IIUC, United and airport security are two different entities?

$800 voucher to overnight in Chicago, no way. Not even cash. Probably only bag I'd have is my carry-on, gotta get out of O'Hare (I have been there a couple times), pay for a taxi, hotel room, dinner, taxi back to O'Hare with enough time to get to terminal, check-in (hopefully I am on the passenger list), go through security, hopefully enough time to tredge a food line, get some airport priced meal, get to gate, board. So maybe three or four hundred left of the voucher for all that extra work and now messed up schedule. How much would I have earned the day I was supposed to be at work?

What kind of voucher, $800 off my next flight from a company that just booted me from a seat I had reserved and made plans around that reservation? Come'on.

No volunteers for that? Shocking. $1000 cash and I get a first class seat.

None of this stuff really changes my opinion on anything, and unruly passengers are on my top 5 things I hate....but the memes going around are killing me.

Posted by swksvolFF 2017-04-11 18:08|| 2017-04-11 18:08|| Front Page Top

#35 If you have a full price ticket, you can get on any flight if there is room, regardless of whether you have a reservation. I have done it numerous times. And you can book a seat and simply not show up without consequence.

No shows have always been a problem for airlines, and they routinely overbook based on the estimated number of no shows.

Posted by phil_b 2017-04-11 18:24|| 2017-04-11 18:24|| Front Page Top

#36 But this flight was *not* overbooked. United needed to get 4 crewmembers to Louisville for the next morning so they kicked 4 paying customers off - including this doctor.

Why couldn't they have placed their crew on a different flight with a different airline?

Posted by CrazyFool 2017-04-11 19:41|| 2017-04-11 19:41|| Front Page Top

#37 Dr. is Asian. Big stink about it in China where UA is big. They are accusing UA of being racist...

Posted by Nero White 3083 2017-04-11 21:02|| 2017-04-11 21:02|| Front Page Top

#38 Like pinging a sub you catch prying.
How bu hao! Some Chinese guy crying.
A Peking duck, winging?
A jing ju star, singing
When suddenly spotlighted flying?

Posted by Zenobia Floger6220 2017-04-11 21:04|| 2017-04-11 21:04|| Front Page Top

#39 Apparently this happens all the time but usually they kick the folks before boarding so there is less of a fuss.

Posted by rjschwarz 2017-04-11 23:02|| 2017-04-11 23:02|| Front Page Top

23:48 Zenobia Floger6220
23:02 rjschwarz
21:52 rammer
21:45 rammer
21:37 Besoeker
21:34 rammer
21:34 Sock Puppet of Doom
21:32 Besoeker
21:27 Sock Puppet of Doom
21:25 rammer
21:20 Frank G
21:14 rammer
21:04 Zenobia Floger6220
21:03 rammer
21:02 Nero White 3083
20:39 Frank G
20:10 Crusader
20:05 rammer
19:50 rammer
19:41 CrazyFool
19:00 phil_b
18:54 Rob Crawford
18:50 Regular joe
18:44 swksvolFF