Ban Puncher
Member
Give your employees four bus tickets and try not to assault the paying customers.
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United Airlines violently drags a doctor off a plane so employee could take his seat
- Thread starter Korey
- Start date
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The employees were flight crew so if they weren't in Louisville then more than a few people wouldn't be getting where they want to go.
They gave it to the whole plane and offered plane ticket incentives and no one took. When that didn't work they did the picking themselves. I think the incentive should have kept going up as someone else mentioned. So they weren't necessarily "picking" on him. He just got the short straw.
He was let back on because after he got roughed up I imagine someone else waa like "this guy really needs to be in Louisville" and took the deal. Either that or they were weight restricted and the pilot played with the numbers or had bags removed. I doubt the latter because iirc Louisville United flights from ORD are probably XRJ which aren't weight restricted.
With all that said I'm not trying to say what they did I'd okay or right.
You can, by offering a cash incentive. They stopped at $800. They should have kept upping it instead of dealing with what's now a viral PR disaster.
ManUnkindH
Member
fucking hell!! that poor man being dragged like a fucking object....Another reason for me to hate flights and airplanes.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
That's actually a great point. This will cost them a LOT more than $800 in bad PR.
FrontalMonk
Banned
This whole thing's a PR nightmare, but it sounds like the employees were supposed to be crew for another flight. Like if you lived in DC but had to be in Cleveland by a certain time so you could be part of the crew for a flight leaving from Cleveland. I understand why they needed to get to where they were going but holy shit at going the wrong way about it.
it's not. they're not crew members for this flight. they have to be in Louisville for monday, much like our fellow doctor.
ClosingADoor
Member
Yes, the practice of overbooking is bullshit. But when confronted with that situation as a passenger, refusing to leave is not an option, and the employees of the airline and airport can do little about it also at that specific moment. He was picked at random, so if he says "no, I got important shit" and they just move to the next person, why would he leave?
They should probably increase the price though, someone's going to take like $2500 for a days delay.
RoadHazard
Gold Member
How about not fucking overbooking?
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
Oh the guy is Asian.
Guess they don't have trouble dragging off a minority.
Guess they don't have trouble dragging off a minority.
Skellig Gra
Member
United definitely fucked up. The guy just made things worse for himself. Although he'll probably get a nice payout now.
wesleyshark
Banned
autumnleaf
Member
Pretty wacky the computer randomly selected a couple. Should have selected a family of 4, problem solved.
UnluckyKate
Member
bad PR will go in a couple of days.
But the money they will loose when this guy will sue them...
I like how flying 4 of their employees is more important than their own customers.. What a shit show... and they stopped biding at 800$ lol
yeah this is a disaster its like no one actually had any common sens at United they just don't give a fuck
Is that true or are you just theorizing here?
Some people have jobs, weddings, funerals etc. to attend.
Skellig Gra
Member
I get your point but if everyone knows there is no cap people will hold out a lot longer. Easier solution would be to not overbook but I can see the corporate logic game.
They're allowed to do it solely because they're also legally required to compensate anyone they involuntarily remove from the flight.
Are you people missing the part where he was a doctor with patients waiting for him at his destination?
These responses are disgusting.
UnluckyKate
Member
I bet your ass the " computer randomly choosing " was just a guy picking up randomly a name.
I don't think ONE seconde they have a software designed to randomly pick a passenger for whatever reasons.
There truly is a defense force for everything on GAF.
Androidsleeps
Member
As someone who works in Marketing, are the people running United Airlines deliberately trying to damage their brand, especially after that leggings fiasco two weeks ago??
I'm divided on this. They offered a voluntary option for 4 people to leave and no one took it, so 4 random passengers is the next best option if they truly needed the seats.
The other 3 passengers got off without issue, yet this one, refuses to leave... Wouldn't it have been easier to just leave and kick up a fuss with them afterwards? Instead he wanted them to reroll the dice and refused to leave. You don't refuse to leave when security of a private business ask you to leave.
Still, the physical removal seemed very over the top but if he's refusing it's no doubt going to have to come to some physical removal. I mean, you get physically chucked out of any private business if you refuse to leave.
Crappy customer service but if you're asked to leave, just leave. Complain afterwards.
The other 3 passengers got off without issue, yet this one, refuses to leave... Wouldn't it have been easier to just leave and kick up a fuss with them afterwards? Instead he wanted them to reroll the dice and refused to leave. You don't refuse to leave when security of a private business ask you to leave.
Still, the physical removal seemed very over the top but if he's refusing it's no doubt going to have to come to some physical removal. I mean, you get physically chucked out of any private business if you refuse to leave.
Crappy customer service but if you're asked to leave, just leave. Complain afterwards.
As stupid as the whole thing is it is a private airplane, you do not have an inherent right to fly and especially do not have a right to fly a specific flight on United. Further, we all know what comes next when asked to leave, well, anywhere. Asked to leave a bar and don't you'll find yourself dealing with a bouncer, asked to leave a business and don't and you'll be greeted by security, asked to leave somewhere by the police and don't, 50/50 chance you'll next be seen by a coroner.
Almost nowhere in society do we not forcibly removed people who refuse to leave somewhere once told by the legal owner of that property.
Plus supposedly he screamed as if getting kicked off a flight was akin to getting sent to a concentration camp. He's got a right to scream of course I just find it a bit childish when it's in response to a situation you are half in control in.
Now, as I said above I find the whole thing silly, there shouldn't secretly be different priorities of passengers that exist with overbooking to curtail just these types of situations. Because why even have these confrontations in the plane to begin with, shit should be handled outside at a minimum or not happen at all but tying up a plane for hours because someone you let on refuses to get off, that's stupid.
teruterubozu
Member
I'm flying with 'em tomorrow. "Am I dressed appropriately?" and "You're not gonna give me a bloody nose, are ya?" will be my 2 canned responses if they give me any shit.
This is what they should have done. Instead they broke the law and assaulted a passenger. The firm will be sued, likely successfully, and there may be criminal charges filed, though it's tricky in airports.
I hope it's millions.
OverBlood 3
Banned
Fucking disgusting.
Yet there's always a defence force for forcibly pulling someone from their chair and smashing their head against a seat because massive companies can do whatever the fuck they like.
Yet there's always a defence force for forcibly pulling someone from their chair and smashing their head against a seat because massive companies can do whatever the fuck they like.
Due to our policy of overselling flights, this flight has been oversold.
What for? Overbooking is their solution to not making maximum profit, why would there be another solution?
What for? Overbooking is their solution to not making maximum profit, why would there be another solution?
This is crap. The employees were on "stand by", which means they get a seat if one becomes available due to cancellation, no show, etc. That didn't work, so they needed volunteers. If no one volunteers it should end there or up the offer. What world is this where paying customers with booked seats/times get dragged off a plane forcibly to make space for people waiting on standby (employees no less).
If it was so important that the employees reach their destination for work, why weren't they booked on the flight instead of sitting on stand by?
If it was so important that the employees reach their destination for work, why weren't they booked on the flight instead of sitting on stand by?
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Oh I think the leverage he got from creating a viral video that makes the airline look like Nazis is easier than arguing with a single desk jockey with no authoritative power.
n64coder
Member
Exactly my thoughts. Another option might be to put their employees on a different airline.
Linkstrikesback
Member
Why not? It's the kind of thing that would take a couple minutes to program at most and this won't be the first time they had to do this.
I'm all for sensible sceptism, but this is such an easy thing to implement (select a seat number from a list at random) that I don't see why it wouldn't be a thing that exists.
CosmicGroinPull
Member
What. the. hell.
"I understood that reference"
Also, I can't help but think:
- Was the computer racist?
- Would they have manhandled him had he not been Asian?
"I understood that reference"
Also, I can't help but think:
- Was the computer racist?
- Would they have manhandled him had he not been Asian?
UnluckyKate
Member
They made a mistake by overbooking.
They need 4 more seats for their own employees.
They are at fault and choose to screw their PAYING customers over their employees.
They ask for volunteers and they have none so they raise the bid because shit compensation is shit.
Some people take it because its less of a problem for them. Most of the plane didn't because it's still SHIT of a DEAL
Last guy refuse because, HE PAID, he's not a fault and the compensation doesn't suit him.
Gets kicked, pulled out of the plane, because the company screw up, while he paid a ticket for his seats.
And he's at fault ?
SMH at people's logic defending United.
shira
Member
CNN isn't running it yet for some reason
Front page US is
Delta tries to 'normalize' as flight cancellations continue
Delta meltdown: Pilots are on hold, too
Delta throws pizza party for stranded passengers
Filling up spare capacity is the biggest driver of airlines' profitability. Airlines don't make much money and hence, there is great incentive to ensure that every single flight is as full as you can possibly make it to be, to the point of overbooking it to the tune of your average no-show on each flight.
Nah, the next logical option isn't randomly select 4 people to forcibly swap them out with people on stand by. It's raise the offer.
Likewise, he's a doctor. None of us know the importance of his appointments the following day. Sure it would have been "easier" to wait and kick off afterwards, but this was certainly far more effective and damaging to United. He's gonna get paid.
Just because something is within your rights to do, might not necessarily mean it's good PR though.
It was United who caused this by overbooking the flight (which is acommon practice, though).
It was United who escalated this by dragging the dude out of the plane.
This could've been handled so much better - like ... maybe go out of your way to find another flight for your crew, maybe find out if there's crew on standby closer to the destination. etc.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Even if it doesn't hit broadcast news, it will hurt their image. And I think it will hit TV anyway...
ClosingADoor
Member
What do you mean, theorizing? When asked by airport security to do something, you probably shouldn't refuse because they have the authority to remove you from a flight by force.
Like I said in another post, they should give more money instead of throwing a passenger out over $800. But as the security officer involved, what else can you do but remove him at that moment?
TheBryanJZX90
Member
I'm pretty sure that the last 16 years have established that there is no amount of bad publicity that will negatively affect an airline. People will just let them sink as low as possible. I think all of the bad stories kind of blend together such that all airlines seem equally horrible.
Trump needs to do something about these pesky restrictions.
Is that blood coming out of his mouth? did they beat this man up?
Theslammer
Member
I took a flight on United recently and did enjoy the actual flight, but there was an overbooking problem on mine where they asked for volunteers. I didn't, and thankfully nothing like this happened.
One thing I was upset about was when they changed my seat for my departure to a middle seat between two strangers. I called and complained, and they upgraded me to an Economy Plus seat by the window. It worked out, but it was worrying at first.
One thing I was upset about was when they changed my seat for my departure to a middle seat between two strangers. I called and complained, and they upgraded me to an Economy Plus seat by the window. It worked out, but it was worrying at first.
ClosingADoor
Member
No. They dragged him out of his seat and he hit his face on the armrest in the process.
depths20XX
Member
Looked like be busted his lip on the arm rest when they were trying to get him out of the seat.
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