United Airlines Overbooks Flight, Then Drags Man Off Plane

[Jackie Ed]

Have to ask. If the four employees were scheduled to be in Louisville for a flight out the next day, why did they sell four seats that were needed? Also, is there any fine print that says you maybe subject to ceding your seat if necessary? Ive never witnessed it I flew alot, as my mom is a retired Delta employee. Ive only ever paid for a ticket three times as well.

[rockmom]

Have to ask. If the four employees were scheduled to be in Louisville for a flight out the next day, why did they sell four seats that were needed? Also, is there any fine print that says you maybe subject to ceding your seat if necessary? Ive never witnessed it I flew alot, as my mom is a retired Delta employee. Ive only ever paid for a ticket three times as well.

 

The flight from Louisville was that evening, not the next day. There are dozens of reasons a crew mAh have been needed last minute, not the least of which is the cancellation of a flight into Louisville with the originally scheduled crew.

[Clyde]

Overbooking is here b/c we consumers demand flexibility especially the business traveler. We have shown we'll do a lot /give up a lot just to save $20 on a fare. This is what we get for in exchange for that. An airline would lose business if it did not offer low-fare tickets that allowed changes.

 

Since an airline can't make up revenue for empty seats they allow overbooking because they know some of us will not show up nor call to tell them we're not showing up. And as soon as the airline plays hardball that customer goes to another airline.

 

Overbooking is consumer-driven.

[True blue (and gold)]

Is this an issue of overbooking, though? Seems like to me that they didn't sell too many passenger seats. Instead, they needed to get employees back to an airport. If we DO consider it overbooking, seems as though people that didn't pay for a ticket and weren't on board would be the first booted via an algorthim, which means the relief crew. But it wasn't overbooked. They just decided that the relief crew had priority over paying passengers.

[formerkywrestler]

C-J is saying that Dr. David Dao from Elizabethtown, KY is the doctor pulled off.

 

Dr. Dao has a long history. Has been indicted for numerous drug charges and had his medical license suspended.

 

All can be found here.

[bugatti]

Is this an issue of overbooking, though? Seems like to me that they didn't sell too many passenger seats. Instead, they needed to get employees back to an airport. If we DO consider it overbooking, seems as though people that didn't pay for a ticket and weren't on board would be the first booted via an algorthim, which means the relief crew. But it wasn't overbooked. They just decided that the relief crew had priority over paying passengers.

All of which I assume is in that fine print we never read.

 

The airline was well within their right to ask this guy to leave. That does not justify how the situation ended, but the guy didn't help the situation. I do not like confrontation so I probably would have gotten up and left after they called my name (as the other three did), but I sure as heck would have gotten the signal when the airport police showed up on the flight to get me to leave. I wonder when it escalated if anyone volunteered to take this guy's spot? Give me $1000 to rent a car and drive 5 hours, or whatever the trade off is.

[All Tell]

The officers will be scapegoated.

 

The CJ article quoted above uses the word suspension and he is clearly thrown under the proverbial bus.

 

The Chicago Department of Aviation, in an emailed statement, said the incident on Flight 3411 "was not in accordance with our standard operating procedure." The department said its security officer who dragged the man from his seat had been placed on leave pending a review of the situation and that his actions "are obviously not condoned by the department."

 

Also, does the information about the doctor's history mitigate what happened?

[Wireman]

C-J is saying that Dr. David Dao from Elizabethtown, KY is the doctor pulled off.

 

Dr. Dao has a long history. Has been indicted for numerous drug charges and had his medical license suspended.

 

All can be found here.

 

It's nice to know that it's not standard operating procedure to beat passengers and drag them off the plane.

[formerkywrestler]

The officers will be scapegoated.

 

The CJ article quoted above uses the word suspension and he is clearly thrown under the proverbial bus.

 

 

 

Also, does the information about the doctor's history mitigate what happened?

If he was acting reasonable it absolutely wouldn't. The mere fact that he failed to comply makes me wonder. Either way, it does feel relevant to the conversation.

[atm10]

All of which I assume is in that fine print we never read.

 

The airline was well within their right to ask this guy to leave. That does not justify how the situation ended, but the guy didn't help the situation. I do not like confrontation so I probably would have gotten up and left after they called my name (as the other three did), but I sure as heck would have gotten the signal when the airport police showed up on the flight to get me to leave. I wonder when it escalated if anyone volunteered to take this guy's spot? Give me $1000 to rent a car and drive 5 hours, or whatever the trade off is.

 

Give me the $1,000 and the rebook on later flight and I'm good to go!

[The Professor]

Someone texted me a clip from the movie "Airplane" where everyone lined up to slap the seated passenger who was going berserk. It read. " United Airlines new training video". :lol2:

[Wireman]

Someone texted me a clip from the movie "Airplane" where everyone lined up to slap the seated passenger who was going berserk. It read. " United Airlines new training video". :lol2:

 

I saw that on Twitter yesterday :lol2:

[littleluck55]

Hilarious...Joe Thomas was gold yesterday

 

[Beechwoodfan]

The officers will be scapegoated.

 

The CJ article quoted above uses the word suspension and he is clearly thrown under the proverbial bus.

 

 

 

Also, does the information about the doctor's history mitigate what happened?

 

I would think not. He might be a criminal, but I doubt UA knew that at the time. Even if they did, it is not a reason to do that.

 

Sounds as if First Class was exempt from the "random draw." Saw on the news today that passenger selection was based on price paid for the ticket and when the ticket was sold.

[woodsrider]

I think what people fail to realize is the plane belongs to the airline. When you purchase a ticket you agree that they can bump you off the plane if they need to. United deserves some of the flak they are getting but not all of it. Once he was asked to leave 90% of what happened is on him. If an officer tells you to get up and get off the plane and you don't, a second tells you the same and again you don't, what options do they have left? IMO, at that point physically removing him is the only option left. Now the way the officers did it is where they screwed up. Two of them could have easily removed him without the damage that was done.