United Airlines

[Optimistic Paranoid]

If you won't take the $800 . . .

 

[John61CT]

How much is their stock down since before the event?

Would love to see an hourly graph

 

[RVTravel]

http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/ual

 

[John61CT]

hope that continues as the news spreads further.

wish the relevant regs were more than just suggestion, effective enforcement would really be nice but not the way things are going

 

[DannyB1954]

Sad part is because of the fine print on the ticket, it was legal to do what they did.
They will pass the blame to airport security and wash their hands of it.
It will take a FAA ruling that the airlines will be required to keep offering more incentives in order to get volunteers to give up their seat. The passengers did not cause the over booking. If they offered a $1,000 plus hotel, I bet they could have gotten the extra seat that they needed.

 

[John61CT]

As the regulations stand now, the airline is required to write a check or pay cash for the incentive on the spot. But of course that will likely change and most people don't know their rights anyway.

But there is no question that passengers are required to follow the directions from the flight staff, that will never change and should not.

 

[Blanch]

New UAL slogan: We Seat them, We beat them, that's how we treat them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gunny]

Just a guess but I would wager the lawyers are lining up to take this guys case. He'll have enough to buy his own plane. Every time the CEO opens his mouth or sends an email just adds another 0 to how much the guy gets.

Rob

 

[John61CT]

 

[Ballenxj]

Normally I would be on the side of the victim in an over booking scenario, but a Doctor? This person of all people should be more understanding.
 Let's think about this, say you had a ten o'clock appointment to see the Doctor. You are lucky if the Doctor see's you before noon. You then find out they have booked five other people for the same time as your appointment? How does that work?

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Normally I would be on the side of the victim in an over booking scenario, but a Doctor? This person of all people should be more understanding.
 Let's think about this, say you had a ten o'clock appointment to see the Doctor. You are lucky if the Doctor see's you before noon. You then find out they have booked five other people for the same time as your appointment? How does that work?

Maybe.  Then again, maybe he was a surgeon, and scheduled to perform a procedure first thing in the morning.  You want to be sent home cause your surgeon was bumped off a an airline flight?  We just don't know.

 

[closeanuf]

More is coming out as time goes on.  The guy got off the plane once and then got back on.  He has a shady past and has been in trouble for questionable (to be kind) practices in the past.  I was on his side at first but my opinion has changed as more comes out.  If I were him I would just hope it would go away before things about his past get brought back to life in court proceedings.

 

[John61CT]

https://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:UAL&ei=KBPtWIknhceYAbuvp8AJ

 

[slynne]

I don't think the character of the passenger is the issue here though. The issue is that the airline let him board and then tried to remove him after they were unable to find volunteers. United, which btw has quite a reputation anyways for terrible customer service, handled this very badly at every stage.

I completely understand why airlines overbook and I dont blame them for that. However, they should have known that they had crew who needed to be on the plane before they boarded it. People tend to value things more when those things are in their possession combined with a reluctance to transition from one space to another means that people value their seats more once they are in them. Also, this was a Sunday evening flight of the sort where most people on it probably needed to be at work the next day. Had they known before boarding that they were going to need to bump passengers, they probably could have found enough volunteers at the $800 price point or lower. Heck, as a friend suggested to me while we were talking about this, they could have tried things other than cash. e.g. they could have offered to pay for a one way rental car to Louisville, which I believe is about a 5 hour drive away (for that matter, they could have sent their employees in a rental car for much less than compensating people for being bumped)

Then, the tone deaf follow up didn't help either. That airline just doesn't see how people feel about this. How flying already brings class inequalities right front and center and how bumping people for *employees* (even with a good reason) just makes people feel powerless and angry. That is why this is touching a nerve with so many. And it is sooooo dumb. All they have to do is start treating their passengers as if they actually value them as customers and they wouldnt have issues like this

 

[RVTravel]

If less than 2 hour delay, airline owes you 2 x plane ticket cost. If more than 2 hours it goes up to 4 x ticket cost...I think. That needs to be verified. The 2 hour limit could cause the airline to get aggressive since they will be losing even more money if more than 2 hours goes by. It's all about the money.

 

[DannyB1954]

United screwed up, they know that they did, but their legal department will not allow them to say so.

With United you may board as a Doctor, but leave as a patient, (I stole it).

 

[John61CT]

If less than 2 hour delay, airline owes you 2 x plane ticket cost. If more than 2 hours it goes up to 4 x ticket cost...I think. That needs to be verified. The 2 hour limit could cause the airline to get aggressive since they will be losing even more money if more than 2 hours goes by. It's all about the money.

EU rules protect consumers. USA FAA and DOT, whole government pretty much is cative to the corporations they are supposed to regulate.

They rarely offer actual cash, just "points vouchers" that expire in a year.

Legally United was entirely within its USA rights. Failing to follow crew instructions is serious.

They just messed up from a PR POV.

 

[Ballenxj]

Maybe.  Then again, maybe he was a surgeon, and scheduled to perform a procedure first thing in the morning.  You want to be sent home cause your surgeon was bumped off a an airline flight?  We just don't know.

Okay, My final thoughts on this would hinge directly on the reason why the Doctor had to be where ever he had to be in the morning. I doubt it was to perform surgery because the press would have been all over that by now. They usually check all the angles, or at least they used to.

 

[John61CT]

Totally irrelevant. The right thing to do is offer enough cash until they get enough passengers willing to deplane voluntarily.

I think it is entirely likely United's emergency PR firm has an army of social media people trying to deflect like this.

Not saying you are one, but still, questioning his "right" to stay on the flight because people have to wait for appointments with them is, well, words just fail me.

 

[John61CT]

Totally irrelevant. The right thing to do is offer enough cash until they get enough passengers willing to deplane voluntarily.

I think it is entirely likely United's emergency PR firm has an army of social media people trying to deflect like this.

Not saying you are one, but still, questioning his "right" to stay on the flight, especially because people have to wait for appointments with doctors is, well, words just fail me.