Man Dragged off United Airlines/Flight Overbooked, April 2017

[Jax49]

They didn't remove him because he committed a crime. They removed him because according to United policy, which he agreed to when he bought his ticket, they can take their seat back at their discretion. He was told if he didn't leave the seat, he would be physically removed. And then he was.

And, now UA is going to pay mega bucks for that decision. moo

 

[gitana1]

They didn't remove him because he committed a crime. They removed him because according to United policy, which he agreed to when he bought his ticket, they can take their seat back at their discretion. He was told if he didn't leave the seat, he would be physically removed. And then he was.

Yeah and they can't do that. No matter what their "policy" states. And it does not state, by the way, that they can order and have a person bodily removed
from the plane after boarding because they want his seat.

 

[Estelle]

They did not know that they had four crew members that needed seats ahead of time!?

I postulate those crew members were for another flight that had problems and United did not want to compensate ALL of those passengers.

We had issues with a different airline where we were to go on a plane that had broken down. I will skip the details, but we got to our next stop a couple days late which made us miss our connecting flights.

It was not with a partner airline. Our cheap airline that we were now going on but could not only flew to our destination one day a week. I had purchased trip onsurance, but because I did not let the cheap airline know within 24 hours, the insurance was void. Now I know.

When I mentioned to the airline that broke down that I would like if they could purchase tickets on their partner airline so I could go on with my trip, they said they could not. I said that I missed my connecting flights because of their breakdown, They said their only obligation was to get me to the city I had booked to.

I said I would pay the tivket price, but I figured they could get a better deal than the thousands I would have to pay for a nirmal few hundred dollar ticket.

Nope!

And that is how it works

I had a slightly better experience with South African Airways. A group of three female Australians were flying from Cape Town to Johannesburg when lightning hit our plane so it was diverted to Durban to be checked. It was about 7pm by this time so we expected to be fed which they did. We then expected to be put into a hotel and to catch the earliest flight the next morning at 7am to Joberg.

We asked about the hotel and were told the nearest ones were a long way away and were fully booked so we could go to the airport lounge where there would be showers, food and drinks and we could sleep in a chair. We made sure we had seats on the 7am flight and then showered, ate, drank and tried to sleep. We caught the 7am plane to Joberg and were put in a nice hotel for the two nights free of charge for room and all meals.

However, we had missed our Qantas flight which did not go again until two days later. We assumed that it was their responsibility to pay for this flight to Sydney so we went to the airport and told Qantas what had happened and that we would be catching the next flight making sure there were seats available.
We then went to South African Airways to ask them to book three seats on our behalf and pay for them as it was their fault that we missed our flight. It took a lot of convincing them to do it but we were persistent as we had no intention of paying for it ourselves. They were passing the buck each time to other employees but our persistence paid off and they booked and paid for our seats with Qantas. I often wondered whether other passengers would have been so persistent. We were also polite which always helps.

The stories I have heard about flying in the US are very different. The planes seem more like buses to me. I am about to book several fights in the US. What I am wondering about is that it might be best to always pay for and reserve your seat in advance, arrive early and book in and hope that you are not then bumped. I have a feeling that often latecomers and those without reserved seating are more likely to be bumped. Is that correct?

 

[chlban]

They didn't remove him because he committed a crime. They removed him because according to United policy, which he agreed to when he bought his ticket, they can take their seat back at their discretion. He was told if he didn't leave the seat, he would be physically removed. And then he was.

You are missing the point. I KNOW they didn't remove him for committing a crime or posing a threat to other passengers which would be the only LEGAL reason they could remove him. Policy is not law, it is policy and therefore must be considered a civil matter. LE has no authority in civil matters. Period. They will tell you that themselves.

Tenants sign a legally binding contract that says they will pay rent on a monthly basis and that if they don't I will take back my property. As I said, If I contact LE because they haven't paid in months and tell them to remove the tenant from a property I OWN, they will tell me that it is a civil matter and they can to nothing. They are, of course, correct.

Only after obtaining a court order, can I pay the Marshall's office to remove them. After a bunch of other notices and time frames have elapsed.

You can argue all you want about POLICY. It is not relevant. This is not the Soviet Union. LE, even real LE, does not have unlimited powers. There are all kinds of restrictions on what they can do even when you are suspected of committing a crime. Do you honestly think those protections do not apply because you are not following POLICY?

The airline has admitted they were at fault. I am amazed at the apologists that want to continue to defend this. They physically assaulted a man that did not do what they told him to do when they had no LEGAL AUTHORITY to do so.

Whether or now someone thinks he should have gotten up and left, which I personally do not, the fact is that he did not. The other fact is that the rent a cops then exceeded any authority they would have had even if they were legitimate LE. Guess that's why they have all been put on suspension.

 

[Betty P]

I think the overbooking is like a hangover of days gone by. In the old days tickets were refundable.

So back then it made sense to overbook cause you would have to refund and end up with a seat not generating revenue.

WIth the introduction and widespread policy of non-refundable tickets the notion of overbooking should IMO be ceased--it always creates a ruckus, which delays the entire network.

The ramifications of "late" are enormous and spread out throughout the system- I do not understand why, at the end of the day they bother with overbooking any longer.

Your staff is all tied up trying to rebook the bumped folks , missed connections, lack of public goodwill, fuel costs (have to hold over other airport), catering, gate assignment issues, baggage hassles, adding the risk of having to make a crew change down the line cause of the delay and flight time limitations of crews down the line.

All seats are generating revenue hit the wild blue wonder!!

jmo

Agree. If Congress can't change regulations to stop overbooking, they should at least restore the requirement that the airlines refund to customers the price paid for the ticket, allowing them to book a seat on another airline. Consumers/passengers shouldn't be severely inconvenienced because of errors of the airline companies.

The airline industry is subsidized by taxpayers. They have an obligation to honor the rights of their passengers, as they are the ones subsidizing their business.

 

[CARIIS]

There is a presser being carried live on Sky News!

http://news.sky.com/watch-live

 

[shadowdancer]

There is not one legitimate news source that reported that. And it makes zero sense. If he was told he was being bumped before he boarded he would
not have been allowed to board at all. You have to go through the gate.

United itself doesn't say he was told this in advance.

I'm stunned at the desperate lengths some will go to protect this corporation. Trying to pretend that verbs don't mean what they mean. Dragging the man's entire mental health and work history into the case, adding rumors such as these that zero reputable news agencies have reported.

Stunning.

Well modern society is very money-obsessed and I think that leads to many people becoming so in thrall to rich companies that they can't see past that.

 

[Jax49]

There is a presser being carried live on Sky News!

http://news.sky.com/watch-live

Can you recap?

 

[neesaki]

I've been bumped from one flight and one paid-for reserved train seat for a long-planned trip. Each was disappointing of course, but not worth causing a scene, throwing a tantrum, etc. because it wasn't the fault of the flight attendants or the train attendant or the other passengers and it wouldn't have changed anything for the better. I sucked it up and considered it a pay-it-forward that someone else could get on their way to something life changing perhaps or even something that was just plain silly fun. Stuff happens. Good stuff happens to me far more than negative; maybe it's the way I view it. Not saying mean people don't try their best to be nasty or hurtful, they do.

I'm pretty sure that not many people like having to tell a passenger they have to leave their flight or trip. I handled each episode in a different way and none involved having a tantrum.

The older I get, the less of a shrinking violet I am (obviously) but I pick my battles and choose not to add unnecessary stress to myself by getting angry about something that's not life-changing. There are many other things in the world that deserve people's anger and action.

How we handle disappointments affects our health and general happiness. I don't want to have a stroke or a heart attack or cause someone else misery by being a jerk myself.

It's all well and good to be right legally, but it doesn't mean **** in reality. This guy's reality was physical damage, he embarrassed himself, some of his past deeds have been published for all who cares to read about them.

He may have been legally within his rights, but it didn't matter at the moment. Some will say that his probable huge payoff will make it better. Not worth it to me. No amount of money would make me want to risk being physically harmed even if it was incidental.

We're all individuals who have different thoughts on what is right for ourselves.

eace:

I agree with you to some degree, I think the passenger AND United were wrong. I also have a very strong sneaking suspicion he was taking advantage of the situation as grounds to sue, an opportunist. He actually stated he would rather go to jail and they would have to drag him off the plane... what person in their right mind would want that or even suggest such a thing ? Not to mention he actually was on the phone talking about suing United while he was still sitting in his seat. The security officer talking to him tried to reason with him repeatedly but to no avail. I believe the good doctor is one who is apparently willing to take it to the limit for a potentially big pay off. Well, he is a gambler.

That said, I also think the actions taken by United and security were wrong, totally over the top and very stupid. They bit, now they'll pay.

It's just MOO, no tomato throwing please. eace:

 

[shadowdancer]

I am watching sky news. Dr Dao has had a significant concussion, badly broken nose, lost two front teeth and is needing reconstructive surgery to correct sinus injuries.

 

[Jax49]

I am watching sky news. Dr Dao has had a significant concussion, badly broken nose, lost two front teeth and is needing reconstructive surgery to correct sinus injuries.

Wow. No wonder he's still in hospital.

 

[CARIIS]

Re Presser: IMO this is now moving into turning it into a thing where we need all sorts of rules and laws. It is not like it happens often and chances of it happening again are slim

Lost two front teeth needs facial reconstruction, sinus injuries broken nose

immigrated from Vietnam

He left Vietnam in 1975 when Saigon fell. He said that being dragged down the aisle that was worse that .

I think this was wrong

Lawyer is using term stormtroopers!

Gonna sue city too

I think the lawyer wants this to be his final case, he is really playing this up!

He is also to go with putting all passengers in grave harm

They are also gonna go with trauma for family members

Kawyer is talking like this happens every third day

Internal investigation -- we know what happened, this does not require the CIA NSA FBI ATF etc

His wife doc also

Some perspective here. We don't need congressional hearings !!

United deep pockets - that is the deal here.

Passengers have also contacted him to get some of the loot.

IMO people think they get money. It goes on for years and years

I am amazed at how much coverage SKY is giving this

Corboy & Demetrio began in 1952 with one clear vision and focus – to help people. And ever since, we have helped victims injured or killed by the negligence of others whether in an airplane, car or railroad crash, through a failed or defective product, as a result of medical malpractice or any other catastrophic event.
That vision and focus has resulted in exceptional results for our clients. We have acquired more than $3 billion in settlements and verdicts of which nearly 600 have been in excess of $1 million. Our Co-Founder Thomas Demetrio, himself, has settled cases totaling $1 billion and has tried cases totaling $130 million.

http://www.corboydemetrio.net/
.

SKY news

 

[shadowdancer]

Also mentioned woman in seat behind Dr Dao. She is pregnant and had a two year old with her. Sounds like she might sue as well for the distress this incident apparently caused her and her child.

 

[Jax49]

I am watching sky news. Dr Dao has had a significant concussion, badly broken nose, lost two front teeth and is needing reconstructive surgery to correct sinus injuries.

Wonder if that will shut down the lie about him intentionally biting his lip so he would bleed?

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

I am watching sky news. Dr Dao has had a significant concussion, badly broken nose, lost two front teeth and is needing reconstructive surgery to correct sinus injuries.

I'll add to the recap - The attorney wants to secure evidence from the plane. They haven't filed a lawsuit yet because they want to do their due diligence. The attorney has been receiving calls from passengers and past and current United Airline employees.

 

[CARIIS]

I agree with you to some degree, I think the passenger AND United were wrong. I also have a very strong sneaking suspicion he was taking advantage of the situation as grounds to sue, an opportunist. He actually stated he would rather go to jail and they would have to drag him off the plane... what person in their right mind would want that or even suggest such a thing ? Not to mention he actually was on the phone talking about suing United while he was still sitting in his seat. The security officer talking to him tried to reason with him repeatedly but to no avail. I believe the good doctor is one who is apparently willing to take it to the limit for a potentially big pay off. Well, he is a gambler.

That said, I also think the actions taken by United and security were wrong, totally over the top and very stupid. They bit, now they'll pay.

It's just MOO, no tomato throwing please. eace:

TY- There that was word I was looking for opportunist

especially the attorney - but hey those are the kind of the lawyers one wants huh

This must be a slow news day -- the amount of coverage is IMO overkill - they are now doing a side piece with another expert.



Calling for resignation of CEO should resign come on.

This presser was longer than shooting 59 missles last week..........

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

The press conference is still ongoing and being aired on CNN and FOX.

 

[shadowdancer]

I bet that they will get a psychiatric assessment done on Dr Dao too. The lawyer mentioned that Dr Dao is still very shaken and alluded to possible mental 'injuries' too.

 

[flourish]

I am watching sky news. Dr Dao has had a significant concussion, badly broken nose, lost two front teeth and is needing reconstructive surgery to correct sinus injuries.

Holy business that is worse than I thought! WTF?

 

[HMSHood]

Re Presser: IMO this is now moving into turning it into a thing where we need all sorts of rules and laws. It is not like it happens often and chances of it happening again are slim

Lost two front teeth needs facial reconstruction, sinus injuries broken nose

immigrated from Vietnam

He left Vietnam in 1975 when Saigon fell. He said that being dragged down the aisle that was worse that .

I think this was wrong

Lawyer is using term stormtroopers!

Gonna sue city too

I think the lawyer wants this to be his final case, he is really playing this up!

He is also to go with putting all passengers in grave harm

They are also gonna go with trauma for family members

Kawyer is talking like this happens every third day

Internal investigation -- we know what happened, this does not require the CIA NSA FBI ATF etc

His wife doc also

Some perspective here. We don't need congressional hearings !!

United deep pockets - that is the deal here.

Passengers have also contacted him to get some of the loot.

IMO people think they get money. It goes on for years and years

I am amazed at how much coverage SKY is giving this

Corboy & Demetrio began in 1952 with one clear vision and focus – to help people. And ever since, we have helped victims injured or killed by the negligence of others whether in an airplane, car or railroad crash, through a failed or defective product, as a result of medical malpractice or any other catastrophic event.
That vision and focus has resulted in exceptional results for our clients. We have acquired more than $3 billion in settlements and verdicts of which nearly 600 have been in excess of $1 million. Our Co-Founder Thomas Demetrio, himself, has settled cases totaling $1 billion and has tried cases totaling $130 million.

http://www.corboydemetrio.net/
.

SKY news

It not only reflects badly on United Airlines, it also does not reflect well on Chicago. United Airlines is based in Chicago.