Incompetent United Air Lines Physically Drags Passenger Off Plane For Their (Airline) Mistake

I abandoned United about 20 years ago due to their incompetent handling of stuff like that and their overall screw-you arrogance. When the merger with Continental came about I hoped the Continental ethic would prevail.

It didn't. Took me only trip with the "new" United to figure that out.

Only other airline on my shit-list is British Airways, stemming from a trans-Atlantic flight (a 747) which had fewer than formerly lavatories in order to cram in a few more seats. Less than 1/2 way across several of the toilets were closed and there was water all over the floor outside them due to overuse. First purchase in London after that flight? Shoes. Shoes that didn't smell like stale piss. It is said that BA has "reformed" but I'm not willing to experiment.

By way of contrast, BEST airline I've found in a recent series of international flights is Norwegian Air Shuttle. No frills but a picture of competence and everything they say they'll do they actually do and do well. Best buy is their second-least-expensive fare on any given route. The extra cost above the bare-bones price is little enough that it's worthwhile for the additional services you get.
 
They all overbook for a reason. They have a running percentage on no-shows. Sometimes they get caught..

Agreed, and when you try to take up four seats for employees that happens in a big hurry. These employees were needed for a flight the following morning. Chicago to Chattanooga is about what? Four hours away, maybe five. Drive them there and leave the paying passengers alone.

if it was aircrew, that might violate rest rules.
 
I understand and basically have no problem overbooking... as long as the airlines understand that one they do that and they run into a situation like 'this' they will be forced to pay whatever the customer wants / will accept to give up their seat....not what THEY are willing to pay....and they sure as hell have no fight to physically remove a passenger from the plane in such a situation as this.

I have no doubt that had they explained to the people on board the plane that he was a doctor who had to be at his destination AND offered MORE money someone would have ended up volunteering.

This also should have been done prior to letting people board. Once you are in your seat I can just imagine the indignation one would feel being told "get off to let someone else on"
 
That went through my mind, as well.
They all overbook for a reason. They have a running percentage on no-shows. Sometimes they get caught..

Agreed, and when you try to take up four seats for employees that happens in a big hurry. These employees were needed for a flight the following morning. Chicago to Chattanooga is about what? Four hours away, maybe five. Drive them there and leave the paying passengers alone.

if it was aircrew, that might violate rest rules.
 
The only thing I'll add to opinion expressed in the OP is my outrage at the security company. They're suppose to be there to keep the peace, not act as goons for the airlines. I expect they'll be a major part of the lawsuit as well.

police department
 
They all overbook for a reason. They have a running percentage on no-shows. Sometimes they get caught..

Agreed, and when you try to take up four seats for employees that happens in a big hurry. These employees were needed for a flight the following morning. Chicago to Chattanooga is about what? Four hours away, maybe five. Drive them there and leave the paying passengers alone.

if it was aircrew, that might violate rest rules.

That makes sense. Of course, assaulting customers does not make sense.
 
They all overbook for a reason. They have a running percentage on no-shows. Sometimes they get caught..

Agreed, and when you try to take up four seats for employees that happens in a big hurry. These employees were needed for a flight the following morning. Chicago to Chattanooga is about what? Four hours away, maybe five. Drive them there and leave the paying passengers alone.

if it was aircrew, that might violate rest rules.

That makes sense. Of course, assaulting customers does not make sense.

Oh United owns about 80%-90% of the blame in this situation. The 10%-20% for the passengers comes from the fact that they do have the legal right to ask you to leave the airplane, and the fact that he was the one who escalated it. The reason for him escalating it, and how their security reacted, however, is all on United.
 
Everyone agrees this was a bad situation caused by the airline, however at some point you need to act like an adult instead of screaming like a child.
 
Everyone agrees this was a bad situation caused by the airline, however at some point you need to act like an adult instead of screaming like a child.
That sounded more like a scream in pain than an I'm pissed off scream
 
The only thing I'll add to opinion expressed in the OP is my outrage at the security company. They're suppose to be there to keep the peace, not act as goons for the airlines. I expect they'll be a major part of the lawsuit as well.

police department

Just read where officer was placed on leave. Chicago Department of Aviation police know they screwed up big time.
 
The only thing I'll add to opinion expressed in the OP is my outrage at the security company. They're suppose to be there to keep the peace, not act as goons for the airlines. I expect they'll be a major part of the lawsuit as well.

police department

Just read where officer was placed on leave. Chicago Department of Aviation police know they screwed up big time.
Scapegoats

They were ordered to get the guy off the plane. If management wanted someone to sweetalk the guy out of his seat, they would have had a flight attendant do it
 
United was wrong here and deserve to be sued. That said, this happened to me and I was convinced to give up my seat for $800. My wife and I enjoyed a free flight to and from Colorado later on.
 
Everyone agrees this was a bad situation caused by the airline, however at some point you need to act like an adult instead of screaming like a child.
Different people react to violent assault in different ways, and what we've seen in this example was indeed a violent assault far in excess of what might be expected under the circumstances. For a moment I thought I was seeing a segment from COPS.

Who were those men who "extracted" that screaming fellow? Chicago police? Airport police? Some private goon squad? By specifically whose authority was he treated like a recalcitrant prison inmate? Did he threaten or offend anyone? Did he break any laws? Why was he selected for unconstrained forcible removal -- and by whom?

This brazen demonstration of raw, presumptive, authoritarian disposition by a corporate entity is a prime example of the direction American society is moving in. The emerging private prison industry is another.
 
Why didn't they offer a couple thousand instead of 4 hundred? I hope they have to pay out millions now. Hammer the company.
 
Scapegoats

They were ordered to get the guy off the plane. If management wanted someone to sweetalk the guy out of his seat, they would have had a flight attendant do it

Scapegoat, I can't see it. The police officer wasn't under the command of United Airline. The airline was offering too little dough to entice people to change their flight plans doesn't make it the role of police to forcibly remove passengers.
 
Scapegoats

They were ordered to get the guy off the plane. If management wanted someone to sweetalk the guy out of his seat, they would have had a flight attendant do it

Scapegoat, I can't see it. The police officer wasn't under the command of United Airline. The airline was offering too little dough to entice people to change their flight plans doesn't make it the role of police to forcibly remove passengers.
Agreed. Makes me wonder if United claimed he was a safety threat. And obviously he was not, because United would have responded in the news with that as we can all understand that scenario.
 
They all overbook for a reason. They have a running percentage on no-shows. Sometimes they get caught.
With Computers these days, how hard is it to REALLY keep track of the fact that you have 150 seats on an airplane to fill and count down the number remaining as you sell the seats? It's MATH...and computer applications can even do THAT for you there days...

United Airlines, however, over-sold, over-booked their flight. When they figured that out at the gate (because evidently they could not figure out they had done so before that), they offered passengers $400 if they would take the next flight in an attempt to 'un-F*' the situation.

After quite a few people took them up on their offer, United allowed people to board the plane. Once on the plane United discovered there were still 4 passengers too many onboard the plane. At that point United asked 4 people to give up their seats, picking 4 people at random - one of them was 'THIS' guy:

United ASKED a man who had bought a ticket in advance and was told he was on this flight to give up his seat. He said, 'NO'. At that point United offered him $800 to give up his seat. He said, 'No'.

Even though the man told United that he was a doctor and had to be at his destination the next morning, United told the gentleman that he had NO CHOICE but to give up his seat:

"The manager told him that security would be called if he did not leave willingly, Bridges said, and the man said he was calling his lawyer. One security official came and spoke with him, and then another security officer came when he still refused. Then, she said, a third security official came on the plane and threw the passenger against the armrest before dragging him out of the plane."

Because United was too incompetent to count the number of seats on a plane versus how many they sold (or just being greedy and making it a policy to do so to ensure all seats are sold), United Airlines physically dragged a doctor off a plane.

I smell a major lawsuit! GOOD!

I have faced a similar situation with them, was forced to take the next flight....which was in the morning (though I did not make them drag my arse off the plane).

Over-booking is either incompetence or bad policy...or both. Physically dragging someone off the plane is also NOT an option. I don't care if United had to offer someone $2,000 or more before someone finally took their offer and gave up their seat voluntarily - it was their screw up. They should have had to keep raising the amount of the money until someone volunteered.

I have a feeling the doctor's lawyers are going to make United pay way more than $800.


Video: Security drags screaming United Airlines passenger off overbooked flight — literally - Hot Air

So you physically remove a passenger because you choose to overbook?
 

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