United airlines overbooking - Page 3

momtochloe · ‎11-03-2013

@Plaid Pants2 wrote:
@momtochloe wrote:
@Plaid Pants2 wrote:
What "legal action" is there to take?

United was well within their rights to deny him boarding as per their rules.

Ok this is where I get lost in this story @Plaid Pants2 as he was already in his seat so from my point of view he was boarded . . . I have been on overbooked flights and for the most part the situation was handled before folks were on the plane but I have never seen a situation where folks were taken off of an overbooked plane against their will (please know just my experience). It bothers me that the folks they were trying to jam onto that plane were United employees/crew. If all of this turns out to be true their PR folks are going to be earning their money this week.

Airline employees may be on their way to their home airport to go to work.

We have flight crews fly out of where I work all the time, and they have to get to their "home" airport.

@Plaid Pants2 I get that but dragging a paying passenger off of a flight with cell phone cameras blazing away is for me not just a good idea. There had to be a better way of getting their crew where they needed to go.

Again, I am waiting to hear the full story about what happened as there are parts that for me just don't pass the smell test at this point.

Plaid Pants2 · ‎03-14-2015

@momtochloe wrote:
@Plaid Pants2 wrote:
@momtochloe wrote:
@Plaid Pants2 wrote:
What "legal action" is there to take?

United was well within their rights to deny him boarding as per their rules.

Ok this is where I get lost in this story @Plaid Pants2 as he was already in his seat so from my point of view he was boarded . . . I have been on overbooked flights and for the most part the situation was handled before folks were on the plane but I have never seen a situation where folks were taken off of an overbooked plane against their will (please know just my experience). It bothers me that the folks they were trying to jam onto that plane were United employees/crew. If all of this turns out to be true their PR folks are going to be earning their money this week.

Airline employees may be on their way to their home airport to go to work.

We have flight crews fly out of where I work all the time, and they have to get to their "home" airport.

@Plaid Pants2 I get that but dragging a paying passenger off of a flight with cell phone cameras blazing away is for me not just a good idea. There had to be a better way of getting their crew where they needed to go.

Again, I am waiting to hear the full story about what happened as there are parts that for me just don't pass the smell test at this point.

Just like you have to be at work by a certain time, so does the airline crew.

AspenGrove · ‎08-27-2013

@sfnative wrote:
I've had it with United.

Never United.

@sfnative- Couldn't have said it better myself! They have turned into a horrendous airline. I stopped flying them about 5 years ago because of things I witnessed and experienced myself on their planes. Their flight attendants are truly awful, angry, and clearly miserable employees. Once I had to rearrange some travel plans in order to fly another airlines and was happy I did so. That inconvenience was nothing compared to dealing with United's "attitude." They honestly seem to despise their own customers. Never United!

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

I wonder if the gentleman claiming to be a Dr, was on some sort of medication? It said he seemed disoriented

They did allow him back on the flight, so they must have come up with another seat

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

@Plaid Pants2 wrote:
Airline employees may be on their way to their home airport to go to work.
We have flight crews fly out of where I work all the time, and they have to get to their "home" airport.

@Plaid Pants2

That's a good point.

Question, could there be a delayed flight at the "home" airport just for the sole reason the flight crew is on another flight to their "home" airport?

Meaning...these 4 'volunteers' were delaying 200+ passengers on the "home" end. Could that be the case?

FrostyBabe1 · ‎05-09-2016

From what I've read, as well as discussion on a frequent flyer forum, it sounds as if the employees were traveling "positive space". That means they were a "must ride" to get somewhere to work another flight. And in airline world, that means that they can legally displace (known as involuntarily deny boarding) other, paying passengers to get them on the flight. Do I think it could've been handled better? Yes. Was United within their contract of carriage to involuntarily remove people from the plane? Yes. In all of my years of flying, I've only seen a couple instances of IVDB. The airline typically keeps upping the ante until they get enough volunteers. When they IVDB someone, there's a lot more paperwork and reporting involved.

~The more someone needs to brag about how wonderful, special, successful, wealthy or important they are, the greater the likelihood that it isn't true. ~

sunshine45 · ‎03-09-2010

i would have been off of that plane in a second if they were going to offer me excellent compensation for leaving.

i NEVER fly united......definitely NOT one of my choices when i fly. give me delta or southwest any day of the week.

********************************************
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." - Albert Einstein

momtochloe · ‎11-03-2013

@Plaid Pants2 wrote:
@sidsmom wrote:
@Plaid Pants2 wrote:
What "legal action" is there to take?
United was well within their rights to deny him boarding as per their rules.
ITA.
But if this gentleman thought it was within his rights,
enough to be publically dragged,
than I guarantee that thought could be parlayed to legal action.
Didn't say he had a legit case, but he could've channeled that
energy to a lawsuit. Now? He just looks crazy.

People forget that flying is a PRIVILEGE, and NOT a right.

There is NO legal right to fly.

Again @Plaid Pants2 I have to disagree as that gentlemen paid for his seat. It's not a privlege, it's a paid transaction. I worked in the airline industry for decades and they get away with so much more than consumers realize so I really have a problem with this. I fully understand and support that UA wants to fill their planes with paying customers but they need to take into account when they have crew they have to move. This sort of math should have been done way before the plane was boarded in my opinion.

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

@FrostyBabe1

"...keep upping the ante"

This article has been running this weekend. A Delta passenger making significant $$ by giving up her (and her family, I believe) seats do to inclimate weather/overbooking.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2017/04/09/why-delta-air-lines-paid-me-11000-not-to-fl...

Plaid Pants2 · ‎03-14-2015

@sunshine45 wrote:
i would have been off of that plane in a second if they were going to offer me excellent compensation for leaving.

i NEVER fly united......definitely NOT one of my choices when i fly. give me delta or southwest any day of the week.

Here, when United is looking for volunteers to give up their seats, they start at $250, and go up from there.

Depending on how desperate they are for volunteers, one can always negotiate the compensation price.

I've seen it happen.