Shock as man forcibly removed from overbooked United Airlines flight

[tktoh 0]

Emirates is trolling United Airlines CEO in a new commercial

 

https://www.aol.com/article/finance/2017/04/11/emirates-roasts-united-airlines-ceo-commercial/22035810/

[V Wong 0]

According to United the passenger was belligerent and "he raised his voice and refused to comply with crew member instructions." Which is why the airport security team was called. - https://www.google.com.my/amp/www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/united-airlines-ceo-oscar-munoz-s-leaked-email-in-full-read-video-incident-dragging-passenger-staff-a7677721.html%3Famp

 

Technically United did everything by the book & that the assault wasn't perpetrated by the security team. But the optics is all on United & because they did everything by the book it came back to bite them.

 

Even Munoz's email wasn't wrong because all he did was to reassure his staff that he won't throw them under the bus if they were not at fault should another meltdown occur. People are putting their context onto something that had a totally different context altogether.

 

More scrutiny should be placed on ORD's airport security team to be honest. It's one of theirs that beat the guy to a pulp, instead they're getting away with scarcely a mention while United's bearing the brunt of condemnation.

"United’s actions in both the dragged-off-the-plane episode and with Fearns reflect a coldhearted mindset utterly devoid of compassion for customers.

“They’re so locked into their policies, there’s no room for empathy,” she said.

As a result, Underwood said, situations that should be manageable spiral out of control and result in unnecessarily messy PR disasters.

“What United and all companies need to do is to train and empower workers to deal with specific issues as they arise,” she said. “Don’t just follow whatever is written in your policies.”

from here : http://www.latimes.com/business/lazarus/la-fi-lazarus-united-low-priority-passenger-20170412-story.html

Like wise, should the Chicago aviation police blindly follow the command of United's crew, where no crime was committed on board?

Edited April 12, 2017 by V Wong

[Craig 0]

United stocks just went plummet by 900million.

 

Just me being pedantic. Their market cap value dropped ~$900MM, not stocks.

 

According to United the passenger was belligerent and "he raised his voice and refused to comply with crew member instructions." Which is why the airport security team was called.

A new video surfaced and it didn't show him to be belligerent/confrontational at all (the conversation between him and the Chicago airport security (whatever that's called) before he was dragged out of his seat). Munoz read what the GA wrote on the passenger's PNR without verifying the agent's claim.

 

It appears now that the GA embellished some details into the PNR (which is not unheard of), but there are so many videos that it's hard to prove the GA's and security personnel's claims.

[Mike P 0]

 

Just me being pedantic. Their market cap value dropped ~$900MM, not stocks.

 

A new video surfaced and it didn't show him to be belligerent/confrontational at all (the conversation between him and the Chicago airport security (whatever that's called) before he was dragged out of his seat). Munoz read what the GA wrote on the passenger's PNR without verifying the agent's claim.

 

It appears now that the GA embellished some details into the PNR (which is not unheard of), but there are so many videos that it's hard to prove the GA's and security personnel's claims.

 

There are so many passengers on board to testify this and I'm very sure everyone on board would be siding him and able to tell the truth.

[tktoh 0]

Flowchart of nearly every way the incident could have ended differently

 

https://qz.com/955853/flowchart-of-nearly-every-way-the-incident-with-united-ual-could-have-ended-differently/

[JuliusWong 0]

They smacked his head on the armrest, unbuckled his seat belt and forcibly removed from his seat which he was hanging on to his dear life, dragged him across the aisle half conscious, half way to the door he must have hit something or someone hit him so hard that he was bleeding/ vomiting blood from his mouth. Whoever try to justify these deplorable action should get themselves examine! You don't treat a fellow human as such, for Christ's sake, we are in 2017, not prehistoric era! There must be some other more decent way to deal with such "overbooking".

Edited April 12, 2017 by JuliusWong

[Kee Hooi Yen 0]

3 pax have given out their seats to 3 out the 4 airline staffs, leaving one seat unresolved. Wonder why UA did not put the 4th staff on jump seat ? Is it common for off duty airline staff on jump seat ?

Edited April 12, 2017 by Kee Hooi Yen

[BC Tam 2]

Swords are now unsheathed apparently - read somewhere that team Dr David Dao has now at its service at least two lawyers already

This gonna cost United dear

 

 

3 pax have given out their seats to 3 out the 4 airline staffs, leaving one seat unresolved. Wonder why UA did not put the 4th staff on jump seat ?

Perhaps captain of flight could have played psycho card and offered his seat if the 4th volunteer doesn't step up soon - see if anyone is going anywhere then

 

Would be interesting to know how was the mood onboard the eventual flight - particularly of those four staff members who had to be accommodated

Edited April 12, 2017 by BC Tam

[jahur 0]

3 pax have given out their seats to 3 out the 4 airline staffs, leaving one seat unresolved. Wonder why UA did not put the 4th staff on jump seat ? Is it common for off duty airline staff on jump seat ?

AFAIK jumpseats access to non duty staffs or even tech crew has been restricted recently by MAS and TG not sure about United tho. Might be the reason why no jumpseat is offerred to the 4 crew. Wouldn't rule out that maybe the jumpseat is already occupied by another cockpit crew/ or pilot instructor.

Edited April 12, 2017 by jahur

[Mike P 0]

Swords are now unsheathed apparently - read somewhere that team Dr David Dao has now at its service at least two lawyers already

This gonna cost United dear

 

 

Perhaps captain of flight could have played psycho card and offered his seat if the 4th volunteer doesn't step up soon - see if anyone is going anywhere then

 

Would be interesting to know how was the mood onboard the eventual flight - particularly of those four staff members who had to be accommodated

 

The mood was very sour according to passengers, those 4 crews who came on board were booed by everyone and they were told they should be ashamed of themselves. Worst of all, the movie they chose to play on the plane was Manchester by the Sea...

[Kenneth Chong WT 0]

 

The mood was very sour according to passengers, those 4 crews who came on board were booed by everyone and they were told they should be ashamed of themselves. Worst of all, the movie they chose to play on the plane was Manchester by the Sea...

Inflight movie? On a ERJ 170/190?

Edited April 12, 2017 by Kenneth Chong WT

[Mike P 0]

Inflight movie? On a ERJ 170/190?

 

I have no idea, i read on one of the news / comments on FB by one of the passengers.. couldn't remember which.

[Craig 0]

Worst of all, the movie they chose to play on the plane was Manchester by the Sea...

Fake news.

 

And airlines shouldn't play this movie. I watched this movie from HKG to LAX at the beginning of my flight and I still haven't finished the movie when we reached the Californian Coast. It's such a long movie and make sure the sun is still shining, birds chirping, flowers blooming when you leave the theater/plane. Otherwise you might just drain a vein and go into a deep sleep.

[Najib Ramli 0]

Inflight movie? On a ERJ 170/190?

 

inflight movie for a domestic US flight? (there fix it for you )

[jahur 0]

http://www.latimes.com/business/lazarus/la-fi-lazarus-united-low-priority-passenger-20170412-story.html

 

United again.

[V Wong 0]

 

The mood was very sour according to passengers, those 4 crews who came on board were booed by everyone and they were told they should be ashamed of themselves. Worst of all, the movie they chose to play on the plane was Manchester by the Sea...

 

It was a joke by Ellen

 

 

Edited April 12, 2017 by V Wong

[Waiping 12]

Pop quiz - name an airline that have their passengers remove in unconventional ways over the past 2 weeks.

[Alif A. F. 0]

Was it really an overbooked flight?... because from I understand (based on some reports) is that the four paying passengers were moved to later flight to accommodate four airline crews, who were urgently needed in another flight later on.

[Mike P 0]

Was it really an overbooked flight?... because from I understand (based on some reports) is that the four paying passengers were moved to later flight to accommodate four airline crews, who were urgently needed in another flight later on.

Yes that's correct. They need to accommodate for crews for a shift in Louisville and this was only made known after the plane was fully boarded by passengers. Since no one volunteered to give up their seats after compensation was increased from $400 to $800, they just randomly picked 4 unlucky passengers to be deplaned.

[jahur 0]

Was it really an overbooked flight?... because from I understand (based on some reports) is that the four paying passengers were moved to later flight to accommodate four airline crews, who were urgently needed in another flight later on.

CNN reported the vietnamese man and his wife initially accepted the booting however when he was notified that the next available flight would only on the next day in the afternoon he got upset and refused to dissembark then the incident followed. Overbooking except urgent immediate employees were slot into the flight instead of higher tier passengers for this case.

Edited April 12, 2017 by jahur

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

Yes that's correct. They need to accommodate for crews for a shift in Louisville and this was only made known after the plane was fully boarded by passengers. Since no one volunteered to give up their seats after compensation was increased from $400 to $800, they just randomly picked 4 unlucky passengers to be deplaned.

 

I do not think the selection was random. More often than not those with the cheapest tickets are the first to be booted off.

[Mike P 0]

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/12/travel/united-passenger-pulled-off-flight/index.html

 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has called for suspension of overbooking. "Re-accommodating" passengers who have paid, checked-in, boarded, and seated for other passengers is ridiculous while "Re-accommodating" passengers for airlines like UA's employees are even more ridiculous and totally unacceptable!

I do not think the selection was random. More often than not those with the cheapest tickets are the first to be booted off.

 

Yes, by right it's like that. But most report was said random and when the man asked why he was chosen, he wasn't given an answer and meanwhile, he gave his reason why he must be on that plane to reach his destination to catch his medical appointment with a patient.

[Mohd Suhaimi Fariz 2]

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/12/travel/united-passenger-pulled-off-flight/index.html

 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has called for suspension of overbooking. "Re-accommodating" passengers who have paid, checked-in, boarded, and seated for other passengers is ridiculous while "Re-accommodating" passengers for airlines like UA's employees are even more ridiculous and totally unacceptable!

 

Politicians who don't know nothing should shut the hell up. Sure overbooking can be banned, but then airlines would choose to make ALL tickets non-refundable. In the end the consumer is going to lose more than they'll gain.

 

Yes, by right it's like that. But most report was said random and when the man asked why he was chosen, he wasn't given an answer and meanwhile, he gave his reason why he must be on that plane to reach his destination to catch his medical appointment with a patient.

It could be that the airline staff didn't want the pax to dispute the issue if they're told they were kicked off the pkane because they were holding the cheap seats in the house. Depending on the aggrieved passenger the reaction could range from reluctant acceptance to fiery anger.

[Josh T 0]

I've always disliked UA and haven't flown with them for 7 years now because of poor customer service and rude cabin crew (even in International First Class!). It was my experience flying on UA in F between SYD and SFO 7 years ago that helped me to decide never to fly with them again. I wasn't treated badly but I saw how the flight attendants treated some of the other F passengers and it was just unbelievable!

Edited April 12, 2017 by Josh T

[Mike P 0]

Politicians who don't know nothing should shut the hell up. Sure overbooking can be banned, but then airlines would choose to make ALL tickets non-refundable. In the end the consumer is going to lose more than they'll gain.

 

 

It could be that the airline staff didn't want the pax to dispute the issue if they're told they were kicked off the pkane because they were holding the cheap seats in the house. Depending on the aggrieved passenger the reaction could range from reluctant acceptance to fiery anger.

If the govt doesn't involve, who will involve to intermediate for the sake of consumers? Their business license is also granted by the government, too.