They already boarded.
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United Airlines violently drags a doctor off a plane so employee could take his seat
- Thread starter Korey
- Start date
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They already boarded.
vacantseas
Member
What I dont understand is how a plane to Louisville of all places is overbooked!!
By the time the first happened, the second was bound to happen as the dude was bound to get injured if he's resisting being removed from a confined space like an airplane.
I agree with this, except this wasn't technically overbooking was it? This was United needed some of its employees to be somewhere and intervened in this particular flight. It's not that the flight itself was overbooked. I may be wrong, but either way you are spot on with where they fucked up.
bloodydrake
Cool Smoke Luke
Nope I just don't absolve him of any responsibility for his choices.
I can't image any reality where when confronted by three police officers to leave a plane I would resist.
I can't image any reality were I would have any respect for anyone that did.
The only exception is a life or death need to be somewhere like surgery etc. which could be proven easily.
IF United and the Police knew it was a life or death situation they'd be complicit and that's a very different situation.
Random Painted HIghway
Member
800 bucks esp if its only for use on this airline is way too low for me to ever want to rearrange my travel plans. Who can just easily shift their plans before and after travel like that. United sucks, I resent that they have a hub here in Houston. This guy is going to get a great settlement.
So you can't imagine any reality where you would resist, or respect someone who does........................
until you can imagine that reality.
IMACOMPUTA
Member
Just pointing out that taking time off work for a hobby is absolutely normal.
I didn't say they racially selected. I'm saying I have doubts that their computer had a random passenger selector.
Because the rights of corporations must be upheld!
RustyNails
Member
Looks like we found someone who works for United.
old manatee
Banned
TangoAlphaLima
Member
No, you're right. I said it earlier in this thread. The facts we have show that United didn't decide it needed four seats for employees until very late, which is really what started this whole problem in the first place.
Sure, but it definitely doesn't go along with the "we've all got places to be and commitments" argument others have used to defend United's actions here. Not everyone's time is equal.
rykomatsu
Member
Still treated the same way. It's semantics.
ChemicalCutthroat
Member
That is what I was wondering.
If they just cut you a check, or have a guy with an envelope waiting to hand my $800 to get off the plane and just take the next one? I'd be running off that plane.
But if you want to give me an $800 voucher to ride on your shitty airline again? Not gonna happen.
Just armchair comments of course, since I doubt I'd be flying United in the first place.
echoshifting
Banned
This practice creates so many shitty situations.
Last year I arrived for my flight to discover my aisle seat with extra leg room had been given away and that I had been moved to a window seat near the back of the plane. I explained that I purchased the extra leg room because I have serious back problems and need to stretch out, and that at the window seat, in pain, I might experience a claustrophobic panic attack. They told me in no uncertain terms that I could take the new seat or get bumped to another flight. I needed to get home so I took the seat.
I was told my seat had been changed due to a "mechanical issue." Boarding the plane, I noticed my seat was occupied by a United employee.
As the plane began to taxi, sure enough. Had a total panic attack. Just flipped out. They had to stop the plane. Everyone hates me, makes it worse. They asked the guy they gave my seat to to switch with me so they could take off. They ended up going up and down the aisle just begging everyone to switch with me so I could at least sit on the aisle, asked that guy multiple times and he refused. Eventually found someone.
They never even refunded me for the leg room charge....said they would but never did despite multiple inquiries.
Last year I arrived for my flight to discover my aisle seat with extra leg room had been given away and that I had been moved to a window seat near the back of the plane. I explained that I purchased the extra leg room because I have serious back problems and need to stretch out, and that at the window seat, in pain, I might experience a claustrophobic panic attack. They told me in no uncertain terms that I could take the new seat or get bumped to another flight. I needed to get home so I took the seat.
I was told my seat had been changed due to a "mechanical issue." Boarding the plane, I noticed my seat was occupied by a United employee.
As the plane began to taxi, sure enough. Had a total panic attack. Just flipped out. They had to stop the plane. Everyone hates me, makes it worse. They asked the guy they gave my seat to to switch with me so they could take off. They ended up going up and down the aisle just begging everyone to switch with me so I could at least sit on the aisle, asked that guy multiple times and he refused. Eventually found someone.
They never even refunded me for the leg room charge....said they would but never did despite multiple inquiries.
Were he a criminal, suspected terrorist or just did something wrong in general I would be inclined to agree. But he didn't. He was merely a paying customer who did not want to give up his seat due to the airline's own screw up. That does not give them the right to bring in the law and remove him by force. Which is why he will be millionaire in relatively short order.
That's for involuntary, i.e. what happened here. For all of those people who voluntarily take what the airline offers, there are no DOT rules.
SuperBowser
Member
You realise they let him back on the plane after?
It's not "easy" to prove if something is life or death; especially when the airline have chosen to escalate the situation by shoving a bunch of security guards in the passenger's face. Maybe the doctor did feel it was life or death to see his patients - hence why he refused to leave his seat even in the face of security.
But whatever. Keep blaming the passenger
KoopaTheCasual
Junior Member
Tell me more of this alternate timeline, where you know how events unfold.
It's fascinating.
RustyNails
Member
Where are you in Eurabia threads where people staunchly defend the rights of Corporations to ban hijabs from workplace? It looks like only me and only couple other Gaffers show up to criticize this defense of corporations.
I voted for the last option personally
It's definitely a voucher based on the announcements of basically every flight I've been on lately. And I suspect it's probably a one time thing too. Like, I doubt you can turn that into two or three cheap flights. It's probably "good for up to" $800.
Fixed
Probably because you don't have patients that you urgently need to see in the hospital in the morning..
I see United is still complete and utter trash. I had to fly United quite a few times when I was commuting to and from Chicago. Almost every single flight I had with them was either delayed or overbooked. This was around 2004. I don't understand how they are still in business.
Even if you have a wedding/funeral/examination/patient/child to attend to? And it's probably not even real money, but rather a non-transferable coupon for another United flight that expires in a few months.
Corporations need to suffer a real punitive penalty for ruining people's lives, rather than just taking it as a cost of doing business. A cash payout of 10x the highest ticket price would probably be suitable for overbooking-related forced removals (raising the cap for voluntary rebooking auctions should make forced removals exceedingly rare, anyway).
There ya go.
Count Dookkake
Member
"I have to go home, I have to go home" should become the rallying cry of the beleaguered traveler.
Like he was a sack of garbage.
TangoAlphaLima
Member
Yes, it's probably a one-time thing. And it's also at United's own fare rates, not discounted rates you can find online from travel sites like Travelocity or Expedia or discounted fares you could find from other airlines, and therefore the United voucher is probably only worth about 70% or so of the value printed on it.
Pankratous
Member
The reality that you are a paying customer and have no legal obligation to get off the plane?????????????????????
Thank you for the poll.
Anybody still want to defend the multi-million dollar corporation that dragged a paying doctor off their plane?
After all, it was his fault for not immediately accepting the company's bullshit policies. Sometimes you just have to smack someones face on a chair for them to see reason, you know?
Anybody still want to defend the multi-million dollar corporation that dragged a paying doctor off their plane?
After all, it was his fault for not immediately accepting the company's bullshit policies. Sometimes you just have to smack someones face on a chair for them to see reason, you know?
Probably a connecting flight for some.
That's the thing though: irrespective of how they got into this situation (and obviously United handled it very poorly), you are required by federal law to follow the instructions of he flight crew. When they told him to leave the plane and he said no, he was, in fact, breaking the law. So, from a legal perspective, the police had every right to remove him by force if he failed to comply.
Again obviously this situation was created by United and I don't agree with any of their handling of it, but it's just wrong to say that United didn't have the legal right to ask him to leave, or to call the police when he didn't.
Wolfgunblood Garopa
Member
Libertarians
wtf? he was a paying passenger who was not only being unreasonably kicked off the plane with no prior notice, but literally being dragged out of the airplane like some sort of criminal.
i'm sure it's easy for you to say some self-dignified bs because you're not the one in his situation.
United Airlines is fucking scum.
But the company might have lost profit!!!
Lionel Richie
Member
Because apparently the guy will make some money out of this which annoys some people in NeoGAF and that's just enough to grab the pitchforks regardless of the gigantic humiliation he had to endure.
diablos991
Can’t stump the diablos
United handled this terribly. It's their fault they overbooked.
United should have kept raising that leave-the-plane bribe until enough people bit.
I hope this man files suit against United. Their actions here were disgusting.
United should have kept raising that leave-the-plane bribe until enough people bit.
I hope this man files suit against United. Their actions here were disgusting.
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