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United Airlines violently drags a doctor off a plane so employee could take his seat

Why do you fly United?

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H

HawksWinStanley

Member
commish said:
Most obnoxious thing about this is the "er um". Who types like that?
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Mayor_Quimby.png
 
E

ezrarh

Member
vacantseas said:
Any newspaper (especially a local one like this) is going to run with a story for a few days - especially if it's an international one like this. The Louisville paper is of course going to find out as much information as they can on both sides of the story. They're simply reporting on who the passenger was. It's called journalism.
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Like how we simply report the lives of black kids that were killed by police. I get you man.
 
S

Squalor

Junior Member
vacantseas said:
Any newspaper (especially a local one like this) is going to run with a story for a few days - especially if it's an international one like this. The Louisville paper is of course going to find out as much information as they can on both sides of the story. They're simply reporting on who the passenger was. It's called journalism.
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I'm sure we can expect the same newspaper to run a story about the pasts of all the officers involved, all the United employees involved, and all the times United has acted poorly as a company like when a pilot requested an autistic girl to be removed from the plane because he was uncomfortable. Any minute now.
 
Audioboxer

Audioboxer

Member
vacantseas said:
Any newspaper (especially a local one like this) is going to run with a story for a few days - especially if it's an international one like this. The Louisville paper is of course going to find out as much information as they can on both sides of the story. They're simply reporting on who the passenger was. It's called journalism.
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It's irrelevant to this case so unless you want to be Daily Mail tier keep it objective and based around facts of the case not personal.

Even if you are a rowdy drunk getting taken off a plane you don't deserve to be assaulted. No one does. This case didn't need any force, but even when force is needed against a problematic passenger (say drunk or verbally abusive) the police and airline have a duty of protection over your safety.
 
M

marrec

Banned
iapetus said:
Except the fact that he's a doctor who has patients waiting for him on his return does have some bearing on it.
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I don't think anyone should be treated the way he was treated. Regardless of who's waiting on you back home.

Being a doctor doesn't magically grant him extra travel privileges that shouldn't be afforded to other professions or people.
 
S

Sparkedglory

Member
ezrarh said:
Like how we simply report the lives of black kids that were killed by police. I get you man.
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I was JUST about to say something like this. Thank you for calling that shit out.

Same for Squalor. Thank you for those replies to a stupid post and opinion that's apparently around way too often.
 
I

iapetus

Scary Euro Man
marrec said:
I don't think anyone should be treated the way he was treated. Regardless of who's waiting on you back home.
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Absolutely. But if you have to remove someone from a flight, it probably shouldn't be someone whose absence is going to cause other people to not receive the medical care they need.
 
M

Malvolio

Member
I'm still disturbed that United can call in CPD to handle their own internal issue. However, I'm not surprised in the least that CPD walked in and escalated a peaceful situation to violence. CPD is just as guilty.
 
M

marrec

Banned
iapetus said:
Absolutely. But if you have to remove someone from a flight, it probably shouldn't be someone whose absence is going to cause other people to not receive the medical care they need.
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Well sure it looks worse PR wise. Only way it could be worse is if someone was flying back home with a suitcase full of cash after winning a dancing contest, cash so that they can pay off their evil landlord who is about to demolish the puppy orphanage they've been leasing.

But it doesn't really matter otherwise lol
 
T

TimHortons

Member
Domestic flights have razor thin profits, hence the overbooking. But if you let people on the plane already before realizing you need the room. You gotta take the loss United and find other means to make your other flight happen.
 
M

mid83

Member
Bluenoser said:
They can't do that. How would you feel if you were the "next" person selected, and they only came to you because the guy before you resisted? You would feel that why should he get to stay and I have to go? That would have honestly been worse PR than what they got.

The amount of inconvenience this airline was willing to put it's passengers through in this circumstance should have made them realize they need to open their wallets to get some cooperation. When they stood firm at $800 they screwed themselves over. I'm not saying they need to go into the thousands all the time, but this time it was necessary, because the next flight wasn't until the following afternoon and they are bumping people due to their own logistical incompetence, not due to overbooking.
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Honestly that's an important point. At the end of the day airlines have a right to kick you off. It's not your plane and it's in the terms you agee to when you buy a ticket.

No, I'm not saying the guy deserved to get a bloody face, but at the end of the day if the crew tells you to get off, then you have to get off, no matter the reason. They will remove you by force if needed eventually.

This whole thing could have been prevented if it was handled pre boarding like it should have. Most likely four people would have taken a voucher and nobody would have know otherwise. This is where United really deserves to be raked over the coals.
 
I

ISOM

Member
TimHortons said:
Domestic flights have razor thin profits, hence the overbooking. But if you let people on the plane already before realizing you need the room. You gotta take the loss United and find other means to make your other flight happen.
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Weren't Airlines doing much better recently?
 
K

kmax

Member
vacantseas said:
Any newspaper (especially a local one like this) is going to run with a story for a few days - especially if it's an international one like this. The Louisville paper is of course going to find out as much information as they can on both sides of the story. They're simply reporting on who the passenger was. It's called journalism.
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Journalism? If it doesn't add any substance to the actual story, what other point is there other than to smear and victim blame the person in question? Real journalists wouldn't do that.

But hey, let's run some background checks on the United staff, CEO and the police officers in question and air their dirty laundry to the entire world, just for the sake of "journalism".
 
S

Sho_Nuff82

Member
Took a day away from this thread and we've seriously got "he's no angel" news stories popping up about the old man who got wrecked by the cops. This country will never change, it's almost funny.
 
L

Lkr

Member
Sho_Nuff82 said:
Took a day away from this thread and we've seriously got "he's no angel" news stories popping up about the old man who got wrecked by the cops. This country will never change, it's almost funny.
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Well he's not perfect so he doesn't deserve basic human decency!
 
S

Slayven

Member
vacantseas said:
Any newspaper (especially a local one like this) is going to run with a story for a few days - especially if it's an international one like this. The Louisville paper is of course going to find out as much information as they can on both sides of the story. They're simply reporting on who the passenger was. It's called journalism.
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We should demand better than "He was no angel"
 
R

RionaaM

Unconfirmed Member
boneyjangles said:
The alternative is he isn't forcibly removed from the flight after refusing to be bumped.

The airline capitulates and in light of only 3 of their 4 staff members getting to the destination. That flight they were due to work on is then cancelled due to staff shortage for safety reasons. Hundreds of people inconvenienced.

That's the problem in a nutshell. Cancelling one persons flight versus hundreds of peoples flights at the destination potentially, Sort of like a 'lite' version of the ethical "trolley problem" in a way.

But thinking about this makes me a 'psychopath', or 'absolute piece of shit despicable scum of the earth human being' according to some people on this thread.
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Thinking about it is fine. Saying the man deserved this for refusing does make you a psychopath, though.

The alternative would have been sending the staff members to their destination on a bus and start managing everything better from now on, but that would be too much to ask. It's easier to assault a random customer than to do their job properly.
 
R

Randy Monk

Member
mid83 said:
This whole thing could have been prevented if it was handled pre boarding like it should have. Most likely four people would have taken a voucher and nobody would have know otherwise. This is where United really deserves to be raked over the coals.
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This right here. Once they allowed all the passengers to board they had to up the ante just like any other company. Wrong pricing in retail? Sell it at that price, badly cooked meal at a restaurant? Comp the meal and drinks for everyone in the party. Let everyone board on a packed flight? Offer $1000+ hard CASH and not your damn itchy and scratchy dollars.

After seeing the CEO message I believe its the whole company culture that's rotten. Cost cutting everywhere and poor employee training in customer relations. The CEO should resign immediately and the company should settle this with man out of court to save the company stock from diving.
 
S

Squalor

Junior Member
I don't even care that he's a doctor. Man could have worked in a gas station. Doesn't matter. He bought his ticket and got on the plane and didn't do anything illegal.

There is no excuse for United.
 
O

Orthogonal

Member
m0dus said:
I'm perplexed by the arguments about overbooking--this flight clearly was not overbooked, as everyone was comfortably seated before the airline decided to kick four people off to make room for staff. So it seems the overbooking discussion simply does not apply here.

Overbooked flights are managed at the gate prior to boarding. That's standard procedure is it not?
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This is correct. The people on the bubble who bought tickets are told they are put on standby. It's usually the people who checked in last.

The overlooking phrasing is not correct, they made a business decision to boot passengers. The flight was booked correctly.
 
T

Tovarisc

Member
Squalor said:
I don't even care that he's a doctor. Man could have worked in a gas station. Doesn't matter. He bought his ticket and got on the plane and didn't do anything illegal.

There is no excuse for United.
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If media starts to pick up and focus more on his dodgy past and start to shift narrative it's blessing in disguise for United. Doc's past is 100% irrelevant to what happened, but if his past is what gets focused it makes situation a lot easier for United to manage.
 
S

Squalor

Junior Member
Sarye said:
Not yet.. we gotta wait for the journalistic article to dig up the pasts of the officers involved.. of the united employees involved right? Any day now..
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As I said, it's definitely coming:
Squalor said:
I'm sure we can expect the same newspaper to run a story about the pasts of all the officers involved, all the United employees involved, and all the times United has acted poorly as a company like when a pilot requested an autistic girl to be removed from the plane because he was uncomfortable. Any minute now.
Click to expand...
 
L

Latvian Hitman

Member
boneyjangles said:
The alternative is he isn't forcibly removed from the flight after refusing to be bumped.

The airline capitulates and in light of only 3 of their 4 staff members getting to the destination. That flight they were due to work on is then cancelled due to staff shortage for safety reasons. Hundreds of people inconvenienced.

That's the problem in a nutshell. Cancelling one persons flight versus hundreds of peoples flights at the destination potentially, Sort of like a 'lite' version of the ethical "trolley problem" in a way.

But thinking about this makes me a 'psychopath', or 'absolute piece of shit despicable scum of the earth human being' according to some people on this thread.
Click to expand...

Then what you do is continue to sweeten the pot until you entice another person to voluntarily give up their seat. That way, you avoid "inconveniencing" hundreds of people with a hell of a lot less collateral damage than what United is facing now.
 
F

Faddy

Banned
Sho_Nuff82 said:
Took a day away from this thread and we've seriously got "he's no angel" news stories popping up about the old man who got wrecked by the cops. This country will never change, it's almost funny.
Click to expand...

It is standard practice unfortunately especially against minorities.

Meanwhile the CEO of United and the Chicago Police blatantly lie in their statements about the incident like witnesses and video aren't being widely circulated.


5jzd236.png

He wasn't "denied boarding" since he was already on the plane
2owNousm.jpg

He did not fall, there is video of the officers beating him
 
S

Sydle

Member
This is so upsetting, I feel for the man dragged off the plane. United should have kept raising the offer until they had their 4 seats. I hope they lose a lot of customers and money over this.

I won't be flying with them ever again.
 
F

freeofgreed

Member
Wow I'm surprised at how much this story blew up. I thought this would blow over/not get much attention. But I'm glad this is blowing up in United's face, it's ridiculous.
 
O

Ovid

Member
Squalor said:
I don't even care that he's a doctor. Man could have worked in a gas station. Doesn't matter. He bought his ticket and got on the plane and didn't do anything illegal.

There is no excuse for United.
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You're right but I think the doctor part makes the story worse because he was flying home to see patients, you know actually caring for people.

United basically showed that they didn't give a shit about him or his patients.

freeofgreed said:
Wow I'm surprised at how much this story blew up. I thought this would blow over/not get much attention. But I'm glad this is blowing up in United's face, it's ridiculous.
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Even China is pissed.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/world/asia/united-airlines-passenger-dragged-china.html
 
B

Bananajama

Banned
Faddy said:
It is standard practice unfortunately especially against minorities.

Meanwhile the CEO of United and the Chicago Police blatantly lie in their statements about the incident like witnesses and video aren't being widely circulated.


He wasn't "denied boarding" since he was already on the plane

He did not fall, there is video of the officers beating him
Click to expand...

You'd think with the amount of investigations police departments/officers have received in the last decade they'd learn there lesson and not lie

Seems there's some thick skulls
 
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