Doctor Dragged From United Plane After Computer "Solves" Overbooking Problem

[shockz]

1 hour ago, vf- said:

Why is that?

You tell me? And before connecting customer attitude and sentiment, that only goes so far. It's their job to be professional and courteous, just as it is at mine... and I assume yours. If I ever treated my customers the way they do, let alone rip them out of a seat and drag them away, I'd be fired immediately. Doesn't matter how ridiculous a customer is, unless they're violent, at which point I'd call the actual police department, and not some glorified security guard that works for an airline.

 

Not to mention, I've been flying frequently and quite a long time, and while yes, the increasing number of rude customers is cause for concern, I can see why customer attitudes are deteriorating. Between being nickle and dimmed for basic services like a carry on item, ever decreasing leg room while also increasing ticket fares, nonsense attitudes of airline staff... not to mention, this isn't chump change. An average flight costs about $500 round trip, multiply that by a family, and you expect to be treated like a human and receive a basic level of service... not be ripped off a flight for following the rules, because of a computer error to accommodate your employees. I can't think of anywhere else that would fly. Would you expect employees to get first dibs on that super popular, can't keep up with demand item at a retail store? I've saw managers and employees get fired over doing that. This is not how you run a successful business.

[jnelsoninjax]

1 hour ago, wv@gt said:

Statement released from the CEO. 

As expected he is putting part of the blame on the passenger 

 

The sad part is that even the CEO is blaming the passenger. Obviously he is simply going off the information given to him (which is obviously one sided) and the lawyers and/or the PR department suggested that he release a statement regarding this incident.

[vf-]

38 minutes ago, shockz said:

You tell me? And before connecting customer attitude and sentiment, that only goes so far. It's their job to be professional and courteous, just as it is at mine... and I assume yours. If I ever treated my customers the way they do, let alone rip them out of a seat and drag them away, I'd be fired immediately. Doesn't matter how ridiculous a customer is, unless they're violent, at which point I'd call the actual police department, and not some glorified security guard that works for an airline.

 

Not to mention, I've been flying frequently and quite a long time, and while yes, the increasing number of rude customers is cause for concern, I can see why customer attitudes are deteriorating. Between being nickle and dimmed for basic services like a carry on item, ever decreasing leg room while also increasing ticket fares, nonsense attitudes of airline staff... not to mention, this isn't chump change. An average flight costs about $500 round trip, multiply that by a family, and you expect to be treated like a human and receive a basic level of service... not be ripped off a flight for following the rules, because of a computer error to accommodate your employees. I can't think of anywhere else that would fly. Would you expect employees to get first dibs on that super popular, can't keep up with demand item at a retail store? I've saw managers and employees get fired over doing that. This is not how you run a successful business.

I loved the rules. Be nice.

 

 

[xendrome]

I think I'm still stuck on the issue of, how long does the plane sit there and how many times do they have to ask someone to please get off the plane before force is used. Flying isn't some type of human right and this is a private company with set terms and conditions when you purchase the ticket. Do they just sit there indefinitely while this guy throws his hissy fit? You were picked, get off the plane, collect your $900 cash that United is going to give you for being inconvenienced and let them rebook you on another flight. Stop acting like a child.

 

Ok so what if he is a "doctor" and "doctor" of what, does that make other people who are not doctors less important then he is.

 

And what is wrong with this guy saying "kill me now, just kill me now". This guy seems like he has some mental problems.

 

This guy is the result of his own actions, I have 0 pity or sympathy for him whatsoever.

[ATLien_0]

11 minutes ago, xendrome said:

I think I'm still stuck on the issue of, how long does the plane sit there and how many times do they have to ask someone to please get off the plane before force is used. Flying isn't some type of human right and this is a private company with set terms and conditions when you purchase the ticket. Do they just sit there indefinitely while this guy throws his hissy fit? You were picked, get off the plane, collect your $900 cash that United is going to give you for being inconvenienced and let them rebook you on another flight. Stop acting like a child.

 

Ok so what if he is a "doctor" and "doctor" of what, does that make other people who are not doctors less important then he is.

 

And what is wrong with this guy saying "kill me now, just kill me now". This guy seems like he has some mental problems.

 

This guy is the result of his own actions, I have 0 pity or sympathy for him whatsoever.

So if you paid for a flight and you were picked at random after you were seated you would cave? I know the compensation is one thing, but you aren't required to accept the compensation or get up for someone to get a "free" ride. Flying is stressful these days, why pick a fight with a customer just to get an employee a free ride. Customers first used to be the mottos 

[FunkyMike]

 

 

 

[Jim K Global Moderator]

25 minutes ago, xendrome said:

And what is wrong with this guy saying "kill me now, just kill me now". This guy seems like he has some mental problems.

Could it be the result of his face meeting an armrest?

[vf-]

54 minutes ago, wv@gt said:

So if you paid for a flight and you were picked at random after you were seated you would cave? I know the compensation is one thing, but you aren't required to accept the compensation or get up for someone to get a "free" ride. Flying is stressful these days, why pick a fight with a customer just to get an employee a free ride. Customers first used to be the mottos 

Why is flying stressful these days?

[patseguin Global Moderator]

People are forming opinions based on a short video of the aftermath. How about some video of what led up to this? I am guessing that the person got violent and combative in refusing to follow orders.

[+Raze Subscriber²]

20 minutes ago, patseguin said:

People are forming opinions based on a short video of the aftermath. How about some video of what led up to this? I am guessing that the person got violent and combative in refusing to follow orders.

And you just formed an opinion based on a short video.  Pot meet kettle, perhaps?

[DevTech]

2 minutes ago, Raze said:

And you just formed an opinion based on a short video.  Pot meet kettle, perhaps?

 

24 minutes ago, patseguin said:

People are forming opinions based on a short video of the aftermath. How about some video of what led up to this? I am guessing that the person got violent and combative in refusing to follow orders.

Some facts can be determined.

 

"Refusal to follow orders" is 100% a correct statement.

 

Now what you do with that is another thing entirely:

 

-  He was a paying customer of a service and traditionally the service provider is supposed to follow the orders of the person who is paying them.

- The formation of the United Sates of America was due to a "refusal to follow orders"

- Even if he was in the wrong (and that requires some tortuous logic to believe) any sort of Civil Disobedience should be accorded the highest degree of respect and non-violence in a society founded on the ideals of freedom?

[Jim K Global Moderator]

11 minutes ago, Raze said:

And you just formed an opinion based on a short video.  Pot meet kettle, perhaps?

... And United didn't state the victim became "violent” or "combative” either ... just that he "refused." Not sure how one can come up with that assumption... you can refuse something without being combative.

[McCordRm]

So I posted a long-winded Rant on my page for such things: 

 

Just.. grrr.

[vf-]

Woof!

[DevTech]

12 minutes ago, McCordRm said:

So I posted a long-winded Rant on my page for such things: 

 

Just.. grrr.

"We can't do anything here because force is only justified, and lawful, against a clear and present threat. We have no authority to utilize force against an innocent to correct your mistake."

 

I think your point here is the MOST important of all.

 

There has been a lot of discussion on who is right and who is wrong but in a Civil Society, the use of force should NOT have been a possible outcome. Similar perhaps to a "hostage negotiator" the airline should have first sent an experienced negotiator to attempt a mutually consensual resolution and stuck at it as long as it would take to avoid harm to a human being.

 

[McCordRm]

1 minute ago, DevTech said:

I think your point here is the MOST important of all.

 

There has been a lot of discussion on who is right and who is wrong but in a Civil Society, the use of force should NOT have been a possible outcome. Similar perhaps to a "hostage negotiator" the airline should have first sent an experienced negotiator to attempt a mutually consensual resolution and stuck at it as long as it would take to avoid harm to a human being.

 

Kinda. I don't think ANY action against the customer was justifiable. They asked for volunteers, and no-one accepted. The only right answer here is too bad for the airline. And the employees.

If neither made the appropriate plans to get the employees to their destination, that's THEIR mistake and too damn bad. Maybe they'll learn to make better plans next time.

[nekrosoft13]

1 hour ago, FunkyMike said:

 

 

 

that should be their new slogan

[DevTech]

3 minutes ago, McCordRm said:

Kinda. I don't think ANY action against the customer was justifiable. They asked for volunteers, and no-one accepted. The only right answer here is too bad for the airline. And the employees.

If neither made the appropriate plans to get the employees to their destination, that's THEIR mistake and too damn bad. Maybe they'll learn to make better plans next time.

You are probably correct.

 

There might be scenarios where the 4 employees getting priority would be optimal for the "public good" such as a rescue mission etc but an experience negotiator could simply have improved the incentives via free flights etc to get sufficient volunteers.

 

It is very disturbing that there is any kind of process diagram in place that results in anyone invading the personal space of a customer and actual violence should not even be in the DNA of anyone associated with the airline.

 

This seems like a horrible degradation of Civic Values with broader scope than just the airline if humans thinking about this situation can even hold the thought for a millisecond that ANY violence could be justified for ANY non-violent disagreement.

 

[patseguin Global Moderator]

1 hour ago, Raze said:

And you just formed an opinion based on a short video.  Pot meet kettle, perhaps?

No, I'm not forming an opinion at all actually since I don't know the whole story. I'm just guessing that he was combative.

[wakjak]

20 minutes ago, Rippleman said:

<snipped>

I'll tell that to you whenever this happens to you or someone you know.

[+Raze Subscriber²]

22 minutes ago, patseguin said:

No, I'm not forming an opinion at all actually since I don't know the whole story. I'm just guessing that he was combative.

That guess is an opinion.  And you based your guess/opinion on what, since you didn't know the whole story?

 

opinion: a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge

[Rippleman]

I'll tell that to you whenever this happens to you or someone you know.

I would accept the chance that I took and comply without acting like a baby. Would I like it? No, but that's life. Take the good with the bad.

[theyarecomingforyou]

It's sad to see police in the US being used to assault citizens at the behest of corporations looking to renege on contractual obligations. United Airlines overbooked the flight, a practice that should be illegal, and then compounded that wrongdoing by ejecting a paying customer simply to save itself money by having another flight impacted by a lack of staff. The company should be made to suffer financially—through boycotts and regulatory fines—as what happened is absolutely unacceptable.

 

United Airlines was wrong. The way the police handled the situation was wrong. The way the CEO defended the situation is wrong. The culture behind policing and business in the US is toxic and citizens need to stand up to oppressive institutions.

 

The customer did the right thing by peacefully protesting United Airline's obnoxious policies and has exposed the despicable way it treats its customers.

[McCordRm]

Had to update my original Rant since it was made aware to me that United Airlines had

offered compensation to any volunteers willing to give up their seat. I hadn't heard that

part yet.

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

1 minute ago, McCordRm said:

Had to update my original Rant since it was made aware to me that United Airlines had

offered compensation to any volunteers willing to give up their seat. I hadn't heard that

part yet.

That's airline SOP - apparently they upped the offers to like $800 and free hotel for the night. no one took it.