United Airlines incident - overbooked and forcing paying passengers OFF the plane

[Acura604]

wow, wtf is going on with the aviation industry....check out the insane videos in the link. W T F.



Passenger Forcibly Removed From United Flight, Prompting Outcry : The Two-Way : NPR

Passengers on a United flight from Chicago to Louisville, Ky., were horrified when a man was forcibly removed — violently wrenched from his seat and physically dragged down the aisle — to clear a seat for airline staff.

United has not responded to NPR's requests for comment, but on Twitter, a representative of the airline said the flight in question was "overbooked" and that "one customer refused to leave."

"This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United," company CEO Oscar Munoz said in a statement. He said the airline is conducting a "detailed review" of what happened and reaching out to the passenger in question.

Multiple videos and photos were posted on social media, and other passengers described the incident online — at first upset about the delay, and then horrified by the violent turn of events.

Witnesses say passengers had already boarded on Sunday evening at O'Hare International Airport when United asked for volunteers to take another flight the next day to make room for four United staff members who needed seats.

The airline offered $400 and a free hotel, passenger Audra D. Bridges told the Louisville Courier-Journal. When no one volunteered, the offer was doubled to $800. When there were still no bites, the airline selected four passengers to leave the flight — including the man in the video and his wife.

"They told him he had been selected randomly to be taken off the flight," Bridges said on Facebook. She said there was no incident involving the man until he was told to give up his seat.

The man said he was a doctor, and that he "needed to work at the hospital the next day," passenger Jayse Anspach said on Twitter.

"He said he wasn't going to [get off the plane]," Bridges wrote on Facebook. "He was talking to his lawyer on the phone."

Then United brought in the police.

Both Bridges and Anspach posted videos of three law enforcement officers, who appear to be wearing the uniforms of Chicago aviation police, wrenching the man out of his seat, prompting wails. His face appeared to strike an armrest. Then they dragged his limp body down the aisle.

[6o4__boi]

lol damn, i know United doesn't exactly set the bar high for customer service but this is on a whole new low

$800?
should've manned up to their dumbass overbooking mistake and kept raising the compensation, problem avoided.

[Infiniti]

Provided I didn't have any pressing business, I would've taken the $800 bucks and the next flight. Was given a similar offer a few years ago by Air Canada for a flight I was on, but had to refuse because I really needed to be back.

[pastarocket]

I think that passenger is definitely gonna call his lawyer to sue United and the Chicago PD.

[IMASA]

The flight wasn't overbooked, UA had 4 employees that had to work at the next stop. Rather than send them via train/bus/rental car, they chose to kick 4 passengers off.
They should have raised the compensation and kept raising it until someone took it.

I was a on a UA flight from Chicago to Burlington and they were offering $300USD for someone to get off. It went as high as $1200USD until finally someone took the deal. I was tempted, but had to make it to my destination for systems training.

UA says a "computer" would randomly select who would be kicked off. I'd like to see this computer program and know if 1st class/business class passengers are included in the selection process. I wouldn't be surprised if they selected those who paid the least for their seats.

Lastly, this is what the asshat CEO had to say "..I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers...". Re-accommodate is the new word for beat and drag your ass off the plane.

[CCA-Dave]

Yup, simple solution keep raising the compensation.

Involving airport police to assault a passenger and remove them from the flight is a ridiculously short-sighted way to deal with the 'problem'. I'm sure the viral advertising they're getting from all this is well worth the lack of investment to bump the seat offer.

[Armind]

Make murica great again

[Mr.HappySilp]

LOL so many evidence and the airline have no right to kick someone off and not to mention they decided to kick a doctor off. They are going to end up paying millions to this guy. I mean I could easily say coz of this incident My arm, neck is in pain constantly and therefore I can not work.

If they overbook with passenger then yes is stupid and they should really bump people up to business class/first class. If it is for their employee then to bad so said the employee in question can
A. Be a flight attendant for that flight and leave the other 4 flight attendant off
B. The 4 flight attendant can wait till the next flight.

This is going to cause them a lot lol.

[Ferra]

i used to think Air Canada service is one of the worst.......but after taking a few UA flight...i realize AC is actually not too bad


And I am surprised they rather deals with all the delays, calling the cops and forcibly remove passengers instead of upping their puny $800 compensation.
I am sure someone would volunteer if they up the compensation to $1-2K.
That's chump change compare to all delays, bad press and lawyer fees they'd have to deal with later.

30min extra delay probably costs them more than $1-$2K in wasted wages and fuels anyway.

[Gerbs]

Originally Posted by IMASA

UA says a "computer" would randomly select who would be kicked off. I'd like to see this computer program and know if 1st class/business class passengers are included in the selection process. I wouldn't be surprised if they selected those who paid the least for their seats.

Why would they kick out first-class / business, it makes no sense financially.

[pastarocket]

Funny tweets.


Nick Jack Pappas
(@Pappiness)


Look on the bright side, United Airlines. After this incident, you'll never have to worry about a flight being overbooked again.


Marian
(@msanborn)


Pepsi: We are the most hated company right now. �� United Airlines: 1 sec - Hold my Pepsi. #PEPSI #unitedAIRLINES

[CCA-Dave]

So the incident must have been on the last flight of the night (or very close to it), as the compensation offer included a hotel room and taking a flight the next day.

The way they dealt with it seems absolutely ridiculous, but thinking about it I realized that this is exactly what happens when you don't empower employees to to make reasonable decisions, even if there is a cost involved. Guaranteed there is a maximum compensation offer a gate agent is allowed to give, without approval from a higher level employee. Given the time of day, they probably weren't able to reach anyone and followed through with the only option they had available to them.

[freakshow]

I've been bumped on a UA flight as well.. their overbooking algorithms really suck, but their CS is even worse.
I had to be in SF for a wedding on Sat, taking a fri night flight. Booked months in advance, and they basically just took my seat away and told me i'll get on the next plane on Sat afternoon. I hadn't boarded yet, so it's not as bad as being physically dragged off the plane.. but i was pretty pissed

[shawnly1000]

United Airlines Passenger Removed From Flight: Just Kill Me | Time.com

[hud 91gt]

An airline has every right to kick anyone off a flight as though they seem appropriate. Obviously this is a interesting occurrence, maybe not handled properly. Maybe were not seeing the whole story.

Remember, the cookie pushers are their for your safety. If they see someone not cooperating it is their right to have you removed.

This goes if your drunk, uncooperative, mentally unstable... There is varying degrees.

From what the article says I in no way agree with their tactics but I can guarentee that is not the whole story. If police were required to be onboard to remove the passenger... Even if a seat opened up he would be tossed off. Last thing you need on an airplane 6 miles in the sky is pissed off uncooperative passenger with no where to go.

Remember this the next time your being an ass hat on a flight.

I should add I do not agree with the overbooking of flights all airlines are doing these days (even Westjet), but it is a business with tight margins. All I can say is id hate to a customer service agent or a flight attendant. People are stressed as it is when travelling, now toss a wrench into it. Yikes.



As for thr comment about the algorithm which picks passengers. I dont know how it works personally but I'm betting it is a hell of a lot more complex then you think. Whether this is your final destination, number of alternate flights, travelling alone, overnight required? All this information is in the system and I can almost guarantee its taken into consideration.

[shawnly1000]

[IMASA]

Not sure if this is legit, but this was posted on reddit

"Before the flight started they were offering 150 bucks in vouchers to anyone who would get bumped but the next flight wasn't until the next day at about 3 in the afternoon.
After we got on the plane, I was zone 3, they raised it to four hundred dollars. About ten minutes later they raised it to 800. At this point the plane was completely boarded. Then the stewardess came on and basically told us this plane was not moving until four people got off, they said they needed it for four United employees (who I later noticed were two stewardesses and two pilots).
About ten minutes later (30 minutes after we should have left) the manager came on with a clipboard and told this gentleman in the video that he payed the lowest and had to get off the flight. He said absolutely not, he wasn't screaming but I could hear him as it was a small flight.
She shuffled around for a bit then talked to him again, this was the point when someone offered her 1600 and she laughed at him, then she told the asian guy that he was going to get physically removed.
She called security, then one guy showed up who didn't look like police to me. He talked to him (much more calmly than the manager) but with no luck. The guy wasn't budging, said he was a doctor and had to go to work early in the morning. The guys backup came, a cop and a plainclothes, and then the video starts. They knock him around and drag him out.
At this point I think everything is over, but about ten minutes later he comes running back in with a bloody mouth saying that he had to get back home over and over, I think he was concussed.
The employees asked us all to get off the plane so they could handle the situation. We went back into the terminal. They somehow get him into a wheelchair and put him in an ambulance. They cleaned the blood out of the plane and put us back on about an hour after we got off. Then they sent us on our way, friendly skies huh"

[Manic!]

Confused how the guy got back on the plane after he was removed.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Originally Posted by IMASA

Not sure if this is legit, but this was posted on reddit

All of this and took 2 and a half hour. They could have easily just let the 4 FA board the flight next day. I mean if they know this isn't going anywhere either up the compensation or just let everyone boarded fly. What they offer is peanuts lol. Heck if they want me to give up my seats they better start with at least $1k and bump me to first/business class for the next flight otherwise I am staying where on the plane.

[hud 91gt]

Originally Posted by Mr.HappySilp

All of this and took 2 and a half hour. They could have easily just let the 4 FA board the flight next day. I mean if they know this isn't going anywhere either up the compensation or just let everyone boarded fly. What they offer is peanuts lol. Heck if they want me to give up my seats they better start with at least $1k and bump me to first/business class for the next flight otherwise I am staying where on the plane.

Oh you mean dont let the crew members on board. So they don't show for your Chicago to LA flight putting 186 people in a hotel for a night?

That makes a lot of sense. As much as you think an airline is just trying to screw you, it is a game of what is going to disturb shit the least. Think about it

[Great68]

Originally Posted by hud 91gt

. As much as you think an airline is just trying to screw you, it is a game of what is going to disturb shit the least.

If that was true they wouldn't overbook flights in the first place.
THAT practice should be illegal.

[hud 91gt]

I heard a statistic that 5-10 percent of passengers dont show for a flight. Whether thats due to their own doing or other logistics. That is an airlines bottom line profit. Generally speaking, it doesnt cause an issue. When it does they offer incentives. When that doesnt work... Well I guess they need to re-evaluate. Its a complex calculated risk. Hell, life is. If it was a constant issue, they wouldnt do it..

[Great68]

Originally Posted by hud 91gt

That is an airlines bottom line profit.

So THAT'S what's most important here!

[freakshow]

Of course they need to get their staff to the destination. But the solution isn't to have police drag people off. Someone said above, keep upping the offer, someone will take it eventually.
If you have to give away 1500 per seat, sorry, if you're going to overbook, you sometimes take a hit.

[hud 91gt]

Originally Posted by Great68

So THAT'S what's most important here!

??
Yes. Its a business. If its not making money it doesnt exist.