The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

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chaos
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The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#1 Post by chaos » Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:20 am

It has been a very long time since I have flown, and apparently you need to be pretty tough to do so these days. :scared:

The matter-of-fact United Airlines statement seems to be missing something. Or is this what happens nowadays when there are no volunteers willing to leave an overbooked plane? :no:


Video shows man forcibly removed from overbooked United flight
USA TODAY NETWORK Lucas Aulbach, The (Louisville) Courier-Journal
Published 7:40 a.m. ET April 10, 2017 | Updated 10 minutes ago

LOUISVILLE — A video posted on Facebook late Sunday evening shows a passenger on a United Airlines flight being forcibly removed from the plane before takeoff at O’Hare International Airport.

The video, posted by Audra D. Bridges at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, is taken from an aisle seat on a commercial airplane that appears to be preparing to take flight. The 31-second clip shows three men wearing radio equipment and security jackets speaking with a man seated on the plane. After a few seconds, one of the men grabs the passenger, who screams, and drags him by his arms toward the front of the plane. The video ends before anything else is shown.

A United spokesperson confirmed in an email Sunday night that a passenger had been taken off a flight in Chicago.

"Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked," said the spokesperson. "After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate.

"We apologize for the overbook situation. Further details on the removed customer should be directed to authorities."

Bridges, a Louisville resident, gave her account of the flight Sunday night.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#2 Post by SR » Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:55 am

Looks appalling. Sad that the customer has to pay so dearly for United's greed. Criminal

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#3 Post by guysmiley » Mon Apr 10, 2017 10:13 am

They tried to bump me twice on an international flight. They are hands down the worst airline company I've ever used. Fat-ass flight attendant kept hitting me with their damn hips and food cart on my last flight.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#4 Post by chaos » Mon Apr 10, 2017 1:16 pm

I just assumed all airlines overbook, and if everyone actually shows up they deal with it before allowing the passengers to board the plane.
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/ ... yptr=yahoo

United Airlines faces fallout after viral video shows passenger dragged off overbooked plane
Apr 10, 2017, 12:04pm MDT

United Airlines has suffered any number of public relations fiascos over the past six years. But few if any match the incident Sunday afternoon on UA flight No. 3411, operating from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Standiford Field in Louisville, Kentucky.

When the flight was found to be overbooked by four passengers and no one volunteered to be bumped, United resorted to a random selection of four passengers (done by computer) who would have to take later flights.

One of the four passengers, however, refused to leave the plane, and security was called.

Amateur video captured the uncooperative passenger grappling with security guards and finally being dragged down the single aisle of the small United Express Embraer plane as other passengers all around were screaming.

The video, as of midday today, had been viewed more than 1 million times, the Chicago Tribune reports.

A subsequent report in the Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper said the passenger who refused to exit the plane was a doctor who needed to be in Louisville to see patients. The ejected passenger apparently managed to get back on the plane after being forcibly removed, but appeared to be bloodied and disoriented, according to the Courier-Journal report.

After the man reappeared on the plane, reports said, all the passengers were asked to leave the jet while United employees, security and medical staff further dealt with the situation.
:scared: The plane eventually took off several hours late.

A initial statement from United on the incident said matter of factly that "one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate."

But today, United CEO Oscar Munoz issued a more contrite statement, calling it "an upsetting event to all of us here at United."

"I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened," Munoz said. He added that United was trying to contact the passenger to "further address and resolve this situation."


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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#5 Post by JOEinPHX » Mon Apr 10, 2017 1:50 pm

I'm going to keep flying United. Less people on the airplane means more leg/arm room for me. :lol:

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#6 Post by creep » Mon Apr 10, 2017 2:24 pm

To be fair to United I assume that those are not United employees that dragged that person out. Overbooking sucks but usually if you are flexible you can get a nice flight credit for waiting. A month ago they were offering $800 on a flight I was on. I'm sure it's rare when no one volunteers.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#7 Post by kv » Mon Apr 10, 2017 3:50 pm

Then raise the price...2 round trip Tix to anywhere we fly...2 rt first class...4 rt, 4 rt first class... It's Monopoly tickets for them...horrible

The guy was a doctor with patient appointments...He took an oath for fucks sake...Pick someone else

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#8 Post by Pandemonium » Mon Apr 10, 2017 5:06 pm

That guy just won the lottery. United is going to pay through the nose for this when they have to settle the inevitable lawsuit. Not to mention the horrible publicity this video will get them. I'd like to know what the process was that wound up with that guy being selected to be removed.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#9 Post by creep » Mon Apr 10, 2017 5:30 pm

Pandemonium wrote:That guy just won the lottery. United is going to pay through the nose for this when they have to settle the inevitable lawsuit. Not to mention the horrible publicity this video will get them. I'd like to know what the process was that wound up with that guy being selected to be removed.
Apparently it's just random and the computer chooses.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#10 Post by Pandemonium » Mon Apr 10, 2017 9:18 pm

creep wrote:
Pandemonium wrote:That guy just won the lottery. United is going to pay through the nose for this when they have to settle the inevitable lawsuit. Not to mention the horrible publicity this video will get them. I'd like to know what the process was that wound up with that guy being selected to be removed.
Apparently it's just random and the computer chooses.
Yeah, I caught this on the evening news. They also mentioned that the guy was escorted off the plane, ran back on the plane from the gate and got back in his seat at which point this is when this clip shows the security physically dragging him off the plane.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#11 Post by Bandit72 » Tue Apr 11, 2017 12:21 am

I heard this morning this is common practice with airlines? Why overbook seats in the first place?

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#12 Post by Hype » Tue Apr 11, 2017 3:50 am

I guess it must be fairly common on short-haul flights like this. The flights I've taken from Toronto to Chicago have been overbooked and they did ask for volunteers, but as far as I know didn't employ a fucking lottery system to force people off -- that's just crazy. I guess it must be a way to try to make sure their costs are covered. There are probably usually a lot of no-shows.

The security/police whatever guys in this case clearly didn't mean for him to bang his head on the arm-rest when they were yanking him out of the seat, but they should be disciplined for not avoiding it.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#13 Post by dannyboy » Tue Apr 11, 2017 5:13 am

Bandit72 wrote:I heard this morning this is common practice with airlines? Why overbook seats in the first place?
Yeah, I don't get it either! They take money from the booking in advance, right?

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#14 Post by guysmiley » Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:03 am

The company doesn't give a shit. They want max profits and minimize expenses. Every time I dealt with United the employees looked over-worked and they were understaffed. Board-line rude at times understandably. A hard lesson big companies have to learn sometimes. You can't always get max profits if customer service sucks. American service as a whole sucks more and more. No one tips here in Japan and the service is 90% of the time great!

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#15 Post by SR » Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:22 am

A no show doesn't mean that the airline forfeits the cost of the seat. There are no refunds in that case. They simply want time to double sell the seat....usually a few days notice. If a passenger has an emergency that prevents them from flying on the day, or day before their flight, the airline will routinely charge a penalty in the hundreds of dollars.

Passengers need a Passenger Bill of Rights......this gestapo tactic is vulgar and the slope couldn't be more slick.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#16 Post by SR » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:44 am

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.... :bigrin:

http://nypost.com/2017/04/11/doctor-dra ... s-for-sex/

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#17 Post by Hype » Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:10 am

SR wrote:Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.... :bigrin:

http://nypost.com/2017/04/11/doctor-dra ... s-for-sex/
It's irrelevant how sordid or immoral or illegal his past was, of course. He could be Bill Cosby or Hitler and it still wouldn't make UA or the security guards justified in how they treated him.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#18 Post by SR » Tue Apr 11, 2017 1:15 pm

I'm not sure how you drew that conclusion for me. I didn't, nor do I absolve the airline in any fashion. It could have happened to a really good person, but it didn't.

....and no, it's not karma :lol:

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#19 Post by chaos » Thu Apr 13, 2017 8:51 am

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/man- ... 38738.html

The man who was dragged off the United flight just took the first step toward filing a lawsuit
Cadie Thompson, Business Insider 20 hours ago

The customer who was dragged off of the United Airlines flight in a scene that triggered public fury toward the airline on Wednesday took the first step toward legal action against the carrier.

The passenger, 69-year-old David Dao, has obtained a personal-injury lawyer and asked the Cook County Court to issue an order for United and the city of Chicago to keep all footage, audio recordings, and any other reports and material from the flight, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The incident involving Dao happened Sunday evening in Chicago aboard a plane bound for Louisville. A fellow passenger recorded a video that showed Dao being yanked from his seat and dragged off the plane with blood on his face.

Dao told WLKY, a local Kentucky station, on Tuesday that he was still being treated at a Chicago hospital for injuries he suffered. He also said he was not doing well and "everything" was injured.

United said in a statement that it needed room on the aircraft to transfer crew for another flight and that it offered $1,000 to customers to give up their seats. When no one volunteered, it selected several passengers to deplane. Dao was chosen, but United said he refused to get off the plane.

Employees then contacted Chicago Aviation Department officers to help remove Dao. One of the officers involved has since been put on leave, and the department has launched an investigation.

United's CEO, Oscar Munoz, quickly came under fire for his initial response to the incident. He issued another statement on Tuesday formally apologizing for how Dao was treated.

"Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight, and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard," Munoz said. "I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it right."

The company also said all passengers on the flight would be reimbursed for their tickets.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#20 Post by chaos » Thu Apr 13, 2017 8:54 am

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr- ... 48cf7f68c3

...
Dao was discharged from the hospital late Wednesday night and suffered a serious concussion and broken nose, his attorney said. Demetrio said Dao also lost two front teeth and will undergo reconstructive surgery.
...

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#21 Post by creep » Thu Apr 13, 2017 11:51 am

opportunist

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#22 Post by chaos » Sat Apr 22, 2017 6:34 am

Rather than start a new thread . . .
http://abcnews.go.com/US/american-airli ... d=46951873

American Airlines flight attendant grounded after altercation with passengers captured on video
By DAVID CAPLAN
Apr 22, 2017, 3:17 AM ET

It's been less than two weeks since a video of a bloodied passenger being dragged off a United Airlines aircraft ignited a national discussion about the airline industry’s treatment of passengers, and now, yet another onboard incident captured on video is raising eyebrows -- and it's resulted in the immediate grounding of a flight attendant.

A video posted to Facebook Friday by Surain Adyanthaya -- a passenger onboard American Airlines flight 591, from San Franciso to Dallas -- shows an intense confrontation between flight crew and a handful of passengers at the front of the aircraft while it is still on the tarmac in San Francisco.

The heated moment began when a flight attendant took away a stroller from a female passenger, Adyanthaya told ABC affiliate WFAA in Dallas, which reported that the woman was from Argentina and travelling with her two children.

The nearly three-minute video does not show the flight attendant taking the stroller, but near its start, the woman is seen crying and asking for the stroller back.

The incident then escalates with a male passenger coming to her defense, and asking for the male flight attendant's name, saying, "Hey bud, hey bud, you do that to me and I'll knock you flat!"

The flight attendant, who is visibly angry, points his finger at the passenger and says, "Hey, you stay out of this!"

A pilot appears to attempt to calm down the flight attendant.

During the entire video, the female passenger continues to be heard crying.

American Airlines was quick to react -- 20 minutes after the plane landed in Dallas. It apologized for the incident and said the flight attendant had been grounded. The woman and her family were also upgraded to first class.

"We have seen the video and have already started an investigation to obtain the facts," the Dallas-based airline said in a statement. "What we see on this video does not reflect our values or how we care for our customers. We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident. We are making sure all of her family's needs are being met while she is in our care. After electing to take another flight, we are taking special care of her and her family and upgrading them to first class for the remainder of their international trip."

The statement continues, "The actions of our team member captured here do not appear to reflect patience or empathy, two values necessary for customer care. In short, we are disappointed by these actions. The American team member has been removed from duty while we immediately investigate this incident."

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#23 Post by chaos » Sat Apr 22, 2017 8:58 am

Meanwhile at Southwest Airlines Headquarters:

Image

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#24 Post by Pandemonium » Sat Apr 22, 2017 9:42 am

chaos wrote:
That mouthy guy should have been thrown off the flight. I bet he's already got some attorney claiming mental distress against the airline or some bullshit.

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Re: The Not So Friendly Skies: United Airlines

#25 Post by creep » Sat Apr 22, 2017 10:32 am

Pandemonium wrote:
chaos wrote:
That mouthy guy should have been thrown off the flight. I bet he's already got some attorney claiming mental distress against the airline or some bullshit.
Yup...but the flight attendant lost it too. The story makes it sound like the mean airlines took the poor mothers stroller. She probably just didn't understand that she can't bring it on a plane and was arguing and got upset. No matter how much she argued there is no way they would let her bring it onboard. Who wants a stroller to the face if they hit bad turbulence.

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