United Airlines Passenger Forcibly Dragged from Overbooked Flight

I don't think I really understand the way American airline overbooking actually works. Are people given the opportunity to purchase cheaper seats with the limitation that they may not get a seat on a particular flight and may have to wait for the next available one?

I have a feeling (like most news stories) there is more to this story. Almost like there were no other passengers left that were of similar overbooked status and hence he had no choice but to get off the plane as the properly booked passengers who paid full price had priority and (more importantly) legal right (as stipulated in the airlines terms and conditions).

If that were the case they were right to remove him, regardless of his situation (unless perhaps one of the other passangers gave up their seat, but would they then be able to get on another flight without incurring costs).

Hmmmm?

The YouTube video tells what happened.

No it isn't any of that, its an online security policy (plus I don't trust You Tube video content as a general rule).

Sooooo, looking online......

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/

Bridges and his wife were waiting at the gate for their flight home to Louisville when United asked for volunteers to take a later flight, offering $400 and a hotel stay. Once passengers boarded, he said United increased the offer to $800, but still no one volunteered.

Bridges said passengers were then told a computer would select four passengers to leave the aircraft. United said Monday evening it offered as much as $1,000 to passengers who were told to leave the aircraft

This just raises further questions, on a full flight with these type of incentives why was no one interested?

When the man who was ultimately removed was selected, he protested, saying he was a doctor who needed to see patients Monday morning, according to Bridges. After security personnel came and spoke with him, he still refused, Bridges said.

"It was clear he wasn't going to come off unless they were to drag him off," Bridges said. "He was resisting any way he could. He was flailing his arms a little bit and yelling."

......

United confirmed Monday evening that passenger ran back onto the aircraft after being removed.

Don't get me wrong I totally agree the airline could have handled it better, but I honestly don't have that much in the way of sympathy for the man the way he reacted. What did he think was going to happen, he practically gave the airline no choice?

He was a doctor with patients waiting for him at his destination.

That airline is at fault for not having the foresight to keep four seats for their stewards out of the booking pool. Overbook the rest as much as they like, but not reserve seats for their own flight crew? That's ridiculous. This would not have happened had they been more intelligent about their booking practices. IMO, the fault lies entirely with the airline. Evidently that doctor felt he needed to be on that plane, not for his sake, but for his patients'. We don't know the full situation. It may very well have been critical for him to make that flight and that's why he fought so hard to stay on board.

Overbook the rest as much as they like, but not reserve seats for their own flight crew? That's ridiculous.

Agreed, although I have come across cases where the flight crew missed the flight they were supposed to go on (for whatever reason) and had to come on another (hence unplanned). That's what stranded me in LA for a night a few years back.

I don't know if this is common however or if the airline properly organises flights for their staff (I do very little US continental travel).

I will certainly be doing less U.S. continental travelling via that airline, that's for sure.

My wife is in the medical service industry, so I get to meet a lot of doctors. I can imagine a doctor feeling superior and refusing to leave, but I can't EVER see that very physical reaction from any I have ever met. They would instead be on the phone to a lawyer, or some would even be threatening the airline management. They can be very abusive orally, but never physically.

What really got me was that it was reported that United confirmed Monday evening that the passenger ran back ON to the aircraft AFTER being removed, which really escalates things to a new level.

I think the best United can hope that this dies down quickly. Got to ask thou, was it confirmed he was a real doctor and his argument to stay was valid? He wasn't just missing a golf game or faking being a doctor to stay on.

I'm not seeing the science or engineering here

If I mention 'Trump' will it be okay then? How about the politics of 'Global Warming'? Would that do?

Given some of your previous posts, you're hardly in a position to be waving the 'Doesn't Relate to Engineering' banner, no?

Yes, ok, he should have posted this in the break room, lets all move on.

Maybe the P.R. V.P. position will become vacant soon....

Some heads will roll. U.A. lost $200 million in market value today over that incident. And the hits just keep on comin'!

United should simply have chartered a six-seat plane to carry their personnel where needed. Now they will lose many times more money than that would have cost.

Here's how it should be done:

"What is a reverse Dutch auction? An auction that has one buyer and many sellers; the auctioneer raises the price from a low starting point until a bidder agrees to sell at the stated price. For example, a reverse Dutch auction could be used to find someone willing to delay travel plans on an overbooked flight." Raise the bribe amount until someone takes it. Somebody will take it at some point. It would be a helluva lot cheaper than the cost of the bad publicity plus whatever they get sued for!

Isn't that what they started out doing? (Even if stopped too soon.)

I contend it's the only fair way to deal with the situation. The plane isn't full of millionaires. At some point, it will be worthwhile to someone to sell their seat. It's the airline's fault for overbooking, they should buy themselves out of the mess (with no bloodshed).

And the hits just keep on comin'

United Airlines passenger 'stung by scorpion' on flight

United said they had to consult doctors on the ground as there were no doctors aboard, the doctors presumably having been forcibly dragged off the plane prior to departure in order to make room for four United scorpions.

In other news, United just acquired two dozen Lockheed MC-130s to facilitate deplaning the entire passenger section in-flight in the off-chance one or more seats are occupied by doctors of Asian descent, preferably before other passengers are stung by United's new complimentary scorpions and needing their services. "F*ck it. Just chuck the whole lot of 'em. We don't need their business anyway" said United interim CEO 'John Doe' who preferred not to be identified, speaking from a secure, undisclosed location.

Passengers will each be given a complimentary voucher prior to ejection, good for one free Pepsi on impact.

Was just thinking, for in-flight entertainment on United's wide-body, dual-aisle aircraft, what of drag races?

Parimutuel betting with air marshals dragging Doctor #1 in the starboard aisle vs Doctor #2 in port, racing to other end of the plane, first to reach the aft dunny wins? Payoff odds calculated by sharing the pool among all winning bets, disbursed in the form of frequent-gambler miles?

Sound like a plan?