Passenger Dragged off United Airlines Flight In Chicago

[San Lumen]

A Passenger was recently dragged off a United Airlines flight in Chicago after he refused to voluntarily give up his seat due to the flight being overbooked. He is a doctor and needed to be at work the following day.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... story.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr- ... d935461a97

I don't care what anyone says such action by law enforcement or TSA agents is completely utterly unacceptable. This is absolutely zero justification for such actions. It seems lately law enforcement and TSA agents feel they cant do whatever they want and get away with it.

What say you NSG? What's your reaction to this highly disturbing story?

[Geilinor]

If a flight is overbooked, it should be first come first serve. The passenger was there first and shouldn't have been kicked out.

[San Lumen]

If a flight is overbooked, it should be first come first serve. The passenger was there first and shouldn't have been kicked out.

I agree and there is no justification for the actions of the officers.

[Ainin]

United Airlines once again shows its open contempt for its customers. In other news the Pope is Catholic.

[Washington Resistance Army]

If a flight is overbooked, it should be first come first serve. The passenger was there first and shouldn't have been kicked out.

This^

[San Lumen]

United Airlines once again shows its open contempt for its customers. In other news the Pope is Catholic.

This isn't the first bad press I've heard about United. I am very reluctant to fly with them after hearing about this story.

[Proctopeo]

Did you read the entire article you linked? You didn't give the full story that they did.

He was randomly selected to take a later flight because four United employees needed to be in Louisville. A randomly-selected couple walked out peacefully (and took the $800 offer). After the unidentified passenger was removed from the plane, he re-boarded.

Random selection doesn't care if you're a doctor.

[San Lumen]

Did you read the entire article you linked? You didn't give the full story that they did.

He was randomly selected to take a later flight because four United employees needed to be in Louisville. A randomly-selected couple walked out peacefully (and took the $800 offer). After the unidentified passenger was removed from the plane, he re-boarded.

Random selection doesn't care if you're a doctor.

He needed to be in Louisville as well and there is still no justification for the actions of law enforcement.

[Proctopeo]

Did you read the entire article you linked? You didn't give the full story that they did.

He was randomly selected to take a later flight because four United employees needed to be in Louisville. A randomly-selected couple walked out peacefully (and took the $800 offer). After the unidentified passenger was removed from the plane, he re-boarded.

Random selection doesn't care if you're a doctor.

He needed to be in Louisville as well and there is still no justification for the actions of law enforcement.

I don't see how that first part matters.

And how else do you remove someone who is required to leave, but won't? Bargaining? Teleportation?

[San Lumen]

He needed to be in Louisville as well and there is still no justification for the actions of law enforcement.

I don't see how that first part matters.

And how else do you remove someone who is required to leave, but won't? Bargaining? Teleportation?

Other passengers on the flight along with friends of mine I've shown this to don't agree with their actions and think they were completely out of line and over the top.

[Proctopeo]

I don't see how that first part matters.

And how else do you remove someone who is required to leave, but won't? Bargaining? Teleportation?

Other passengers on the flight along with friends of mine I've shown this to don't agree with their actions and think they were completely out of line and over the top.

Yes, but I repeat - how else could the man have been removed? Do you want them to deconstruct the plane to remove his seat?

This reminds me of antics that usually happen in middle school, now that I think of it...

[San Lumen]

Other passengers on the flight along with friends of mine I've shown this to don't agree with their actions and think they were completely out of line and over the top.

Yes, but I repeat - how else could the man have been removed? Do you want them to deconstruct the plane to remove his seat?

This reminds me of antics that usually happen in middle school, now that I think of it...

so your reaction if you where on the flight would be "your doing the right thing." and would have told other passengers they were wrong to criticize or record it?

[Proctopeo]

Yes, but I repeat - how else could the man have been removed? Do you want them to deconstruct the plane to remove his seat?

This reminds me of antics that usually happen in middle school, now that I think of it...

so your reaction if you where on the flight would be "your doing the right thing." and would have told other passengers they were wrong to criticize or record it?

More like "you're doing the only thing". They can criticize and record it freely; I have no problems with it.
But what's the other option?

[Ainin]

Did you read the entire article you linked? You didn't give the full story that they did.

He was randomly selected to take a later flight because four United employees needed to be in Louisville. A randomly-selected couple walked out peacefully (and took the $800 offer). After the unidentified passenger was removed from the plane, he re-boarded.

Random selection doesn't care if you're a doctor.

The point is that this shouldn't happen. No other airline in the United States practices overbooking* and involuntary bumping on the scale and frequency that United Airlines does. It's unnecessary and bad for consumers.

* Delta also regularly overbooks flights, at the same rate as United, but its involuntary bumping rate (people asked to leave the plane without volunteering) is a quarter of United's. Make of that what you will.

[Calladan]

He needed to be in Louisville as well and there is still no justification for the actions of law enforcement.

I don't see how that first part matters.

And how else do you remove someone who is required to leave, but won't? Bargaining? Teleportation?

I really have to side with the airline. I am pretty sure everyone on the plane had to be in Louisville by Monday - why else would they be flying? What if someone's getting married? Or someone had to be at a funeral? Or attend jury duty? Or a court case? Should they be allowed to refuse to get off the plane after they were randomly selected?

I am pretty sure that the "carriage contract" or whatever the hell it is that allowed UA to turn away two ten year old girls for not dressing like they were from England in the 1620s a few weeks back probably has something in about this as well, and if the man agreed to fly then he agreed to these rules. And these rules make a frak load more sense than the rules penalising ten year old girls for dressing like ten year old girls.

Plus if you delay four UA staff, then their planes get delays and hundreds of people are inconvenienced. If you delay a doctor then he can just charge his patients more to come back the day after (so I don't know he was whining so much).

[Luziyca]

so your reaction if you where on the flight would be "your doing the right thing." and would have told other passengers they were wrong to criticize or record it?

More like "you're doing the only thing". They can criticize and record it freely; I have no problems with it.
But what's the other option?

Have someone else volunteer to get off? IDK.

[San Lumen]

so your reaction if you where on the flight would be "your doing the right thing." and would have told other passengers they were wrong to criticize or record it?

More like "you're doing the only thing". They can criticize and record it freely; I have no problems with it.
But what's the other option?

choosing another passenger. They have no right to forcibly remove someone. He paid for the ticket. Its the airlines problem for overbooking the flight.

[Proctopeo]

Did you read the entire article you linked? You didn't give the full story that they did.

He was randomly selected to take a later flight because four United employees needed to be in Louisville. A randomly-selected couple walked out peacefully (and took the $800 offer). After the unidentified passenger was removed from the plane, he re-boarded.

Random selection doesn't care if you're a doctor.

The point is that this shouldn't happen. No other airline in the United States practices overbooking* and involuntary bumping on the scale and frequency that United Airlines does. It's unnecessary and bad for consumers.

* Delta also regularly overbooks flights, at the same rate as United, but its involuntary bumping rate (people asked to leave the plane without volunteering) is a quarter of United's. Make of that what you will.

I agree it shouldn't. I never said I didn't. There's just no need to act like a child when it does.

More like "you're doing the only thing". They can criticize and record it freely; I have no problems with it.
But what's the other option?

choosing another passenger. They have no right to forcibly remove someone. He paid for the ticket. Its the airlines problem for overbooking the flight.

That would be less fair to the other passenger, though. He was chosen randomly. Should adults get concessions for whining?

[Free Chernakova]

See, United failed at several things, in my opinion. They have the responsibility to make sure their planes have the proper amount of passengers on them, and not overbook. They also have the responsibility to put customers first. Yeah, the attendants needed to be elsewhere but, remember, they were stand-by employees. They were subbing for someone. Why couldn't they bring subs in from elsewhere? Customers first, in any business.

The police behavior was... I don't know. I think it was undignified, but I don't think they could be blamed for the circumstances. They have to do their job, they don't have time to sit down and debate if it's ethical or not, and right then their job required them taking the man off board. I do think United has a right, like any business, to determine who can and can't be in their planes (under reasonable circumstance of course.. not discriminatory) but I do think they failed, majorly, in allowing this to happen. They ultimately did not have a right to remove the man because of a mistake on their part.


I do think it's funny though, that there were probably dozens of people recording it and going "Ohmygod, what are you doing?!" but nobody stepped in to help or to volunteer themselves. It's like those memes you see where a drowning man is merely recorded by the by standards, not actually helped.

[Calladan]

More like "you're doing the only thing". They can criticize and record it freely; I have no problems with it.
But what's the other option?

choosing another passenger. They have no right to forcibly remove someone. He paid for the ticket. Its the airlines problem for overbooking the flight.

And what - the other passenger didn't pay for the ticket? What if NO passenger wants to go? The plane just sits there until the end of time???

[Atlantium]

choosing another passenger. They have no right to forcibly remove someone. He paid for the ticket. Its the airlines problem for overbooking the flight.

And what - the other passenger didn't pay for the ticket? What if NO passenger wants to go? The plane just sits there until the end of time???

Wait until enough passengers die from starvation.

[Ifreann]

So, United needed to get four people to Louisville by the next day, and were willing to pay thousands of dollars. Google tells me that Chicago to Louisville is a 5ish hour drive.

Maybe throwing random passengers off the flight was not the best way to handle this.

[East Catalina]

So, United needed to get four people to Louisville by the next day, and were willing to pay thousands of dollars. Google tells me that Chicago to Louisville is a 5ish hour drive.

Maybe throwing random passengers off the flight was not the best way to handle this.

Yes, but they needed to sell more seats/get them there faster/idk.

[San Lumen]

See, United failed at several things, in my opinion. They have the responsibility to make sure their planes have the proper amount of passengers on them, and not overbook. They also have the responsibility to put customers first. Yeah, the attendants needed to be elsewhere but, remember, they were stand-by employees. They were subbing for someone. Why couldn't they bring subs in from elsewhere? Customers first, in any business.

The police behavior was... I don't know. I think it was undignified, but I don't think they could be blamed for the circumstances. They have to do their job, they don't have time to sit down and debate if it's ethical or not, and right then their job required them taking the man off board. I do think United has a right, like any business, to determine who can and can't be in their planes (under reasonable circumstance of course.. not discriminatory) but I do think they failed, majorly, in allowing this to happen. They ultimately did not have a right to remove the man because of a mistake on their part.


I do think it's funny though, that there were probably dozens of people recording it and going "Ohmygod, what are you doing?!" but nobody stepped in to help or to volunteer themselves. It's like those memes you see where a drowning man is merely recorded by the by standards, not actually helped.

Your last thing is a tough call. Id have said something but i wouldnt have gotten involved. Id rather not get dragged off the plane too.

[Ainin]

See, United failed at several things, in my opinion. They have the responsibility to make sure their planes have the proper amount of passengers on them, and not overbook. They also have the responsibility to put customers first. Yeah, the attendants needed to be elsewhere but, remember, they were stand-by employees. They were subbing for someone. Why couldn't they bring subs in from elsewhere? Customers first, in any business.

There's nothing wrong with overbooking — full-service airlines wouldn't be profitable if they didn't overbook because business passengers cancel trips on short notice all the time. The problem here is the massive and unnecessary scale that United does it, and how it regularly resorts to ejecting passengers from flights because its incentives for taking a later flight suck and the people it puts in charge of announcing the incentives tend to be assholes.