United airlines "passenger re-accommodation"

[Simbo]

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/39554421
How the airline authorities allow this kind of thing to happen is beyond me! Airlines shouldn't be allowed to overbook flights, surely this kind of thing is illegal in some form or another, how can they continually get away with selling 320 tickets when they only have 300 seats??? That amounts to a scam in my book.
69 year old man VERY physically hauled from his seat and ejected from a plane simply because the airline needed the seats for its own staff for a different flight.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I also read this article and I find it very interesting. OK, the pilot has the final say on the aircraft however, surely the airline has entered into some sort of legally binding contract when they sold the ticket and allowed the passenger to board the aircraft? I'm not a lawyer but it would be interesting to see what happened if this went to court.

 

[Rooter]

as i understand, they did not oversell the flight. The flight was fully booked. However United needed to get 4 staff on board for a transfer. This is pretty normal in the US for the crew to ask for volunteers to board the next flight (usually upgraded, some bonus points, meal etc etc) however this time, no one offered! Now they just picked on this guy and his wife!! Random as hell. The CEO of United has come out today and kind of half apologized, but one of the authority types has now been put on forced leave... Very fishy, i think there is more to it...

 

[CheltenhamHacker]

as i understand, they did not oversell the flight. The flight was fully booked. However United needed to get 4 staff on board for a transfer. This is pretty normal in the US for the crew to ask for volunteers to board the next flight (usually upgraded, some bonus points, meal etc etc) however this time, no one offered! Now they just picked on this guy and his wife!! Random as hell. The CEO of United has come out today and kind of half apologized, but one of the authority types has now been put on forced leave... Very fishy, i think there is more to it...

I think even calling it a half apology is being generous to him. He basically fully blamed the passenger. It's absolutely ridiculous, and I really hope they get taken to the cleaners. The video is insane. I would also be kicking up a fuss if I was on a plane to go to see my patients and got dragged off.

 

[Coffey]

I used to fly every week for work and airlines do it for every single flight as they expect people not to turn up. I find it absolutely disgraceful that they are allowed to do this. They say it is so they are always running at fully capacity where possible and to keep costs down- but the way I see it, if someone has bought a seat and decide not to turn up then the airline have already got their money. They should not be allowed to sell the same seat twice.

Many a morning I have been asked if i want to take the next flight and get given £200 but I had to get to work. Was speaking to a guy in the lounge and he said he did it every Monday and had made £3k in 2 months from doing it as they continually overbook the flight.

Another time, was travelling with a group of colleagues and some of them hadn't checked in online- got to the airport and they wern't allowed to checkin as the maximum amount of passengers had already checked in for the flight online. Absolute disgrace that they are allowed to do this.

 

[Simbo]

It's very common in the us for them to oversell flights, while in this case it was staff, the principle is the same, whether or not people turn up for the flight shouldn't give them the right to sell it twice! The seat is bought and paid for whether someone is sitting in it or not. Seen this happen numerous times in the US but never actually on the plane, why was the guy allowed to board in the first place, the ones Iv seen have all been sorted in the departure lounge.
Sadly in the legal sense the airline will have lawyers all over this kind of thing and probably have done nothing illegal according to the rules of the governing body, it's their fault stuff like this happens for allowing them to oversell.
They are letting them make money for scamming people basically.
When you buy the ticket you've enetered a contract blah blah blah and it will likely come with a million page document that you're meant to read blah blah.
Same as when you go to pro golf, you can't sue a golfer if he hits you with the ball bccause it's in the terms and conditions on the ticket

 

[Deleted member 16999]

as i understand, they did not oversell the flight. The flight was fully booked. However United needed to get 4 staff on board for a transfer. This is pretty normal in the US for the crew to ask for volunteers to board the next flight (usually upgraded, some bonus points, meal etc etc) however this time, no one offered! Now they just picked on this guy and his wife!! Random as hell. The CEO of United has come out today and kind of half apologized, but one of the authority types has now been put on forced leave... Very fishy, i think there is more to it...

From some of the reports this was the last flight of the day and they offered $1000.00 in vouchers plus accom, they got 3 and then had a computer randomly select the 4th, this guy was a Doctor who refused to leave as he had appointments with patients the next morning, the video of him being dragged off is quite shocking.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I disagree with over selling a flight but I do understand flying in the US is a little different to here. They do it so often it is almost like getting a bus, flights are more regular etc.

I've been in the lounge previously when they have needed to bump someone. Very tempted to take the cash but in the end decided not to. I did accept that if it came to a ballot I may be left behind but thankfully someone did take the money on offer.

Where I disagree with some of the comments on here, once the pilot asks someone to leave then you go. When security come on board and ask you to leave then you go. What happens if you ignore both the pilot and security on a plane in this modern era? He should have sucked it up got off and caught the next flight. Accept you have been unlucky and move on. To behave as he did was poor in my eyes and I lose sympathy for him at that point.

 

[Rooter]

Where I disagree with some of the comments on here, once the pilot asks someone to leave then you go. When security come on board and ask you to leave then you go. What happens if you ignore both the pilot and security on a plane in this modern era? He should have sucked it up got off and caught the next flight. Accept you have been unlucky and move on. To behave as he did was poor in my eyes and I lose sympathy for him at that point.

No, sorry dude, I am the opposite. He was sat in his seat, ready to go home. Nothing should have stopped that. Thankfully, i don't have to fly in the US often...

 

[clubchamp98]

From some of the reports this was the last flight of the day and they offered $1000.00 in vouchers plus accom, they got 3 and then had a computer randomly select the 4th, this guy was a Doctor who refused to leave as he had appointments with patients the next morning, the video of him being dragged off is quite shocking.

seen the video .
If that was me I would sue for assault plenty of witnesses and footage.
no matter what the T&cs say they should not be able to do this.

 

[andycap]

My wife books many flights for her boss , when he has overseas appointments . He is a member of a BA scheme where he does not pay for a flight if he does not turn up , therefore if he is unsure what time he will be able to go , he just gets my wife to book him on every flight that day .
BA often oversell and when four of us checked in to fly to Barcelona we was asked if we would volunteer to 'bump' as they call it , onto the next flight , which was two hours later . They gave us 250 euros each and we spent the time in the executive lounge , we hadn't even paid for the flights as we booked them with airmiles . Two girls did the same thing but got 500euros , as they bumped two flights.

 

[Maninblack4612]

I disagree with over selling a flight but I do understand flying in the US is a little different to here. They do it so often it is almost like getting a bus, flights are more regular etc.

I've been in the lounge previously when they have needed to bump someone. Very tempted to take the cash but in the end decided not to. I did accept that if it came to a ballot I may be left behind but thankfully someone did take the money on offer.

Where I disagree with some of the comments on here, once the pilot asks someone to leave then you go. When security come on board and ask you to leave then you go. What happens if you ignore both the pilot and security on a plane in this modern era? He should have sucked it up got off and caught the next flight. Accept you have been unlucky and move on. To behave as he did was poor in my eyes and I lose sympathy for him at that point.

I'm sorry, but the fact that he was on the plane & in his allocated seat gave him the right to expect that he would be going home. If the crew members arrived after the flight was boarded & full then tough. Get the next one.

 

[delc]

I sincerely hope that passenger sues the arse off United Airlines. I shall certainly think twice before booking with them. Their actions were totally unacceptable! ☹️👎

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Watch their share price slump tomorrow and work out who was right or wrong.
Putting staff in front of customers, you simply cannot treat people like that.

 

[delc]

Watch their share price slump tomorrow and work out who was right or wrong.
Putting staff in front of customers, you simply cannot treat people like that.

Totally serves them right. Hope they now go bankrupt!

 

[backwoodsman]

Am not going to argue the rights or wrongs of overbooking and bumping. And not surprising the guy didn't want to go. But am afraid that these days, if you start getting argumentative & belligerent on an aeroplane, then eventually you are going to get dragged off it.

 

[backwoodsman]

Watch their share price slump tomorrow and work out who was right or wrong.
Putting staff in front of customers, you simply cannot treat people like that.

Share price already dropping.

But then, have a look at what the price is in a couple of weeks or so. Bet it will be back somewhere close. Umbrage and indignation of the masses tends not to last long..

 

[Simbo]

Down 4% equating to 1 billion, good! Hope they go bust!

 

[Hobbit]

Apparently it's now being said the passenger became belligerent. If anyone tries to turf me off my flight in the morning I might get a tad huffy.

 

[shewy]

cant see the legality of it myself, If I said on here I had 2 golf clubs to sell when I only had one that would be fraud right? Any lawyers on here care to explain how they get away with overbooking?
I'd have kicked off as well, working away for a month at a time when I get on a plane the last thing I want is to be turfed off and told to wait for the next one.