Passengers ‘shaky and so disgusted’ as United forces screaming doctor off a plane

[LonestarDream]

All or none. Apply the same rules to all companies.  Asking the government to intentionally pick winners and losers is insane.

United picked themselves to be losers.  There needs to be penalties here.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Aren't you the same person arguing this guy wasn't thrown from the plane?

what in the world does that have to do with travel sites?

No One was thrown off a plane, BTW.  That even sounds inhuman, like something the NK dictator would do.  Are you talking about the 4 that were removed involuntarily?

[IsailedawayfromFR]

United picked themselves to be losers.  There needs to be penalties here.

there already is. Go look at stock price today vs last week.  Likely a lot less tickets being sold at same times too.

Are you ready for them to go out if business so there is even less competition in the future?  Will that satisfy you?

[txradioguy]

Reinstated with restrictions in 2015.

My luck he's probably on the approved list of doctors who accept Tricare. 

[LonestarDream]

That doesn't answer the question, so I'll ask it again.  What should an airline do if it has a disruptive passenger?

The United CEO just said no Law Enforcement to eject drunk/unruly/terrorist passengers. 

An unfortunate remedy by the CEO .   

This discussion is concerned about abuse of ticketed and seated passengers like Dr Dao.   There was no issue with Dr Dao , until United GLEEFully impugned on his seated status which TURNS out to be PROVISIONALLY SEATED status.     

[Smokin Joe]

My luck he's probably on the approved list of doctors who accept Tricare. 

Well, the doctor who got in trouble was reinstated, if that's the guy who was pulled off the plane. There are apparently two doctors with the same last name, and if the reported resume was for the wrong one, there's going to be a whole lot of retracting going on, or some busy lawyers getting fat fees...

[LonestarDream]

there already is. Go look at stock price today vs last week.  Likely a lot less tickets being sold at same times too.

Are you ready for them to go out if business so there is even less competition in the future?  Will that satisfy you?

I hope United is replaced by three or more new/existing carriers.  But the reality is United owns the gates and until the gates are taken away, United's bad behavior will continue to be rewarded.   

So the impact on this 'Boss Hogg' business model will be very limited. 

[LonestarDream]

Well, the doctor who got in trouble was reinstated, if that's the guy who was pulled off the plane. There are apparently two doctors with the same last name, and if the reported resume was for the wrong one, there's going to be a whole lot of retracting going on, or some busy lawyers getting fat fees...

Where does Dr Dao go to get his reputation back?  Melania has some good contacts.

[EC]

But the reality is United owns the gates and until the gates are taken away, United's bad behavior will continue to be rewarded.   

Rents, not owns. And technically, the gates are immaterial. What counts and are bid for/paid for are the slots for takeoff and landing. Those are the restrictive factor at any airport.

[txradioguy]

Well, the doctor who got in trouble was reinstated, if that's the guy who was pulled off the plane. There are apparently two doctors with the same last name, and if the reported resume was for the wrong one, there's going to be a whole lot of retracting going on, or some busy lawyers getting fat fees...

As of this morning the Louisville news stations were still reporting it's the one from Elizabethtown.

[LonestarDream]

Rents, not owns. And technically, the gates are immaterial. What counts and are bid for/paid for are the slots for takeoff and landing. Those are the restrictive factor at any airport.

Ok, so lets allow United to 'Rent' gates for a week at time.  After Untied's performance this week, give their gates / flight slots for others to 'Rent'

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

Just ban United from overbooking.  United seems to have a penchant for arbitrary, obnoxious and capricious mandates.

If it impacts United pricing relative to its competitors, TOO BAD.

United ranks as the second most likely airline to bump customers - on or off the the plane.   

Screw that, I made $2,000 off United one day by being bumped (Christmas time, volunteered to get bumped from four flights -- was hoping to keep it up for a couple more days).

[Maj. Bill Martin]

The United CEO just said no Law Enforcement to eject drunk/unruly/terrorist passengers. 

An unfortunate remedy by the CEO .   

This discussion is concerned about abuse of ticketed and seated passengers like Dr Dao.   There was no issue with Dr Dao , until United GLEEFully impugned on his seated status which TURNS out to be PROVISIONALLY SEATED status.     

Why won't you answer the question?  What should an airline do with a disruptive passenger, whether you think that label should apply to the doctor or not?

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Screw that, I made $2,000 off United one day by being bumped (Christmas time, volunteered to get bumped from four flights -- was hoping to keep it up for a couple more days).

Yeah, I was only bumped once involuntarily, but the compensation was still good.  Been voluntarily bumped a number of times, and made out like a Banshee.

Buddy of mine and I once flew to Australia for a month of leave.  We got bumped from our flight out of L.A., but they not only put us on a flight that literally left 10 minutes later (but was not direct), but also gave us each two transferable tickets good anywhere in the U.S..  We sold them each later for $450/pop (back in 1989), which had the net effect of making our entire trip free because we took MAC the rest of the way.

The vast majority of the time, bumping is voluntary, and everyone ends up happier for it.  So personally I would not want to see an end to overbooking.  When I want to guarantee I won't get bumped for business, I make sure to pay full-fare coach or business.

[Suppressed]

what in the world does that have to do with travel sites?

No One was thrown off a plane, BTW.  That even sounds inhuman, like something the NK dictator would do.  Are you talking about the 4 that were removed involuntarily?

http://i.imgur.com/ZbEMV5d.mp4

[Maj. Bill Martin]

I have zero problem with a passenger who refuses to deplane -- for any reason -- being removed by force.  However, if the required force is excessive, then it is perfectly reasonable to go after the folks responsible for that.  If airline security, go after that.  If police, then sue them.

In my mind, this is no different than if you are arrested for something that you did not do.  If you decide to resist the arrest physically, that's on you.

[Suppressed]

Then you should fly from Ohio.  We fly frequently out of both Columbus and Cleveland and it's much easier than it was four years ago.   I haven't been on a delayed flight in years.  And now that they have TSA pre-check, it's a piece of cake.

Or am I 'ignorant' too?? 

Wow...I wish all places were like Ohio, then. 

Well, in that way.  :-)

That hasn't been my experience elsewhere in the US, though I haven't flown into or out of Ohio in about 6 years.

[LonestarDream]

Why won't you answer the question?  What should an airline do with a disruptive passenger, whether you think that label should apply to the doctor or not?

I just did.  The ham-handed remedy by the United CEO has made things worse.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Are you talking about the 4 that were removed involuntarily?

Which raised another point -- why is that three people were able to act like freaking adults and walked off the plane under their own power, even though they were bumped involuntarily as well, and one guy decided to be a drama queen?

And no, I don't care that he was old and of Vietamese ancestry.  I assume he spoke the language well enough given that he practices medicine here.  Old people have to follow rules too unless they're geezing, in which case they'd be given priority as being disabled anyway.

[Suppressed]

Now with red-eye and black-eye flights!

[Smokin Joe]

As of this morning the Louisville news stations were still reporting it's the one from Elizabethtown.

Not that it should matter, but there is some confusion over the interwebs. Of course, whatever outrage is done seems more justified if the person who catches it is able to be portrayed as someone you wouldn't want for a Sunday school teacher. THe opposite tack is used to make hoodrats seem like victims.

Either way, the optics are bad for United, and they really should examine a different way of presenting their overbooking to make it look like no one is bumped, rather people are accommodated. If the margin (the anticipated no-shows) are kept as standby seats until the flight is ready to board, and the passengers notified to board to fill the last few seats, those passengers would feel like they were lucky, the rest like they hadn't really lost anything because they were on stand-by status in case a seat opened up anyway.

Putting people on a plane and then telling them they have to get off for someone 'more important' really won't go over well, whoever the one being bumped is.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

Why won't you answer the question?  What should an airline do with a disruptive passenger, whether you think that label should apply to the doctor or not?

I vote have them removed from the flight by airport security/LEO.

Now I know some will say this gives the flight crew the right to be complete dicks because they can arbitrarily declare anyone as "disruptive".  To some extent, it does, but I suspect there will be repercussions if they abuse this.  At least I hope so.  However...

Every minute spent arguing on the plane means that everyone on the plane gets to their destination later.  Some people will miss their connecting flights.  Other people who are not even on this flight may be delayed because this flight crew will arrive at the next airport late (even worse, crews can only "fly" so many hours a day, and I believe "fly" includes sitting on the ground).  Many others may be delayed if this flight is blocking the gate.

[thackney]

Which raised another point -- why is that three people were able to act like freaking adults and walked off the plane under their own power, even though they were bumped involuntarily as well, and one guy decided to be a drama queen?

And no, I don't care that he was old and of Vietamese ancestry.  I assume he spoke the language well enough given that he practices medicine here.  Old people have to follow rules too unless they're geezing, in which case they'd be given priority as being disabled anyway.

I believe one of those three was the doctor's wife.  Let me see if I can find that again.

- - - - - - - -

Fellow passenger Jayse D. Anspach, who goes by @JayseDavid on Twitter, wrote: “No one volunteered (to leave), so @United decided to choose for us. They chose an Asian doctor and his wife.”

“It looked like he was knocked out, because he went limp and quiet,” Anspach wrote, “and they dragged him out of the plane like a rag doll.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/united-airlines-faces-backlash-after-dragging-man-from-plane/

[EC]

Which raised another point -- why is that three people were able to act like freaking adults and walked off the plane under their own power, even though they were bumped involuntarily as well, and one guy decided to be a drama queen?

And why haven't we heard from them? I mean, this Dr is looking at a payout - why shouldn't they get in on the act?

[Cyber Liberty]

And why haven't we heard from them? I mean, this Dr is looking at a payout - why shouldn't they get in on the act?

They already got their payouts, I imagine.