Don't fly United

[Anonymous]

That's stupid. If I were an airline CEO, I'd be flying first class and free. It's a perk! Nothing wrong with getting a perk like that, to run an entire airline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Overbooking flights needs to be outlawed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Overbooking flights needs to be outlawed.

Agreed. It's an antiquated practice. It is so easy to cancel a flight these days- are there really that many no shows? I really can't remember the last flight I was on that wasn't fully booked. They are always asking for volunteers. I think if they had to pay cash to volunteers to give up their seats it might be a deterrent to overbooking. But they know a lot of people won't use the vouchers before they expire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Overbooking flights needs to be outlawed.

Agreed. It's an antiquated practice. It is so easy to cancel a flight these days- are there really that many no shows? I really can't remember the last flight I was on that wasn't fully booked. They are always asking for volunteers. I think if they had to pay cash to volunteers to give up their seats it might be a deterrent to overbooking. But they know a lot of people won't use the vouchers before they expire.

I'm trying to think of any other industry that overlooks like this. Do hotels and restaurants? Imagine if your hairdresser or doctor always double booked appointments. Its time for the airline industry so accept a level of risk that other industries do rather than continue to justify overbooking. That's what cancellation fees are for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Overbooking flights needs to be outlawed.

Agreed. It's an antiquated practice. It is so easy to cancel a flight these days- are there really that many no shows? I really can't remember the last flight I was on that wasn't fully booked. They are always asking for volunteers. I think if they had to pay cash to volunteers to give up their seats it might be a deterrent to overbooking. But they know a lot of people won't use the vouchers before they expire.

I'm trying to think of any other industry that overlooks like this. Do hotels and restaurants? Imagine if your hairdresser or doctor always double booked appointments. Its time for the airline industry so accept a level of risk that other industries do rather than continue to justify overbooking. That's what cancellation fees are for.

I am quite sure this is why doctors often run behind. So while they don't techinically double book, they know that most appointments wont wrap up in the 15 mins they have you booked for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Overbooking flights needs to be outlawed.

Agreed. It's an antiquated practice. It is so easy to cancel a flight these days- are there really that many no shows? I really can't remember the last flight I was on that wasn't fully booked. They are always asking for volunteers. I think if they had to pay cash to volunteers to give up their seats it might be a deterrent to overbooking. But they know a lot of people won't use the vouchers before they expire.

Exactly.

[Anonymous]

Back in, I think it was 2004 or 2005, there was a bad snow storm in Denver right before Christmas -- United's hub. Dulles was basically a shelter for like 4 days while people couldn't get anywhere because they're whole system was experiencing huge delays/cancellations/etc. I arrived on xmas eve for my flight to the west coast, which got cancelled about 2 hours before take off. After being placed on a standby list that got continually rolled over to flight after flight after flight and never getting on, I ended up calling united and using their auto phone system to book a ticket on a flight a few hours from then and putting it on hold and then getting a gate agent to issue me the ticket. There were literally people sleeping on the floor of the airport who already had been trying to get where they needed to go for like 48 hours and they were STILL SELLING TICKETS on flights two hours later. It was BANANAS. But I got home. I was one of the few.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how much info the CEO had to write this letter to his employees initially:

This situation was unfortunately compounded when one of the passengers we politely asked to deplane refused, and it became necessary to contact Chicago Aviation Security Officers to help," the letter says. "While I deeply regret this situation arose, I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right."

After blaming the victim, he is now apologizing again trying to do damage control. I am guessing his executives or the ones who briefed him and suggested the language in the first letter are in de*p shit.

politely asking somebody to deplane is kind of like politely asking them to stick pins in their eyes

Exactly. I can't think of a time when someone was "bumped" after a plane had already boarded. United could have avoided this whole debacle with some proper planning. Why would they wait until the plane had already boarded to decide they needed to get rid of some passengers? Surely there must have been another option for getting the crew back to Louisville, be it on another airline or heck a private car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Overbooking flights needs to be outlawed.

Agreed. It's an antiquated practice. It is so easy to cancel a flight these days- are there really that many no shows? I really can't remember the last flight I was on that wasn't fully booked. They are always asking for volunteers. I think if they had to pay cash to volunteers to give up their seats it might be a deterrent to overbooking. But they know a lot of people won't use the vouchers before they expire.

I'm trying to think of any other industry that overlooks like this. Do hotels and restaurants? Imagine if your hairdresser or doctor always double booked appointments. Its time for the airline industry so accept a level of risk that other industries do rather than continue to justify overbooking. That's what cancellation fees are for.

Yes, hotels, restaurants, and rental car companies all do this. And they are all less regulated than airlines, so you have even fewer rights when this happens.

[Anonymous]

UNITED BUMPED PAYING PASSENGERS SINCE THEY HAD THEIR CRONIES WHO HAD TO GO TO WORK ON A PERSONAL PASS TO "COMMUTE". THE CREW BASICALLY TOOK A JOB IN LOUISVILLE AND LIVED IN CHICAGO THINKING THEY COULD MAKE IT TO WORK (LOUISVILLE) NO PROBLEM. PROBLEM! FLIGHT IS *FULL* NOT OVERSOLD. THE UA GROUND CREW WANTED TO SAVE THEIR BUDDIE'S ASS TO MAKE IT ONE TIME AND KICKED OFF FULL PAYING PASSENGERS. DISGUSTING. UNITED IS DISGUSTING IN EVERYTHING.

[Anonymous]

https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/UAL?p=UAL

Well, United opened today at $70.15 and closed at $70.71. It did dip down during the day. Looks like their stock price wasn't affected much by the incident. Let's see if bookings are actually down next month once they release April numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I cannot find a contractual definition for when a passenger's "boarding" is complete. Please post if you see this definition.

I'm on my phone. But essentially a "boarded" passenger is an "enplaned" passenger. This is used to calculate revenue miles and fees (airport, FAA and IATA among others). You don't count passengers as boarded or enplaned until such time as they cannot get off. That happens when the door closes.

You and Munoz seem to have your wires crossed. Regardless of what you say, his second statement says:

On Sunday, April 9, after United Express Flight 3411 was fully boarded, United's gate agents were approached by crewmembers that were told they needed to board the flight.

While you might try to split hairs that boarding had not been completed, all of those passengers were fully boarded according to the CEO of the company in question referring to the incident in question. Boarding may not be complete until the doors close, but the individual passengers who had submitted a valid boarding pass, had boarded the plane, and had been seated, were in fact boarded. Unless otherwise defined in writing, and you can show where that exists, either in FAA regulations or in the passenger contract of carriage, I think you're just trying to haggle without proof. The CEO's statement would certainly hold strong evidence that the airline considered the passenger boarded and hence that the IDB rules were not applicable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Overbooking flights needs to be outlawed.

Agreed. It's an antiquated practice. It is so easy to cancel a flight these days- are there really that many no shows? I really can't remember the last flight I was on that wasn't fully booked. They are always asking for volunteers. I think if they had to pay cash to volunteers to give up their seats it might be a deterrent to overbooking. But they know a lot of people won't use the vouchers before they expire.

I'm trying to think of any other industry that overlooks like this. Do hotels and restaurants? Imagine if your hairdresser or doctor always double booked appointments. Its time for the airline industry so accept a level of risk that other industries do rather than continue to justify overbooking. That's what cancellation fees are for.

I am quite sure this is why doctors often run behind. So while they don't techinically double book, they know that most appointments wont wrap up in the 15 mins they have you booked for.

It really depends. We go to a military facility. We can be bumped for an emergency or inpatient care. I don't have an issue with it as I know a few times I've had an emergency, those same doc's have placed me as a priority and been wonderful about it. I've waited 2+ hours to see a doc. Since it was regularly that way, I didn't think much of it nor would I ever. If there was an actual double booking for money, I'd be annoyed. A few of my specialists don't limit time, so its another reason they run behind. If you need the time they give it to you.

[Anonymous]

I stopped flying United long time ago because of the way I was treated in their flights. I'll NEVER fly United, there are many great airlines so give them the business

[Anonymous]

So there's rumblings in the comments section of the NY Post article that the smear campaign used the wrong doctor's records (albeit one with a similar name) and the guy pulled off the plane has a clean record without convictions. I'm not finding any other sources right now though - anyone have any?