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Man dragged from plane for refusing to voluntarily give up his seat.

longview said:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/united-p...oved-flight-refusing-give-seat-134930951.html
If I have a paid for ticket, it should be up to me If I choose to take their incentives to get off.
This is simply crazy of United to do this.
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In the linked article they needed four volunteers to leave the plane. They got none. So they said a computer program would be used to select four random passengers.

My question. What would you do, other than don't overbook flights? Seems to me a random draw is reasonable.
 
I run into this often where they oversell a flight and then want other people to give up their seat.
I am usually traveling on business or coming home so I have no time to really give up my seat.

they should have booked their employee's on another flight that was not over sold.
 
mike2810 said:
In the linked article they needed four volunteers to leave the plane. They got none. So they said a computer program would be used to select four random passengers.

My question. What would you do, other than don't overbook flights? Seems to me a random draw is reasonable.
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Why not say that once the plane is full then no more can board it (first come first served)? Don't let in (on?) more than the aircraft can seat and then start thinking about seating capacity.
 
mike2810 said:
In the linked article they needed four volunteers to leave the plane. They got none. So they said a computer program would be used to select four random passengers.

My question. What would you do, other than don't overbook flights? Seems to me a random draw is reasonable.
Click to expand...

I think United acted stupidly.

They should have raised the incentive till 4 people were willing to take the offer.

Whatever that cost them will be cheaper than what this video will cost them in bad publicity
 
Their random selection process probably didn't include their first class passengers, I'm guessing? This is pretty shameful.

I know it's unfair, but if security comes and tells you to get off the plane, you get off the plane and deal with it later.
 
And if the crew they needed the seats for weren't able to get on... what about the other 200 people on the next flight that wouldn't be taking off? United has responsibility here for sure.. but so does the guy for not just getting off the flight.

Given the circumstances, the random draw seemed the most fair.
 
mike2810 said:
In the linked article they needed four volunteers to leave the plane. They got none. So they said a computer program would be used to select four random passengers.

My question. What would you do, other than don't overbook flights? Seems to me a random draw is reasonable.
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The reason for the random draw, was so 4 United employees could fly.
 
They're engaging in damage control trying to delete all reddit threads on the matter, its as if the fools never heard of the Streisand effect.
 
buck said:
And if the crew they needed the seats for weren't able to get on... what about the other 200 people on the next flight that wouldn't be taking off? United has responsibility here for sure.. but so does the guy for not just getting off the flight.

Given the circumstances, the random draw seemed the most fair.
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Its only fair if all the passengers agree to take their chances and abide by the luck of the draw

But the man had every right to keep the seat he paid for
 
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mike2810 said:
In the linked article they needed four volunteers to leave the plane. They got none. So they said a computer program would be used to select four random passengers.

My question. What would you do, other than don't overbook flights? Seems to me a random draw is reasonable.
Click to expand...

I would go for don't overbook flights. Airlines do this regularly. Then they expect you to accept whatever compensation they offer. They are not as accommodating when a customer must cancel.
 
SMTA said:
I didn't get the impression that the flight was overbooked.

United had 4 United crew employees that they wanted to put on an already full flight.

That makes their actions even more heinous.
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United crapped their drawers, for sure. They should have bribed the passengers and called it an auction. Bigger bribes until it worked, auction format.

/
 
jimbo said:
I would go for don't overbook flights. Airlines do this regularly. Then they expect you to accept whatever compensation they offer. They are not as accommodating when a customer must cancel.
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I just read an update, and it said that four passengers were chosen at random when no one volunteered to accommodate four employees traveling stand-by. sounds completely inappropriate, if true.
 
From my perspective the occupier of the seat, has the priority.
If he holds a ticket with that seat number, it's his.
When the airline says it overbooks, does that mean they sell some seats several times for the same flight?
I don't think so, as assigned seating is a itemized inventory.
This just sounds bad all over for United.
 
Mac77 said:
Its only fair if all the passengers agree to take their chances and abide by the luck of the draw
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Think there may be something on the ticket or in the agreement regarding this? I suspect so... But fair enough point.
 
MaggieD said:
I just read an update, and it said that four passengers were chosen at random when no one volunteered to accommodate four employees traveling stand-by. sounds completely inappropriate, if true.
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Yes, the employees were needed for a flight the next morning, from what I have read.
 
longview said:
From my perspective the occupier of the seat, has the priority.
If he holds a ticket with that seat number, it's his.
When the airline says it overbooks, does that mean they sell some seats several times for the same flight?
I don't think so, as assigned seating is a itemized inventory.
This just sounds bad all over for United.
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Ultimately someone at United is going to take the fall for this incident

Maybe fired or just a bad fitness report that puts a drag on their career.

But the CEO of the company will find a fall guy for this
 
MaggieD said:
I just read an update, and it said that four passengers were chosen at random when no one volunteered to accommodate four employees traveling stand-by. sounds completely inappropriate, if true.
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That's possible. I've flown non rev a few times. In my experience the non revs boarded next to last. The actual employees last. But that was years ago. I don't know about now.
 
buck said:
Yes, the employees were needed for a flight the next morning, from what I have read.
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In retrospect United would have been better off buying the employees 4 1st class tickets on American Airlines instead.
 
Mac77 said:
I think United acted stupidly.

They should have raised the incentive till 4 people were willing to take the offer.

Whatever that cost them will be cheaper than what this video will cost them in bad publicity
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That's something I didn't think of. Good call.
 
jimbo said:
I would go for don't overbook flights. Airlines do this regularly. Then they expect you to accept whatever compensation they offer. They are not as accommodating when a customer must cancel.
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This. I worked in the travel industry and the majority of the major airlines have all kinds of restrictions and rules and change fees included in most tickets, it's ridiculous.
 
United about to pay the man. Pretty easy lawsuit.
 
longview said:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/united-p...oved-flight-refusing-give-seat-134930951.html
If I have a paid for ticket, it should be up to me If I choose to take their incentives to get off.
This is simply crazy of United to do this.
Click to expand...

Wow, I thought it was bad enough but the guy who didn't want to give up his seat had a pretty dang good reason according to the article:

a doctor who explained that he was expected in a Louisville hospital to see patients the next morning
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