What the Heck?! Thread (Closed)

[kwaigonegin]

The issue is not even overbooking. It wasn't an overbooked flight, they wanted to make room for 4 UA employees. And that's not even the issue.

The issue is how UA and the police handled the situation. They turned what was a business dispute into a violent assault.

That's like if I have a purchase dispute with a store, and the store owner calls in mall security to beat me up. It doesn't matter what the dispute was about.

Of course the dispute is in the mishandling of the passenger however my post was in direct respond to wolf's post about airline overbookings NOT specific to this specific incident.

 

[B.I.B.]

Sounds like a fair clause. They should also include a clause that says I can withdraw my money from the airline at any time for any reason. 20 minutes before the flight leaves but I just woke up at home with a hangover? Withdraw payment. Why should younger passengers be picked? How about raising the compensation (in real dollars, not credit) until you actually get 4 volunteers?

Dr. Dao made that claim because of the 4 passengers "randomly selected", 3 were Asian including himself. I'm assuming the flight wasn't 75% Asians...

Fair points ,However I and my brother have been refunded or rebooked on a later flight at our request on short notice. I think it depends on the type of tickets you have purchased. I notice the airline I use, offer at a cost few measly dollars, insurance against the need of last minute cancellations.

Just had a thought, I wonder if all this double booking stuff is due to air travel being so competitive that seats are sold below their true cost.?

 

[solarz]

Just read that Dao suffered a concussion, a broken nose and two missing teeth. Anyone still believe that he just "bumped" his head?

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[AssassinsMace]

I just saw this on the news. Last night United said they were refunding everyone on board their airfare. Well now it comes out if they accept it, they can't sue.

 

[B.I.B.]

Yeah, I guess Dao should be thankful he wasn't black. Otherwise they'd just shoot him first, then drag him out.

And if he had been muslim-looking, the passengers would have helped the cops, and the media would be labeling him a terrorist by now.

Now you are dramatizing

 

[B.I.B.]

Just read that Dao suffered a concussion, a broken nose and two missing teeth. Anyone still believe that he just "bumped" his head?

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Well then, his issue is with the police and airport security not UA which rightly or wrongly had established the right to ask him to give up his seat.

 

[plawolf]

Generally speaking you are correct however not all tickets are created equal. Many tickets have flexi dates so a person not showing up doesn't mean an assumed profit for the airline. This is even more so if that individual is a high flyer, elite member status etc.

Anyway not saying I defend the UA in this case.. I don't.. they and the CAD officer are scumbags for doing this to that passenger!

I likely would've reacted the same way had it been me in similar circumstance whereby I needed to get somewhere ASAP and cannot delay my travel plans.

Well no one is forcing the airlines to offer deals like flexi tickets, and typically flexi tickets are only available on flights that are almost never fully booked. So that is really a non-issue.

I am willing to bet even if you banned over booking, airlines will still offer flexi tickets on selected routes.

That is because some routines are always going to be hard to fill on certain times. And also, unless offered as a rewards option, flexi tickets will cost more, often significantly more, than a fixed date ticket. So if the airline did their maths right, they should still come out ahead at the end of the day.

The demand and supply mismatch is hardly an unique problem faced by airlines, and if every other industry can make avoid profit while not being allowed to sell more tickets than they have seats for, the airlines have no excuse to say they need special treatment that can be so damaging to customers.

 

[solarz]

Now you are dramatizing

I wish I was, I really do.

But when a black man can get shot for doing everything the police told him to do, and a muslim kid can get arrested for bringing a diy clock to school...

 

[AssassinsMace]

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Did they get paid that much because they were white? j/k.

United could've just upped the ante to an amount that there would be many takers and if Dao and his wife volunteered just ignore them and give it to someone else.

 

[B.I.B.]

I wish I was, I really do.

But when a black man can get shot for doing everything the police told him to do, and a muslim kid can get arrested for bringing a diy clock to school...

Im not going to make excuses for such tragedys. By the same token, everyday heaps of minorities get stopped and spoken to for a variety of offenses without such outcomes.

The main reason for why I left the police force because of disillusionment and we were slowly being disempowered.I hated having to tell people who have been burgled that we don't have the resources to investigate, despite the fact the burglar was caught on home security tape and easily identifiable and then offer the services of a counselor. The aggrieved doest not want a shoulder to cry on. She wants her TV, Sound system /laptop back.
People can escape conviction for assaulting police as well as members.of society on the grounds they want to be a lawyer, an international media star, a sportsperson etc, and a conviction would prevent that from happening.