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Some lawyer will take on this case, sue for millions, and the airline will settle big time to minimize the publicity. The victim will become an instant millionaire and maybe get enough to buy his own plane. That's how the system works.
My favorite tweet on this debacle: "Congratulations to #United for trending top, and to the Doctor who will soon be your new owner""
I had good friend who worked for AA for over 30 yrs and he ran the Dept that was in charge of planning for deadheading and crew scheduling...
Bad weather days, storm fronts, snow storms were nightmares for him and the guys working on his team
But I guarantee you they never had an incident like this---
Someone screwed up --- people at the gate sure--but also someone far away from the epicenter who triggered that last minute show up of a 4 person flight crew...and that person has been out of the spotlight and likely won't ever catch the grief of his/her mistake as the trigger for the gate's mistake...
If ONE flight crew deadheading can bring out this evidence of poor planning and customer service skills then United is way worse off than most people imagine...
Cause I would think just as evidence of incompetence, their maintenance might also be at critical mass...
Agreed! I just posted my own questions along these lines - hadn't read far enough to see that you had posted the same question already. I need to read entire threads before postong. 😉
In general, I agree with this. In this particular case of the doctor though, I find myself with questions: Is United's system so fragile, and their planning so poor, that if ONE crewmember had not been able to board that particular plane in place of the doctor it would ground an entire other plane? The crewmember couldn't take another plane because United had left themselves no cushion whatsoever in their arrangements for that crewmember's transport?
I wondered why they didn't seem to have backups. Most major businesses think in terms of failsafes and resiliencies, don't they? Why did United have such a critical crewmember who was needed the very next morning, transported only the night before when presumably only one flight was available to use?
Agree completely.
Whether you agree with the passenger or airline this will change protocol and how airlines handle crew vs paid passengers. In the future I'm pretty certain if you are seated on the plane there is no chance in hell any airline is going to risk removing you from the plane. They'll just have to start the bidding higher
In regards to this United incdient.......who knows if this will be the introduction of the new airline fee called BUMPED PROTECTION...for a small fee of $5-10 each way, we will guarantee you will not be bumped to the next flight....Spirit & Frontier will be the ones to introduce this and the big 3 will follow
People are saying that it's a private plane owned by United and they can do whatever they want. Well, that is right but the airport is owned by the government/people and if the airline wants the right to fly from our airports then rules need to be in place for them to play by rules that treat passengers fairly, otherwise take your plane elsewhere and don't land at our airports. What happened to this man was completely outrageous, after he had boarded and sat in his seat asking him to deplane is extreme.
The contract of carriage is a gray area in this regard because it specifies only "denied boarding" and the definition of "boarding" is not clearly spelled out and it can be interpreted that this guy had already boarded. Infact, the CEO himself in his email said the passenger was removed after boarding was completed so section 25 of the contract of carriage should not apply to this situation.
Whatever the contract of carriage says, this situation should not occur and the contract of carriage should be required to be amended to include the clause that barring an safety related emergency passengers who have entered the plane cannot be asked to deplane AND if they are denied boarding before entering the plane they need to be compensated in cash not vouchers which we all know are worthless.
In general, I agree with this. In this particular case of the doctor though, I find myself with questions: Is United's system so fragile, and their planning so poor, that if ONE crewmember had not been able to board that particular plane in place of the doctor it would ground an entire other plane? The crewmember couldn't take another plane because United had left themselves no cushion whatsoever in their arrangements for that crewmember's transport?
They have to have four crew members for a flight to leave the ground. Pilot, co-pilot, and two FAs, one fore and the other aft. They ARE the backup. Likely they had just gotten off a flight in that airport, and should have been off work, but got re-routed in an emergency to replace the other crew. THAT crew might have been grounded on yet another flight somewhere, because of an engine failure or other maintenance issue. There are so many scenarios that could apply here.
That said, it's actually quite strange how people are going crazy about this.
Y'all do realize that flying is not a right due you, correct? They are a carrier, a transport firm, charging you for the luxury of cutting your travel time by 75%, instead of you driving your own vehicle to your destination.
The purchase of that ticket gives you NO RIGHTS. Any carrier can make you get off the plane, or train, or van, or car, for that matter, for any reason. Drunk, sick, overbooked, deadheading crew, being a jerk, etc.
They have to have four crew members for a flight to leave the ground. Pilot, co-pilot, and two FAs, one fore and the other aft. They ARE the backup. Likely they had just gotten off a flight in that airport, and should have been off work, but got re-routed in an emergency to replace the other crew. THAT crew might have been grounded on yet another flight somewhere, because of an engine failure or other maintenance issue. There are so many scenarios that could apply here.
That said, it's actually quite strange how people are going crazy about this.
Y'all do realize that flying is not a right due you, correct? They are a carrier, a transport firm, charging you for the luxury of cutting your travel time by 75%, instead of you driving your own vehicle to your destination.
The purchase of that ticket gives you NO RIGHTS. Any carrier can make you get off the plane, or train, or van, or car, for that matter, for any reason. Drunk, sick, overbooked, deadheading crew, being a jerk, etc.
Doubtful this changes anything.
I don't think anyone is arguing this point but rather arguing the method of how they went about it. The perception is huge in this incident and United is paying for it.
They have to have four crew members for a flight to leave the ground. Pilot, co-pilot, and two FAs, one fore and the other aft. They ARE the backup. Likely they had just gotten off a flight in that airport, and should have been off work, but got re-routed in an emergency to replace the other crew. THAT crew might have been grounded on yet another flight somewhere, because of an engine failure or other maintenance issue. There are so many scenarios that could apply here.
Again, their system seems to be very fragile if one lone crewmember is so very crucial.
Quote:
Originally Posted by convextech
That said, it's actually quite strange how people are going crazy about this.
Y'all do realize that flying is not a right due you, correct? They are a carrier, a transport firm, charging you for the luxury of cutting your travel time by 75%, instead of you driving your own vehicle to your destination.
The purchase of that ticket gives you NO RIGHTS. Any carrier can make you get off the plane, or train, or van, or car, for that matter, for any reason. Drunk, sick, overbooked, deadheading crew, being a jerk, etc.
Actually, contract law does give each party to the contract rights. Did either party breach the contract? That's for a judge to decide, not you or me. Given the doctor has retained a lawyer, it's likely a judge will get to make that determination. But the larger point here is, when a contract is entered into, both parties to it do indeed have rights.
People are saying that it's a private plane owned by United and they can do whatever they want. Well, that is right but the airport is owned by the government/people and if the airline wants the right to fly from our airports then rules need to be in place for them to play by rules that treat passengers fairly, otherwise take your plane elsewhere and don't land at our airports. What happened to this man was completely outrageous, after he had boarded and sat in his seat asking him to deplane is extreme.
The contract of carriage is a gray area in this regard because it specifies only "denied boarding" and the definition of "boarding" is not clearly spelled out and it can be interpreted that this guy had already boarded. Infact, the CEO himself in his email said the passenger was removed after boarding was completed so section 25 of the contract of carriage should not apply to this situation.
Whatever the contract of carriage says, this situation should not occur and the contract of carriage should be required to be amended to include the clause that barring an safety related emergency passengers who have entered the plane cannot be asked to deplane AND if they are denied boarding before entering the plane they need to be compensated in cash not vouchers which we all know are worthless.
Republic is an airline that is owned by United (and thus also by United's shareholders) and it flies under the auspices of the FAA--a US government entity...
It is not a private airline because United is not a private company
The CEO of United (like Trump) needs to shut up and stop hurting his case...
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