Why didn't United try upping the offer past $800? If I'm reading correctly, they resorted to randomly selecting 4 passengers after no one took $800 and $1350 is the max amount for overbooking compensation in the US.

Because their management at the airport were boneheaded idiots.

lol apparently their stock has taken a tumble too. tens of millions of dollars in lost company equity.

gg

Give the guy a break. It was his first time playing for nosebleed stakes.

Lol

So many of these on twitter:

short term meaningless drop

people will be outraged at something else next week

Since when is squealing resisting? I don't normally man handle 63 year old men but I imagine some of them might make some noise if I did.

United handled this poorly and the whole industry has a history of handling it poorly, and possibly illegally, to save money. This article from 2014 indicates that airlines pay a fraction of what bumped passengers are legally entitled to. $30 million instead of $330 million and they get away with a lot of it by issuing vouchers instead of cash/checks.

Inadmissible. Has nothing to do with the events and the people involved wouldn't have known this information when this went down.

Speculation.

May not matter. It's not like the Department of Aviation personnel were walking by, heard a commotion and came to investigate. United personnel called them one would expect. They called security agents not negotiators.

Passengers were offered $400 and hotel room, then $800 and a hotel room to volunteer to be delayed and then they were told 4 people would be chosen. None of the reports I read indicated that the 4 people chosen would get anything. Were they given the compensation proscribed in the contract for these situations?

Under what circumstances do you think testimony about his past would be relevant to this case and allowed by a judge?

----- Rest not related to responses above.

Some info that wasn't mentioned.

The Dr did get the right to practice medicine again. Only one day a week though. So missing this flight might be a big deal for him and his passengers.

There were two Department of Aviation officers trying to talk the guy off the plane. Then a third came in and told him he's getting off the plane then dragged him off .

Not sure if this matters legally but the 4 crew members weren't employees of United but they worked for a "partner airline" according to multiple reports including this one http://www.nbc12.com/story/35118009/...truly-horrific

While it may not matter legally I think it makes the story worse for United that they would treat one of their paying customers this way to accommodate crew from another airline. Since it wasn't United crew was the "partner airline" paying for the seats? If so were they paying more than the other passengers on the plane paid or at least more than the 4 that were bumped?

I wonder if people will look back at what happened with the United/leggings issue recently to see if that was an excuse being used to get a lower paying or possibly free traveler off the plane because it was overbooked. Based on a link I posted earlier United's overbooking/bumping rates are pretty high.

United asserts it's right to take passengers off a plane but doesn't also mention they are legally obligated to pay certain restitution and they've been getting away with it for years. Instead they start an auction to see who will volunteer to be a sucker and get paid less than they should.

What people are angry about is that companies and government are treating people, including their own customers, like **** and this is another example of that. NYT has a good take on that https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/o..._20170411&_r=0

In a perfect world the government would audit all the cases of bumped passengers and order United to pay the difference they didn't in the first place. Policies would change so that when customers need to be bounced they will need to be told what they're entitled to. Maybe that should be announced when they're looking for volunteers and volunteers will be offered more as an incentive instead of being offered less like suckers. That's probably not going to be the end result but the DOT is looking into what happened. http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics...ines-incident/

People are pissed, this is getting a lot of attention. People are contacting their lawmakers, some of whom could use the media attention and could use the boost of being seen backing their constituents over businesses.

Whatever happens there are millions of people out there now that know that they're entitled to certain monetary compensation in the event this happens again which might cost United, and other airlines money down the road. I know if I'm ever in this situation I'm standing up and letting everyone on the plane know too. If I get picked I'm not giving up my seat until I have a check in my hand.

This is a spot where I hope journalists do as little due diligence as possible. Everyone's a big winner in poker tournaments, it's easy!

This sounds like it could be a chapter in Sklansky's DUCY book...and the funny thing is that if he were a UA consultant they would have offered him that, seriously, and then they wouldn't have lost 800 mill lol....Stupak would have been on it lol...

Couldn't these pilots just all get into a car and drive to Louisville? It's not really that far, maybe a 5 hour drive.

Probably not. There are limits to how long they can work and how much rest they are required to get between duty shifts. Pilots are required to have the opportunity for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Deadhead transportation counts as work.

Or until they call airport security and drag you out of your seat and down the aisle by force. You may even incur a few facial wounds and 'need' to spend a short time in hospital as a result...

He shrieked like he was being branded the moment the guards reached for him. They hadn't even touched him when he started his squeals. Whether he was being unreasonably belligerent or uncooperative is hard to tell from the short clips being aired but there's definitely reason to think there was some emotional instability at play. Most of likes' post is spot-on. Can't imagine a settlement > $200,00 for this.

I've seen the $1350 max compensation quoted several times. Though I doubt you'd ever need to go higher, why is that regulated? What does the federal government care what level of compensation is offered to customers of a corporation?

[x] chip
[ ] chair


So close. feelsbadman

Props to the doc for hitting the bad beat jackpot.

I realize he will get a chunk of cash, but man I wish he got nothing. Countersued for delaying the flight would be sweet. When he gets money, future passengers pay for it in higher ticket costs. Why should I pay even a penny to this guy who refused to follow the rules of the contract he signed?

You buy a ticket, it says you can be bumped. He was bumped. Refusal is not a legal option.

I also read elsewhere that he and his wife accepted the $800 offer but then changed their minds? (Have not verified this).

The $1,350 isn't a ceiling on what airlines can offer passengers to voluntarily give up their seat, it is a ceiling on what the airline can be forced to pay the passenger when the airline involuntarily bumps him.

they did not follow the law procedure, he was not obligated to get off you ****ing sheep. how can anyone defend corporation vs a citizen who got ****ed up is beyond me. if it was you, you would be looking for max settlement you ****ing hypocrite. your logic about YOU being the one who will pay for this in future along with other UA customers show me you actually are ****ing ******ed

Why would you be of the opinion that UA has to settle, or even that they are responsible for the individual being dragged off the plane? Once UA made the decision that it wanted him off, he was technically trespassing and refused to obey the instructions of a law enforcement officer to exit the premises.

The Chicago Aviation Police Officer has been placed on leave; so if anything, the passenger may be able to sue that agency, but I don't see any reason UA could be held liable for the actions taken by the officer.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/04/...man-off-plane/

And even if you want to say that UA would want to settle this matter out-of-court to avoid more negative publicity even if they didn't have any legal culpability, I don't think that would solve anything because the passenger would still sue the Chicago Aviation Department, thereby keeping the matter in the press.

Ah that makes much more sense ty

A few years ago I was bumped from a Virgin flight from Vegas to London. I was offered a night at Tropicana (meh), food vouchers, $200, an upgrade on my replacement flight the next day (Premium to Upper Class) and a free return flight on any Virgin route (Premium Economy). I snap accepted and always now make a point of telling check in staff that I'm willing to bump if needed.

If I were a doctor, my patients would have to wait

Check out his contract. The flight crew can remove you at any time for any reason.

I hate the airlines and avoid flying when others would. I prefer an 8 hour drive to a 2 hour flight.

That being said, if you buy a contract with an airline and decide to hissy fit yourself instead of following it, I have no respect for you. He owes an apology to everyone on that plane he inconvenienced by being a baby. I would love it if some other passengers sued him for holding up their flight.

You almost convinced me of your opinion, but your argument needs just a little more vulgar ad hominem and unhinged ranting. Can you elaborate?