Classic example of the miss-use of safety rules.

There’s a rule saying (roughly) “you always have to do what the airline staff say”. That rule is necessary and is in place for safety and security reasons, but in this case the airline used it for their own purposes.

I hope he takes them to the cleaners.

What’s startling is the poor judgement demonstrated by everyone involved…. especially when you consider what they do for day jobs.

Whoever made the request to have security forcibly remove the guy needs sacking, as does the actual security monkey himself – even when asked, he should have refused.

The passenger was not disrupting the flight at all – it could have taken off with him in his seat…. he had a valid ticket, been issued a boarding pass, and boarded the plane.

$800million plus off the share value

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/uniteds-stock-is-set-to-fall-5-and-wipe-1-billion-off-the-airlines-market-cap-2017-04-11

Ouch!

That has to be all on the CEOs non apology and handling since it surfaced as the shares did ok on monday 😕

UA you should fire the person(s) (ticketing, booking, supervisor and duty manager) responsible for that decision. End off.

UA has overbooked so should be the one arranging for transporting own employees etc Not blame it on others regardless.

That passenger is a paying customer Not criminal.

Klunk – Member
That has to be all on the CEOs non apology and handling since it surfaced as the shares did ok on monday

That is as dumb a CEO as you can get nowadays in terms of PR disaster by blaming the passenger. Sometimes you side your employees but on this occasion the CEO is a dumbo.

the only time you as the captain have complete command is when the doors are closed and your airborne

One of those two clauses is redundant, surely? Unless the implication is that the captain is not in charge if they are airborne with the doors open?

Strange this, offloading due to over booking happens at the gate, not on the aircraft. If he was to be offloaded he should have got nowhere near the aircraft.

From Wikipedia: “The pilot responsible for the operation and safety of the aircraft during flight time.”[1] Flight time for airplanes is defined by the U.S. FAA as “Pilot time that commences when an aircraft moves under its own power for the purpose of flight and ends when the aircraft comes to rest after landing.”[2] This would normally include taxiing, which involves the ground operation to and from the runway, as long as the taxiing is carried out with the intention of flying the aircraft.

One of those two clauses is redundant, surely? Unless the implication is that the captain is not in charge if they are airborne with the doors open?

You misunderstand, he said “your airborne”.

Where’s danstw?
Perhaps sensibly keeping out of this one, and the flight bag thread…

I’d always thought the increasing voucher/money offers were sufficient to garner enough volunteers, but that’s always been at the gate.

Cougar – Moderator

“the only time you as the captain have complete command is when the doors are closed and your airborne

One of those two clauses is redundant, surely? Unless the implication is that the captain is not in charge if they are airborne with the doors open?

What about if the door is open while airbourne because that’s how the pilot left the plane . . .

Where’s danstw

I heard he was recovering from an accident at pilot school

Where’s danstw?

This thread is only for pretend internet pilots.

How do you pilot an internet?

Webbed fingers, Shirley?

How do you pilot an internet?

From a chairoplane.

I find the whole thing staggering.

If I’ve paid for a ticket, got a boarding pass and got on the plane.. I’m sorry but that’s that.

It seems the airline is completely out of line, if they need to move staff around, which is understandable, then those seats should not be on sale.

Or the airline should book the staff on a different flight or even have a gentlemanly deal with other airlines for discounted seats to move their staff around on flights that aren’t fully booked.

This seems to be going beyond bad managers punishing thier staff for their own lack of planning, and punishing the customer, with a good kicking by the looks of it.

How to make friends and influence people haha!

bearnecessities – Member
How do you pilot an internet?
From a chairoplane.

It gives us all something to be righteously angry about, as a welcome relief from Brexit and the Madness of King Trump.

So I for one am grateful to UA.

Although I won’t be flying with them if there’s any way I can avoid it.

“From a chairoplane.”

😀

The last time I was in the States there were significant numbers of Americans saying that they wouldn’t fly with any of the American carriers if they had a choice. The view was they were in a race to the bottom, think RyanAir for a more local example. Given that Americans are patriotic to the nth degree this was surprising.

Burrito space cat looks down with disappointment at the human endeavour!

uturn from the CEO

not influenced by the share price I’m sure..

One of those two clauses is redundant, surely? Unless the implication is that the captain is not in charge if they are airborne with the doors open?

Which is why my wife is the pilot and not me……

But seriously, if you’re airborne and the doors are open then it is reasonable to assume that the concept of being in charge has largely passed.

The PR nightmare continues (Handcuffs threat). Don’t be a ‘low priority’ customer!

Thing is, it probably won’t make the slightest bit of difference to UA. I don’t know any-one who has a good word to say about Ryanair (for instance), and yet every flight I’ve ever been on of theirs is jammers.

There’s a huge distance between social media, and spending your own cash money on a cheap flight from the comfort of your own laptop.

Footage of a United Pilot on his way to the gate has also been leaked;

[video]https://youtu.be/f4CizzE-zZo[/video]

Their business model is changed for the better since the bad old noughties. I can now tolerate flying with them rather than endure it.

Having said that they aren’t in the news for assaulting passengers or robbing them.

Faint praise I know but it is praise.

Having said that they aren’t in the news for assaulting passengers or robbing them.

Faint praise I know but it is praise.

Only because they haven’t worked out how to charge for it.

“Only because they haven’t worked out how to charge for it.”

🙂

I’ve flown Ryan Air numerous times (short haul), and I’ve also flown UA (transatlantic).

Ryan Air are streets ahead of UA. Ryan Air is no-frills, and they make no bones about it, but once you get over that, it’s fine.

UA I always feel that they just resent my presence on their airplane, and only just tolerate me using their service.

I recently flew Norwegian to California. It’s about the same price as UA (I think a touch cheaper) but just in a totally different league.

The last time I was in the States there were significant numbers of Americans saying that they wouldn’t fly with any of the American carriers if they had a choice. The view was they were in a race to the bottom, think RyanAir for a more local example. Given that Americans are patriotic to the nth degree this was surprising.

20 years ago US-based carriers were crap, which is why you got so many Americans flying using non-US carriers to Europe/Asia etc.

Luckily I’ve not had to go to the states in +10 years but use to go monthly. 99% of the time I’d use BA.

Also read that nearly 4000 passengers had been ejected by UA over the past year, after boarding… Seems a pretty standard US approach, but I’ve never seen overbooking anywhere else in the world.

20 years ago US-based carriers were crap, which is why you got so many Americans flying using non-US carriers to Europe/Asia etc.

Luckily I’ve not had to go to the states in +10 years but use to go monthly. 99% of the time I’d use BA.

They’re still crap, especially internal flights.

For long haul, I do the US about once a month, on a mix of BA, AA and Delta. BA have by far the best service, food and drinks, and an excellent seat (especially upstairs). AA have OK service and the seats vary, the new reverse herringbone is very good. Delta are friendly, lovely folks, but the seat and food are average at best.

Internally, AA are the only airline to have lost my luggage. Twice. On the exact same flight, two years apart! Skillz. The MDs they fly are noisy old rustbuckets, only saved by the gorgeous bare aluminium body.

I’d rather fly Southwest than Unoted.

Given the choice, for long haul, BA or Cathay every time.

Re: Overbooking, it wasn’t even overbooked. The passengers were all on board and in their seats (well the one ejected certainly was). It was a late decision to put some UA staff on the plane. They should have simply offered a slightly bigger bribe to passngers to give up their seats, I’m sure someone would have taken it. In the past we have once taken the bribe – I think it was $500 in flight vouchers plus a hotel stay, we had a few hours sightseeing in NY and used one of the vouchers (which had a 12 month expiry) for a subsequent trip. No harm done.

They stopped offering at $800, which was a pretty lowball offer.

I was offered $1000 plus upgrade plus 5 star accommodation 20 years ago…

I think lots of us have been on flights with awkward passengers and have applauded the crew when they dealt with them. That wasn’t what happened here, where all were horrified at the treatment of this chap. Even if he has been a bit dodgy in the past, this was out of order.

Becoming clear that it was deadheading crew who turned up late at the gate and a bad decision was taken for “operational reasons” with one of the police officers now suspended and the CEO making two stupid inflammatory statements before getting it right. Huge reputational damage to United who, after a few times going through ORD with them. I have avoided. Prefer AA and BA.

after a few times going through ORD with them. I have avoided.

To be fair, avoiding ORD would be sensible. Last time I was there, the ceiling was leaking rainwater. In the BA Flounge. Abysmal airport.

indeed – I twice had baggage delayed there – once we pushed back whilst I could see it still on the ground. Only travel transatlantic once a year now, try to go via DFW, not looking forward to JFK next week.

Even if he has been a bit dodgy in the past,

?

Even if he has been a bit dodgy in the past,

?

Check ‘the news’. Not glorious past of the guy that was beaten up has been dug up, but it’s completely irrelevant tbh.