Are You Kidding Me?

[jackswilling]

"Every single fact you cite has already been discussed in this thread."
Show me, what posts??? None of this:
"Chicago PD was called but airport security showed up first. Passenger had his head/face slammed into armrest and was knocked out and dragged away. Chicago PD said he accidentally hit is head and then retracted the statement when the videos came out. Security guard was suspended. United apologized.."

 

[jpmcwjr]

@Cosmic- Like you, I am a pretty rigid rule follower. However, you should check your pillow/mattress tags more closely. They say "not to be removed EXCEPT BY CONSUMER". Meaning the wholesaler or retailer cannot remove them, but as soon as you buy the item, you are perfectly free to remove the tags. Breathe a sigh of relief, my friend.

I remember as a kid removing such tags before they altered the language to exempt the owner of such drastic actions. My poor mother nearly had a heart attack. Thank heavens I am now on the right side of the law.

 

[sablebrush52]

O Winston Link could photograph trains so beautifully!!
Cosmic raises a very good point. A tostada MIGHT be considered a Mexican pizza, but then how does one account for the lettuce? On the other hand, a grilled cheese is a second cousin, twice removed, by way of Uncle Cletus, from a genuine pizza. Had the doctor not told the security officers that he considered Chicago pizza to be absolutely the worst, he might have not ended up being such a drag.
That UAL stock drop sounds like a good buying opportunity.

 

[aldecaker]

I don't know why everyone's so down on Chicago-style pizza. It's one of the best casseroles I've ever had.

 

[toobfreak]

So there would have been no '96 Olympics without your timely intervention.

Since you ask Jay, actually probably not. The '96 Olympics were the first to be carried worldwide over SLC2000 channel bank and the card we designed for it wasn't syncing up with the master clock. Two of us flew down and found the problem and it actually was an issue on the other end, but if you want to take the ordinary passing details of my life as sounding like trumpeting to you, I frankly couldn't give a shit. Doesn't say much for your life obviously. Happy trolling.
Sure, most people would have complied, but as Cosmic pointed out, we don't know that guy's situation. What I have found out is that the airline offered people $800 for their seats. The other three takers were NOT happy giving them up because that meant an almost 24 hour layover delay. What isn't widely known is that the airline has the authority to offer up to $1350 a seat for continental flights and up to $5000 for international flights. Also, they DO have the capacity written into the regs to simply ASK SOMEONE ELSE!
The guy did put up a big fuss and was actually pacing the aisle waving his arms; was he really a doctor on a life-saving mission? Was he a mental patient? Whatever the case, it all seems to come down to the fact that as written, the airline has total, absolute, autocratic authority in these matters and the passenger has almost none. The statement was made that you are entering a militarized zone I think is a very accurate one. You have no rights, or at least LOSE many of your rights and at the airport, you must comply without question least be treated like a police occupation, and when you give someone absolute power you end up with situations like this.
The matter has grown so far out of hand that there are actually organizations fighting to make changes and better protect passengers. If you are a flyer, here is one of the better of those to check out:
Rights
Jackswilling of course states several highly relevant facts.
Whatever your take, I think the guy whether intentionally or not was a hero/martyr of sorts. He took a stand for what has become an intolerable situation. This incident has brought the plight of the passenger and to what ridiculous lengths it has become to the public eye in a big way now and not only will United lose a lot of money over this but I think the chances good that finally, congress will be forced to take a new look at this and reassess their laws.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Hmmmmm. I forsee an auction in the future of de-berthing passengers. OK, now, who wants to deplane for $850? ..... Now going for $900.... Going once, twice,..... OK, deplane for $1,000.....etc We are including a suite at the airport hilton.... And dinner and breakfast for two. We are now including an escort for the evening ....

 

[toobfreak]

One other thing I learned was that the "algorithm" they used to randomly pick the four unlucky passengers was the price they paid for their ticket and when they bought them. That's it. What if you were flying home to see your dying mother or some other crisis event?
How sad that all the humanity has gone out of flying that neither congress nor the airlines care to make room for such allowances.

 

[sablebrush52]

One other thing I learned was that the "algorithm" they used to randomly pick the four unlucky passengers was the price they paid for their ticket and when they bought them. That's it. What if you were flying home to see your dying mother or some other crisis event?
How sad that all the humanity has gone out of flying that neither congress nor the airlines care to make room for such allowances.

There are a lot of assumptions going on here, like there was no discussion, nor that a family emergency would not have been considered, or any other personal or business emergency.
Humanity on fights? Have you ever eaten airline food? It makes hospital food taste like a James Beard Award winner.

 

[toobfreak]

Humanity on fights? Have you ever eaten airline food? It makes hospital food taste like a James Beard Award winner.

Actually Jesse I'm OK with hospital food. If it ever arrives. When you are sick enough to be in a hospital you are glad for anything they bring you!
Airline food? I guess it used to be better. A buddy who flew constantly sent me pictures a couple years ago of a typical "stewardess." I thought they were shapely young women. It was an old guy with a grimace. I think he was holstering a .45. On the back of his vest it said: Make My Day. The one time I flew long ago we were only in the air each way for 45 minutes so I was spared the dining adventure. ::

 

[jmatt]

Hmmmmm. I forsee an auction in the future of de-berthing passengers. OK, now, who wants to deplane for $850? ..... Now going for $900.... Going once, twice,..... OK, deplane for $1,000.....etc We are including a suite at the airport hilton.... And dinner and breakfast for two. We are now including an escort for the evening ....

You must not fly a ton. That's pretty much exactly what does normally happen. Well - except for the escort part. Dammit.

 

[jpmcwjr]

In the last decade, no more than about a dozen or two flights a year, couple of international, some short hops, some cross country. So, no longer a ton. But I've never witnessed an auction while seated.

 

[alexnorth]

I'm with toob on this one. It's perplexing to me how anyone can think that an airline purposely over booking a flight to maximize their own profit and then violently ejecting a paying passenger who does not want to give up his bought seat is in the right. This has nothing to do with safety, as I understand It they botched their own planning and needed staff somewhere else. That shouldn't be my problem as a customer.

 

[dread]

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[jackswilling]

Great minds think alike

 

[tbradsim1]

Just Dumb, Stock downfall is so indicative of Morons running the Company, they could have given 5 to Ten thousand a seat for the 4 and came out way,way ahead. I believe there would have been 4 takers. Reminded me of the Time I was at a Corporate Think Tank exercise. Exxons Question we need a Supervisor, we need to make a Black or a White for Community Acceptance but White is more Qualified, How can we manage this. The Bullshit answers by the Corporate Corpuscles was standard, it really was no answer. The Head man says to me Mr Simon what would you do. I told him well I'm only a Production Foreman, but I would make the 2 Supervisors, that way you get no hard feelings and I believe Exxon has enough money to absorb that, they waste enough money anyway, case in point this Bullshit class. You could have torched off a Flare from the looks I got. No Common Sense.

 

[toobfreak]

:rofl:
My friends who fly often all have nothing but good things to say about Southwest.

 

[tuold]

Reminds of this great scene from Airplane!
One point that doesn't seem to have been mentioned is that without the United crew members getting to their destination an entire flight may have delayed by a day or so. So it may be a decision made for the greater good. Maybe I'm stretching it a bit but it still factors in to the decision to bump passengers or not. How they did is clearly wrong.
Another added sidelight having nothing to do with all that is the doctor has felony convictions for narcotic diversion. Supposedly he surrendered his medical license at that time. That may or may not explain his behavior.

 

[kirkland]

Land of the free. Orwellian style. Nothing like a good beat-down just for saying no.
But the real headbanger is that they charged the doc with felony charges ! Land of the free.
I stopped flying years ago when TSA came into being. I'm not paying anyone to get questioned, be fondled, molested, anal-probed, have my valuables stolen or personally degraded in any form... nor will I have any of it done to my loved ones and kids.
Fly away..but remember, YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS. NONE.