United passenger forcibly removed from flight after refusing to give up seat

[Inikamoze 86]

11 minutes ago, Dakine10 said:

  They lost $1200 from me. I booked Air Canada from Denver to Vancouver in June. I usually fly 3-4 times a year, and previously always with United. They won't lose a billion, but not all of the losses are on paper.

I agree hence stating waiting for the next quarterly results which will show how many passengers have voted with their feet.

Some routes I believe won't suffer as there won't be suitable alternatives, however the more popular routes is where it may make a difference.

[IAMX 3,055]

7 minutes ago, Inikamoze said:

Laaaaaaasssttt one.....

 

Is that a Reddit meme, or imgur?

[Inikamoze 86]

Dunno

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

4 hours ago, Inikamoze said:

I know 🙁

 

 

First rule of flying United, everyone fights the first night.

[Jawaree 719]

I am highly pizzed at the treatment of this passenger...today its him tomorrow you or me

United should have not boarded  all the passengers, it would have been more tolerable

to prevent 4 ppl prior to boarding.

Police United whomever was way out of line, passengers say there was no hiated conversation

he just said he could not wait until the nrxt day after 2PM to fly out, then the attendant scurry

to go get security.

Now the media & airline want to bring his distant past felony for writing prescriptions up...what

that have to do with the present matter? I would personally never allow myself or family to ever

get on a UNITED again. I hope he dont take a settlement but sue them, his face is bloody, he was

abused in front of his wife, the abusers did not care that ppl were taking pics. Was this equality in

treatment to this Vietnamese foreigner 

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

1 hour ago, Jawaree said:

I am highly pizzed at the treatment of this passenger...today its him tomorrow you or me

United should have not boarded  all the passengers, it would have been more tolerable

to prevent 4 ppl prior to boarding.

Police United whomever was way out of line, passengers say there was no hiated conversation

he just said he could not wait until the nrxt day after 2PM to fly out, then the attendant scurry

to go get security.

Now the media & airline want to bring his distant past felony for writing prescriptions up...what

that have to do with the present matter? I would personally never allow myself or family to ever

get on a UNITED again. I hope he dont take a settlement but sue them, his face is bloody, he was

abused in front of his wife, the abusers did not care that ppl were taking pics. Was this equality in

treatment to this Vietnamese foreigner 

What does him being Vietnamese have to do with any of this 

[OriZ 3,165]

It's starting to look more and more like this doctor caused a scene on purpose. I'm not blaming him for not wanting to get off the plane, I wouldn't want to either, but I think he bears part of the blame for the ultimate outcome of it all. It's almost as if he knew someone would probably take a video of it and he could sue and get alot more money. The fact that the lawsuit with two firms is already in  the works as well as the fact he was on the phone with his lawyer(who probably advised him to stay put till they forcefully drag him off so he can sue) while it all took place combined with his background - I wouldn't be surprised. 

 

Anyhow, in regards to comments I've seen about flying on that plane after him bleeding on it and whatnot - planes are already more disgusting than most people imagine. Really, hard to think it could get more disgusting than they already are.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3208635/The-dirtiest-areas-aircraft-revealed-E-coli-fecal-matter-aeroplane-tray-tables-blankets-seat-pockets.html

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3081328/Faecal-matter-plane-tray-tables-unwashed-blankets-80-million-bacteria-suitcases-dirty-secrets-air-travel-revealed.html

 

My wife and I always bring hand sanitizer and some clorox wipes with us.And never stick your hand in that pocket unless you have to...

[yuna628 9,873]

27 minutes ago, OriZ said:

It's starting to look more and more like this doctor caused a scene on purpose. I'm not blaming him for not wanting to get off the plane, I wouldn't want to either, but I think he bears part of the blame for the ultimate outcome of it all. It's almost as if he knew someone would probably take a video of it and he could sue and get alot more money. The fact that the lawsuit with two firms is already in  the works as well as the fact he was on the phone with his lawyer(who probably advised him to stay put till they forcefully drag him off so he can sue) while it all took place combined with his background - I wouldn't be surprised. 

 

Anyhow, in regards to comments I've seen about flying on that plane after him bleeding on it and whatnot - planes are already more disgusting than most people imagine. Really, hard to think it could get more disgusting than they already are.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3208635/The-dirtiest-areas-aircraft-revealed-E-coli-fecal-matter-aeroplane-tray-tables-blankets-seat-pockets.html

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3081328/Faecal-matter-plane-tray-tables-unwashed-blankets-80-million-bacteria-suitcases-dirty-secrets-air-travel-revealed.html

 

My wife and I always bring hand sanitizer and some clorox wipes with us.And never stick your hand in that pocket unless you have to...

Perhaps OriZ, but in all honesty it is likely the airline violated the rules in treating the passenger this way, and could have a real chance of losing in court. It doesn't matter if he is the biggest creep in the world and had his lawyer on speed dial - if paying passengers have already boarded the plane and are sitting there not causing a problem, they don't deserve to be forcibly removed from the flight calmly or otherwise. Bringing the officers in to intimidate, inflamed the situation and they shouldn't have assaulted an elderly man. There was no effort to do conflict resolution or to stop the situation from reaching that point before boarding in the first place. Passengers are not cattle.

 

And it's quite true that planes are horribly dirty. By the end of our flight to Heathrow, I can't tell you how many times the bathrooms are a disaster area (fecal matter sprayed on the walls and the floor), or the times people have projectile vomited mid-flight, or the times we got food poisoning (in economy without fail the 'microwaves' mysteriously stop working), the sick people, and the on-going years-long situation with a mouse on board that they can never seem to catch but often stops the flight entirely while they go 'looking for it'. I've never seen the mouse personally with the exception of it's droppings, but several persons I know have and it usually results in the flight being cancelled for the day.

[OriZ 3,165]

Just now, yuna628 said:

Perhaps OriZ, but in all honesty it is likely the airline violated the rules in treating the passenger this way, and could have a real chance of losing in court. It doesn't matter if he is the biggest creep in the world and had his lawyer on speed dial - if paying passengers have already boarded the plane and are sitting there not causing a problem, they don't deserve to be forcibly removed from the flight calmly or otherwise. Bringing the officers in to intimidate, inflamed the situation and they shouldn't have assaulted an elderly man. There was no effort to do conflict resolution or to stop the situation from reaching that point before boarding in the first place. Passengers are not cattle.

 

And it's quite true that planes are horribly dirty. By the end of our flight to Heathrow, I can't tell you how many times the bathrooms are a disaster area (fecal matter sprayed on the walls and the floor), or the times people have projectile vomited mid-flight, or the times we got food poisoning (in economy without fail the 'microwaves' mysteriously stop working), the sick people, and the on-going years-long situation with a mouse on board that they can never seem to catch but often stops the flight entirely while they go 'looking for it'. I've never seen the mouse personally with the exception of it's droppings, but several persons I know have and it usually results in the flight being cancelled for the day.

Oh I'm sure they're going to lose. I also didn't fault him for not wanting to get off, who does? Just for the way he acted. Obviously most people don't react this way or you would hear about this every day. I truly believe this could have happened to anyone, they all have the same rules. United ended up being unlucky with A. The type of passenger they dealt with and B. Having people take a video. My guess is he wanted it to go this way so he could sue, it's just a hunch though. 

 

Oh the bathrooms are probably one of the cleaner parts of the plane, at least as per those links. I never use the food tray without wiping it off first. Can't say I've ever had a mouse issue though...

 

I never tried it personally cause I don't get sick often(in all honesty the last time I had a cold was in 2010) but I heard Airborne does really well with preventing catching anything on flights.

[bcking 3,157]

9 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

And it's quite true that planes are horribly dirty. By the end of our flight to Heathrow, I can't tell you how many times the bathrooms are a disaster area (fecal matter sprayed on the walls and the floor), or the times people have projectile vomited mid-flight, or the times we got food poisoning (in economy without fail the 'microwaves' mysteriously stop working), the sick people, and the on-going years-long situation with a mouse on board that they can never seem to catch but often stops the flight entirely while they go 'looking for it'. I've never seen the mouse personally with the exception of it's droppings, but several persons I know have and it usually results in the flight being cancelled for the day.

Unless I'm flying business class I use as little services on the plane as possible. I will eat right before I take off, and bring snacks. I'll have my own water bottle. I'll use the toilet once (unless I'm an extreme-long haul flight) and I just stay in my little bubble at my seat. I usually just try to sleep the whole way. The food in economy is disgusting.

 

3 minutes ago, OriZ said:

Oh I'm sure they're going to lose. I also didn't fault him for not wanting to get off, who does? Just for the way he acted. Obviously most people don't react this way or you would hear about this every day. I truly believe this could have happened to anyone, they all have the same rules. United ended up being unlucky with A. The type of passenger they dealt with and B. Having people take a video. My guess is he wanted it to go this way so he could sue, it's just a hunch though. 

 

Not everyone does it, but perhaps we could say this guy was smart enough to call his lawyer and ask him what his options were. Most people probably don't think at the time that if they continue to refuse they may be able to sue. At least I don't instantly think about situations where I can sue someone.

 

So I'm sure other airlines have, at some point, ended up picking people at random to lose their seat (though as we've said before usually it happens before actually sitting in the seat). Most people will probably just figure "Well that sucks, but I guess it's fair since it was random" and they go. He refused, called his lawyer, was likely told to stay seated. If his lawyer was any good he likely walked him through what would likely happen, and even the lawyer probably saw a potential for an "easy" lawsuit. 

 

As for videos - airlines need to understand that it is standard. It would be MORE unusual to have no videos. It's been that way for the last 5 years at least, if not 10. So they aren't really "unlucky" that it was caught on video, since that is typical and expected at this point. It definitely changes the way businesses respond to customers. It is much easier to get away with something if there is just written descriptions of what happened. That close up of him with blood on his face is forever on the internet now.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

1 hour ago, OriZ said:

It's starting to look more and more like this doctor caused a scene on purpose. I'm not blaming him for not wanting to get off the plane, I wouldn't want to either, but I think he bears part of the blame for the ultimate outcome of it all. It's almost as if he knew someone would probably take a video of it and he could sue and get alot more money. The fact that the lawsuit with two firms is already in  the works as well as the fact he was on the phone with his lawyer(who probably advised him to stay put till they forcefully drag him off so he can sue) while it all took place combined with his background - I wouldn't be surprised. 

 

Anyhow, in regards to comments I've seen about flying on that plane after him bleeding on it and whatnot - planes are already more disgusting than most people imagine. Really, hard to think it could get more disgusting than they already are.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3208635/The-dirtiest-areas-aircraft-revealed-E-coli-fecal-matter-aeroplane-tray-tables-blankets-seat-pockets.html

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3081328/Faecal-matter-plane-tray-tables-unwashed-blankets-80-million-bacteria-suitcases-dirty-secrets-air-travel-revealed.html

 

My wife and I always bring hand sanitizer and some clorox wipes with us.And never stick your hand in that pocket unless you have to...

Like I said from Jump street. There is always more to the story.

[OriZ 3,165]

6 minutes ago, bcking said:

Unless I'm flying business class I use as little services on the plane as possible. I will eat right before I take off, and bring snacks. I'll have my own water bottle. I'll use the toilet once (unless I'm an extreme-long haul flight) and I just stay in my little bubble at my seat. I usually just try to sleep the whole way. The food in economy is disgusting.

 

Not everyone does it, but perhaps we could say this guy was smart enough to call his lawyer and ask him what his options were. Most people probably don't think at the time that if they continue to refuse they may be able to sue. At least I don't instantly think about situations where I can sue someone.

 

So I'm sure other airlines have, at some point, ended up picking people at random to lose their seat (though as we've said before usually it happens before actually sitting in the seat). Most people will probably just figure "Well that sucks, but I guess it's fair since it was random" and they go. He refused, called his lawyer, was likely told to stay seated. If his lawyer was any good he likely walked him through what would likely happen, and even the lawyer probably saw a potential for an "easy" lawsuit. 

 

As for videos - airlines need to understand that it is standard. It would be MORE unusual to have no videos. It's been that way for the last 5 years at least, if not 10. So they aren't really "unlucky" that it was caught on video, since that is typical and expected at this point. It definitely changes the way businesses respond to customers. It is much easier to get away with something if there is just written descriptions of what happened. That close up of him with blood on his face is forever on the internet now.

Yeah if I was told I couldn't fly I would not be happy at all, but I would accept it as fact and get what I could out of them.

[bcking 3,157]

1 minute ago, OriZ said:

Yeah if I was told I couldn't fly I would not be happy at all, but I would accept it as fact and get what I could out of them.

The question though is to what limit would you go to "get what you could"? I probably would have eventually given in to be honest. In order to get the absolute most out of them, what the doctor did may have been the best decision.

 

If the suit goes well, and based on no legal knowledge I think it will (;)), he will get far more than 800 dollars, or even 3,000 dollars to change planes. In the end his injuries were minor, and his reputation as a doctor I based on what information we have wasn't that great anyway. If he wins enough, he may never have to work/trade prescriptions for sex again.

[OriZ 3,165]

1 minute ago, bcking said:

The question though is to what limit would you go to "get what you could"? I probably would have eventually given in to be honest. In order to get the absolute most out of them, what the doctor did may have been the best decision.

 

If the suit goes well, and based on no legal knowledge I think it will (;)), he will get far more than 800 dollars, or even 3,000 dollars to change planes. In the end his injuries were minor, and his reputation as a doctor I based on what information we have wasn't that great anyway. If he wins enough, he may never have to work/trade prescriptions for sex again.

Exactly, which is why it would have made sense for it to be intentional, although we'll probably never know for sure so for now we're just speculating.

 

What I meant by get what I could is I wouldn't sue, I would just see what I could get out of them at the airport or maybe even a little later through CS, just as I did with the other 3 situations I mentioned. In one of them I actually threatened them I would toss my explorer card in the trash. That seemed to help some.

[bcking 3,157]

1 minute ago, OriZ said:

What I meant by get what I could is I wouldn't sue, I would just see what I could get out of them at the airport or maybe even a little later through CS, just as I did with the other 3 situations I mentioned. In one of them I actually threatened them I would toss my explorer card in the trash. That seemed to help some.

Ya I would likely do the same, and have done in other situations (thankfully never had such a huge issue with an airline, despite flying so much).

 

EDIT: Actually my wife and I did have an issue with BA, and that escalated to the point where we said they would lose our loyalty (She was silver, I was bronze, she always booked BA when flying business with her company). Sadly it didn't actually make a difference to BA. Since then we've only flown them once when we got a cheap fare (we also stopped flying since they also cut out a lot of services). Airlines like BA that are consistently more money than other airlines need to realize the importance of loyalty. People are booking more expensive tickets out of the goodness of their heart.

Edited April 12, 2017 by bcking