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Well that's kind of a drag

Lakelad

By Lakelad
in Airline Aviation Forum

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Moon The Loon

Moon The Loon

Posted
Posted

UAL is going to have their butts sued off on this one.

If you have been boarded, with a legitimate boarding pass, then you CAN NOT be deplaned because of an oversale.

That's common law 101.

All airlines know when they are in an oversale position. To board ANY passenger prior to resolving the oversale is irresponsible.  In this example, criminal, where physical force was exerted.

I would not want to be at the next UAL BoD meeting on who is going to take the fall for this.

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Boney

Boney

Posted
Posted

They keep calling this an oversold situation, when in fact, it was a last minute DH crew that needed to be on board for operational reasons. Usually it's the pax that checked in last that is selected for off loading.

The problem is that both the passenger, not wanting to leave, and the cops, believing that force is the answer, contributed to this unfortunate incident. Will be an interesting court case. 

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

I hope the Libs. get some input from the Airlines .  Of course they could simply adopt the EU Passenger rights. http://www.airpassengerrights.eu/en/your-rights-a-summary.html

Ottawa to introduce legislation to address airline bumping

Bill of rights for air passengers to be introduced this spring, Transport Ministry says

The Canadian PressPosted: Apr 11, 2017 6:32 AM ET Last Updated: Apr 11, 2017 7:48 AM ET

Canada will introduce new legislation this spring that will address the problem of travellers being bumped from flights, the federal government said Monday, as the violent dragging of a passenger off an overbooked flight in the U.S. unleashed anger over the practice.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Marc Garneau said bumping rules will be included in an air passenger bill of rights that was promised last fall to establish clear, minimum requirements for compensation when flights are oversold or luggage lost.

'You don't get a choice, you cannot argue.'— Passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs

Marc Roy declined, however, to say if the legislation would set industry-wide standards or raise compensation to levels offered in the United States or Europe.

Garneau would not comment directly on the incident aboard a United Airlines flight Sunday in Chicago, where police officers were seen on video grabbing a man from his seat and dragging him down the aisle. He said he did not know whether a passenger in Canada can be forcibly removed from a flight because of overbooking.

"I certainly have seen what happened in the case of the United Airlines flight and that is why last November I announced that we would be putting in place what we call a regime of rights for passengers," Garneau said. "We recognize that when a passenger books a ticket, they are entitled to certain rights."

Passenger rights advocate Gabor Lukacs said the "troubling" video highlights the need for greater consumer protection.

"Sadly, people realize what bumping actually means only when an incident so extreme happens," he said.

Lukacs said all airlines should be required to conform to the same compensation limits, with thresholds rising to a maximum of $1,500, in line with the U.S.

In 2013, Lukacs won a Canadian Transportation Agency case against Air Canada over the issue of bumping that required the airline to raise compensation to a maximum of $800 depending on the length of delay.

WestJet Airlines and Air Transat say they don't intentionally overbook flights. WestJet said it can be forced to assign passengers to a later flight if it faces an operational issue. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

Passengers are usually only removed forcibly from flights if they are intoxicated or deemed by crew to be a threat. However, Lukacs said airline staff can legally use their power to bar passengers.

"If for any reason the airline tells you you need to leave, you have to leave," he said. "You don't get a choice, you cannot argue about whether you have to leave or not because it is their aircraft."

He said airlines overbook flights as a hedge against people not showing up.

Air Canada said bumping is rare.

"We appreciate this is inconvenient for customers and we do take a very conservative approach to avoid this situation arising and when it does, we pay significant compensation," spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick wrote in an email.

WestJet Airlines and Air Transat say they don't intentionally overbook flights. WestJet said it can be forced to assign passengers to a later flight if it faces an operational issue such as a mechanical problem or when a plane is replaced with a smaller one.

Rick Seaney, CEO of U.S.-based FareCompare.com, said he's never seen something like what happened on board the United Airlines plane.

"You should never let somebody board that you're going to toss," he said from Dallas.

He said airlines typically raise the financial incentive until someone voluntarily agrees to take a later flight.

The Canadian Transportation Agency said passengers can minimize their chances of being bumped by pre-paying for a selected seat, checking in online up to 24 hours in advance of the flight and arriving at the airport early.

The agency said it received 55 complaints about overbooking in 2015-16, less than four per cent of all air travel complaints filed.

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boestar

boestar

Posted
Posted

IMHO if you are a paying passenger and have been boarded then that seat is yours.  If someone else comes along and has  the same assigned seat then the second guy doesnt get boarded.  First come first served.  you do not seat a paying passenger and then say "oh wait, you have to get off so we can board this guy"  That is bad PR waiting to happen

 

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Guest

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United Airlines Doctor Convicted of Exchanging Drugs for Sex (UPDATE)

United Airlines DoctorConvicted of Exchanging Drugs for Sex  http://www.tmz.com/2017/04/11/united-airlines-doctor-convicted-drugs-sex/

The passenger who was savagely removed from United flight 3411 is a medical doctor with a sordid history.

Dr. David Dao was charged in 2005 with 98 felony drug counts for illegally prescribing and trafficking painkillers. Prosecutors claimed Dao fraudulently filled prescriptions for hydocodone, Oxycontin and Percocet.

Dr. Dao was also convicted on 6 felony counts of obtaining drugs by fraud and deceit and in 2005 was given 5 years probation.

Dao was also convicted for writing prescriptions and checks to a patient in exchange for sex.

In medical board documents ... Dao denied paying for sex, but indicated he accepted sexual favors from an associate in exchange for reducing a debt that associate owed him.

In February, 2005, Dr. Dao surrendered his license to practice medicine in Kentucky. In 2015 the medical board lifted the suspension and allowed him to practice medicine with some restrictions. Last year, the medical board imposed even more restrictions -- now he can only practice internal medicine in an outpatient facility one day a week.

Interestingly, and relevant to the United incident, one doctor assessing Dao's case said he had interpersonal problems, noting "... he would unilaterally choose to do his own thing." 

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Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, conehead said:

Well, this passengers history is irrelevant to the case. This shouldn't have happened to anyone.

I agree that it should not happen to anyone who behaves normally, but it would appear his behavior was at least part of the problem.  

Quote

Interestingly, and relevant to the United incident, one doctor assessing Dao's case said he had interpersonal problems, noting "... he would unilaterally choose to do his own thing." 

 

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1 hour ago, Canoehead said:

I highly doubt that Dr. Dao threw a tantrum the first time he was asked to disembark.  He likely behaved normally (although perhaps belligerently) up until the moment the smartphones were turned on.  

Why do you doubt that? And you should ask why do I believe that. ;)

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deicer

deicer

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, conehead said:

Well, this passengers history is irrelevant to the case. This shouldn't have happened to anyone.

And his odds of being selected were what?  One in twenty five?  If not for random circumstance,  nobody would know anything about his past.  The internet is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

 

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