Posted on 04/11/2017 11:59:06 AM PDT by ColdOne
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is calling for a hearing the forceful removal of a United Airlines passenger from an overbooked flight.
“I deplore the violent removal of a passenger from a United Airlines flight this weekend,” Norton said in a statement Monday. “Airline passengers must have protections against such abusive treatment.
"I am asking our committee for a hearing, which will allow us to question airport police, United Airlines personnel, and airport officials, among others, about whether appropriate procedures were in place in Chicago and are in place across the United States when passengers are asked to leave a flight,” she continued.
Norton’s remarks come after a viral video surfaced showing the passenger being dragged out of his seat and down the aisle by three airport security guards after refusing to give up his seat.
ADVERTISEMENT United Airlines reportedly offered $800 to individuals who would voluntarily give up their seat, but not enough people offered. The airline then decided to choose individuals at random.
“The only information available has been that perhaps $800 was offered to leave the flight. Federal rules require airlines to give passengers four times their fare or up to $1,250 if they are bumped from an overbooked flight,” Norton said.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
I get that. It’s why overbooking seriously annoys me. But I also know why they do it. And this sort of thing is VERY rare. In fact, it’s rather unusual that nobody took them up on the offer.
I also am not sure this is an “overbooking” issue. Rather, they were trying to put a “standby status” crew on the plane. i.e. it is possible the plane was not overbooked at all, but every paying passenger showed up - and they needed to transport a crew too.
This is definitely a PR screwup, but I hate seeing the pompus passenger get away with anything here...
Another airline would have accommodated them if they had space. Untied Airlines just blew whatever cred’s they had and I’m sure that unless UA is the only airline that goes to the city you want they’ve lost more money than in dead heading those four staff. Right now I’m sitting in Cleveland hoping to catch a jump to Atlanta so I can get my next route. Looks like I’ll make the next flight out in about an hour.
Agreed. If Congress gets involved it'll probably wind up generating some legislation that'll end up increasing everyone's airfare by another 30%.
Nobody is saying a word about the Captain of this airplane.
Airplane Captains have the final say over anything within the aircraft.
Why is no one talking about the Captain?
We’re all mad at the clerk and security, but I’ll bet anyone it was the Captain who made the decision.
Who is he/she?
Have a good flight!
ARE FREEPERS ALL GETTING DENSE LATELY???
THEY NEEDED PILOTS ELSEWHERE - IT WAS EITHER LET THIS GUY WAIT, OR MAKE HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF OTHER PEOPLE DELAY AS IT CASCADES OUTWARD BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE A PILOT
WEATHER PATTERNS FORCE THEM TO CHANGE PLANS AND NOT HAVE PILOTS OR PLANES WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED SO THEY HAVE TO MOVE THEM
THEY DID NOT DO THIS JUST BECAUSE THEY FELT LIKE IT
THIS IS ENTIRELY THE IDIOT PASSENGERS FAULT
AND I AM NOT SCREAMING MY KEYBOARD IS STUCK
I’m not defending United. I’m defending the concept. It’s one reason flying is as cheap as it is.
However, It would be fun to, as they tell you you will have to leave, tell them that they MUST give you your luggage before that plane lifts off if they don’t want a visit from your attorney. If they are going to inconvenience you, you are gonna inconvenience them - and everyone else on the plane. That would fix it.
I think the continual bumping of the offer to volunteer is best, but it is clear that in this case they did not want to set a precedent.
I think we only have one side of the event.
The “dems” need to do a car wash and have a bake sale to pay for their goofyass “hearing”. Norton can be the vacuum cleaner guy.
Your caps lock is stuck.
It's on the left side of your keyboard, click it again to turn it off.
Here’s something we ALL understand.
Cause maybe we don’t “get” overbooking, or “standby” and maybe if we had thought about it we’d come up with a new system.
But few of us know a lot about airplane and such as reservations.
What we DO know is how awful it must be to be sitting down, all settled in, luggage checked in, stuff in the overhead. Folks meeting you have been notified when to come to the airport and time comes to sit back and anticipate whatever event brings us to the airport and on the way there.
THEN THEY COME IN AND TELL YOU TIME TO GET OFF THE PLANE!
I’d be furious.
It’s just plain bad PR, I don’t care how many small legalese print is on the ticket that I could be bumped off.
It just does not look good no matter how much someone might try to justify it.
We understand this out here in lala land where we carry this country on our backs.
And what is it that somebody goes back to 2003 and discovers this guy had issues with prescription drugs and a homosexual affair.
Well that’s something damn else we understand. That after being treated horribly, paying for our ticket, getting settled, somebody thinks the solution is to find out about OUR past....they try and make US the bad guy.
This bird just ain’t gonna fly.
Yeah but this is all over Facebook. That’s why we need a hearing.
What I heard and seen about this. Was asked by the crew twice or more to disembark where he repeatedly refused. Squealed like a stuck pig or worse as it sounded to me like a little 5 year old having an epic temper tantrum. He put on a big Hollywood act for the phone cameras as cop(s) dragged him off. The 69 year old (reported age) big baby wanted his 15 minutes of fame I suppose by being stupid.
He said he had patients scheduled for the next day. For what - colds and sniffles? If he is really sooo concerned take the offered money and rent a car (5 hour drive so some have said), or take another same day flight.
 |
 |
 |
She can call for a hearing on the matter all day long but Congress needs to stay out of it. This is another gotcha moment coming from the Democrat party and Republicans better not fall for it.
File this story under:
“More dumb management decisions from MBA’s making millions of dollars a year.”
What will be the final cost of this bad decision and the resultant negative publicity?
It has to be astronomical.
And the airline could have easily avoided it by raising the money offered for people to voluntarily leave the flight until they got the 4 seats they wanted.
At some level higher than the $800 they offered there would have been people willing to give up their seats.
It might have cost them a few thousand dollars but that is a mere pittance compared to the millions in bad publicity and loss of customer confidence and loyalty.
And you know darn well there is a big lawsuit headed their way.
This is the first I’ve heard of this explanation. Maybe offering more money for volunteers would have worked out better for them. Everyone has a price.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.