[pepsionice]

But think about the implications of this. Every time you get overbooked...you refuse to cooperate with them....get beat up by the security guys, and then collect a minimum of $100 million? Everyone will volunteer to get the broken noise...just to collect the hundred million.

[grania]

A better outcome would be that airlines don't overbook. They're being paid for that no-show. They could go back to "standby" sales of those no-show tickets after passengers are seated.

This is an out-of-control corporation putting its convenience ahead of any concern about the rights or lives of its customers.

[blackbetty59]

No, this incident has every airline in the country revising their policies on how to handle this in the future. There will definitely be higher/better compensation (compensation that is actually an incentive) to surrender a ticket. They’ll go out of their way to make sure that they have these issues settled BEFORE any passenger is seated and buckled up. That is a good thing.

[samtheman]

But think about the implications of this. Every time you get overbooked...you refuse to cooperate with them....get beat up by the security guys, and then collect a minimum of $100 million?

---

Hey... here’s an idea: DON’T OVERBOOK!

And even if you DO overbook, DENY FURTHER BOARDING, don’t try to take people out of seats to put standing passengers a seat.

If you end up in a bad situation with the wrong people outside the gate, then START FIRING MANAGEMENT and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

But never, ever take a person off the plane for the sole purpose of giving some other moron the seat.

How hard is THAT????

[Jmouse007]

You totally misunderstand the law. The airlines have to remove a passenger BEFORE THEY BOARD THE PLANE, AND BEFORE THEY TAKE THEIR SEAT. The only exception to the rule is if a boarded, seated passenger is acting improperly.

The doctor had already been permitted to board by UAL staff, was already seated and was behaving himself quietly sitting in his seat patiently waiting for the plane to take off BEFORE the UAL GOONS and neanderthal Chicago cops began to beat him unconscious and drag his lifeless body off the plane.

Simply put, UAL criminally broke the contractual law they and the passengers are supposed to abide by. UAL is going to be sued for tens of millions of dollars, maybe even more and they are going to lose, it's a foregone conclusion.

[FreedomStar3028]

That’s ridiculous. They can just......NOT OVERBOOK!!!!!!!

Imagine that! The airline can just sell as many tickets as there are seats, instead of trying to get a little bit more profit. Then they don’t have to kick paying customers off of their flights.