Fly the friendly skies....

[smackaholic]

...well, unless we need your seat, in which case, you'll get the fukk off, if you know what's good for you.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/internet-tro ... 30488.html

Nice going United. You have done something previously thought to be impossible. You have lowered the airline customer service bar.

What fukking morons.

The problem is, over the years the Airlines have been getting tighter and tighter with bump compensation. I remember a time when they offered real american folding money. When they did this, folks would jump to take it. Now, you get a shitty voucher. So, you are inconveniencing me so that I can get a discount on future inconvenience? I don't fukking think so.

I suspect you will see a big change in how United and all the other airlines handle bump compensation going forward. Going back to cash would be good. Also might want to look at throwing around some 1st class upgrades.

[smackaholic]

If 800 and a hotel isn't enough, you sweeten the deal. You made a fukking contract with this person to deliver him somewhere at an agreed upon time. They do not have the right to dictate the solution to their inability to meet the terms. Were they offering 800 cash or a POS voucher which may be worthless to the passenger.

The erason I have absolutely no sympathy with the Airline is the way they treat you, their customer, when you fukk up and don't meet your end of the deal. They keep your money and tell you to fukk the fukk off and if you are lucky, will rebook you....for a small fee, of course.

[Goober McTuber]

But according to last night's news, it wasn't necessarily overbooked. It was a full flight. United wanted to put 4 employees of a partner airline onto the plane. Total bullshit.

[smackaholic]

Yeah, it is.

Me thinks that Dr Zipperhead will end up being compensated a little better than United's original offer.

[Diego in Seattle]

I heard that the max that an airline can offer as far as cash is $1300. That's probably going to play a part in this guy's coming litigation.

[Rooster]

Incredibly foolish. For the cost of nonstop bad publicity United could have chartered Left Seater to personally fly Dr. Flies & Lice to Lullville. It's the same thinking that makes companies trip over a dollar to pick up a dime in terms of customer service.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/ent ... 100316622/

Pretty funny skit at the end.

[Smackie Chan]

[Left Seater]

Unfortunate situation. But when the police show up, dude should have stood up and gotten of the plane. Also the fact the cop knocked his face into the seat in front doesn't help the cops brand at all.

The thing that bothers me in this whole story the most is the discussion on overbooking. This wasn't an oversold situation. The airline needed to get a crew to a new city so a later flight didn't have to cancel and the flight after that, etc. However, I am not surprised that the media took a big swing and a miss here and is running with overbooking stories. That said, it was a situation of involuntary denied boarding. Completely unlikely dude was randomly selected though. First off anyone on that plane with status in the United frequent flier program was exempt. Then anyone with status on another Star Alliance airline was exempt. Then anyone who had paid for a fully refundable ticket or was on a business or government negotiated ticket was exempted. Then if the pool of people was still pretty large, any remaining members of the United Frequent Flyer program were exempted. Finally when United was down to about 6 people the random selection began.

[Goober McTuber]

I watched the ABC news last night and it was not presented as overbooking. I supposed you lump the Twitters in with the media. You fucking airline apologist.

[Rooster]

For what it's worth, AP (the news service, not the women's underwear fetish guy) reported Dr. Dao is a convicted felon whose crime was wrongly making scripts for drugs. Whatever.

[Mikey]

In that case they should have kicked the shit out of him and dumped him on the tarmac.

[Mikey]

BTW...you can drive from Chicago to Louisville in less than five hours. United could have hired a limo and probably gotten their employees there in time.

Also, airlines are allowed to overbook but they don't HAVE to. It's a risk they choose to take. They offered $800 and then decided to kick passengers off when nobody bit. They could have gone as high as $1350, but I guess they figure the PR isn't worth that much.

I think we should all get together with 88 and go fly United to show our support in their time of need.

[Shlomart Ben Yisrael]

BTW...you can drive from Chicago to Louisville in less than five hours.

"Nice. I've been looking for a reason to catch up on my reading anyhow."

Sincerely, smackatelephonepole.

[Mikey]

I don't fly much except on Southwest maybe once a month on average. Air travel has gotten to be such a huge pain in the ass. If you travel enough to get upgrades I guess it wouldn't be so bad but for the peons it's getting more and more like a cattle drive. About three years ago I had a job that was 80% travel. I lasted six months and it pretty much soured me on flying.

My family and I got bumped on a trip to New York maybe 15 years ago. We took the $400 each, got set up on a different airline and actually got there earlier than our original schedule.

[Left Seater]

I watched the ABC news last night and it was not presented as overbooking. I supposed you lump the Twitters in with the media. You fucking airline apologist.

Cool, so ABC got it correct. New York Times, CNN and MSNBC all called it overbooking. And update your spreadsheet, I am hardly an airline apologist. They deserve most of the crap they get since they bring it on themselves.

[Derron]

I don't fly much outside of the Left Coast and pretty much fly Alaska exclusively. Mileage Plus plan member, get a $ 99 anywhere fare each year after 4,000 miles, great credit card. Not getting bumped on Alaska or Virgin any time soon.

Had a flight from Seattle to Portland cancel at last minute for crew hours. Got rebooked on another Alaska flight to Portland on a 737, 20 minute flight within 40 minutes. Of course the braying pussy bleeders giving the agents shit got stoned.

Apparently this " Dr. " was a quack dope dealer who has multiple felony convictions for prescription fraud, prostitution, and is restricted to one day a week of internal medicine practice, hardly making big money. Dirt bag deserved what he got.