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On the heels of United's heavy-handed removal of a booked passenger comes another wonderful piece of news from United:
Fearns needed to return early so he paid about $1,000 for a full-fare, first-class ticket to Los Angeles. He boarded the aircraft at Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai, took his seat and enjoyed a complimentary glass of orange juice while awaiting takeoff.
Then, as Fearns tells it, a United employee rushed onto the aircraft and informed him that he had to get off the plane.
"I asked why," he told me. "They said the flight was overfull."
Apparently, due to technical problems, a different plane was used that had slightly fewer seats. So fewer first class seats. So why bump off a first class passenger?
"That's when they told me they needed the seat for somebody more important who came at the last minute," Fearns said.
Seriously, United?
This ended up with Fearns being bumped down to economy class. With no recompensation offered. When contacting them to demand a refund and $25k for a charity of his choice, the reply was no on both accounts. But he was offered the difference between a first class ticket and the seat he was forced to occupy - between a couple that had a fight, refused to sit next to each other and spent the 6hrs of flight fighting. Oh, and $500 in United credit.
I realise this is just one side of the story, but still: this news surfacing the next day and these two events happening in the same week?
"I understand you might bump people because a flight is full," Fearns said. "But they didn't say anything at the gate. I was already in the seat. And now they were telling me I had no choice. They said they'd put me in cuffs if they had to."
You couldn't make this up if you tried.
Indeed, I could not.
For shame, United. For shame.
takyon: United Airlines' Own Contract Denied it any Right to Remove Passenger
N.J. doctor saves woman on United flight where medical supplies were 'lacking'
(a completely different story)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @05:12AM (3 children)
1) Build time machine.
2) Go back to last week.
3) Short United Airlines stock.
4) Profit !!!
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday April 14 2017, @07:02AM (2 children)
There's now a new incident obviously and circa 7.5 hours before the stock market NYSE opens (09:30 ET). Perhaps a quick and smart maneuvering with trading orders this morning can produce some bucks?
They have already taken a hit [advfn.com] (UAL) from 70 to 69 US$ in 6 hours. And further down it will go I assume because this just screams incompetent management. Perhaps they will go all the way to 55 US$ which seems to be a stable level.
Any ideas on best shorting strategy?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday April 14 2017, @12:52PM (1 child)
Any ideas on best shorting strategy?
Already covered by AC. Hop in your time machine and travel back before the stories erupted. Now, it's too late. At this point, you should be thinking a potential buy strategy instead.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday April 14 2017, @02:58PM
Can't seem to find any realtime data for "UAL". It should been traded for 28 minutes by now.