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posted by cmn32480 on Friday April 14 2017, @04:52AM   Printer-friendly
from the paging-ms-Streisand! dept.

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)


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  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @05:37AM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 14 2017, @05:37AM (#493839)
    It seems like every for profit companies motto is "we screw our customers at every opportunity".
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  • (Score: 2) by Nerdfest on Friday April 14 2017, @01:16PM (1 child)

    by Nerdfest (80) on Friday April 14 2017, @01:16PM (#493944)

    No, some actually realize that screwing over customers only works for the short term. Most don't seem to of course, and ideally eventually succumb to "Death by MBA". Doesn't work well where there's not enough competition though.

    • (Score: 2) by kaszz on Friday April 14 2017, @03:01PM

      by kaszz (4211) on Friday April 14 2017, @03:01PM (#494007) Journal

      The United Airlines CEO, Oscar Muñoz actually has a Bachelor in Science in Business from University of Southern California 1982. But it gets better he actually has the actual MBA from Pepperdine University in 1986.

      So it really seems to be Death by MBA (tm). Reality sometimes beat imagination ;)