Sounds like United Airlines muffed it

[Jerome Stanek]

WHAT??? you have paid for your seat, sitting in your assigned seat, and for no reason you understand, you are asked to leave the plane? And when you don't, please explain the rule you are breaking. Because a pilot said so? Because a flight attendant said so? because some dimwit with a uniform said so?

How is Home-Land Security going to spin this as a terrorist plot????

How exactly would you be considered in interfering with a flight when you are a "random pick"? Did he threaten anyone? Did he start screaming at everyone before they so brutally evicted him from the plane?

United blew it, did a sloppy cover-up and should end up paying through the nose for it. For no reason, they treat him in a way that required a visit to the hospital?

Oh, they blew it - big time...

And United is trying everything to spin it to down grade the fact that they were wrong and it is going to cost them not only to the victim but prospective customers.

[Malcolm McLeod]

If you invite someone over to dinner, set the table and prepare a meal, then treat them like an intruder at the last minute, is that OK because you own the house and payed for the food?
He didn't choose violence, they put their hands on him first.

Again not defending United, but the analogies leave a great deal of room for problems: So your dinner guest sits down at the table, you now have absolutely no right to ask them to leave your home??

He didn't choose violence, but he chose to refuse to comply with law enforcement authorities. Try it at your next traffic stop. I wish you the very best outcome.

As with so many confrontations in life, there are dozens of ways this could have been averted - - by either party.

[Wade Lippman]

WHAT??? you have paid for your seat, sitting in your assigned seat, and for no reason you understand, you are asked to leave the plane? And when you don't, please explain the rule you are breaking. Because a pilot said so? Because a flight attendant said so? because some dimwit with a uniform said so?

I'd be really angry, but I would be sane enough to realize that the plane wasn't leaving until I got off, and they would drag me off if they had to; and I would probably be subject to criminal charges. Anyone who can't understand that is out of touch with reality.

Yeah, United handed it poorly; very poorly. As so many have said, they should have offered enough to get volunteers. But the violence was entirely the passenger's fault.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

.....and another view https://thepilotwifelife.wordpress.c...t-flight-3411/

[Mike Henderson]

.....and another view https://thepilotwifelife.wordpress.c...t-flight-3411/

She argues that the airline had the right to drag him off the plane and for safety reasons they needed to do it.

They certainly had the right to drag him off the plane but there was no safety issue. He was simply protesting his removal. He was no threat to the plane, the other passengers, or the crew.

IF they were not going to do it correctly by offering a larger incentive until they got volunteers, the way they should have handled it is to tell him that they're not going to drag him off, but when they get to the destination the police will meet the plane and he will be arrested for interfering with a flight crew.

Then announce the same thing to the rest of the passengers and tell them that because of Dr. Dao's position they will have to select someone else to be removed.

The only way they should resort to dragging someone off is if there was no other choice - where no one would get off the plane.

Mike

[Remember that those who were forced to exit the plane get compensation - about $1,300 and their ticket is free (federal law). Someone would have likely agreed to be involuntarily bounced for that.]

[Update here: And so it begins.]

[Jerome Stanek]

.....and another view https://thepilotwifelife.wordpress.c...t-flight-3411/

That was not a federal officer as she says and he did not escalate anything he did not strike out at anyone

[Jerome Stanek]

She argues that the airline had the right to drag him off the plane and for safety reasons they needed to do it.

They certainly had the right to drag him off the plane but there was no safety issue. He was simply protesting his removal. He was no threat to the plane, the other passengers, or the crew.

IF they were not going to do it correctly by offering a larger incentive until they got volunteers, the way they should have handled it is to tell him that they're not going to drag him off, but when they get to the destination the police will meet the plane and he will be arrested for interfering with a flight crew.

Then announce the same thing to the rest of the passengers and tell them that because of Dr. Dao's position they will have to select someone else to be removed.

The only way they should resort to dragging someone off is if there was no other choice - where no one would get off the plane.

Mike

[Remember that those who were forced to exit the plane get compensation - about $1,300 and their ticket is free (federal law). Someone would have likely agreed to be involuntarily bounced for that.]

They were offered $800 voucher and a day late what if the flight the next day was overbooked does he get first seating or standby. People say that airlines need to overbook to make sure that all the seats are full but all the tickets that I get are non refundable so if I don't show that seat is still paid for.

[Stan Calow]

​Of course United screwed up - no apologies for them. But if a police officer tells me to get off, I get off. Yes I would be angry, but I am not going to get physically violent. The police officers I know do not appreciate non-cooperation in any form. I won't make a video of it. Apparently neither did the other three people who were involuntarily bumped and won't be famous for it.

[Bruce Wrenn]

My SIL is a pilot, daughter was a flight atendent till she got injured in the job, and son is a baggage handler for airlines. First, crew can remove ANYBODY from plane at any location. As for random selection, hardly. Cheapest seat goes first, with loyalty members being last chosen. Seldom if ever does anyone in first class get bumped. As for crew, unfortunately they have to be in Louisville for next morning's flight. They couldn't be taxied down either as they would not have the REQUIRED ten hours of rest. Ferrying doesn't count as rest. However the passengers who got bumped could be taxied down to Louisville. Best solution, in hind sight, was to ask for volunteers, and bus / taxi them to Louisville, a five hour trip. All would have been home that night, just a little late. What really frosted me was passengers cheering as Dr was dragged off plane. Because we fly as non rev, we sit in a lot of airports and watch them service planes, plus wave good bye to ours as it leaves without us. Sometimes the stars line up perfectly. Once we went to New Orleans to pick up wife's dad. Pushed away from the gate at Raleigh Durham at 6:00 AM, connected thru Atlanta to NO, and then back thru Atlanta to RDU by 3:00 PM same day. Four flights, two connections, RDU to MSY and back to RDU via Atl in NINE HOURS!!

[Bill Gugel]

I can't believe anyone is sticking up for the airline. The only business where the paying customer is treated like a criminal from the get go and your rights seen to go away when you buy the ticket.

[Jim Falsetti]

UAL has a Contract of Carriage with a ticketed passenger. The rules that apply once you have been told to board, and are in your seat, are different than those that apply before you have boarded. United committed an enormous PR disaster, but it seems they may be learning they should follow their own contract of carriage rules.

United would be foolish in the extreme to let this drag on for any period of time.

The benefit to the rest of us is that all airlines will be examining this situation, to make sure it never happens again. It'll be interesting to see what solutions will be offered - hopefully not one that changes the Contract of Carriage such that this action is considered OK!

Jim

[Ronald Blue]

What really frosted me was passengers cheering as Dr was dragged off plane.

Bruce you must have saw a different video then I saw. Their were upset passengers voicing their displeasure in the one I saw. Also I doubt the crew met their goal anyway as the flight was delayed almost 3 hours. If they did then obviously United had other options still available. That and a good number of the original passengers deplaned and didn't re-board. I am not saying the Dr was right but United couldn't have mucked this up any worse. Also they were not air marshalls they were Chicago Airport Police. I don't know if any of these were armed or not. They behaved like thugs themselves and many witness accounts said the Dr was fine right up to moments before they mugged him. He put no one at risk.

[Michael Dye]

United will be bankrupt in less than a year over this one. Deregulation has put the airlines in a position of power not usually seen in any form of commerce. I'll tell you this......once that plane was boarded, United's options became limited. They could have easily purchased first class tickets on any other airline and gotten their people to Louisville in plenty of time. I'm sure NetJets or one of a dozen Part 135 operators could have moved that crew. Instead, they chose to pull the "Untouchable" card and look where it has gotten them. Let UAL die a slow death. They deserve it. Oh, the doc will be a billionaire before this is done. My two cents.

[Dick Latshaw]

Oh, the doc will be a billionaire before this is done.

Possibly the doc, for sure his lawyers.

[Mel Fulks]

Guys at the top will deny all knowledge of forced deplanings. They are too important to get involved in what the "soldiers" do. Even in woodwork there are things you get blamed for if you don't keep a copy of the paperwork. Yes, they get mad when they find out you have it. THAT makes it all worthwhile !