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United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

latimes.com

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Re: United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

#221

Post by barking »

davidf18 wrote: post #213
tyfon wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The company I work at (in Norway) had planed to take all 70 employees to NYC this summer to celebrate a milestone reached. We just moved the whole thing to Paris instead as we had issues with all of the above, including employees that have visited "dangerous" countries. The thing that pushed everyone over was when our former prime minster was harassed[1] at the border for having been to a meeting in Iran. It says in…

Well, I'm very sorry your employees missed out on visiting NYC. As a NYC resident and as someone who has been to Paris many times, Paris is very nice. But people that come to NYC have a much greater experience. In the past month I met both an Italian who came here for the first time and an Israeli and both of them were so happy to be here. I think your employer should schedule a trip to NYC for these 70 employees --…

A recent story in Europe was that travellers entering the US could be forced to reveal social network passwords. No idea if that is true or not but it was a headline.

Re: United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

#222

Post by janesvilleseo »

chimeracoder wrote: post #147
janesvilleseo wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife and I just got back from a trip to Italy. The flight was full on the way there. We went from Chicago to Rome. However on the way back we flew from Venice with a stop over in Madrid back to Chicago. The plane was only 1/3 full at most. I remember commenting to my wife how empty it was.

> My wife and I just got back from a trip to Italy. The flight was full on the way there. We went from Chicago to Rome. However on the way back we flew from Venice with a stop over in Madrid back to Chicago. The plane was only 1/3 full at most. I remember commenting to my wife how empty it was. That's most likely just the normal variation in the flight schedules - they can vary dramatically not just by time of year,…

True. I don't do enough international travel to indicate it one way or another. Just thought it was strange. This is only 1 small data point where many are needed in order to see any trending.

Re: United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

#223

Post by whack »

I've traveled on flights frequently for over a decade, and I've never had an airline refuse to seat me for a flight I had a ticket for. I don't use frequent-flyer, and just buy the cheapest tickets available on Expedia. The only saving grace I can think of is that I always get to the airport way before anyone else does. Have I just been getting lucky all this time? Short of being a frequent flyer or buying expensive tickets, is there any way I can make sure I don't get bumped off a plane I have tickets for?

Re: United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

#224

Post by davidf18 »

I have a good story to tell about El-Al (Israeli) airlines and US Air.

I was on a connecting flight on US Air to Newark to take El-Al. The US Air flight left late and arrived late. Israeli security escorted me and 2 other passengers onto the El-Al plane to Tel Aviv but the luggage did not make it.

El-Al opens all bags that don't travel with the passenger in a bomb chamber which is located at JFK. So it took 3 or 4 days to get my luggage. El-Al gave me $75 even though it was not their fault. US Air paid suit, shoes, etc. that I had to purchase.

Re: United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

#225

Post by macintux »

laretluval wrote: post #197
macintux wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be surprised were it legal to have the police drag someone out of a room they've paid for and been checked into, merely because another guest wants that room. Sure, you can ask, but on what legal basis do you have to apply violence?

The hotel is private property. If the owners of the property ask you to leave and you don't, you are trespassing.

These aren't just bums off the street. You signed a contract with the airline or hotel. You haven't violated the contract by making too much noise, or selling dope out of the room. I don't think your argument is valid, but IANAL.

Re: United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

#226

Post by benchaney »

laretluval wrote: post #197
macintux wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be surprised were it legal to have the police drag someone out of a room they've paid for and been checked into, merely because another guest wants that room. Sure, you can ask, but on what legal basis do you have to apply violence?

The hotel is private property. If the owners of the property ask you to leave and you don't, you are trespassing.

This is incorrect. In a hotel, much like in an apartment, there are significant legal protections for tenants have paid and not violated any laws.

Re: United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

#227

Post by rkeene2 »

EtherOr wrote: post #102

I wonder if this is a staged attempt (on the part of United, if not also the passenger) to prove that the prior instance was not about race or class (e.g. economy vs. first). "See, we do it to everyone!" Could this latest behavior be used as defensive evidence in a court case alleging discrimination?

The events in the article happened before the more famous and serious event.

Re: United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

#228

Post by BearGoesChirp »

Zigurd wrote: post #39

While this might or might not be technically legal, what shocks me is the response you'll see on online fora, that passengers should just shut up and comply, and that failure to do so is childish. These posts are often at great length, and laden with appeals to authority. Some might be trolls. But others appear to be by people who genuinely value an environment where the lowliest airline employee, no matter how poor…

>that failure to do so is childish.

In many areas of life I've found that culturally we have been trained to view anyone who sticks out as being childish regardless of the merit of their grievances. For example, if someone lies to me and signs me up for a contract I did not agree to (such as adding on extras that I didn't agree) and I react negatively, I'm seen as childish and they are seen as doing their job, even though they committed fraud. Demanding to see a contract and read it before I sign it is seen as being a disruption (because they lose business for an hour while I read the contract). I once refused to sign a statement saying a work order had been fulfilled because of wording saying that signing the work order as having been done counted as signing some other documents. I was viewed as the bad guy in the social situation because the serviceman would not be paid for the work (since I didn't sign the work order) even though it was their company who made it so that signing for the work order being complete also signed other legal documents I didn't want to agree to. I looked the part of the asshole, not the company.

The tin foil hat wearer in me wonders if our society has been pushed in this direction on purpose as it benefits faceless corporations.

Re: United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

#229

Post by natch »

linker3000 wrote: post #66
Belphemur wrote: post #6

What a lack of professionalism. The customer even paid premium price to be in first class and instead of being notified at the gate, like any respectable airline would do, he's asked to give his seat to somebody "more important" than him when already seated. It doesn't make any sense, if that "more important person" came later, he should be the one getting compensated by the airline especially when the problem occurr…

I asked United whether I could use their lounge at SFO as they cancelled my flight to Heathrow and I was going to be waiting the best part of a day for a flight to Dulles to take an alternative that would get me home 1.5 days late. By the look on the faces of the two lounge receptionists, you'd think I'd asked if I could take a dump on their desk. "Other people have paid membership to use this lounge" I was told in a…

Clearly they are trained to avoid responding to argumentative people if possible. This makes sense to me. Not that I would ever fly United now.

Re: United removes first-class passenger to make room for 'higher-priority' traveler

#230

Post by Klathmon »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #164
douche wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your door-to-door time with those two trips is probably not that far apart, when you factor in time getting to and from the airport, waiting for security, waiting for luggage, and delays. Plus driving is cheaper and less stressful...

Is driving really cheaper? I mean I'm pretty sure the margins are pretty thin, if it's just you at least - they should balance out the more people you need to transport. Mind you I'm from Europe, our gas prices are 4x as high and for trips to e.g. the UK or Scandinavia we have to cross a body of water. There's some toll roads too in e.g. France, and Germany wants to introduce those too.

We just recently drove from Pennsylvania to Florida, cost us about $150 in gas round trip (ignoring wear-and-tear on the car)

The cheapest we could have flown is about $200 per person (2 people), not to mention taxi/uber costs.

So for one person, it might be a wash, but for 2+ people its very much cheaper to drive.

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