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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

#121

Post by yodsanklai »

Klathmon wrote: post #63
tici_88 wrote: post #17

Travelling in the US or with US airlines is not looking very good right now. Not just the United incident(s) but also TSA, Trump travel restrictions, flights constantly overbooked, massively late etc. I wonder if it will start impacting traveller and tourism numbers at some point. I think anyone who doesn't really need to be in the US and/or is planning travelling with kids is likely to have some second thoughts at t…

Anecdotally I've noticed that for like 5 years now my friends and family have a pretty severe aversion to flying anywhere for anything. From needing to show up hours before the flight, to the invasive screenings, the insane restrictions on what you can and cannot bring, the sentiment that if you check any baggage it's basically as good as gone, the ever increasing cost, the delays, and even things like the worry abou…

You're painting a darker picture than what it really is :) Most of the time, things go smoothly and flights are very affordable. I find it amazing that as a middle class person I can fly pretty much anywhere in the world. I can live with the inconvenience of being scolded by the TSA and US customs officers.

Actually, I wonder how much this will last considering that fossil energy will likely cost more and more and that more and more people from developing countries start to travel too.

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

#122

Post by gm-conspiracy »

tech4all wrote: post #111

I don't develop games... But if I did I would create a game called "United flight agent". You would be standing in the aisle facing the rear of the plane. Each round you would have a goal number of passengers to forcibly remove. You would walk up and down the aisle and punch out selected passengers. Once you had suitably subdued a passenger you click a security badge and the "Airport Rental Security" guys come and dr…

Will somebody please post the kickstarter/indiegogo link?

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

#123

Post by meddlepal »

randallsquared wrote: post #103
Klathmon wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even with precheck (which i got as well), it didn't really change anything. I still need to show up just as early (as my local airport often has a longer line for precheck!), i still can't pack more than some stupid amount of liquid, or have my shit thrown out because I used a X-oz plastic bag which is too big!!! I still can't check bags as they just won't ever show up, or will show up damaged, have items stolen, or…

I must fly into and out of only the best airports. I've only ever had one thing thrown out; I've never had anything in my checked baggage damaged (and if I'm going for more than overnight, I always check my bag, even though I could carry it on, to avoid fighting for space with other passengers' carryons); the scanning doesn't perceptibly affect me; and I regularly show up at the airport less than an hour before board…

I've never had an issue at Logan (Boston), SFO, Seattle or Austin. Usually past security in 20 min and I do not use precheck.

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

#125

Post by Veen »

nkkollaw wrote: post #79

This getting ridiculous. The removal was awful, and they did deserve all the bad press. This article however is just trying to ride the wave to get some clicks. There are millions of people who travel every day. Stuff like this must happen hundreds of times every day on pretty much every airline.

> Stuff like this must happen hundreds of times every day

I think that's the problem.

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

#126

Post by MayeulC »

People usually like to interact with other people for that "human touch", and even quote it as a reason why they won't lose their job to automation.

I think I would rather interact with a robot than with a crew that has procedures so rigid (and dumb) that they are not allowed to have empathy.

I think that's sadly representative of the corporate mindset brought to the extreme. The consumer is not king anymore, it's a product. When did this start? I wonder.

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

#127

Post by tyingq »

gambiting wrote: post #106
URSpider94 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

on United -- it was almost certainly a Global Services passenger. Those folks get whatever they want.

What's a Global Services passenger?

Super duper invitation only "elite" frequent flyer status.

See the welcome kit here: http://pizzainmotion.boardingarea.com/2017/02/07/inside-2017...

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

#128

Post by zippergz »

HarryHirsch wrote: post #95
linker3000 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

The receptionists were likely not United employees, they were contractors with some Sodexo-type rent-a-body company. Overworked, underpaid, why would they care about someone else's first-world problems?

The agents at the lounges are United employees. Usually much better and more helpful employees than those st the gate, which is one reason I find it worth paying about $500 a year for a membership. When things get messed up, they can fix it more quickly and easily (and there's rarely a line).

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

#129

Post by coldpie »

zzleeper wrote: post #118
coldpie wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some TSA clown once told me I had to throw away my water and we just stared at each other for a bit. "My water, seriously?" "Yep, your water." "Water." "Water." Fuck the TSA and fuck the terrified Americans who keep voting to keep them.

I once had a tiny bit of water on my plastic thermos. The TSA guy said "throw the bottle or exit the line, walk to the bathroom and empty it there". I just looked at him puzzled, opened the bottle, and drank the water. Now that I think of it, I was lucky he didn't taze me for my 'insolence'.

I usually dump it in the trash at the line. I feel sorry for the cleaning staff, but whatever, fuck it. Anyone with brains understands how useless all this is, but it's the TSA, so brains are not involved.

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

#130

Post by stuff4ben »

coldpie wrote: post #109
Klathmon wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even with precheck (which i got as well), it didn't really change anything. I still need to show up just as early (as my local airport often has a longer line for precheck!), i still can't pack more than some stupid amount of liquid, or have my shit thrown out because I used a X-oz plastic bag which is too big!!! I still can't check bags as they just won't ever show up, or will show up damaged, have items stolen, or…

Some TSA clown once told me I had to throw away my water and we just stared at each other for a bit. "My water, seriously?" "Yep, your water." "Water." "Water." Fuck the TSA and fuck the terrified Americans who keep voting to keep them.

Why is that a big deal? You're warned not to bring bottles of liquids before you even get into the TSA line. Sure the TSA is bunch of security theatre in some cases, but if there's a rule there, why do you have to be a prick about it?
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