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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

#61

Post by RodericDay »

shimon_e wrote: post #52
mpweiher wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> ...not a pattern of behavior. It's actually far worse than just a "pattern of behavior", it is how United and other airlines (mostly US, but rest of the world is catching on) have deliberately structured their enterprise and the entire customer experience. Everything revolves around "privilege". Even 20 years ago, this used to be bad. On most European airlines' flights, you just waited at the gate until your flight…

Unfortunately, due to the economics of airline class[0], privileged passengers account for about 70% of airline revenue. 0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzB5xtGGsTc

This is the case in many industries.

Movie theaters make money off of marked up popcorn and pop, videogames make money off of DLC and in-game purchases, etc.

When your side business starts requiring you to sabotage your main business to ensure people engage with the "side" part, is when things get interesting.

Sometimes it's better to avoid the race to the bottom altogether via regulation, ensuring that anyone who wants any improvements needs to improve things for everybody, or deal with the status quo.

That's the logic many Canadians use for vociferously opposing private schools (and I agree with it).

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

#62

Post by bitwize »

mirimir wrote: post #20
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…

Also, we know now that it's illegal to remove customers after boarding, unless they do something illegal. Saying no isn't illegal.

It is a federal crime to not follow crewmember instructions, so...

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

#63

Post by Klathmon »

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 about if your ticket will actually get you on the damn plane!

If I have to choose between a 3 hour flight, and a 12 hour drive, the 12 hour drive is what I pick almost every time now. Ignoring "disasters" (massive accident, theft, etc...) I'm going to have all my stuff, I know i'm not going to waste hundreds of dollars on a ticket that will get "rejected" at the last second, i'll have a car when I get to my destination, i can bring whatever the fuck I want, and it's a fraction of the cost.

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

#64

Post by pbhjpbhj »

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…

FWIW this attitude is the one taught by primary school teachers in the UK "do what the teacher tells you straight away without question" and it's evil. I can see how such an attitude gets then reinforced​ and survives in adults, "that's what 'good' pupils do".

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

#65

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]

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

#66

Post by linker3000 »

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 rather disdainful way. "Sure", I said, "would you like to put a value on the fact that I will never fly with you again then?", I replied...silence - they stopped talking to me and carried on doing other stuff as if I had suddenly become invisible.

No, I did not get to use the lounge, and no, I have never flown with United since - which also means that work colleagues who travel with me are also lost to them.

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

#67

Post by jghn »

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…

This was me for a long time, but then I got precheck. It is such a night and day difference that I'm back to flying

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

#68

Post by coldpie »

jghn wrote: post #67
Klathmon wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

This was me for a long time, but then I got precheck. It is such a night and day difference that I'm back to flying

Woo, $100 extortion fees, all right.

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

#69

Post by mpweiher »

shimon_e wrote: post #52
mpweiher wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> ...not a pattern of behavior. It's actually far worse than just a "pattern of behavior", it is how United and other airlines (mostly US, but rest of the world is catching on) have deliberately structured their enterprise and the entire customer experience. Everything revolves around "privilege". Even 20 years ago, this used to be bad. On most European airlines' flights, you just waited at the gate until your flight…

Unfortunately, due to the economics of airline class[0], privileged passengers account for about 70% of airline revenue. 0. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzB5xtGGsTc

Yes. I know where it's coming from. The airlines can't actually differentiate on the basic transportation service: you're in the same noisy metal tube traveling at exactly the same speed, arriving at the same time.

There is some differentiation on the service you offer, bigger seats, maybe being able to lie flat.

But that's about it, and since that's all there is the airlines just start making shit up.

"Global Services (and generally 1K) members have their food orders taken first"[1]

Really, this is a thing? Just think about how ridiculous it is. And that it obviously has to be codified somewhere in the rule book. Along with all the other silly rules that aren't public. A friend of mine is a frequent traveller, and he told me a lot of the little tricks you have to pull to get good service.

"GS members have their own phone line, [..] the agents are based in the United States and are extremely helpful."[1]

Well, my Lufthansa agent was extremely helpful to "random joe with economy class ticket".

[1] https://thepointsguy.com/2016/04/top-perks-united-global-ser...

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

#70

Post by douche »

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…

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...

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