Let's try and get 1,000,000 replies to this post

Had snow this Easter. And I'm not saying it snowed and then melted as soon as it hit the ground... Might as well have been Christmas. The world is upside down.
 
Haha. Seriously though, had some really warm weather for a while (t-shirt weather - for a Swede at least) and then as I woke up one morning the whole world as seen from my window was covered in snow.
 
I've written a short poem that encapsulates what I feel at the moment. Felt like sharing it.

Sure a nice thought, to leave and walk
But for which the wise men sought,
And in numbers they've talked
Even upon knees they were brought to
When the jury itself was bought, too
They need not be fraught,
There's a war to be fought
And a lesson to be taught
A land of so many of them
Will never be left to rot.
 
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bearfan said:
Re: UA

Rules are you can be bumped for a flight

https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-rights

That said, UA could not have handled it worse and should have taken care of it before he got on the plane. This sort of thing happens daily, usually no one ever hears about it, because airlines generally do a good job of it. I have taken a voluntary bump a few times when I was in no hurry to get where I was going and the $ off a future flight was worth it.

They did nothing wrong bumping the guy .. how they executed it was piss poor beyond belief ... that said, they usually handle it well and this does not warrant some massive overhaul some are asking for.
Click to expand...

Airlines, like all service businesses, are up for exams in customer treatment every day. UA failed this one miserably and will have to do a lot to mend their reputation.

In fact, I have never heard of airlines handling an overbooking situation by drawing lots after the passengers had already boarded. It surely can't happen often? Normal routine is, like you experienced, to offer a payment to those who volunteer to pass their seat to someone else.

A massive overhaul is not warranted, I agree - but the rules should be simple and predictable.
 
Drawing lots is pretty nuts ... I had always thought it was 1) ask for people willing to get bumped first (and that usually resolves it) 2) some systematic way to decide who goes based on some combo of airline status, who they can get to their final destination fastest, etc.

Seems like they did neither.
 
If it was overbooked then why not bump off whoever booked their ticket last as they shouldn't have been able to buy a ticket in the first place?
 
generally those are the highest priced tickets ... and more frequent flyers .. so they generally will not do that.
 
I guess someone still has to volunteer though; and if that doesn't happen, then there must surely be some protocol in place in deciding. Surely? That aside, according to the news today, discussing the same thing that happened on a EasyJet flight a few days back (sans dragging); EU law is the airline is entirely responsible for arranging another flight to your destination either with themselves or another carrier, including hotels etc. This isn't some sweetener; it's a legal obligation.
 
CriedWhenBrucieLeft said:
EU law is the airline is entirely responsible for arranging another flight to your destination either with themselves or another carrier, including hotels etc. This isn't some sweetener; it's a legal obligation.
Click to expand...

And that's how it should be.
 
There is .. and it is here

https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/fly-rights

  • If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.
  • If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to 200% of your one-way fare to your final destination that day, with a $675 maximum.
  • If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (400% of your one-way fare, $1350 maximum).
  • If your ticket does not show a fare (for example, a frequent-flyer award ticket or a ticket issued by a consolidator), your denied boarding compensation is based on the lowest cash, check or credit card payment charged for a ticket in the same class of service (e.g., coach, first class) on that flight.
  • You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight. If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an "involuntary refund" for the ticket for the flight you were bumped from. The denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your inconvenience.
  • If you paid for optional services on your original flight (e.g., seat selection, checked baggage) and you did not receive those services on your substitute flight or were required to pay a second time, the airline that bumped you must refund those payments to you.
 
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