Fook United Airlines

[hollohas]

BTW, I don't think it has been mentioned. (Nevermind, I missed the discussion about this somewhere in the previous 20 pages...) That wasn't the Chicago PD. They were Aviation Security Officers from the Department of Aviation. They aren't even allowed to carry guns in the airport, unlike the actual Chicago PD officers that work in the airport. These guys were glorified rent-a-cops. They don't have arrest authority.

[hollohas]

Jeff Redding, deputy commissioner of safety and security for the city's Department of Aviation, told aldermen that operating procedures bar aviation officers from boarding a plane "if it's a customer service issue."

"If it is a customer-service related incident, then you don't need to board the plane at all," Redding said. "If there's no threat, there's no imminent threat or no charges being drawn, then you don't need to board the plane. There's no purpose for it."

...role of the aviation officers, who have police training but are not armed with guns. They must rely on sworn Chicago Police Department officers to file an arrest report, although the guards are allowed to detain people until city police arrive.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...413-story.html

[sampson]

Lol..just what we need politicians to get involved.<Sarcasm> Wow

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[Gman]

Lol..just what we need politicians to get involved.<Sarcasm> Wow

The politicians are probably feeling threatened. A citizen took a beating, and they weren't involved. That's their job.

[Irving]

Or maybe they'll just overbook less which means a greater likelihood of a cancelled seat not being filled by a paying customer, and since it costs almost as much to fly with an empty seat as it does with a full one, fewer paid fares for seats then means everybody else gets to pay a little more.

And before you say "well, we'll just fly the competitors airlines" you better believe the competitors are watching this and will probably take similar actions.

And if Dr. Crazyass gets a nice settlement check from UA, where do you think THAT money is going to come from? Yep, the suckers, I mean the Flying Public, you know, you and me.

Yay! We all get to pay more for airline travel!

I'd gladly pay a little more to never have to worry about someone telling me that the ticket I paid for is not longer valid. Going to the airport and missing a flight is not like having to pull out of the drive-thru to wait for your food to be cooked.

[Joe_K]

I would be a bit annoyed if it had happened to me, but not mad enough to risk negative law enforcement contact. I would have taken the cash, hotel, and next flight out and been content. My employer would have had to figure something out to cover for me and I would be in the clear.

How could this event truly have been prevented?

Easy, Airlines must leave two entire rows of empty "jump" seats in each seating zone. Sell these seats to people who missed flights on other airlines, flight crews that need to get to a different airport etc.

This would of course probably raise the cost of airfare, but as long as no one gets bumped off their flight everyone should be fine with the price hikes.

Also stop allowing standby tickets to be sold on any airline.

And if a customer refuses to listen or adhere to flight crews direction security will no longer be called, instead that person will have a lawyer provided to them at the airlines expense so that the upset passenger who doesn't believe he's being treated "fairly" can sue the airline for hurt feelings and a chapped ass.

[TFOGGER]

[hurley842002]

Regarding his history: Irrelevant, his criminal history has no bearing, and his medical history certainly doesn't invoke national inspection. You're entitled to HIPPA protection. Why is his medical history national news? He didn't shoot up a school, he refused to give up his seat. If he's not serving time, it's not your damn business. Would you want the entire country trying to figure out every possible way you've fucked up in any related circumstance? How many people rejected your advances in high school. Pictures of you picking your nose. Things you told a counselor or HR rep in private. How many days you took off work. Etc. etc.

Regarding Lawsuits/Qualified Immunity/Standing:
You're forgetting some pretty big issues about the way the Court works. He only needs to plead a claim that will survive, and go for a jury trial. United will settle it out to avoid press coverage. He doesn't need to prove the claims terribly well; a jury would be sympathetic if it went to trial anyway. Going to court isn't about law or facts, or justice. Want a claim that will survive? Allege racial profiling in the selection. Done.

Bingo on all the above.

[RblDiver]

I would have taken the cash, hotel, and next flight out and been content.

Except that they don't offer cash, they offer those stupid vouchers for another flight. I maybe do one trip a year where I fly, I have no use for those vouchers, so I sure wouldn't volunteer my seat.

Also, for those who are saying he has a questionable past: Yeah? So? What is its bearing on this situation now?

That'd be like saying "Well, that guy served time in prison, but has since been released. A cop pulled him over for speeding when he was clearly going the limit. He protested, so the cop beat him up. But since he's been in jail before we'll overlook the dirty cop."

[Aloha_Shooter]

Also, for those who are saying he has a questionable past: Yeah? So? What is its bearing on this situation now?

The bearing is that he has a history of acting abnormally so the security officers' story that they did NOT beat him and his injuries were caused by his own reactions is quite plausible. The doctor's past actions are not an excuse to beat him and I don't think anyone has said that. However, his past history lends some credence to the airline's story that he was being belligerent and disruptive -- and certainly does more to explain his injuries given the video evidence.