April 11, 2017 By: Juanita Jean Herownself Category: Uncategorized
So you were, like me, terrified when you saw that a man who had purchased a ticket was being dragged off an airplane by security forces, bloodied, and then blamed for the treatment because he should have complied. The whole thing was his fault because compliance was expected.
Now you know how black men in America have felt for a long time.
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This was the frosting on the cake for me. I’m simply not flying any more. United is so totally down the tubes with this one that they have joined Delta who also has a very raggedy reputation. And the last time I did fly it was on Delta. There I was in the Atlanta airport surrounded by people who were pissed off over the way Delta had screwed up their reservations, their entire flight plan, their luggage, etc. etc. There was no way the Delta PR person could calm them down. And when you figure how much Delta charges, its understandable. And that man dragged off the United flight was a doctor flying to see some patients. I don’t care if they were not at death’s door – which some people would have found to be a much more solid ground for his refusal – dammit he was a doctor and it was his medical judgement that was involved. It was a rotten situation and it could have even been worse – if you can imagine that – if the passenger had been anything but white.
1I can’t fly LESS on United than I already don’t. But I have added it to the list of airlines on which I absolutely will not fly.
Already on that list is Grits Airways, because every Delta employee I have ever met was sooooooooo Confederate.
I had to stop listening to the stories about American my brother told because they gave me scoliosis. As an insider he thought they were funny. As a pilot wannabe I didn’t, still don’t.
2The “reaccommadated” physician was asian.
3This is the current state of corporate personhood in Amerika today. Corporation have continually been empowered to believe they are not just “people too, my friends” but legitimate representative’s of the government. The goons who did the deed were not police of any sort and United felt completely comfortable committing assault in the name of profitability. How fitting that United takes its place in an unbroken lineage from United Fruit Company, through Haliburton and Blackwater in assuming the privilege of acting in loco imperium.
We have taken the first running steps long ago, towards the dystopian future of Rollerball where the corporation is the only institution that matters.
The “reaccommodated” physician was asian.
4This is the current state of corporate personhood in Amerika today. Corporation have continually been empowered to believe they are not just “people too, my friends” but legitimate representative’s of the government. The goons who did the deed were not police of any sort and United felt completely comfortable committing assault in the name of profitability. How fitting that United takes its place in an unbroken lineage from United Fruit Company, through Haliburton and Blackwater in assuming the privilege of acting in loco imperium.
We have taken the first running steps long ago, towards the dystopian future of Rollerball where the corporation is the only institution that matters.
My dad worked for UA from the late 50s-early 90s. He was always proud of his company and the service it provided to the public. He even gave me hard time for flying other airlines in those days. But not so much anymore.
The relentless/mindless pursuit of profit above all will get you to this place. I hope I am not around when the first report of tazing a passenger for ‘non-compliance’ hits the news.
5The part that enrages me is that United was throwing paying customers off the flight to fly 4 United employees to a different location. A location that was only 5-6 hours away by car, so United had other options to relocate their employees: by hiring a taxi, uber/lyft, bus or flying them out via another airline to get them where they were supposed to be. Instead they literally dragged out a paying customer. As far as I’m concerned poor planning by management on the part of their 4 employees is absolutely no reason to treat their paying customers like garbage to be thrown out. In my opinion it doesn’t matter if the guy they dragged out just wanted to get home and sleep all day, he paid for his ticket, was sitting in his assigned seat and not bothering anyone. United can go screw themselves; I stopped flying them over a dozen years ago because I didn’t like how they treated passengers on an aborted flight I was on and this definitely reinforces that. I hope they go out of business.
6I’m old enough to remember when flying was a fun adventure. Now it’s exhausting and miserable. The airlines, in their endless grasping for more money, have passengers crammed into seats that are almost on top of each other and paying extra for every imaginable thing. Every plane I’ve been on recently is full to capacity. I have been the victim of overbooked flights, but was notified before boarding and offered considerable more in travel vouchers than I paid for the flights I was bumped from, and rebooked on other flights, even with other airlines, AND driven to the new gate on one occasion. It was annoying, but I got 2 free trips to visit my kids out of it. To make people get off the plane after they’re already on there and strapped in is unbelievable. Any money United might have lost because the 4 employees didn’t get to Louisville on time, they more than exceeded having to deboard the entire plane to clean up the blood, delaying the flight 2 hours. And then to blame the paying customer. No more United for me. The entire situation was handled disgracefully.
7Boy did I make the right choice! I planned a trip in June to see JJ’s beloved Astros play the damn Yankees (that really is one word). My choice from El Paso was United or Amtrak. Train leaves El Paso at 330 and overnights to Houston. I will be on the train
8Here’s the industry spin.
9http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2017/04/11/real-reason-man-dragged-off-united-flight-stop-happening/
@Mel
@Paul
These are great posts. But don’t stop here. PLEASE go to United Customer Care and post there. United has to understand their negative PR costs them customers. It doesn’t do any good for folks like me to rant at them because I would never consider United as a flight option. They will care about a potential customer’s view.
10Correction- the goon was an officer with the Chicago Aviation Police. And apparently the harsh reaccommodation was okay becomes the 69 year old guy once committed a crime and plays poker.http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/report-troubled-past-of-kentucky-doctor-dragged-off-united-plane/
11This is just plain WRONG! I hope the lawyers are lined up to sue United I certainly would have a lawyer by now! May I say also am not a “sue everyone” person, but this warrants some legal action.
12Anybody remember United’s advertising from not so long ago?
“Fly the friendly skies.”
13The last time I flew United, on two legs of the flight my seat belt for my seat was twisted. I know never to use a twisted seat belt beacuse a doctor friend of mine described what the sharp, not flat edge of the belt does when a plane or car stops quickly; it cuts into your abdomen like a knife. I had a friend who lost her spleen in that manner.
When I informed the flight crew about the twisted belt, they refused to call anyone to fix it, and told me I was not allowed to fix it myself because I was not qualified. I waited until they walked away and made the repair. Now I know it saved me two beatings. And had we stopped quickly, my spleen.
14Don A’s link stresses that “This is *in no way limited to being a United issue*, it’s endemic to American society and aviation as a whole. It’s a function of the growth of the security state in response to 9/11. We’ve come to accept it, and indeed *we get it from the TSA day in and day out*. Until that changes, incidents like these are likely to repeat themselves.”
And they were authorized to offer $1350 compensation to anyone who volunteered to get off, but they didn’t go that high before they started grabbing and dragging.
Amtrak for me!
15According to Mother Jones, United has lost over a billion $ overnight, on the market. Social media makes a difference.
Best fake ads:
United – we put the hospital in hospitality.
United – We have Premium Club, Business Club and Fight Club
Southwest – we beat the competition, not our passengers.
16United’s response was unforgivable. Doubtful that NYSB will be of any use especially in this administration. So I hope he sues United for billions. The complete distain with which the flying public is currently treated is appalling. When a large portion of the flying prefers Amtrak perhaps their miserable performance will sink in. After all, the only thing United care about is the bottom line.
17@slipstream
I made many inappropriate comments/facial expressions/sighs/etc as a teen about the “Fly United” ad campaign of the time (1960s to early 1970s) to infuriate my sainted mother. 50 years later “Fly United” still puts an inappropriate smile on my face.
I fly mostly Southwest.
18My husband and I were talking yesterday about what had changed in our 58-year lifetimes. Besides a fair amount of social progress for everybody except straight while men, we figured the biggest tech thing is that a lot of people now carry the internet around with them and can look things up all the time. We should have added that they also carry cameras and can show us what the hell is going on, at least in public places. This is a much bigger story because we can see the outrageous treatment this man got.
19“Suspending decorum to take a man from a seat that’s rightfully his and put their guy in it? Who does United think it is, Mitch McConnell?”
20United went public andcompletely defended the action of the Aviation Cop. Also this week – and there is a connection here – the Wells Fargo execs who were behind the fake accounts got slammed with $75 million in fines which were raked back from their golden parachutes. Greed. Just damn dirty greed. A pox on both their houses.
212 things struck me about the video.
1. The unfortunate passenger, once they grabbed him, started screaming in sheer panic. He was obviously very traumatized, and was treated in the worst way possible. I thought the primary goal is always passenger safety. Yeah, not so much.
2. One of the “officers” doing the removal was wearing jeans. This was no professional law enforcement body. Just some goddamn goons who were issued windbreakers and hats. No uniforms, and for damned sure no professional training.
And very probably a harbinger of lots more of the same to come in lots of venues, like the new increased immigration enforcement personnel. It would be nice if they received at least as much screening and training as the typical mall cop/security guard. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.
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