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Jeez, Beav if I was a student, say coming home from treeplanting all nice and manky and having a nic fit, I woulda took them up. Turned up the buds so loud they could hear the tracks in the cockpit... just to sit with the 1% for a few hours, muah hah hah

   

I'm not siding with the airline at all. I think I was pretty clear in saying that the airline is wrong for forcing paid passengers off to cover their crew schedule screw ups and I hope they pay for it.

I'm saying that the guy was dumb to try and physically resist because there's no scenario where that works out for him. He was in an unfair situation but still a situation he couldn't win. So why get beat up and arrested on top of it? All it did was make his situation worse. He should have just walked off with his dignity intact and called a lawyer or the media or whatever.

   

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I would have gone into ultimate-capitalist mode and told them they could have had my seat if they gave me $4000 in cash. Which, in the long run, would have cost them a hell of a lot less than the embarrassment and impending barrage of lawsuits is going to.

   

Lawyers and the media will be calling him now.

   

Lol I wish, didn't even have music on me. No book, no magazine, not a dollar for a snack or a drop of water. It would've been 7 hours in the terminal staring at the wall. Lesson learned on "traveling light ".

   

Years ago I took a flight. One of the flight attendants said my carry-on bag was too big, would have to be checked. She took the bag, handed it to crew who stowed it in the luggage compartment. I just glared at her. She asked if I was angry. I pointed out I purchased that bag specifically for airline flights. I don't wait in lines. I buy my ticket online, use the self check-in kiosk to get my boarding pass, walk straight to the gate. When we arrive at our destination, I walk straight off the plane to the taxi stand. I never wait in a check-in line, never wait at the luggage carousel. Furthermore I'm tired of my luggage being damaged. This bag is a "weekender", the largest bag that will fit under an economy class seat. It's specifically designed to go there. It has my clothes, the laptop with the presentation I'll make at the conference, my notes, and a novel for me to read during the flight. Before the aircraft left the terminal, she had my bag brought back from the luggage compartment, handed back to me.

I could tell another story that didn't have a happy ending, but when you stand up for yourself, sometimes you win.

   

I'll be sure to let United know you should be put on the

'will not protest being removed for overbooking list.


Fly the friendly skies indeed, the lawyers will have a field day with this.

Next time, at least call him a terrorist or something beforehand.

   

the guy should not have been treated this way. They punished another guy for their own fuckup. This is not a way to treat another human being

   

This story really touched a nerve for me. I live on the west coast, but am from the east coast. I fly a lot, a lot more than I care to do. I have noticed that flying has gotten progressivly worse over the years. They went from two free checked bags to zero free checked bags (southwest airlines the only exception). Now we have ghetto airlines charging for carry ons. Yeah, carry ons FFS!!! We used to get free meals on long flights. That went the way of the Edsel. Now we have airlines that that do not even give out the tiny bag of peanuts or a cup of water for free. You pay for everything. I am surprised that they have not put coin operated locks on the bathroom doors already. The last few flights I was on the seats did not even recline back the measly three inches like they used too. By putting in non reclining seats, they get to add another row of seats for the passengers to be packed into. They get to hire less flight crew to work the aircraft as they do not have to ensure that the seats have been restored to their upright position, and they no longer provide drink service except on demand. The last flight I was on had a tv screen on the seat ahead of me. After a few moments of showing me what was available, it asked for a credit card to continue viewing. I am not joking. Google spirit airlines if you do not believe me. Te airport used to have people to carry your luggage. When you got to the desk they would handle everything for you. Now you have to pre print your boarding pass and pre pay for your luggage at a kiosk or they will double the charge at the desk. Hell why don't they just have me help load the luggage on the plane why they are at it?

9/11 was a horrible event. Did airport security need to improve? Yes it did. Did intelligence gathering need to improve? Yes it did. The problem is that too many people have used 9/11 as an excuse to shred the Constitution (government agencies), or as an excuse to treat people/customers like shit (airlines). The U.S. is not Europe. We do not get four to six weeks vacation a year. We do not have an extensive affordable rail service to move about the country. We are a mobile society. Very few people reside near where they were born and raised. We do not have the time off work to drive across the counrty to visit loved ones for vacation, or to respond in times of family emergencies. The airlines know this. They know we HAVE to fly to get from coast to coast. They have a captive audience. One that they can screw over with impunity. If we utter a single word in opposition, we get threatened with being labeled a domestic terrorist and being put on a no fly list. All some snippy flight attendent has to do is mention that someone is not compliing with air crew orders. All hell breaks loose. Fellow passengers are ready to physically subdue the "unruly passenger". Now don't get me wrong, there ARE a lot of drunk unruly passengers that need to be removed. I have seen it many times. I have seen drunk passengers refused boarding a plane, and I agree with that 100%. I have also seen people who are sick and need a cup of water continually ring the buzzer for service to no avail. When they try to get a flight attendants attention, they are told to return to their seat. Buzz words like "calm down" are used. "Sir please comply with the flight crew". One flight I was sitting in the very last row next to where the attendents have their quarters. I must have heard the buzzer go off like 20 times for service. The attendents just kept on bitching about their boyfriends/girlfriends/customers/ etc. They do not make much money, and they do not give a shit about their jobs. Its like a bunch of air borne Mcdonalds workers. If someone calls them on their shitty service, they get threatened with having the plane rerouted. We all know how that turns out. What other industry has this kind of power to treat their customers like absolute shit, and get away with it? I can't think of any. They suck us in with the lowest fare, and than nickel dime us to death with fees. We get ZERO service. We get packed in like cattle on the way to the slaughterhouse. We have to deal with people making shitty wages who have shitty attitudes. The worst part is that we just have to take it. Its like going to a fast food restaurant where they intentionally fuck up your order every time, just because they can. If you object, off to jail you go. There is no one we can complain too. No one gives a fuck. If you complain in an airport or on a plane you will be treated like a terrorist. If you complain to corporate management after the flight, nothing will come of it. They do not care, they do not have to. They know there will always be some other smuck who has to get across the country to visit a dying loved one, attend a funeral, attend school, go on a job interview, etc.

I think this guy is a hero. A hero because for the first time in a long time everyone (regardless of where they are on the political spectrum) is united with this guy. He had the guts to do what we all wanted to do. Most of us (myself included) buckle under to authority. I have to much to lose by having a criminal court case in Chicago. Posting bail. Flights, hotel rooms, lawyer fees, possible jail, losing my job and home, etc.. This guy stood up for all of us. This has been a long time coming. We feel like Howard Beale in Network. We are mad as hell, and we aren't taking this anymore. I hope United shares tank tomorrow. I hope the guy that dragged him off the plane loses his job. I hope the CEO of United loses his job. I wish I could be on the jury for this lawsuit. I hope the guy that dragged off the plane starts a go fund account. I am ready to contribute.

   

This was so wrong, all I can think is how did United Airlines think this was going to end, when everyone has a video camera and internet connection? If they couldn't get takers at $800, they should have upped it to $1000 or $1500 or whatever and four people would have deplaned voluntarily.

Now, the airline is going to lose millions in lawsuits (both from the doctor and passengers who've stated they/their children have been traumatized by the incident), millions more in boycotts and who knows what else. This isn't like that guy's broken guitar - it won't be swept under the rug, because people are furious about this incident.

   

Do NOT give them ideas!!! {wags finger}

And stop posting such awesome rants, I can only give points so often!

   

I didn't say I wouldn't protest. I said I wouldn't be stupid enough throw a totally pointless man-baby meltdown that clearly has no hope of doing anything except making my situation far worse. Why is that so hard to understand?

   

I hate flying. I hate it because people bitch, bitch, bitch, whine, bitch and complain. I see it from the moment I arrive at the airport 'til the time I leave. Just suck it up and quit whining. As long as the flight arrives safely, you have nothing to bitch about.

So sorry about drawing the short-straw, dude, but suck it up. There'll be another shitty flight tomorrow. Who knows, maybe you'll meet your soulmate on the layover.

Same with crying about prices. Planes can crash. It takes money to keep them from doing that. I want to fly on a profitable airline with highly paid employees on well-maintained aircraft. I don't want an $89 flight to Europe. I want to pay $900 and know that the goddamn thing's gonna get there in one piece.

   

He was asserting his rights. Some of us are willing to die to assert our rights as opposed to kowtowing to a bunch of fucking bastards who deserve to be shot.

   

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