Again, the passenger was repeatedly ordered to get off the plane BY THE POLICE, then he was forcibly removed from his seat BY THE POLICE. It doesn't matter whether or not he deserved to get kicked out of the plane. If the cops pull you over because the suspect you (and "suspect" is very broad term) and "ask" you to get out of your car. What do you think will happen if you refuse? Try it.
Watch the video. The police were present, but it was the airline security who forcibly removed him.
Now did YOU see the video? He was injured as a result of him being pulled out of his seat. He was pulling one way, the security guy was pulling him the other way. Then he gave way and banged his head on the adjacent seat arm rest. He was "violently" dragged because he refused to stand up.
I did watch the video. He was injured when they dragged him out of his seat and smacked his face into the armrest.
Whether he refused to stand up after that, no one can say, since I would imagine after a knock to the head as severe as that, it would be disorienting to say the least. He was never given the chance to stand up after he was removed from his seat. He was grabbed and dragged right away.
Yes. I believe obeying the law and not putting myself and people I care about in situations where they can be harmed. What about you?
Oh, I believe in obeying the law just as much as you do. But in situations where 'the law' is doing something that will endanger myself or my family for no good reason, then I would object. What about you?
Or would you just take it and accept the risk to your safety if said police officer or security officer acted in an unreasonable manner that resulted in a risk to you or your loved ones?
In this instance, the actions of the security officer endangered the lives of other passengers. Not to mention caused them undue mental stress, caused them to be late to their destination.
What gets me about this case is that they knew they needed those seats prior to allowing passengers to board the plane. They asked the first time prior to boarding. They then allowed all passengers to board, before then saying that they would force 4 passengers to vacate their seats for their crew, without even bothering to see whether those passengers were in a position to vacate those seats. A doctor needed to get home to see his patients should have been allowed to remain on board for obvious reasons. In short, it was poorly implemented right from the get go.
What they should have done is spoken to the passengers they had bumped off the plane prior to allowing them to board. That would have resulted in less injuries, both physical and psychological, less time wasted and they should have provided other means for those passengers to reach their destination, such as booking them on other flights with other airlines, is one example, instead of offering them a limited $800 credit, that restricted their ability to get to their destination that day.
Shit happened. His name was randomly drawn and unfortunately for him, he needed to get of the plane. Let's say he did not get off and allowed to stay. One pilot that was going to take his seat was going to miss his destination and cause a flight cancellation which would affect hundreds of other people. Airlines should be better organized one might say? They are greedy but that industry is very complex and very competitive due to sheer volume of entitled travelers who take air travel for granted.
It wasn't randomly drawn as you seem to suggest.
However, his selection wasn’t random. He was chosen based on a series of criteria.
Based on United Airlines’ Contract of Carriage (more on that later), passengers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors are the least likely to bumped from a flight.
For everyone else, the contract states that the airline made the decision based a passenger’s frequent flyer status, the layout of his or her itinerary (whether the passenger has a connecting flight), the fare class of the ticket, and the time he or she checked into the flight.
This means passengers who are more expensive tickets, higher frequent flyer status, and checked in early are less likely to be bumped.
What was most disturbing is as this was happening, even before security were called in, other people volunteered to give up their seats to allow him to stay, and they were denied. If the issue was the need for those seats for their crew, (the flight was not overbooked, every passenger for that flight arrived and checked in to the flight and no one canceled as they were hoping some would have canceled, none did, resulting in the issue that arose) then any who volunteered should have been listened to. But they weren't interested in the seats that were being offered and volunteered by others on the flight by that point. Which seems somewhat malicious and uncalled for.
If they truly needed those seats, then they could simply have taken the seats of those who immediately volunteered when the gentleman advised he needed to get home to see his patients. But the airline refused. Why do you think that is?
At the end of the day, United Airlines have severely damaged their reputation in a variety of ways. The brutality of their security staff for one, their refusal to negotiate with passengers prior to allowing them to board, their paltry credit system which made those getting off the flight finding it harder to get home, the manner in which they handled it during and after the fracas, not to mention prior to it, when they allowed everyone to board before then announcing that they were going to call names out and 4 would be required to vacate their seats, when they knew they needed those seats much earlier on and still allowed everyone to board the plane regardless.
Normally if they bump someone from a seat, they do not allow them to board and give the person time to make other arrangements, usually before they even get to the airport, but at the latest, when they are checking in and before they board the plane. What United Airlines did was exceptionally unprofessional and if they are that disorganised that they allow passengers to board and then kicking them off right before take off, when they knew prior to passengers boarding that they needed 4 seats, then it just makes one wonder about how far that level of incompetence actually goes.
Having been bumped off a flight once (was apparently an emergency about a dying relative and someone needing a seat, since I was flying alone, in business class and had no connecting flight, I was advised when I got to the airport and was checking in, after being asked about my schedule and if I could manage a slight delay - since I was going for just one day and was returning that evening, and I had given myself 2 hours on landing to reach my meeting, it was fine) , and they booked a seat for me on the next available fight with a different airline. I lost approximately 30 minutes of my time, was bumped up to first class. No fuss and I was quite well compensated for it. They (United Airlines) did not even offer credit that would allow those forced off the plane to book with a different airline or even rent a car to get to their destination.
What United Airlines did from start to end was exceptionally unprofessional.