So why was the Asian passenger 'volunteered' to leave the flight

[malaise]

Forget the fact that he's a doctor who had commitments today.
How do they choose who to dump?

This is fascism on steroids.

Fuck United Airlines

[BannonsLiver]

1. Btw, he's also a senior citizen

He's 69 to be exact.

And the pro authoritarian/pro corporate clods in the other threads look dumber and dumber.

[malaise]

4. Good effin' grief

The fascists sure are dumb

[dalton99a]

78. They sound indistinguishable from Trump cultists

[Orrex]

2. I would imagine that each ticket has a unique number to identify it, no?

One hopes that the "volunteered" passengers are selected randomly by lottery.


I'm curious to learn what kind of doctor he is. Not that it justifies his treatment by the airline in any case, but "pediatric oncologist' implies a different urgency than "elective cosmetic surgeon," for example.

[malaise]

6. Well I hope he's gets to place the word

wealthy in front of doctor after he sues them

[Orrex]

11. Well, maybe he'll be a retired doctor...

after he takes over as CEO of United following the lawsuit.

[duncang]

9. One of the ways they select is by how many times they have flown

They pick the persons who are least likely to fly soon again and actually use the voucher.

[Sculpin Beauregard]

3. That was my main question in the other thread.

I hope this airline's stock tanks, I hope they fail bigly and brutally. I hope the doctor eviscerates them in the courts.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

7. Ditto, tritto, and quadritto!!!

[Iggo]

20. "Ditto, tritto, and quadritto!!!"

I'm going to say that all the time every day until I get tired of it.

[TeamPooka]

64. Wall Street only heard "United is overbooked! Business is good!"

[vi5]

5. According to all the articles I've read....

...it was random, computerized "drawing". There were other people whose numbers/names/seats came up and they left willingly.

And for the record I find this whole thing inexcusable so I'm not saying I agree with what they did and how they handled it, just that I don't think there was any racial element involved.

[pnwmom]

45. They didn't leave willingly. The other couple also failed to "volunteer." Being required to leave

doesn't mean you are leaving willingly.

[vi5]

74. O.K. then they didn't refuse to leave....

.. However you want to describe it.......like I said the whole situation sucks and airline overbooking sucks and this was an absolute shit way to handle it. Nothing excuses it at all.

But nothing indicates that it was racially motivated, just your garden variety greed. There's enough shittiness on United's part that there's no need to add any additional shitty elements that aren't there.

[TBA]

12. I agree...

[B2G]

17. Everyone just sat there complaining?

What would you have them do? The were horrified.

[True Dough]

33. I too wish someone would have volunteered to take the voucher

and save the poor doctor the burden of being unable to see his patients, not to mention being ignominiously dragged off a plane.

However, I do not criticize the people who took the video. It's almost reflex now to condemn those who shoot video rather than act, but it's very much circumstantial: depends on how many people are in a position to assist and how dire the consequences are.

Those video clips are making a huge impact. If this story had emerged by word of mouth and wound up being 500 typewritten words, you can be assured that it would not be the media/social media sensation that it is now. It's because of the footage that it's become HUGE. It grabs people's attention to a much greater extent than what one reads in print.

[cos dem]

41. Also assumes they knew why he was being dragged off.

Even before takeoff planes are noisy. They might see guy being harassed, but don't know why.

[True Dough]

50. Good point

I'm sure they all knew United was seeking passengers to voluntarily take the travel vouchers and remain behind but some of them may not have made the connection between that request and the forceful removal of that unfortunate doctor. So, yeah, there could have been other explanations for "authority figures" entering the plane and dragging him down the aisle.

[pnwmom]

46. Why cowardly? The correct response would have been for the airline to UP the OFFER

till they got enough actual VOLUNTEERS.

No one one the plane thought they offered enough for them to give up their seats -- clearly the airline did NOT.

[cstanleytech]

59. Oh I agree they should have tried upping the offer again to the cap which is

around 1400 area if I recall correctly and only if no one took that should they have resorted to randomly choosing who would have to take a later flight in order to get that other crew to that other airport.

[pnwmom]

61. That is the cap an involuntarily ousted passenger many claim. However there is no cap

to what an airplane could offer to get volunteers.

In any case, it makes no sense that they didn't offer the full amount required for involuntarily ousted passengers since they knew they'd end up having to pay it anyway.

[uponit7771]

76. +1

[TeddyBear 1]

10. that

poor man.. he looks and acts traumatized..

[malaise]

13. The Con's America

like they were waiting to do this to people

[get the red out]

24. YES!!!

I keep having trouble understanding how people actually carry out orders like this. I couldn't do that job, I couldn't follow those orders to beat up an innocent older man, or anyone, because he lost the fucking lottery he didn't enter, to keep the seat he paid for on that plane.

[malaise]

30. This is the equivalent of making black people stand in buses

Racist to the core - random my black ass. They paid for their seats. They don't have to give them up.

[Baconator]

39. It's all there in the terms and conditions that go with purchasing a ticket...

It's shady as shit but it's legal.

[HAB911]

14. Refused to volunteer

I love that

[malaise]

16. Well by meaning you can't be forced to volunteer

Fugging hell

[TeamPooka]

15. Justice Gorsuch would vote to protect United Airlines here.

[HAB911]

18. yes he would

[malaise]

19. Who?

The holder of a stolen Supreme Court seat

[get the red out]

25. That son of a bitch

Would wonder why the poor aggrieved corporation didn't have it's hired shit-heads kill him.

I am so damned angry at what is happening to this country!!!!!

[WinkyDink]

54. 100%. But he's a "nice guy," so he'd add, "So sad. I wish I could've ruled differently."

[sunonmars]

21. at the end of the day, he had a valid ticket, they overbooked which is disgraceful anyway

and they are going to end up with a million dollar lawsuit for stupidity.

[malaise]

22. Precisely

They will pay

[jaysunb]

37. Wait until his lawyers read the fine print on the ticket.

He may be awarded some small damages, but overall he won't be getting a windfall.

Still doesn't justify his treatment, but, hey ! this is America.

[Skittles]

52. yup

they can ask you to leave the flight

I've been booted off (well, I was politely asked to leave and I simply got up and left), but I was flying standby

[TeamPooka]

63. I think there is also a lawsuit against the Chicago PD here too.

[cwydro]

26. According to an account I read in the other thread..

there were two other passengers who left after being asked to do so.

But I have no idea of their race, occupation, etc.

[randome]

27. How do you know he's a doctor?

The first thing he said when told he needed to leave was "I have people to see." He didn't act like some medical professional with his patients' lives at the forefront of his thoughts. He shrieked and flailed about like a two-year-old throwing a tantrum.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[B2G]

28. Has his name been reported anywhere? nt

[randome]

31. Not that I'm aware of. I would think as soon as it is, we'd know the answer.

It's not an excuse for how he was treated, of course, but when you refuse to do what the police tell you and you're in a crowded, confined environment, things don't always go very smoothly.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[pnwmom]

49. He was outraged about his treatment, and he had every right to be. The airline

treated their passengers abominably. They should have increased their offers till they found four actual volunteers.

[randome]

57. With no limits? Should the passengers have held out for $100,000 apiece?

United had a cutoff point. They reached it then randomly (supposedly) chose 4 passengers to leave. Once the police are told to take a specific passenger off a flight, and the passenger refuses, they have the authority to use force. That would apply in this situation and it would apply in a situation where a passenger was being threatening.

From the video, it looks like they pulled the man from his seat while he refused to go. It appears he lost his grip and then went sailing into the seats across from him. It does not appear that the police were beating on him, as some have said.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[EX500rider]

69. Now, now, stop all that being reasonable and get on the outrage train!!

[mainer]

70. Other passengers nearby said that's what he told them earlier

prior to everything going violent.

[randome]

73. I did not know that. Thanks.

[still_one]

29. If they overbook, and need to choose volunteers, the only fair way to do it is last people who

bought tickets should be the first

The actual solution is eliminate the practice of overbooking

[randome]

36. This wasn't an overbooked flight.

United had an urgent need to get 4 staffers to the plane's destination. There was a cascading series of delays and cancellations in the region. If they didn't take immediate measures (I'm speculating here), they would have had even MORE outraged customers.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[still_one]

38. The last people who bought the tickets should be the ones chosen still applies

[randome]

43. That sounds like a good idea.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[metroins]

40. Sounds like a united problem not the passengers

If they keep upping the money, they will get volunteers.

500 barely buys a one way ticket at some airports.

It is one thing to ask for volunteers before you're on the plane, it's a different ball game once you're seated. Don't seat people until your capacity is worked out.

United played it wrong.

[pnwmom]

51. You are speculating. But what doesn't require speculation is that the airline

didn't offer enough compensation to induce 4 volunteers to leave.


They should have offered MORE, and in a check, not vouchers; and not dragged anyone off the plane.

[randome]

58. If they truly were in a bind and needed to get 4 staff to a destination...

...and there was no other airline available (two big IF's), then what else could they have done but take 4 passengers off?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[califootman]

66. Increase the voucher offer...

Increase the voucher offer until someone takes it, or until it gets to the equivalent amount it would cost to hire someone to drive the employees the 250 miles to their destination. If no one takes the voucher by that point, hire the driver and off they go.

[duncang]

32. One point to me was really bad.

If you consider that government employees were used to physically remove someone to enforce a companies terms of agreement. Not that he was a threat. That to me should be a major concern.

[metroins]

42. Good point.

But maybe it could be considered trespassing if they asked him to leave?

I'm also sure there's some random law built in after 9 11 and planes.

[oberliner]

34. Random

No one volunteered so they did it randomly.

[furtheradu]

35. I'll fly again when I sprout wings

Decision I made after 9/11.. if airlines followed the rules already in place, THAT wouldn't have happened... & the airline industry chose *afterwards* to treat its paying customers as suspects, or cattle, or worse. Ridiculous & unnecessary.
grrrrr!

[malaise]

44. I'm getting there

Last edited Mon Apr 10, 2017, 05:23 PM - Edit history (1)

Sadly most of my family is overseas so we have to travel every now and then but we travel way less these days.

[furtheradu]

60. Ughhh! I know!

My Son, Iraq Vet, has to fly frequently for Work. & since he "fits a certain profile", it's always stress FULL for ME.
Safe Travel Blessings for YOU & YOURS!

[malaise]

65. Back at yah

[NWCorona]

47. I normally wouldn't post a worldstar video but I haven't seen it anywhere else.

'New Video Shows Removed United Airlines Passenger With His Mouth Covered In Blood! "Just Kill Me"
http://m.worldstarhiphop.com/android/video.php?v=wshhrM8Eu85GOqd0OO01

[malaise]

48. Yep they beat him up

Welcome to Groper Don the Con's America

[WinkyDink]

53. This episode; the young woman slammed to concrete---Whatever happened to simple handcuffing?

[Docreed2003]

55. I'm actually really sick over one of the other threads...

One poster actually said that "now the privileged class knows what the rest of us feel". Look, I'm a doctor. I realize I'm "privileged" in the sense that I have a good job that I worked my whole life for and I sure as hell know I'm privileged in that I don't have to worry about getting shot at a traffic stop like so many brothers and sisters here. But I also know what it's like to be dirt ass poor and not know you are. I've had struggles in my life, like we all have. I'm not some Trump kid born to privilege who was given everything they have...I fought and earned my degree and my board certification. No one gave me that.

All that said....what happened to this man is fucking appalling, no matter what his profession may be.

I consider myself to be a liberal, who has been extremely blessed in life. I do everything I can to return those blessings to my community and those around me. It's insulting and sad that some on this board would look at my profession and suggest because of that, perhaps I too should have been knocked the fuck out and carted off the plane. Malaise, I know you didn't suggest those things...trust me, I love your posts. But some did...and it's sickening and disheartening to think some here in this community do have those feelings.

[malaise]

68. +1,000

It's truly sad.
Could have been a university lecturer with an 8.00am class or a teacher with a 10.00am class.
United and the security folks were effin' out of order. I hope he sues them big time.

[steve2470]

72. awesome post

I wish you would expand this to be a full OP. Best wishes to you.

[vi5]

75. Really?

I'm glad I don't know where that other thread is.

[WinkyDink]

56. Video on MSNBC/Kornacki imminent.

[Paladin]

67. As if I needed another reason to avoid flying United.

Bunch of pigs.

[steve2470]

71. This is a textbook business case of how NOT to handle this

If they had asked for volunteers BEFORE boarding and offered reasonable compensation, this would not be news.

Someone fucked up really badly and will probably get canned.

[LAS14]

77. I think they should have booked a private plane to ferry the...

... 4 critical staff members. Once you're in your seat it ought to be yours!

[Eko]

79. Fascism and communism

Fascism and communism, probably some hitlerism mixed in also. Capitalist fascist commie Hitler pigs!!!