UNITED AIRLINES IS CURRENTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A PR NIGHTMARE
AFTER SOME OF THEIR OFFICIALS DECIDED TO DRAG A PASSENGER OFF
A PLANE IN ONE OF THE MOST VIOLENT WAYS THAT WE'VE SEEN ON
A PLANE SO FAR.
THIS STORY REALLY HAS TO DO WITH THE FACT
THAT AIRLINES HAVE THIS ANNOYING POLICY OF OVERBOOKING FLIGHTS
AND SOMETIMES, THEY WILL OVERBOOK FLIGHTS AND EVERYONE
WILL SHOW UP AND THEN THEY HAVE TO TRY TO CONVINCE PASSENGERS TO
GIVE UP THEIR SEATS IN EXCHANGE FOR A VOUCHER, USUALLY IT'S LIKE
A $400 VOUCHER THAT GOES TOWARD ANOTHER FLIGHT AND THEN THEY
WILL GET REBOOKED ONTO A LATER FLIGHT.
WELL, A LOT OF PEOPLE
BOOK THEIR FLIGHTS DURING A SPECIFIC DATE AND TIME AS ANY TO
GET TO PLACES AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE CASES WHERE AGAIN
EVERYBODY SHOWED UP, EVERYONE WANTED TO FLY AND NO ONE WANTED
TO SEE.
AS A RESULT, UNITED DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD PICK
RANDOM PEOPLE AND MAKE THEM GIVE UP THEIR SEATS SO THEY
COULD ACCOMMODATE THE EMPLOYEES AND THE PROPER INDIVIDUALS
TO MOVE AHEAD WITH THE FLIGHT.
WHEN THAT HAPPENED, THEY CHOSE ONE MAN WHO CLAIMED THAT HE
WAS A DOCTOR AND THAT HE COULD NOT FLY AT A LATER TIME AND
SO WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS A DIFFICULT VIDEO TO WATCH,
IT'S A LITTLE GRAPHIC, BUT IT FEATURES THE AUTHORITIES
LITERALLY DRAGGING A MAN OFF THE PLANE.
TAKE A LOOK.
THIS IS NOT RIGHT.
NO!
OH MY GOD!
NO!
OH MY GOD!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
NO, THIS IS WRONG.
OH MY GOD ASK MY LOOK IT WHAT YOU DID TO HIM!
OH MY GOD.
SO HE WAS SITTING IN A WINDOWS CE AND APPARENTLY THEY
DRAGGED HIM OUT AND DRAG THEM OFF THE PLANE.
THERE ARE OTHER
VIDEOS OUT THERE BUT I WANT TO GIVE CREDIT TO THE WOMAN WHO DID
FILM THIS.
HER NAME IS ANDREA AND SHE POSTED IT ñ
I'M SORRY AUDRA BRIDGES.
SHE POSTED IT ON FACEBOOK AND IT HAS BEEN WIDELY SHARED.
THERE ARE OTHER VIDEOS.
YOU SAW THERE, TWO OTHER PEOPLE WERE FILMING IN THAT VIDEO.
ONE OF THEM FEATURES A CLOSE-UP OF THE PASSENGER AND
THE FACT THAT HE WAS WHAT HE AS A RESULT OF THIS CONFRONTATION.
APPARENTLY IN THE VIDEO HE ALSO SAID JUST KILL ME AND I HAVE TO
GO HOME.
THIS WHOLE THING IS REALLY FRUSTRATING AND IT IS
JUST DEVASTATING BECAUSE IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME AND EVEN
THOUGH YOU ARE A PAYING CUSTOMER AND YOU DO EVERYTHING RIGHT AND
YOU PLAY BY THE RULES, THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU AND YOU HAVE
VERY LITTLE PROTECTION.
THE AIRLINES HAVE TO COMPENSATE YOU
IF THEY HAVE TO PUT YOU ON A LATER FLIGHT AND CAUSES HUGE
INCONVENIENCE, BUT THEY GET TO OVERBOOK FLIGHTS ALL THE TIME
BECAUSE THEY ARE LIKE WELL, SOME PEOPLE DON'T SHOW UP.
BUT YOU
STILL GET PAID FOR THAT SEAT.
THOSE PEOPLE STILL PAY FOR THE
FLIGHT THAT YOU GUYS NEVER REFUND.
GETTING A REFUND FROM AN AIRLINE IS ONE OF THE HARDEST
THINGS THE WORLD I'D STARTED IN BUYING A HOUSE.
EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE IMMEDIATELY FILLED US WITH
ANOTHER PERSON.
OF COURSE THEY WILL DO IF SOMEONE PAYS FOR THE FLIGHT
AND THAT SEAT, WHO CARES OF THE SCHOBER NOT KUESTER YOU ARE
STILL GETTING YOUR MONEY.
I FEEL TERRIBLE FOR THIS GUY.
I HATE THAT THIS POLICY EXISTS.
THAT AIRLINES GET AWAY
WITH IT BUT UNITED IS DEALING WITH A TON OF CRITICISM AS
A RESULT OF THE SITUATION.
ITíS A PERVERSE SITUATION BECAUSE WE WOULD BE UPSET
THAT THEY OVERBOOKED SOMETHING STUPID AND CHEAP LIKE A MOVIE
THEATER BUT FOR SOME REASON IT'S OKAY FOR THEM TO OVERBOOK
SOMETHING THAT COST YOU WAY MORE, 30 TIMES MORE AND IF YOU
CAN'T USE THE SERVICE, YOUR VACATION IS RUINED, YOU DON'T GET
TO GO TO THE FUNERAL YOU WERE GOING TO, WHATEVER IT IS.
NOBODY JUST GETS ON A PLANE BECAUSE LIKE I DON'T HAVE
ANYTHING TO DO TODAY.
EVERYBODY DESPERATELY NEEDS TO FINISH THAT
LIZA FOR SOME REASON, THEY CAN DO IT THERE.
MY FIRST REACTION
TO THIS WAS THIS IS THE PERFECT VIDEO SUMMARY OF THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORPORATIONS AND REGULAR
PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY.
THAT'S A GREAT POINT THAT.
IF THEY WANT TO THE CONSENTING GOONS, THOSE GOODS
CAN BRUTALIZE YOU AND SO THEY GET TO ME A LITTLE MORE MONEY.
IT WOULD BE BAD ENOUGH IF THEY HAD STOPPED FOR PEOPLE FROM
GETTING ON THE PLANE BUT YOU LET THEM GET ON THE PLANE TO
DRAG THEM OUT?
ARE YOU MAD?
ARE YOU CRAZY?
THERE ARE THREE, MAYBE 10 PEOPLE FILMING YOU.
DO YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH THIS?
AND THEY DO.
THEY THINK THEY CAN PUNCH US IN THE FACE AND THERE'S
NOTHING WE CAN DO.
MAYBE WE CAN'T PUNCH BACK, BUT WE CAN PUNCH THEM IN THE STOCK.
THIS IS GOING TO CAUSE THEM POSSIBLY BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS AND THE UPROAR CONTINUES.
THAT'S THE POWER WE HAVE AS INDIVIDUALS.
YES, THAT IS THE POWER BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT A
LOT OF THE BIG AIRLINES WILL BUY SMALLER AIRLINES AND IT DOESN'T
CREATE A MONOPOLY PER SE BUT IT DOES LEAD TO WAY LESS OPTIONS
WHEN YOU WANT TO FLY AND SO THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE
INSTANCES RIGHT HAVE SAID I AM NEVER GOING TO FLY ON THIS
AIRLINE AGAIN AND THEN WHEN I'M BOOKING A FLIGHT AND YOU'RE
RIGHT, A LOT OF TIMES YOUR BOOKING FLIGHTS FOR IMPORTANT
REASONS, WORKER FAMILY EMERGENCIES.
YOU HAVE NO
OPTIONS.
AND THEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO BOOK WITH UNITED OR
WHATEVER IT IS.
I FEEL LIKE THEY ARE EMBOLDENED BY THAT, BY
KNOWING THAT IN A LOT OF CASES YOU CAN THREATEN THEM AS MUCH AS
YOU WANT BUT YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CHOICES OUT THERE.
THIS
POLICY THERE HAS TO BE SOME REGULATION TO STOP IT AND IF YOU
WORK FOR THE AIRLINES AND YOU ARE LIKE KNOW, PEOPLE SHOW UP.
I DON'T CARE PEOPLE TO SHOW UP.
THINK ABOUT IN THIS CONTEXT.
IF
YOU BUY TICKETS TO GO SEE DRAKE BECAUSE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I
WOULD DO AND YOU ARE SPENDING WHATEVER, HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS
FOR THAT SEE IMAGINE IF THAT VENUE WAS LIKE YOU KNOW,
SOMETIMES PEOPLE GET TO DRUG BEFORE THE CONCERT AND THEN THEY
DON'T SHOW UP SO WE'RE GOING TO TRIPLE BOOK EACH SEATS BECAUSE
WE THINK ñ I PAID FOR THE TICKET.
I DON'T CARE.
IF I PAY THE MONEY, IT'S UP TO ME WHETHER I SHOW UP OR NOT.
HERE'S THE THING, THE VENUE STILL MAKES THE MONEY.
THE AIRLINES TO MAKE THE MONEY THAT.
DRAKE STILL MAKES HIS MONEY.
EXACTLY.
JUST A MAKES HIS MONEY.
I LOVE THEM.
I MEAN LOOK, ARE YOU GET TO THE APOLOGY?
SO SPOKESPERSON SAYS WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE OVERBOOK
SITUATION ñ THAT'S A TERRIBLE APOLOGY BUT NOT AS BAD AS WHEN
THE CEO STEPS IN, THAT'S HOW BIG THIS GUY, AND HE SAYS HE
APOLOGIZES FOR THE RE-ACCOMMODATION SITUATION.
PEOPLE AREN'T MAD AT YOU BECAUSE OF THE REACCOMMODATION
SITUATION.
WHERE MATTIE YOU BECAUSE HE BRUTALIZED A DOCTOR.
WERE MAD BECAUSE YOU THROUGH A GUY DOWN AND BLOODIED HIM AND
DRAG HIM UP LIKE HE WAS A SACK OF MEATÖ WE'RE MAD.
THESE SORTS
OF STATEMENTS ARE WHY PEOPLE HATE CORPORATIONS BECAUSE THEY
HAVE DRAINED FROM THEIR SPOKESPERSON AND THEIR CEO ANY
TRACE OF HUMANITY OR EMPATHY.
THEY BECOME THE ROBOTS WE KNOW
THEY ARE.
AND ALSO, BY THE WAY, I DID SOME RESEARCH.
I'M NOT A
LAWYER AND I DID SOME RESEARCH AND APPARENTLY A LOT OF TIMES
WHEN THEY GO AND SAY WE'VE OVERBOOKED, WERE GOING TO OFFER
YOU POOR HUNDRED DOLLARS TO GOT TO PLAY A LOT OF TIMES THAT IS
NOT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN LEGALLY GET BACK AND IT'S JUST IN
TRAVEL VOUCHERS.
YOU'RE ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO BE GIVEN CASH.
WHEN YOU ACCEPT ONE OF THOSE THINGS EARLY ON WHEN THEY
ARE JUST LIKE TO HAVE ANY VOLUNTEERS KUESTER YOU ARE
GIVING UP YOUR RIGHT TO GET AS MUCH AS YOU ARE LEGALLY
OWED WHICH DOES NOT HAVE TO COME IN THE FORM OF A TRAVEL BOUCHER.
YOU CAN GET MORE CASH THAT.
EXACTLY.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, AND KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO ñ YOU CAN REALLY
PROTECT YOURSELF.
IF YOU FIND ITSELF IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS
THEY CAN GO AHEAD AND TAKE YOU OFF THE FLIGHT WHICH IS
CRAZY BUT I DON'T KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY
POLITICIANS OUT THERE THAT WANT TO REFORM OR CHANGE THIS
BUT THERE NEEDS TO BE AND IF THERE ARE, PEOPLE LIKE
THAT, THEY CERTAINLY HAVE MY ATTENTION.
IS NOT GUARANTEED BUT WE WERE GIVEN A TIP BY A FAN OF THE SHOW
ON THE CARRIER THAT FUNCTIONS AS UNITED EXPRESS AND WE READ
THROUGH THEIR GUIDELINES FOR THESE SORTS OF SITUATIONS AND
THERE IS NO REFERENCE MADE TO FORCIBLE EVACUATION OUT OF
THE PLANE, THAT THEY CAN DRAG YOU OUT.
IT SAYS THEY CAN
CANCEL YOUR TICKET, REFUND YOU, IT DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING
ABOUT BEING ABLE TO USE PHYSICAL FORCE SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT
THIS ISN'T JUST BAD PR BUT THEY MIGHT'VE LITERALLY BROKEN
THE LAW BUT WE'RE STILL LOOKING INTO THAT.