Originally Posted by
Raindeer
So, you are telling me that, if you paid $10K for a 1st class seat on UA, and the seat was broken such that it would not recline into the flat bed you had been promised, you would just chalk it up to, "I paid for transportation, and that's what I got"? No way....
Coach was $44, 1st was $199. I bought a 1st Class seat. TRANSPORTATION, on this flight, cost $44. I paid an extra $155 for the 1st class experience. This isn't just about IFE, as you keep saying. This is about a seat that did not recline. The contract of carriage is irrelevant, because I have no plans on suing VX. However, given their brand promise and the way they market themselves, that they are purposely flying a "dark" A319 could certainly lead to a pretty nasty class action if someone had the chutzpah to get one started.
I believe in your example, UA would have provided me with a credit of about $400 for my trouble.
Not everyone who flew in the Main Cabin paid $44 - that was a fare for some seats and while it may have been available to you at the time of your original purchase, you can't generalize that is the default fare for the main cabin.
The in flight team has the ability to manually recline your seat. Did you ever ask them to do that for you?