Originally Posted by
cbn42
An hour delay for a group of passengers is better than an overnight delay for another group.
That's ridiculous.
Imagine if that happened in any other industry. Go to a restaurant, and hey, some of our tables are broken, so instead of canceling reservations, we doubled up parties. Everyone being able to eat is better than only some people being able to eat. Oh and you still pay full price. That's not what you signed up for.
Or maybe you booked an Uber ride for a $40 ride into town, the car shows up, and there's already a passenger in it. We're going to swing across town first to drop her off, since her driver's car broke down, and there's no other drivers. Should only set you back 20 minutes. Better to inconvenience you for a little than her for a lot. Not what you signed up for.
If we had stronger consumer protections in this country, United would not have tried this. United marketed, sold, and likely charged a premium for, a nonstop flight. United chose not to provide it. United should compensate everyone affected, period.
Not to mention how many blown connections were there on the IAD side? The impact could be more significant than an hour.
Unfortunately, our consumer protections in in the U.S. are rather weak. This reminds me of when CO got in trouble with the German authorities for all their 757 fuel stops on TATLs ex-Germany. Basically they German authorities said it was a deceptive practice to market and sell nonstop flights and then not deliver them. CO had a choice to upgauge or pull out. They upgauged.