Originally Posted by
deskover54
Overbooking happens in other industries so your statement is incorrect. Hotels would be one example.
Which is why I said "Almost nowhere else" because I'm aware that hotels do it.
I'm not buying the cheaper fares argument; I'd need to see hard proof (from a disinterested third-party source that evaluates statistics; not from an airline with a vested interest in keeping it).
Strictly from a passenger viewpoint, overbooking is horrible.
As for this:
Originally Posted by
RumPatrol
The reason United had to shoehorn these crew members on to this flight, and only this flight, was because if they didn't they would probably have to delay or cancel the flight they were en route to crew. It happens every single day on every single airline. Displace 4 passengers or displace an entire plane full of them? Math isn't too hard on which you pick.
Again, your personnel problems, airlines, should not be my problem as a customer. If I pay money for a service, I expect that service. In the case of an airline, the *only* exceptions to that rule would be: weather-related, health emergency of the captain/co-pilot, or mechanical issues.
I don't care about your profit (and they're making money; don't kid yourself) and I don't care about your personnel problems. I should not, if I paid for your service, be asked to voluntarily deplane due to your greed or incompetence, or be asked to take a voucher if I don't want to do so, or as some suggested, told I should take the voucher and drive. No. I choose to fly for a reason.
In return, I'm a model passenger. I don't cause trouble; I don't overpack and I don't hassle the staff. I'm polite and try to be kind.
All I want is what I'm entitled to when purchasing your service and that is, that service. For those ready to jump in about the Carrier Code or whatever they call it, how about we just use common sense.
I'm even more angry at our government that I am at United. They've allowed the corporations to do this to us.
At airports, instead of profiling like Israel does (and quite well too), we all must go through the charade of TSA, lest we offend someone by profiling. We're stuffed into smaller and smaller seats (how tall men or men with shoulders fly I do not know) and airplanes are stuffed to the gills. No wonder people are fed up. And now we're supposed to just roll over because Joe Authority says we should do something? No.
That guy was brave. He acted instead of rolling over and taking it. I wish I had his guts.