eigenvector

All airlines would be wise to create - and ensure that staff follow - clear procedures on when to summon law enforcement. We don't know what AC's policy is but hopefully it does not involve summoning law enforcement to deal with non-compliant but non-violent passengers when there are ample options to de-escalate the situation.

Ber2dca

I suggest Air Canada boycots the OP of this thread. I for one cannot *bear* the idea of sharing a plane with someone so easily excited.

CZAMFlyer

Yes, well disgruntled passengers' threats during moments of collective outrage are well known to carry about as much weight as a helium balloon. Just look within our own forum. Many of us complain, yet very few of us actually do something about it. Two years ago, following my 'last straw enhancement', I personally switched almost all of my flying to another airline (one that tends to throttle its passengers apparently). There are a few contributors that have taken a similar stand, but many other vocal AC critics remain slave to circumstance or choice. They rise up just long enough to type out another empty declaration and then settle back into their status quo.

'Boycott United' will have been largely forgotten by Wednesday.

24left

Well, to quote someone wiser than me "airlines, and companies in general, seem to forget that everyone has a camera on their phone".

As to FTers on all airline forums threatening to leave when their main carrier displeases them in some way....this is social media and a public forum. Everyone vents, rants and some threaten. In the end, many have quietly left the airlines they used to fly, either because of the enhancements (as you put it) or because those airlines no longer offer them what they need, when they need it at a price they want to pay.

None of this changes how this is another one in a list of cascading failures for UA and AC should be thankful it's not them.

CZAMFlyer

As I stated in my post. But not enough to make an appreciable difference.

Yes it is a failure, but little will change beyond the short term. Hopefully AC mgmt adopts a less "thankful" approach and instead takes an assertive role in ensuring it never happens to them.

cghall74

I think UA should boot AC. AC is such a horrible airline domestically it is embarrassing.

longtimeflyin

Perhaps it is because I'm a proud Canadian but I am naive enough to think that Air Canada would not find themselves in this situation because we, as Canadians, are polite enough to not treat our neighbors this inhumanely.

After watching the video, I was surprised the person who was taken off the aircraft was a physician - clearly there are multiple factors at play that we are not privy to which lead to this altercation.

24left

And yet, you started a thread called

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ly-united.html

Thatguyatthebar

oh SNAP

SKYEG

Hahahahaahahahahaha

Stranger

Not in the middle. I don't disagree at all with what you state below.

It's just that while I agree this is a PR disaster for UA, I also believe the guy brought it upon himself. And that from a legal standpoint UA is likely in the clear. Not that it will help PR wise.

Agreed, not the culture and not specific to AC.

Probably more like a reflection of the pressure from operational issues. I could imagine a scenario like, flight is ready to go, perhaps already delayed. Last minute, ops comes up with a requirement that some crew folks *need* to take that flight. Surely with good reasons, better to inconvenient a handful of people on this flight than 140 on another flight. Captain, ready to go, getting a bit edgy. Instructs the cabin crew to just pick four people at random in the interest of time. Crew obeys blindly. Etc.

Concerto

I find all of this really scary. I already placed an indefinite boycott on flying UNITED at the time of the merger because I didn't agree with the merger and I was appalled at the service degradation and general mess following that merger. I will certainly be maintaining that boycott, even if it is considered a waste of effort here. Easy for me, here in Europe, to avoid flying UA, but I have also placed a boycott on British Airways as they are hitting the lowest pits possible of rock bottom.

But this whole incident just should never have happened, there is something terribly wrong in the flying world if it has come to this.

Stranger

Indeed. It's called the race to the bottom.

Direct consequence of people searched for rock bottom prices and airlines having no choice but obliging. Going to happen again, but next time, probably won't be UA but your favorite airline.

ridefar

There is a lot more than just one thing wrong with the flying world. Why do you think this forum exists? It offers both utility maximization and therapy for the FF. Both of which are pretty much mandatory for a FF.

That aside, it should never have happened. And even if UA is probably in the clear (I agree that they are, FWIW) it doesn't mean that there weren't a lot better ways of achieving the results. And lots of opportunities to prevent it from ever going as far as it did. If ever I am too attempted to levy some blanket criticism of AC (like: AC sucks in every concievable way) then scenarios such as this can serve as a reminder that there may be considerable suckage over at AC, but not total. Yeah! They cleared UA's spectacularly low bar. Lets have a party for AC.

24left

People with far more creative skills than me.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28156707-post829.html