"Gordon's the best CEO"...Would a CEO really do this?
 

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http://www.usaviation.com/idealbb/vi...-E5FAF1E4CF00}

True story, related to me by a CO flight attendant:

On a recent CO flight, CEO Gordon Bethune had pre-boarded the aircraft and was sitting on the flight deck chatting with the Captain and First Officer. He left the flight deck just before pushback to take his assigned First Class seat.

A OnePass Platinum Elite member boarded just before the flight pushed, and was furious that he had not been upgraded. Seeing several First Class seats open, he began to argue with the flight attendant over why he had not been upgraded. The flight attendant said she would get a gate agent to look into the matter, but the Elite member began swearing at her profusely.

Gordon was on his way back from the cockpit when this occurred, and intervened, asking, "Can I help somehow?"

The passenger said, "Huh? Who the f*** are you?"

"I'm the CEO of this company," Gordon replied. "May I see your ticket, sir?"

The passenger gave his ticket to Gordon, who saw a total fare of just under six hundred dollars. He then pulled out his billfold and peeled off six $100 bills, placing them in the man's hand.

And then he tore the ticket up.

"Now," Gordon said, "you get the f*** off my airplane!"

The flight attendant could barely contain herself.

"I love it when a plan comes together!" - Col. John "Hannibal" Smith

Now that is great!

I don't believe that story, the Gordo I know and love would just kick the guy off the plane and charge him an extra $100 to change his ticket to a later flight. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by snake (edited 10-27-2002).]

Yeah, sure. I have yet to see Plat. members assaulting FAs for not being upgraded. While they might be pissed (a friend of mine recently flew as an Elite in coach on OAK-IAH while 4 seats up front were empty- and he was pretty upset), I don't think many would be unwise enough to blame the FA for it.

About Gordo's actions: His ripping apart of the ticket is by definition denied boarding, so the pissed-off Plat should have asked for that at the gate after being thrown off the airplane http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif


[This message has been edited by BackOfTheBus (edited 10-27-2002).]

Highly dubious.

It doesn't make much senes, sound like anything Gordon would do, and violates Continental's contract of carriage.

Plus, it's NOT Gordo's "f...ing" airplane (unless he's assuming personal liability for it).

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif I just love it when s$$t like this happens to make things more interesting!

If the story is true Gordo's as big a jerk as the Platinum.

Who's idea was it to offer "Unlimited Space Available Upgrades" to Elites, anyway?

Please forgive my ignorance BackOfTheBus, but how can FC seats remain empty while an Elite travels coach? I'm just a leisure traveler and have never encountered this. I've never seen empty FC seats.

I can't say whether Gordo would do or did this. If he had, good for him.

As far as violating the contract of carriage..... that's rubbish. The airline is not obligated to provide passage to a passenger that is flagrantly abusive towards the crew members. The FAA and any court of law would stand behind the airline. In fact, the customer would be lucky if the airline did not charge him with intimidating or threatening a crew member. That is a FEDERAL offense. That pretty much tosses that "contract of carriage" right out the window. If someone were to treat me this way before the plane left the gate, as a crew member I would refuse to allow this person travel on my aircraft.


[This message has been edited by AS Flyer (edited 10-27-2002).]

Where on the boarding pass is the price listed???

If a passenger was intimidating a member of the flight crew, then Continental would not be obligated to provide financial compensation and the passenger would be removed from the flight, not asked to leave.

BizJet: Agreed, the story is absurd for more than just that reason. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

At a "CEO Exchange" held this past week in Houston, Gordon acknowledged that he had heard this rumor that was circulating in various chat rooms and he said that there is absolutely no truth to it at all.

[This message has been edited by 1passguy (edited 10-27-2002).]

Now here's a dilema, who you gonna believe, Gordo the liar, or a "true" story related to the narrator by a flight attendant? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

The passenger gave him his TICKET...

Tickets all have the price printed on them in the lower left-hand corner.