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Man pulled off of overbooked flight UA3411 (ORD-SDF) 9 Apr 2017 {Settlement reached}

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Old Apr 10, 2017, 8:42 pm
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Statement from United Airlines Regarding Resolution with Dr. David Dao - released 27 April 2017
CHICAGO, April 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- We are pleased to report that United and Dr. Dao have reached an amicable resolution of the unfortunate incident that occurred aboard flight 3411. We look forward to implementing the improvements we have announced, which will put our customers at the center of everything we do.
DOT findings related to the UA3411 9 April 2017 IDB incident 12 May 2017

What facts do we know?
  • UA3411, operated by Republic Airways, ORD-SDF on Sunday, April 9, 2017. UA3411 was the second to last flight to SDF for United. AA3509 and UA4771 were the two remaining departures for the day. Also, AA and DL had connecting options providing for same-day arrival in SDF.
  • After the flight was fully boarded, United determined four seats were needed to accommodate crew to SDF for a flight on Monday.
  • United solicited volunteers for VDB. (BUT stopped at $800 in UA$s, not cash). Chose not to go to the levels such as 1350 that airlines have been known to go even in case of weather impacted disruption)
  • After receiving no volunteers for $800 vouchers, a passenger volunteered for $1,600 and was "laughed at" and refused, United determined four passengers to be removed from the flight.
  • One passenger refused and Chicago Aviation Security Officers were called to forcibly remove the passenger.
  • The passenger hit the armrest in the aisle and received a concussion, a broken nose, a bloodied lip, and the loss of two teeth.
  • After being removed from the plane, the passenger re-boarded saying "I need to go home" repeatedly, before being removed again.
  • United spokesman Jonathan Guerin said the flight was sold out — but not oversold. Instead, United and regional affiliate Republic Airlines – the unit that operated Flight 3411 – decided they had to remove four passengers from the flight to accommodate crewmembers who were needed in Louisville the next day for a “downline connection.”

United Express Flight 3411 Review and Action Report - released 27 April 2017

Videos

Internal Communication by Oscar Munoz
Oscar Munoz sent an internal communication to UA employees (sources: View From The Wing, Chicago Tribune):
Dear Team,

Like you, I was upset to see and hear about what happened last night aboard United Express Flight 3411 headed from Chicago to Louisville. While the facts and circumstances are still evolving, especially with respect to why this customer defied Chicago Aviation Security Officers the way he did, to give you a clearer picture of what transpired, I've included below a recap from the preliminary reports filed by our employees.

As you will read, this situation was unfortunately compounded when one of the passengers we politely asked to deplane refused and it became necessary to contact Chicago Aviation Security Officers to help. Our employees followed established procedures for dealing with situations like this. While I deeply regret this situation arose, I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right.

I do, however, believe there are lessons we can learn from this experience, and we are taking a close look at the circumstances surrounding this incident. Treating our customers and each other with respect and dignity is at the core of who we are, and we must always remember this no matter how challenging the situation.

Oscar

Summary of Flight 3411
  • On Sunday, April 9, after United Express Flight 3411 was fully boarded, United's gate agents were approached by crewmembers that were told they needed to board the flight.
  • We sought volunteers and then followed our involuntary denial of boarding process (including offering up to $1,000 in compensation) and when we approached one of these passengers to explain apologetically that he was being denied boarding, he raised his voice and refused to comply with crew member instructions.
  • He was approached a few more times after that in order to gain his compliance to come off the aircraft, and each time he refused and became more and more disruptive and belligerent.
  • Our agents were left with no choice but to call Chicago Aviation Security Officers to assist in removing the customer from the flight. He repeatedly declined to leave.
  • Chicago Aviation Security Officers were unable to gain his cooperation and physically removed him from the flight as he continued to resist - running back onto the aircraft in defiance of both our crew and security officials.
Email sent to all employees at 2:08PM on Tuesday, April 11.
Dear Team,

The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment. I share all of those sentiments, and one above all: my deepest apologies for what happened. Like you, I continue to be disturbed by what happened on this flight and I deeply apologize to the customer forcibly removed and to all the customers aboard. No one should ever be mistreated this way.

I want you to know that we take full responsibility and we will work to make it right.

It’s never too late to do the right thing. I have committed to our customers and our employees that we are going to fix what’s broken so this never happens again. This will include a thorough review of crew movement, our policies for incentivizing volunteers in these situations, how we handle oversold situations and an examination of how we partner with airport authorities and local law enforcement. We’ll communicate the results of our review by April 30th.

I promise you we will do better.

Sincerely,

Oscar
Statement to customers - 27 April 2017
Each flight you take with us represents an important promise we make to you, our customer. It's not simply that we make sure you reach your destination safely and on time, but also that you will be treated with the highest level of service and the deepest sense of dignity and respect.

Earlier this month, we broke that trust when a passenger was forcibly removed from one of our planes. We can never say we are sorry enough for what occurred, but we also know meaningful actions will speak louder than words.

For the past several weeks, we have been urgently working to answer two questions: How did this happen, and how can we do our best to ensure this never happens again?

It happened because our corporate policies were placed ahead of our shared values. Our procedures got in the way of our employees doing what they know is right.

Fixing that problem starts now with changing how we fly, serve and respect our customers. This is a turning point for all of us here at United – and as CEO, it's my responsibility to make sure that we learn from this experience and redouble our efforts to put our customers at the center of everything we do.

That’s why we announced that we will no longer ask law enforcement to remove customers from a flight and customers will not be required to give up their seat once on board – except in matters of safety or security.

We also know that despite our best efforts, when things don’t go the way they should, we need to be there for you to make things right. There are several new ways we’re going to do just that.

We will increase incentives for voluntary rebooking up to $10,000 and will be eliminating the red tape on permanently lost bags with a new "no-questions-asked" $1,500 reimbursement policy. We will also be rolling out a new app for our employees that will enable them to provide on-the-spot goodwill gestures in the form of miles, travel credit and other amenities when your experience with us misses the mark. You can learn more about these commitments and many other changes at hub.united.com.

While these actions are important, I have found myself reflecting more broadly on the role we play and the responsibilities we have to you and the communities we serve.

I believe we must go further in redefining what United's corporate citizenship looks like in our society. If our chief good as a company is only getting you to and from your destination, that would show a lack of moral imagination on our part. You can and ought to expect more from us, and we intend to live up to those higher expectations in the way we embody social responsibility and civic leadership everywhere we operate. I hope you will see that pledge express itself in our actions going forward, of which these initial, though important, changes are merely a first step.

Our goal should be nothing less than to make you truly proud to say, "I fly United."

Ultimately, the measure of our success is your satisfaction and the past several weeks have moved us to go further than ever before in elevating your experience with us. I know our 87,000 employees have taken this message to heart, and they are as energized as ever to fulfill our promise to serve you better with each flight and earn the trust you’ve given us.

We are working harder than ever for the privilege to serve you and I know we will be stronger, better and the customer-focused airline you expect and deserve.

With Great Gratitude,

Oscar Munoz
CEO
United Airlines
Aftermath
Poll: Your Opinion of United Airlines Reference Material

UA's Customer Commitment says:
Occasionally we may not be able to provide you with a seat on a specific flight, even if you hold a ticket, have checked in, are present to board on time, and comply with other requirements. This is called an oversale, and occurs when restrictions apply to operating a particular flight safely (such as aircraft weight limits); when we have to substitute a smaller aircraft in place of a larger aircraft that was originally scheduled; or if more customers have checked in and are prepared to board than we have available seats.

If your flight is in an oversale situation, you will not be denied a seat until we first ask for volunteers willing to give up their confirmed seats. If there are not enough volunteers, we will deny boarding to passengers in accordance with our written policy on boarding priority. If you are involuntarily denied boarding and have complied with our check-in and other applicable rules, we will give you a written statement that describes your rights and explains how we determine boarding priority for an oversold flight. You will generally be entitled to compensation and transportation on an alternate flight.

We make complete rules for the payment of compensation, as well as our policy about boarding priorities, available at airports we serve. We will follow these rules to ensure you are treated fairly. Please be aware that you may be denied boarding without compensation if you do not check in on time or do not meet certain other requirements, or if we offer you alternative transportation that is planned to arrive at your destination or first stopover no later than one hour after the planned arrival time of your original flight.
CoC is here: https://www.united.com/web/en-US/con...-carriage.aspx
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Man pulled off of overbooked flight UA3411 (ORD-SDF) 9 Apr 2017 {Settlement reached}

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Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:04 am
  #2401  
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
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WorldLux is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:05 am
  #2402  
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Programs: UA Gold, AA DL
Posts: 25
Originally Posted by NFH
Isn't it? Unless he was obliged, either through a contractual obligation or through legislation (and nobody has quoted the relevant legislation), to obey the crew's command to do so, he was not wrong to refuse.
here you go:

for Part 135 flights:

http://rgl.faa.gov/regulatory_and_gu...on=2#_Section2

for part 121 flights:

http://rgl.faa.gov/regulatory_and_gu...f!OpenDocument

Someone else already posted this, which is plain english analysis from a defense attorney on what these sections actually mean in practical terms based on hundreds or thousands of cases in the legal sea.

http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com...rewmember.htm#
jwh212 is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:09 am
  #2403  
 
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Originally Posted by halls120
The passenger was wrong to refuse the request/order to deplane. That isn't in serious debate. That he was wrong doesn't in the least bit excuse UA's subsequent actions, from the physical act of removal to their continued tone deaf PR response.
I bet you if this say happened to someone in your family you'd have a very different tone.

He had a seat, this is not a denied boarding! He was FORCIBLY ASKED to leave the plane where he has a right as a paying customer, regardless of his fare.

If this was IDB that's a different story, but UA already boarded and gave him a seat!
BRAISKI is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:09 am
  #2404  
 
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My son is an American journalist working in China. He says the story has gone viral there as well. This won't be good for United's Asian business.
DrMaturin is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:10 am
  #2405  
 
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Originally Posted by WorldLux
F/A to you "Strip naked and dance in the galley singing the "Frozen" soundtrack. If you don't know the lyrics, we consider that you disobey a flight crew command and must be drag out by LE" What are you going to do?
Wait, you are supposed to wait until the crew asks you to do this?

That explains all the dirty looks I got, but the tipping from the folks in first class was nice.
HoustonConsultant is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:10 am
  #2406  
 
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The airline has been circling the drain for years. FAs are frequently abusive, gate agents abusive - and complete idiots in this case - and this is a gross abuse of the overly broad power that air crew have over passengers.

I'd love to see United finally dissolve over this and for this to be remembered as the moment when treating passengers like self loading cargo finally became a reason for an airline to fail.

I fear what we will likely see is more of the same. With the current administration in power and a system of government enforced reduced choice, there's very little chance for meaningful change.
embarcadero1 is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:11 am
  #2407  
 
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Originally Posted by DrMaturin
My son is an American journalist working in China. He says the story has gone viral there as well. This won't be good for United's Asian business.
Well, I hope there won't be one. You could make the point that the front line employees may just be doing what they were asked to do (according to procedure) without being able to predict the violence that ensued, but the subsequent response from United CEO and the leadership was shocking.

I can guarantee you that this episode would be perceived as even more shocking in many Asian cultures than from an American perspective. Do you know that many Asian airline stewards/stewardesses lower themselves down to the floor to speak to customers at eye level especially in premium cabins? You can make the point this is too subservient (and I would agree), but this is the benchmark to which United Airlines' actions would be compared!
simpletastes is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:12 am
  #2408  
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Originally Posted by BRAISKI
I bet you if this say happened to someone in your family you'd have a very different tone.
Touche my friend!

You nailed it on the head!

Touchdown!

Home run!

Hole in one!

Black jack!

To anyone who thinks that the passenger failed to follow instructions - let's hope that it never happens to anyone close they know.
alanslegal is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:13 am
  #2409  
 
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 4,772
Originally Posted by Ausriver
What UA did was terrible and wrong.
To start with, buying an airline ticket is a business contract, they simply cannot off load a pax when they think someone else would be more important to use that seat.
Not true, I suggest you read the wiki or read through the the thread. An airline (not just UA) can remove anyone per the COC for overbooking, it is a lawful practice. The business contract you refer to is simply that the air carrier will transport you from point A to point B and nothing else. Technically, it doesn't even have to be on an aircraft as long as they get you to the destination you have "contracted" for they have fulfilled their obligation.
worldtrav is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:13 am
  #2410  
 
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For all of the United/Munoz backers regarding this flight, how do you get through life being so economically illiterate? This WILL absolutely cost United more than the voucher amounts they should've offered. This is supply and demand at its basic level: Supply (airline seats) was limited at the price point offered (demand) via voucher. At a certain price point, 4 people would find the amount of the voucher offered worthy of changing their travel plans. Problem solved, everyone gets on with their day. Increase the dollar value until the two lines intersect.

Instead, United felt that physically removing and beating a randomly selected passenger would be a better solution. And, by the way, how did this occur after boarding? Personally, I couldn't fly on an airline staffed by employees with IQ's that threaten to hit room temperature on a good day. That's what this whole episode really shows.
northwest_buckeye is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:15 am
  #2411  
nsx
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Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:15 am
  #2412  
 
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The doctor named as of Feb 2016 limited to one day a week of practice in an inpatient setting.

Off topic, but who the heck goes to a doctor's office without checking up on things like this.

Even if it is a different person than in the UA incident.

Oh the UA soap opera...you can't script stuff like what's happened the last couple of years.

UA gets the PR crash by not upping the bid enough and out of 75 pax picking the one person who knows surviving the legal system all too well.

Who is going to write the mock NTSB report of this.

Last edited by cerealmarketer; Apr 11, 2017 at 6:27 am
cerealmarketer is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:15 am
  #2413  
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 1
Very Bad United

Long time UA flyer: 1K/Platinum - Sad to say United is getting worse and worse to customers. They 100% caused problem. Did not want to spend $$ to motivate volunteers - how could they stop before offering maximum amount? Then seems (from watching many interviews with passengers) that they did not handle discussions with passengers properly. Seems UA emails/tweets to customers/employees are either lies or they just had no idea what really happened. VERY SAD. Wish I had better flying options.
marknyc123 is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:16 am
  #2414  
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 26
Racial discrimination

Washington Post story:

Was that doctor dragged off the United Airlines flight because he Asian. Many in China think so.

Key paragraph:

"By late afternoon on Tuesday, the topic had attracted 160 million readers on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, and 97,000 comments. Petitions to boycott United Airlines were also going viral on WeChat, a popular messaging service."

United deserves this bad press. The CEO ensured they receive it.
metacritic is offline  
Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:16 am
  #2415  
 
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At least I'm not part of UA MileagePlus.
Noppasit is offline  


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