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

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.

Its never too late to do the right thing. I have committed to our customers and our employees that we are going to fix whats 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. Well 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.

Thats 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 dont go the way they should, we need to be there for you to make things right. There are several new ways were 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 youve 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}

Old Apr 24, 2017, 2:25 pm
  #6481  
 
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Originally Posted by Kevin AA
I agree, but Southwest Airlines has more unionized employees than any other airline (from what I have read), and it's been like that since day 1. The difference is that WN management and the WN labor unions work together to make their passengers happy. UA management and UA labor unions work together to make their passengers as miserable as possible.
Exactly right. And because United and its unions are always in a constant struggle (think of the drama with the pilots, the FAs, and the mechanics that has even spilled onto this board), it's a wonder they do much more than phone it in every time they come to work. My last experience on United certainly felt that way.

Originally Posted by Kevin AA
The only reason UA is still in business is because people refuse to fly another carrier. If a non-stop flight on an airline staffed by rude employees is more important than a connecting flight on an airline staffed by pleasant employees, then nothing changes.
Yep. I've shouted this form the rooftops.

But, it is what it is. I won't give them a penny anymore, ever.

Last edited by WineCountryUA; Apr 24, 2017 at 2:43 pm Reason: Discuss the issues, not the poster(s)
FiveMileFinal is offline  
Old Apr 24, 2017, 2:59 pm
  #6482  
 
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Originally Posted by FiveMileFinal
My call: IF they settle, it'll be in the mid- to high eight-figures. If papers get filed, it's going to nine.
Nine figures? As in, over $100 million? That's ridiculous. People don't even get that much for wrongful death cases.
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 3:07 pm
  #6483  
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Originally Posted by lotrbfme
Look how different AA handled their latest PR case... the employee was fired and they apologized inmediately on twitter and the women was upgraded to first class on her flight. If it would have been the United FA or GA from Dao's flight she would have called the police have her knocked and dragged her outside. Then put on twitter that she was aggressive and praise their employees.
Exactly - this is how empowered employees, competent management and adept PR handle a situation.

The entire PR team at UA should be fired. UA is still dealing with fallout while AA has already been bumped off the news.

As for the union, every major airline is unionized. The job of the union is to protect employment for its members, both individually and collectively, and to increase compensation. Abusing passengers does not further either objective and is not the result of a unionized workforce. In fact one of the few things the union can't do is prevent your termination for a criminal act, i.e. assaulting another employee or a passenger.
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 3:13 pm
  #6484  
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Originally Posted by FiveMileFinal
My call: IF they settle, it'll be in the mid- to high eight-figures. If papers get filed, it's going to nine.
What a load of nonsense.
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 6:57 pm
  #6485  
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Originally Posted by Cruss74
Nine figures? As in, over $100 million? That's ridiculous. People don't even get that much for wrongful death cases.
Yen? Forint?
PushingTin is offline  
Old Apr 24, 2017, 7:24 pm
  #6486  
 
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Originally Posted by FiveMileFinal
Good lord with the union bashing. I get it, some of you think unions no longer serve a purpose. And there are a number of bad union apples who just won't listen. But as long as executive staff whose only real skill is to cut costs as much as possible to line their own pockets by finding loopholes to take things away from the very people who make the airline work, unions are still very much a necessity.

How about creating an environment where unions are not necessary? How about starting from a point where employees feel empowered to make decisions that make sense, rather than strict, unbending adherence to rules that are geared to save the company money at any cost? How about, in this specific case, taking a look at the "values" that United has held dear since even before the merger, and are what have caused this fuster cluck in the first place, rather than blaming unions for the fact that United as a whole considers passengers little more than self-loading freight?
It is not an issue of Union bashing. The union is there to negotiate a labour contract and work on creating a positive work environment for its members.

The problem is the response from the union is focused on saying:
- "UA and its employees are not responsible for what happened. We are the victim. Our people are first responders to any problem and are here for the safety of our passengers."

While at the same time:
- There is a passenger bleeding from his head, that has some seriouse medical issues now and needed to spend several days in the hospital. All because of his interaction with United and the people united brought into the situation.

Had the union said Something went wrong, this should not happen to one of our passengers and we are committed to collaborating with United management to ensure it never happens again most people would have responded differently.
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 7:28 pm
  #6487  
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The Chicago aviation officers who forcibly removed a passenger from a United Airlines flight filed reports saying the traveler was “aggressive” when responding to requests to give up his seat and flailed his arms while fighting with officers.

The reports, released Monday in response to Freedom of Information Act requests by the Los Angeles Times and others, contradict videos of the incident caught by fellow passengers on their cellphones and viewed by millions of people worldwide.
In the incident reports, two of the officers blame Dao for his injuries, saying the passenger’s flailing motions made the officers lose their grip on him, causing him to fall face first into the armrest of a nearby seat.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...424-story.html

Well worth reading the entire article.
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 7:49 pm
  #6488  
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Originally Posted by tom911
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...424-story.html

Well worth reading the entire article.
They should not have "had a grip on him" in the first place - his flailing is irrelevant in terms of their culpability with this whole mess. As soon as this goon reached over to grab Dr Dao and yank him from the seat, that was grounds to fire him right then and there, and I am hopeful he is shown the door quickly. He can refocus his efforts to attacking shoplifters in Sears.
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 7:55 pm
  #6489  
 
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Originally Posted by Fiordland
It is not an issue of Union bashing. The union is there to negotiate a labour contract and work on creating a positive work environment for its members.

The problem is the response from the union is focused on saying:
- "UA and its employees are not responsible for what happened. We are the victim. Our people are first responders to any problem and are here for the safety of our passengers."

While at the same time:
- There is a passenger bleeding from his head, that has some seriouse medical issues now and needed to spend several days in the hospital. All because of his interaction with United and the people united brought into the situation.

Had the union said Something went wrong, this should not happen to one of our passengers and we are committed to collaborating with United management to ensure it never happens again most people would have responded differently.
Each group is simply trying to protect themselves.
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 8:03 pm
  #6490  
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Originally Posted by Boraxo
As for the union, every major airline is unionized. The job of the union is to protect employment for its members, both individually and collectively, and to increase compensation. Abusing passengers does not further either objective and is not the result of a unionized workforce.
I think you have to look at it slightly differently here. Protecting employees jobs no matter what abuse befalls passengers is furthering their objective of protecting employment for its members, individually.
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 8:18 pm
  #6491  
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It's interesting that the 12 page police report attached to the article is an "accident/incident" report and not a crime report, and the incident type is "bodily injury/illness" and "security incident". Takes us back to why, exactly, this passenger was forcibly removed if he did not commit a crime.

The front page clearly states "aviation police" under the reporting officer's signature.

A United supervisor did report Dr. Dao was "yelling about leaving the aircraft". The last page is a written statement by a UA employee.

As to how he ran back on the plane, the report establishes he was laying on the jetbridge and got up and ran back on board. He did not make it into the terminal.

Two of the officers written statements were provided "under duress" because they knew they could lose their jobs by not providing one. Not sure what to read into that.

http://documents.latimes.com/inciden...united-flight/
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 8:49 pm
  #6492  
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From the New York Daily News sourced to AP:

The aviation department also released its use of force policy, which was sent to all officers after the incident. It says aviation security personnel should use force only when "reasonably necessary to defend a human life, effect an arrest or control a person," and that the force used "shall only be that which is necessary to overcome the resistance being offered by an offender and to effect lawful objectives."
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nati...icle-1.3096121
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 9:45 pm
  #6493  
 
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Originally Posted by PushingTin
Yen? Forint?
Dollar$$$$$$$$$$$$. ^

Mock me if that helps you feel better about yourselves. Couldn't care less. Biut ask yourselves: exactly what about this whole mess has made any sense at all?

Demetrio already basically said the suit is on in the Today interview. Sure, it could all change and United could give Dao an offer he can't refuse. But I find that less and less likely with every passing day. This is the quiet before the blast. Mark my words.

Another poster here has already estimated a suit in the hundreds of millions. Dao has given no inclination that he plans to walk away from this for pennies. And he is letting Demetrio do all the talking.

He probably won't get nine digits off the suit if he wins. But I bet that's where it'll start.
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 9:53 pm
  #6494  
 
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Interesting that the Hospitalization Report wording changes from "subject" to "victim" midway through. Freudian slip?

Not the best analysis but has a bunch of the FOIA docs: http://heavy.com/news/2017/04/mauric...octor-dragged/
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Old Apr 24, 2017, 10:13 pm
  #6495  
 
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Originally Posted by deskover54
Each group is simply trying to protect themselves.
That is part of the problem. Until the unions, management and this complex network of sub-contractors who wear United uniforms or operate aircraft with United painted on its side can come together there not going to get anywhere.

That may come across as anti-union, but its not. The union needs to realise its competition is American, Southwest, Delta and JetBlue. Something bad happened on that flight and it can either be part of the solution or it can be part of the problem.

For a company that calls itself "United" it is not very united at all.
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