Lost business fall-out from Flight UA3411
 

I work for a mid-size company with about 40 active travelers.
We received an email this afternoon from our head of HR to stop using UA immediately due to incident on Sunday. this is for the foreseeable future, no end date for now.

I had a flight next week with 2 segments on UA purchased about 4 weeks ago. I emailed to see if I should take those flights. I was told no, to either try to get a refund or the company will eat the ticket. The travel coordinator will re-book a non UA flight in the AM.

Any others receiving this type of requests from your companies?

What an idiotic company to forfeit previously booked non-refundable tickets over a very complex issue that is still a developing story.

And here I don't mean United, though they often fall into that category.

If there's one thing good that will come from this, it might well be an end to the police used as airline bouncers.

My parents are foregoing flying business on United's dreamliner on UA 33 in June now. They are joining me on AA170 instead. Can't remember if they have nonrefundable or if they're eating the tickets, but they don't want to fly UA anymore.

So many knee jerk reactions by people & in this case a company. I get that some individuals are going to change future purchase plans due to the incident, but I can't understand throwing away something of value if it is non-refundable. But hey, its their money.

If I was United, I would not let people get their money back on non-refundable tickets because they are "appalled" and can't bear to fly on a plane carrying the UA logo. I can see the headlines "United won't give me my money back because I don't like them anymore". You purchased the ticket with restrictions (non-refundable)!!!

Which would make a bad PR disaster even worse.

Does your employer have an arrangement to get matching elite status with a competitor(s), or are you just on your own?

People can vote with their money. As you rightly pointed out, it's their money. Sometimes, there're things more important than money in this world, for example, taking a moral stance.

I would simply reply that at the time of purchase, the contract of carriage did not state that a beating in the jetway may be provided in lieu of seating on the aircraft.

I am Platinum on American, so I will just move my business to AA. I do a lot of European travel anyway, so I can just use *Alliance and have Gold benefits.

We're at the point where too many people take too many moral stances about dumb crap. It makes a certain type of person feel good about themselves because I guess it makes their own plentiful moral failings look less bad.

Sounds like you guys are on track to stay a mid-size company!

I admire companies/individuals who take a stand against an injustice, even if it has individual financial implications. It is only when this is done that bad companies feel the effect. Those who would criticize those who do this at their cost are people who do not have a depth of commitment of injustices. They do not take a stand.

Knee jerk...or straw that broke the camel's back? @:-)

Yeah, if people want to waste their money, let 'em waste it. It's still developing so who knows how it will all shake out, but dare I say this comeuppance is something United has deserved for a very very long time, especially since after the merger.

I find it puzzling that people get so bothered by others taking a stand. Is it because they're ashamed that they are too afraid to themselves, and thus don't want others to rock the boat? Dr. Dao is my hero, every felonious, boat-rocking, pill-popping, man-seducing, poker-playing, bloodied-up inch of him. This guy is gonna be a legend, very soon...the man who stood up to the airline and won! :D

Meanwhile, I'm booking my lie-flat for the yearly run to Europe, and guess who won't be seeing a penny?

Because eating the cost of a couple of non-refundable UA tix will swamp their bottom line?