rickg523

I never viewed this as as issue of flight safety. I'm sure mainline planes flown by pilots who have the pull to demand they fly safe planes is as it's always been. I trust pilots not to themselves knowingly fly unsafe plane. If for no other reason than they're on it too.

My travel plans were less safe on United due to their seeming predilection for status-based IDBs and what appears to be an endless secret list of passengers to whom they will give my paid-for but status-free seat if THEY deem it "necessary." Forcibly. In (only) this regard, the incident in Hawaii was as troubling to me as the Horror at O'Hare. Thuggery aside the same dynamic was at play. UA had a problem and they picked some passenger to solve it for them and solely to their convenience.
I consider a business contract a kind of fixed-term partnership for a specific purpose. Right now, it's hard to trust UA as a partner for my travel plans.

Weatherboy

I feel unsafe on Southwest because I don't believe they're as strict with mechanics + maintenance as the big carriers. That aside, I have no concerns with any other airline from a safety perspective in the US. Hiccups and irregularities will pop up on all carriers because of the random human element; there's no systematic/symptomatic failure going on anywhere.

Duck1981

Holy Cow.

Can we please stop these kind of threads?

As we've seen today live on CNBC, a law firm has offered him (likely) free advice on a potential trial and his daughter made a tearful appearance to drive United towards a settlement outside court. He will get a good amount of USD and end of story.

Was it his idea to speculate on the power of social media to make a few bucks? No idea. Did UA solve the situation badly? Yes. Will they do it again? No.

If someone is actually posting on a 'frequent flyer forum' that he/she feels now unsafe to fly UA then either A) the user flies once a year for holiday or B) thinks that social media is the holy grail of truth and all UA employees are morons.

Can we please stop this discussion? Simply choose another airline and don't join a crowd of facebook slaves who board an airplane once a year.

Cheers Daniel

chipmaster

Safe, probably feel more safe on the US airlines to a point of regulation and such, but when it comes to the reliability and airplane and the capability of the crew that is something else.

There are times when I board UA that I watch the "experienced" pilot get on for the 10-12 hour flight and wonder what is better an young pilot with a few K hours and in their thirties or one with decades of experience but dulled reflexs.

Same with the American based attendants who on the plum international routes are closer to AARP and can barely lift many a persons carry-on into the overhead versus the Far Eastern airline attendants who are all young and physical far more able.

No forget the recent DL and UA PR it is already obvious to me US based customer service is terrible compared to the larger foreign based carriers. The American big four treat us poorly because then can and still make their money, we have little choice. The smaller and bargain actually have to try harder and more than not you can see it experience you get, but what choice to we have, and they know!

5khours

I feel unsafe because the airlines now have no way of dealing with unruly passengers who will now ignore instructions from airline crews.

lazard

yup, basically carte blanche now.

cruisr

Could not agree more. As much as UA lost control of a situation that could have and should have been controlled I feel as if this FT pile on is unnecessary. If you dont want to fly them, don't. I really don't care what posters on a message board do or don't do. If people on here and the other boards are trying to influence others, good luck. You may, but I doubt it.

DeweyCheathem

I don't feel safe when I am driving to the airport in any major city. Once I'm there, I don't feel that my well-being is under threat on UA, or any other mainstream carrier.

danbrew

Ultimately many folks involved here made bad decisions, no doubt about it.

But... the cop made some colossal errors in judgement. He was essentially acting as a private security guard vs. a law enforcement officer when he interacted with this passenger. United had every right to boot the passenger from the plane per the CoC.

What should have happened is the cop should have come up to the passenger and said, "Sir, the airline has informed me that you are not welcome on this plane. I'm going to ask you to exit the aircraft. If you don't, I'm going to arrest you for trespassing. Your complaint that the airline is treating you unfairly is a civil matter between you and the airline."

But, apparently, the cop didn't do that. He probably said, "Sir, you gotta go, get off the plane". And the passenger was probably thinking something along these lines:

Am I under arrest? Am I free to go? You don't have to obey a request or an unlawful order from a cop. "Hey, get off the plane" or "Come with me" is a request. "You're under arrest, please stand so I can handcuff you" is a lawful order.

The question that will eventually be dealt with in court (if this ever goes to trial - it won't) is whether the cop arrested Dr. Dao.

Absent the cop acting in his official capacity and effecting an arrest, the cop was acting as a private security guard and has no immunity from assault. And knocking the guys teeth out, breaking his nose, and dragging him down the aisle? Pretty sure none of that is in the police handbook on how to arrest a subject. And if he wasn't under arrest, the cop can go jump in a lake. And even if he had placed the guy under arrest, now he's responsible for his care. What happens when a cop arrests a guy for whatever and the guy shows up at the po po station missing a few teeth and having a broken nose? He's in trouble.

My take on this is that this could happen to any of us & it is a huge overreach by the cop on the scene. And we can all identify with getting bumped. United had two options when they told him to get off the plane - they could call the cops and have him arrested for criminal trespass or they could pick somebody else. Instead they (presumably) conspired with the private security guard (who happened to be a cop in real life) to beat the heck out of the guy. And that's gonna cost the cop his job and cause United to write a 7 figure check to Dr. Dao.

deskover54

I mostly feel safe because until now, I would never think of defying a LEO, especially on an airplane. After this weeks events, I feel a little less safe because I will defy orders more frequently looking for my multi million dollar payout.

grapegrower

I feel much safer in a UA aircraft than in many cities in the USA where over officious authority resulting in violence is a common daily occurrence.
I am a bit bemused at the reaction to this incident when much worse occurs in other places more often and hardly raises public comment.

FlyfromDenver

This
Posted from a United flight

MrTemporal

Vulnerable? No. While I think UA could have handled it better by offering more $$'s to get people to give up their seats, I also l have problems with being locked in a metal tube at 30,000 feet with somebody who thinks he is better than me and should be granted special privileges because he is a doctor.

LordTentacle

This +1 (removed bit about the doctor as it could be any profession)

If I'm in a metal tube and I get asked to do something and it's not going to compromise my safety by doing it... I'm doing it... and ask questions later (but probably going to record the event)

nutwpinut

Should this be a poll instead?

I feel safe on a UA flight.