Couple removed from flight to Costa Rica
 

The news keeps rolling in. Couple removed from flight for not obeying crew instructions. Sounds like a FA guarding E+. More details would be helpful. Why didn't the FA wake the napping man? Wouldn't that solve the issue?

Interesting that US Marshalls were used to get them off.

http://www.13newsnow.com/mb/news/loc...ston/431663542

Bride and groom booted off United flight in Houston
 

"Bride and groom booted off United flight in Houston"

6:11 PM. CDT April 16, 2017

http://www.khou.com/news/local/bride...ston/431644313

Without commenting on UA 3411 issue, as the news report said:

“We thought not a big deal, it’s not like we are trying to jump up into a first-class seat," said Hohl.“We were simply in an economy row a few rows above our economy seat.”

E+ policy is clear - unless you are entitled/assigned to the seat, you need to pay for it. It is conclusive enough for UA to kick them off.

The initial reaction that I saw on FB was quite muted. Think this is just residual clickbait.

So the airline called law enforcement to remove passengers from the plane for changing seats in the economy class cabin. What's next, being removed by UA's law enforcement henchmen because someone took an empty aisle or window seat in their own row instead of staying in the middle seat?

And "Economy Plus" seating is in the economy class cabin -- something that UA acknowledges by not collecting APD for all its economy class passengers seated in paid economy plus on UA flights out of LHR.

Yeah, they don't understand that E+ is treated similarly to a first class seat. It is sold as a different class of seat, even though it more or less is the same thing.

What isn't clear here is if they refused to move back, or how this escalated to police being called.

Well, then a thread titled "I got kicked off UA and....." would be a nice spot to despot all of these bits of bait. :D

(this stuff will only go away once another airline messes up or one of the usual suspects posts something more newsworthy to Insta-Face)


EDIT OT ADD:
And he wins for having today's FIRST UA pax episode post.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...erted-ewr.html

.

UA spokesperson is claiming no law enforcement were involved, just United staff.

I suspect we'll be now hearing about each and every passenger removal case on United, justified or not, and regardless of whether law enforcement intervenes.

It's possible the removed passengers were ignorant of who told them to get off the plane for taking the same kind of seat as booked but with a bit of extra legroom. It's also possible UA is hiding behind some kind of twisted understanding of being required to not expose FAMs on its flights. It's also possible that UA is not telling the whole story.

There's obviously details missing, but both seem to be in the wrong here.

Why didn't the couple just explain that someone else was sleeping in their seats? This really should have solved the issue at that point since the FA would then go check their seats and scold the napping guy. Instead, the couple asked for an upgrade?

FAs are too quick to label pax as "security threats", call LEOs/FAM, and get anyone who even mildly questions their orders kicked off the plane.

Could be. I might be wrong on this, but it was my understanding that FAMs were not to identify themselves on the ground, with door open, unless absolutely necessary, to avoid compromising themselves during the flight (or having to be pulled off).

Of course, FAMs are not that hard to identify if you know what to look for...

Passengers say they returned to their ticketed seats after being told that they needed to.
UA says "repeatedly attempted to sit in upgraded seating which they did not purchase and they would not follow crew instructions to return to their assigned seats."
Up until a week ago, I'd have taken UA at their word and considered it was based on a factual account by the crew. Not so much anymore. Now I'm more apt to think the passenger, while they complied, said something that triggered another power trip by a UA employee. And the account gets juiced up to justify the overreaction.

Video, or it didn't happen.

It's certainly not a bad thing. Here on FT, we get plenty of those accounts already from time to time about various bad interactions with FAs. But for the public to realize that it is quite common for people experience things like this, these incidents will force United and other airlines to be held accountable and change their practices.

FAs don't seem to have enough training in conflict resolution. Logic tends to be if they can get the pax off the flight, then it's someone else's problem and they never see them again.

Okay, Without knowing all the details the news report says the plane was half full & the couple did not understand why they could not sit where they wanted. Also said they tried to move themselves several times.

Pretty sure repeated attempts to occupy seats that were not yours would fall under "not following crew instructions". I am pretty sure they were told there was a charge for the E+ seats. I also doubt they were not offered to purchase those seats by a FA. Those announcements are always made pre departure when E+ has vacancy.

If I caught someone trying to shoplift in my store, I would have them removed also...