KathyWdrf

Do you honestly think the OP is just "complaining about a bruise" and "making a big deal out of it?"

s0ssos

So rambling stories are untrue? It is actually much more likely a straight-to-the-point story is untrue, as real life rambles.

Martina70

Thanks..I do remember that now, .but didn't that turn out to be much to do about nothing where some busybody started tweeting without getting all the facts.

jmastron

Yep -- both of these cases seem to boil down to "nonrevs should know better", and "working employees should know better".

The nonrev legging wearers should know their dress code and not have to be told, and the nonrev exit seat stealer here should know that wasn't at all appropriate and should have insisted at least that another able-bodied aisle passenger be swapped in instead of them.

The agent handling the leggings wearers should have been more discreet so the paying passengers who aren't subject to the same dress rules wouldn't be confused or embarrassed by being in earshot, like any other internal personnel matter. And, of course, the FA in this case shouldn't have made up an excuse to swap her friend into the OP's seat, and if she did have a real safety concern should have ensured the OP, a paying customer, got the best possible alternate seat.

Boraxo

Ummm you kinda missed the point. The FAs may have followed policy but pretty much everyone (including Oscar IIRC) said the policy was idiotic. Lycra is not offensive to the vast majority of passengers (or to any?) - and I expect UA will enter the 21st century sooner rather than later

Loren Pechtel

Math check!

240 is 1% of 24,000.

Which is why such things continue.

eng3

I apologize for my arithmetic mistake.

Ignoring the rest of my post, there are clearly only 2.4 FA's who are unaware they can get fired for these shenanigans.

Baze

Or they are aware and it is like violators in the carpool lane. They think they will never get caught even though they know it is wrong.

eng3

Exactly, that is what I tried to say in the rest of my post. Knowing you can get fired doesn't mean you don't do it. What percentage of these types of incidents go unreported. I bet the average passenger will just believe whatever a FA says. They may be unhappy, maybe they'll never fly UA again. I bet an even smaller percentage can determine who a non-rev is and who is not. Many of us on FT can't even tell the difference.

Miles Ahead

I saw that work beautifully the other day. Just before the door was closed, a FA goes to a passenger and says "I'm sorry, but we're oversold in First, and you were the last passenger upgraded. I'm going to have to ask you to move to any available seat in Economy." The passenger replies, "Happy to - as soon as I get my new boarding pass."

FA goes to the nose of the aircraft, and a few seconds later another uniformed FA comes down the aisle, gives the passenger a dirty look, and plops herself down in coach.

Wooglin

Wow. How shady.

ryman554

Please report this to UA. Done the same when witnessing some shady non-rev seat poaching behavior and had a satisfactory non-canned response.

weero

You attach the cell phone video you recorded of the entire interaction...
The real problem is that these FA character flaws are backed by top management.

Oscar and his "us time" have directly caused the IDBs, the beating, and this. He's unfit for anything but cargo services .

freshairborne

I am a fairly high seniority employee, with 31 years minus one week. That said, I buy tickets about 6-8 times per year, virtually every time I travel with my wife. The only time I will ever be dimed out as an employee, non-rev or full-fare, is if one of the F/As recognizes me. I don't talk shop, I don't wear my ID, I don't have any airline bag tags. None of you would know who I am, unless I'm deadheading in uniform.

FAB

bocastephen

And folks on this forum still claim that this never happens

Actually I think it happens fairly frequently and we rarely see it because less experienced or aggressive customers just do what they are told instead of standing their ground and fighting back.

I would have walked back to coach during the flight, taken a photo of that FA and told her to her face I would be reporting her and her friend for their little failed scam - it's certainly not the first time they probably tried to pull this stunt. If we don't get aggressive about calling them on it and reporting these violations to United, they will keep at it.

There are only 3 legitimate instances for an employee to be in first class, and I write this as a former passrider myself:

1. they bought the ticket or were upgraded legitimately by status they may have on their own (a lot of employees fly revenue vs passriding given the high loads and likelihood of spending 1-2 days at the airport for a flight out)

2. they are sitting there through a contractual agreement - ie the infamous deadheading pilot issue

3. they are passriding and cleared into a seat after every upgrade eligible customer and companion were upgraded (or they are on a positive space must-ride pass for another reason, in which case they are unlikely to be crew/agents or be dressed in uniform)