jah718

Seriously? I have read it again and I still feel the same way. The OP made absolutely no mention of snarky comments, there is no evidence that the person in the T - Shirt did anything other than sit there quietly and innocently, as is their right to do. What 757FO said was that if the person refused to remove the shirt, then maybe they wouldn't let them fly, but why would you make them remove the shirt in the first place?

If the person in the T - shirt was making comments and made people feel unsafe, then I would fully agree with taking action, but there is no evidence of that here and it was a truly ridiculous comment to make about removing them from the flight. I will say it again, any crew member who would honestly consider removing someone from a flight for wearing that T - Shirt, shouldn't be in that line of work, simple as.

narvik

I don't really like any aspect of this thread.

FlyngSvyr

I think something is being lost in translation here. I was not saying that snarky comments were being made. I was presenting a hypothetical situation where some comments were ADDED to the scenario & the flight was departing at an outstation. I was just trying to illustrate a potential situation where the the FO might be forced into a situation where they might consider deplaning a customer for wearing the T-shirt (plus the other additional circumstance I added).

Is it ridiculous that a FA could feel so uncomfortable they could not fly with the pax in my hypothetical scenario. Of course it is, but in that hypothetical scenario the FO may have to make the real world decision to deplane the pax instead of having the entire planeload of of passengers NOT get to their destination. What is lost on many in 757FO's comments is apparently a FA can refuse to fly if they feel uncomfortable. I did not know this & found it interesting. That puts the pilots (& the rest of the crew) in a tough spot as they know they have to get the passengers to their destination, but need the FA to get them there. It also makes me wonder what the parameters are for "feeling uncomfortable" are on the part of the FA. Do they have wide leeway, or can they face repercussions for what many here would consider frivolous "concerns".

Also, remember that almost ALL of the comments on here that are critcal of the FO & FA's are dealing with a hypothetical situation since NOTHING happened & the pax got to his destination wearing the shirt in question.

Imstevek

my point was it's pointless on a plane to do so...and it's perfect for a place that armchair know-it-alls can opine.

That's interesting because the fact that some people think they're entitled to say and do what they want on a airplane is what scares me the most.

Ali380

Agree. The effort put into that could be spent elsewhere.

BB2220

Pi7473000

Maybe employees and United should focus on improving service before blaming a customer. This is why Delta is so nice to fly as the employees there truly put customer service first in most cases. This shirts not offensive. Only in today's world due we think of kicking people off we disagree with instead of solving the slow Internet problem on United. On Delta they offer PTVs and Streaming Internet.

HNLbasedFlyer

Yes, disruptive. Anyone who wears that kind of a shirt, in my opinion, is more likely than not looking for a confrontation. I totally see where 757FO was coming from, although I'm sure he/she wish they stayed out of the debate. The last thing you want on a plane is someone who potentially, emphasis on potentially, stirs up trouble.

I also find it hard to believe someone who spends over $50K a year on UA tickets, who presumably is a working professional, lacks such maturity to be so tacky and classless.

Pi7473000

It is gross that some employees would resort to this tactic over a concern about service. United and its employees should focus on improving their services. Unfortunately, after all the mergers there is less choice for passengers especially in small to mid size communities.

J.Edward

Greetings All,

As a general reminder, the core topic of this thread is "T-shirt [commenting on UA's inflight wifi product] on a UA flight yesterday". While this topic does brush up against other important ones (freedom of speech, aviation's unique requirements for safety and security, etc.) let do our best to keep the focus on the core topic. For those wishing to engage in a more philosophical discussion, please do so in OMNI.

Safe Travels,

J.Edward
UA forum co-moderator

757FO

Wow, this topic makes me wish I took that job flying DC10s for FEDEX back in the 90's! Seriously, If I contributed to any discourse, I apologize. While I regard the t-shirts as crass and unnecessary, and agree the WIFI is an issue, this topic has gone further off center than I had wanted it to. Going forward, I'll stick to being in the pointy end of the plane, and only commenting on things that pertain to the actual flying aspects of United.

seenitall

To me the issue is good manners, not the First Amendment. The First Amendment allows you to say vile, despicable things so long as they don't threaten physical violence. But it is just good manners not to. If you have a complaint about UA Wifi, use your words. Write to to Oscar. Write a letter to travel bloggers or the editor of the travel section of your Sunday newspaper. Make a post on this board explaining why UA Wifi isn't worth the price. Fly a different airline whose Wifi you believe is better. Request a credit card chargeback.

s0ssos

Seriously? Have you not read the news the past year? [Moderator edit per FT Rule 12.] Every single day there are reports of someone who is much more than just a "working professional" being "tacky and classless".

Imstevek

now you're putting words in my mouth, and twisting the issue. People can't do what they please on the plane. It's that simple.

FlyerTalker70

In terms of the first world problems complaints levied against UA I'd say busted wifi is towards the bottom. Here's my rankings:

1. Domestic UCs which don't have showers nor food past breakfast
2. Upgrades that won't clear
3. UA not sending us loyalist out a 2019 Gold card which may cause problems entering the LH lounge
4. Polaris J steak that tastes like it's been out since the Nixon administration
5. Priority boarding being given to anyone with a pulse (i.e. those with a Chase CC can board now)
6. Malfunctioning Power Ports
7. Malfunctioning Wifi
8. Malfunctioning AVOD

If your biggest complaint is malfunctioning Wifi, you haven't flown UA enough to know !

-James