airline passenger rights around the world

[CoyoteChris]

United is notorious for not honoring their bump vouchers. That right there may be why people weren't willing to take the "offer".

After reading this guide to how airlines cheat their customers with vouchers, I can see why no one on that plane took the vouchers.....they have been burned before.....

http://airlinevouchers.net/guide.php

 

[CoyoteChris]

Which is one of the reasons why United should NOT have used physical force to remove a passenger from the flight.

It is United that should have used the (viable, but less preferable to anyone) alternative of ground transportation -- for its crew members to get to the destination.

United (at its own expense) simply would have had to make arrangements for a driver and vehicle to transport the crew members. Should have been a no-brainer.

United has been in damage-control mode (including apologizing to the passenger), so obviously United (in hindsight) believes that what it did was wrong.

I believe that United thinks what it did was wrong politically, but not morally. In their minds, a Pax refused to be bumped. Their manual says to let the police handle it,
because United has the legal high ground thanks to the deregulation of the US Airline industry. If there is any good to come out of this, it will be a national change of Policy.
If there is any bad to come out of this, it will be Delta issuing fake news that it will compensate THEIR customers up to $10,000 if they cant be given a seat. I got a nickel that
says their idea of "compensation" is these fake vouchers they want to hand out. I would like to see at a congressional hearing every one of those pax on that plane state exactly
why THEY didnt want to take $800 in vouchers.....and if the $800 would have been in $100 bills, like the old days, if they would have left the airplane.

I will not say the following in defense of United, but pressure for corporate profit in an unregulated airline industry with almost no competition means that every seat has to be filled and that
airplanes and crew have to arrive at the same place at the same time for a flight to get off the ground. One plane that breaks.....one crew that gets sick...upsets the apple cart. The apple cart
got tipped over for delta last week due to storms and computer failure and 4,000 flights had to be canceled. Thats 4,000 crews and 4,000 planes that didnt get to where they needed to be.
I dont know about you but I would much rather pay 10 percent more to have vacant seats on aircraft so that in changing conditions, crews and pax have some slack in the system, even using other
carriers. (Many here are too young to rememeber the days of yore, when people could camp out at the airport and fly standby. If a seat was available, they paid half price and everyone was happy.
We could do that again....kind of like an airline Uber....but what do I know? I am just an old pilot/mechanic....

 

[CoyoteChris]

Well, we now know the source of Delta's new "compensation policy". Its Delta Vol. 2017 Bulliten 14. Though ABC showed the document on GMA, I couldnt read it and its not where I could find it on the web.
Therefore I will continue to assume it is in the manner of fake vouchers.

Knowing now that if the airline involuntarily bumps you, you are entitled to four times the cost of a one way ticket if you get to your location two hours late, I would hold out for that. And that is why I believe those Pax didnt get off that plane.

USA Today "For comparison, the Transportation Department requires airlines pay passengers in exchange for being involuntarily bumped. The compensation tops out at four times a flier's one-way ticket cost -- up to a maximum of $1,350 -- for those whose arrive at their final destination more than two hours late (four hours internationally) because of being bumped involuntarily."

 

[OniBan]

I believe that United thinks what it did was wrong politically, but not morally. In their minds, a Pax refused to be bumped. Their manual says to let the police handle it,
because United has the legal high ground thanks to the deregulation of the US Airline industry. If there is any good to come out of this, it will be a national change of Policy.
If there is any bad to come out of this, it will be Delta issuing fake news that it will compensate THEIR customers up to $10,000 if they cant be given a seat. I got a nickel that
says their idea of "compensation" is these fake vouchers they want to hand out. I would like to see at a congressional hearing every one of those pax on that plane state exactly
why THEY didnt want to take $800 in vouchers.....and if the $800 would have been in $100 bills, like the old days, if they would have left the airplane.

I will not say the following in defense of United, but pressure for corporate profit in an unregulated airline industry with almost no competition means that every seat has to be filled and that
airplanes and crew have to arrive at the same place at the same time for a flight to get off the ground. One plane that breaks.....one crew that gets sick...upsets the apple cart. The apple cart
got tipped over for delta last week due to storms and computer failure and 4,000 flights had to be canceled. Thats 4,000 crews and 4,000 planes that didnt get to where they needed to be.
I dont know about you but I would much rather pay 10 percent more to have vacant seats on aircraft so that in changing conditions, crews and pax have some slack in the system, even using other
carriers. (Many here are too young to rememeber the days of yore, when people could camp out at the airport and fly standby. If a seat was available, they paid half price and everyone was happy.
We could do that again....kind of like an airline Uber....but what do I know? I am just an old pilot/mechanic....

This!! This is still being practiced by at least one airline here in Malaysia. Standby tickets. I mentioned it earlier in one of my posts here , though I called it 'open ticket' haha.
But yes, this is a much better option than booking more than bumping off people from the plane.

 

[CoyoteChris]

This!! This is still being practiced by at least one airline here in Malaysia. Standby tickets. I mentioned it earlier in one of my posts here , though I called it 'open ticket' haha.
But yes, this is a much better option than booking more than bumping off people from the plane.

I think it could still work. It would be tougher in the US with the added security, but still doable. If the airlines dont want to play ball, they can have four empty seats every flight for crew that needs to be
shuttled about.... and pay cold hard cash to anyone else that CHOOSES to give up their seat. Make the extra seats cramped with no leg room...oh, wait a minute...all cattle class seats are like that already.

 

[CoyoteChris]

(Dr. D did settle out of court for an undisclosed sum of money...to no one's surprise...now we shall see if congress continues their investigation or they just take their normal "contributions" from the industry.