Getting Bumped from a Flight

...never happened to me. Anyone experience this? I was unaware that the airline can literally throw you off of the plane when it is overbooked. Makes sense if the passenger is a threat to safety. The video of last nights violence on a United flight was crazy. Plenty of stupid to go around- passenger should have listened to the flight crew and the airline should not have boarded before figuring out a solution ($$$) to the overbooking. Cannot imagine this happening on our planned transatlantic flight...

 

Yes. But I was working for the airline and wasn't paying for the flight. So I had to get off the plane. I didn't scream, though.

 

only time its happened to me is on southwest. There was some compensation offered(flight + $250 voucher & hotel for the night)... but not worth the hassle for me.
I once had the brilliant idea to board a SW flight last and had to sit between 2 fat asses for 5 hours. It took me a couple trips up & down the isle to find the vacant seat!

 

I've been close a few times, but usually can tell if it's close based on check-in seats available, etc... If it's close and/or I booked a last minute flight, I'll try to leverage status or buy a slightly more valuable seat so that I'm not at the end of the line when the music stops. It may be against principle, but I'm not going to be the one to miss a meeting or a case because I tried to save $25-$50 for cheaper seats. It also depends how badly I need to get where I'm going. If it's personal travel, I am much more willing to deal. SW is the airline where I haven't really had an issue, or if I did, I was treated like a person.

 

United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz Named PRWeek’s Communicator of the Year

 

So its less likely to happen when flying business class vs coach?

 

One would think, even just a paid economy comfort or an exit row seat. I have no scientific evidence supporting my theory, but it seems logical. I don't do it much. Just when the flight looks really full or I get a "gate assigned seat assignment". I know that's what they are trying to get me to do, but in many cases, it's a game of chicken I am willing to lose.

 

I have seen where you are sitting in your assigned seat and another passenger comes up with the same seat assignment. That is why I always try and board in the first group.

 

What better way to address the current situation then by Tweeting.
https://mobile.twitter.com/united/status/851471781827420160/photo/1

 

It's referred to as denied boarding, and the stats are tracked by the DOT. In 20 years of flying, I've never seen it come down to a confrontation in the cabin, the Customer Service agents are 99% successful at buying people off the flight with a free round trip.

 

I remember the late Bob Cole used to book his flights for the day before he needed to go. He would research each flight and book the one that was the fullest. At the airport he would immediately volunteer when they announced that they were overbooked. He told me that he only paid for about 50% of the flights he took.
Personally, I always get the extra room seats on JetBlue. Quicker security and they board you first. I noticed before a flight last year they were cajoling the passengers to check their carry on luggage due to limited space in the overhead bins. They specifically called on the rows that didn't have extra room seats to give up the luggage.

 

that's the part i don't understand and makes me be like, "take a big fuck you sandwich and shove it up your stupid fuck asses."

they offered $400, nobody volunteered. they offered $800, nobody volunteered...



SO OFFER UP SOME MORE FUCKING MONEY FOR YOUR MISTAKE! like seriously. 95% of any flight i'm on, i either can't wait overnight or its not worth it to me for $400 or $800. i'd probably be more open if they said $2000. hell i'd tell a legit business meeting that i was gonna be late for $2000. its their fucking bad, not mine. there's always gonna be a price that'll get somebody to budge. these fucks just figured that 2 rounds were all they were gonna play in that negotiation game. that's what pisses me off. especially when i JUST read an article a day ago from a lady who makes it her business to get those deals all the time and talked about regularly getting paid $1300-1500 on really busy flights.

the 2nd part that grinds my gears, is dude was already on the plane in a seat. these stupid fucks shoulda held people at the gate if this was going to be a problem.

3rd... its not just that they overbooked, its that they were trying to take his seat for employees. that's the biggest fuck you of all. get them another plane, make a deal with another airline, put them on a fucking mail plane... THAT should extra not be any paying passenger's problem.

 

I have never seen an airline bump a revenue passenger to put a non revenue passenger on the flight. What you might be seeing is an employee getting on the flight with a must ride pass. That is because the employee is on company business. Either to get them to a destination to crew another aircraft or manager meeting etc etc .[/QUOTE]

 

Never had this happen to me, and I don't know all the particulars of the incident that I'm sure you read about that prompted you to ask this question, but how did the guy get on the plane? If they let him board the plane with a boarding pass, there is no way in hell he should have ever gotten off the plane. They would have to forcibly remove me if that happened to me.

 

I'd have puked on them. That should change the situation.

 

Apparently he's a doctor that had to see patients the next AM. If I'm already in my seat, tough. Airline can figure something else out.

 

Could you imagine if they kicked off an obese passenger that was occupying 2 seats? HOLY CRAP they would be in trouble.

 

Unless he's a surgeon, I doubt his time is that important.

 

He boarded. Then was selected randomly to get the boot. The airline needed several seats for a crew that was dispatched to another plane at the destination. The airline claims they are within their rights to do this especially if no one accepts a voucher in return and the purpose is to prevent a domino affect whereby the plane waiting for this arriving crew is late creating additional delays. What is not clear to me is why they boarded without figuring this all out? Why they did not keep offering more incentive vouchers until they had a taker? Surely this bad PR will cost them more...

 

One article stated he was removed then returned to the plane and had to be removed again.