MAMEWorld Forums - The Loony Bin - Re: Just took a few hours

> Why are bringing race into it? That's got nothing to do with it. And calling the
> customer complaints department? Don't make me laugh. At best you'll get a voucher to
> get a discount on another flight with the same airline so you can get screwed around
> again.
>

I bring the race card here because according to testimonies that was exactly the one he played for being computer chosen (because "he was Chinese" though he is from Vietnam) and before security came. Always failed rule one to being treated as equal: don't mark a distinction because you belong to a minority and expect special treatment only for that.

> Wait, you're equating not giving up the seat you paid for with to robbery? That's
> absolutely ridiculous But putting that aside, are you suggesting that you should
> immediately submit to your overlords even when their demands are not lawful? If
> no-one questions unreasonable and unlawful demands made by the authorities, they'll
> just keep extending their overreach.
>
> The whole situation is ridiculous. US airlines overbook all the time - in the US you
> always hear calls for people willing to take a later flight due to overbooking, but
> you don't get this in other parts of the world. Something needs to be done about
> that. But this isn't even a case of overbooking and denying boarding to some
> passengers, it's United deciding they need to ferry staff after the passengers are
> seated on the plane. Whether they're within their legal rights to do this or not,
> there's no way this wouldn't have been bad PR. It shows that they have poor processes
> for managing staff availability/location, and complete disregard for their customers.
>
> Then you've got the use of excessive force to remove the passenger from the plane.
> The thugs weren't even police, they were private airport security staff. You've got a
> real problem when your police and security guards go around acting like thugs. The
> passenger wasn't violent, he was just trying to contact a lawyer. There was no need
> to handle him like this.
>
> I really hope this is a bit of a wake-up call for the US. US private security
> services have turned into gangs of thugs supporting corporate interests, and they
> face no repercussions when they exceed their authority or use excessive force. It's
> the land of the free, as long as you only care about the freedom to lick your
> corporate masters' arseholes.

I couldn't agree more with that, private security is a problem everywhere and overbooking was totally at fault and the company deserves all the punishment for that. Yet it doesn't get any better for someone to stand still in the middle of a highway expecting not to be run over because everyone else must drive safe. I recall also many examples about official police forces using excessive force too. Do you want more taxes for police forces to take over airports?, fine... but that won't change anything because those who don't abide to the rules and don't respect any authority will defy any in front of them.

The flight won't take off unless 4 persons get down. You are a customer who's destiny totally depends on airport personnel orders: when to arrive, when to get on board, when to sit, when to leave your seat, where to go, how to go, etc. You aren't in your own property and totally at disadvantage because you paid to be in their hands to arrive safe. Then we have the security reasons, there's no one who can help you at thousands of feet in the air. You're supposed to comply to their orders because that was what you paid for. If you didn't like the treatment you choose another airline, put a lawsuit or demand your money back. You don't behave like a spoiled brat in front of everyone expecting the result to be any different when it's obvious that will not be the case. Let's see if you say the same when a drunk or violent passenger won't leave the plane because he paid for the seat and they can't touch him because brute force is now forbidden.

And again the airline is totally guilty and at fault, yet that doesn't excuse a belligerent customer who threw a tantrum only to get an even worse result. He doesn't deserve all the millions or thousands of dollars he will get from the lawsuit. A customer doesn't do whatever he wants, he does whatever the service he paid for allows.