[MistyTiger]

Well then, they should prepare to talk with my lawyer. I know of a few. I am not afraid to make a fuss to be heard.

[Decky]

I don't get why people think this is fine? The guy paid for his ticket he was well within his rights to tell them to fuck off. Americans seem to want to be slaves to big business. They go on and on endlessly about freedom and they are the worst developed nation in the world for actually having any. It would be like Brits going on about equality or the French talking all the time about cleanliness.

[Saeko]

I don't get why people think this is fine? The guy paid for his ticket he was well within his rights to tell them to fuck off. Americans seem to want to be slaves to big business. They go on and on endlessly about freedom and they are the worst developed nation in the world for actually having any. It would be like Brits going on about equality or the French talking all the time about cleanliness.

Or the Scotts and their "independence"...

[Zagadka]

The guy paid for his ticket he was well within his rights to tell them to fuck off.

I would be surprised if there wasn't some clause on the ticket agreement about being deplaned.

[Decky]

Who cares? I don't see how any business can be allowed to operate like that. You give us the money and we give you the service if we fucking feel like it? In that case I am moving to America and starting an airline! I won't even need to buy a plane. I'll just take people's money and then tell them to walk to wherever they are going instead.

[Godstud]

I would be surprised if there wasn't some clause on the ticket agreement about being deplaned.

They do have a clause, but unfortunately, it doesn't come into play if the person has already embarked upon the plane. The "getting bumped" has to come before the people have boarded the plane. It even says so in their rules. This is why it's going to be such an easy court case for this man.

I'd have told them to fuck off, as well. Also, this is "voluntary", so they shouldn't have even forced him, and asked someone else.

[Zagadka]

Wow, they are really, really dumb. Clearly no one thought this whole "completely relying on people to get off the plane" through.

[Zagadka]

A private jet would do the trick
It may have seemed to the United staff on the ground that they had no choice but to bump four passengers from the flight. But a private jet could have solved the problem at a relatively modest cost.

The Department of Transportation's rules on overbooking required United to pay cash compensation of $1,350 each to the four passengers that the carrier bumped, or $5,400 total. By contrast, the typical cost to charter a small private jet for the roughly one-hour flight from Chicago to Louisville would be about $6,000.

In fact, the founders of private aviation start-up FlyOtto recently invited United to try their service for free to reposition crews. FlyOtto would have been able to fly four people from Chicago to Louisville for just $2,930, albeit on a turboprop rather than a jet.

Using private jets isn't unheard of
In recent years, Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) has pioneered the concept of using private jets alongside its regular commercial fleet. This works especially well for Delta, because it has an in-house private jet subsidiary: Delta Private Jets.

Two years ago, Delta began a pilot program to give elite frequent fliers the opportunity to upgrade to a seat on a private jet for as little as $300 one-way on certain flights. Private jets often fly empty on "repositioning" flights, as they go to make their next pick-up. Delta is using these empty flights to offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience to loyal customers who happen to be going the same way.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/04/ ... dable.aspx

[Godstud]

Well, perhaps some good will come from this unfortunate situation. United will still suffer for it's problems and how it treats people, however.

[MistyTiger]

United will suffer for a long time, I'm sure. And people still remember the breaks guitar incident, so that incident has not been totally forgiven and that was years ago.

If United were to go bankrupt in the future, I would not be surprised a bit. United keeps on creating bad PR for itself.