United Drags Passenger from Plane

Strollers are nuisance items and it trips the unwary because they jut out just a tad bit into the aisle and few see them.

I'm sure the steward had no intention of butting the passenger but these things do happen with unweildy items particularly if someone is trying to edge by at the time.

Almost hit my little brat in the head? Oh, dry up. YOU brought an unweildy stroller on board. YOU didn't place it in the aisle for him to lift securely.

These things happen. What's the big deal?

Quote: ams288

As I said yesterday: he's going to get lots of $$$$$$$ from United because of all of this. It's not going to go to trial. United will try to make it go away as quickly and quietly as possible.

AHEM....

Quote: ams288

AHEM....

What a surprise! As I said, this was a slam dunk. No way were they ever going to try to defend this one in court.

Quote: Aussie

What a surprise! As I said, this was a slam dunk. No way were they ever going to try to defend this one in court.

They should have.

Quote: Aussie

What a surprise! As I said, this was a slam dunk. No way were they ever going to try to defend this one in court.

He can still sue the department responsible for sending in security to remove him. Since they don't depend on goodwill from the public to operate, they'll fight it in court.

And now it's Delta's turn.

Let's begin with some facts, as sketchy as they are right now:

A family travelling with at least one toddler was told they had to give up the toddler's seat for another passenger. The family says they paid for the seat, so they were entitled to keep it.

Now, reports say they did pay for the seat, but for another of their children. Reports say this child is a teenager and took an earlier flight. If so, then the seat wasn't for the toddler, and the person whose ticket it was did not board the plane. Thus Delta is within their rights to assign it to another passenger (unless the family checked the toddler in and got a boarding pass for him, even if under the wrong name).

Where Delta erred was in having their personnel threaten the family with arrest.

That's exactly the same big, fat whopper of a blunder United indulged in last month: trying to make a customer service matter into a criminal/legal issue. That's what's really, really wrong in many of these viral stories. I have to assume similar situations arise nearly every week, but most are resolved without escalating into a criminal matter where none truly exists.

It seems teh parents did inform the airline that they were not surrendering their ticket but were going to use it for their toddler rather than their teenager, so that airline knew the situation and intent of the parents but may not have entered that data into their computer system.

Quote: Fleastiff

It seems teh parents did inform the airline that they were not surrendering their ticket but were going to use it for their toddler rather than their teenager, so that airline knew the situation and intent of the parents but may not have entered that data into their computer system.

Is that ever legal?

I thought the law says that once a ticket is bought for someone, that ticket is for that person only and cannot be transferred to anyone else under any circumstances?

Quote: ams288

I thought the law says that once a ticket is bought for someone, that ticket is for that person only and cannot be transferred to anyone else under any circumstances?

Many airlines let you transfer a ticket to someone else (change of name), often for an exorbitant fee. It varies a lot by airline. Some don't allow ticket transfers at all.

What you can't do is use A's ticket to get B on board.

Quote: Nareed

Many airlines let you transfer a ticket to someone else (change of name), often for an exorbitant fee. It varies a lot by airline. Some don't allow ticket transfers at all.

What you can't do is use A's ticket to get B on board.

Wow, that is news to me. As far as I know you can't do that in the US anymore. Hopefully our resident travel agent will check in and comment on this.