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United airlines update

beaglesdoitbetter

7 years ago

Dr. David Dao reached a settlement with the airline corporation for an undisclosed sum, an attorney for Dao said on Thursday, according to Reuters. [Wonder what he got!]

United also announced that they will be making 10 serious policy changes after the incident sparked massive public outrage. They also addressed a number of things that went wrong that day.

United won’t use law enforcement unless there’s a safety or security issue — it won’t call the cops simply to enforce its own policies.
Boarded passengers won’t be asked to give up their seats involuntarily unless there’s a safety or security issue.
United is increasing compensation up to $10,000 for voluntarily giving up your seat.
A “customer solutions team” is being created to assist gate agents to get fliers to their destinations. The team will also help crews find alternatives to displacing passengers.
Traveling crew members must be booked at least 60 minutes before departure.
United will add new annual training for its agents “that will equip them to handle the most difficult of situations.” This begins in August.
United will ask passengers during automated check-in or on its app if they’re interested in giving up their seat in exchange for compensation.
It is cutting back overbooking for last-of-the-day flights, like flight 3411 — or flights that historically had few passengers voluntarily give up seats.
Using a new app, flight attendants and gate agents can proactively dole out miles or other compensation “when a disservice occurs.”
The airline is cutting the red tape for lost bags. If a bag goes permanently missing, the airline is adopting a “no-questions-asked” policy. United will pay $1,500 for the bag and its contents.

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Nothing Left to Say

7 years ago

Number ten is really interesting. It seems unconnected to this incident. And that seems like a lot of money. For that much, they can lose my bags!

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Comments (9)

Olychick
7 years ago
I'm sorry Dr. Dao had such a terrible experience and I know $ doesn't make things right, but hopefully it helps him.

Too bad this is a "corrective" set of actions to make United customers more confident about future treatment and give them more rights, instead of it being the policy of every airline - the consumer's bill of rights.
bpath
7 years ago
Since there was actually a law in place to allow flight crews to get to their destination, how does the new policy affect that? If a flight crew member couldn't be booked 60 minutes in advance? And are other airlines following suit? Because they also were/allowed to remove passengers to allow flight crews to board.
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Did they know before boarding took place that they needed those "reserved" seats? If so, announce to the pre-boarding gathering that you need to have four folks agree to stay off this flight and go later ... who's willing to do that? Probably no one ... so you offer an incentive ... if still no takers, up the offer, until you get four to agree. If already boarded, same announcement ...and increased incentives, until four agree. Didn't someone say that this fellow had agreed to not go ... but then found no flight available that day, so boarded anyway ... which makes him the miscreant, in my view ... but, even so, no reason to treat him as they did. And whatever other parts of his lifestyle there may be aren't part of this equation, in my view. In the States, they have a Passenger Bill of Rights, I hear, and also in other countries ... but Canada has none, it appears ... (so reported by some who've been claiming such in the past few days ... and that it's time that we get one!!)! Hey, Canadians ... look up your M. P.'s phone number, O.K.? ole joyful ... who doesn't fly often
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writersblock (9b/10a)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
And that seems like a lot of money.

FWIW, we had visitors whose baggage was lost when they flew from San Andres to Miami to visit us, and the airline gave them $1500, the then standard compensation for folks who could itemize everything that was in their bags. That was in 1969.

BTW, I also got to see the huge, huge, huge warehouse where lost luggage ultimately goes, since back then they let them go in to see if they could find their stuff. It's quite amazing what goes missing on planes.
1929Spanish-GW
7 years ago
I got the email from United. I felt like it was empty and pandering to anyone who flies with them more than once a year (I'm silver because of my Marriott status). It did nothing to change my flying preference, which is not them.
beaglesdoitbetter
Original Author
7 years ago
Since there was actually a law in place to allow flight crews to get to their destination, how does the new policy affect that?

No idea. I would guess United could make their own policy that supersedes the law, unless the law somehow mandates that airlines must kick people off planes to let crews fly.

Are other airlines following suit?

Also no idea. They will if they're smart.Southwest has formally announced they'll stop overbooking - https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/04/27/southwest-end-practice-overbooking-ceo-says/100971140/
IdaClaire
7 years ago
This whole thing has been more than unfortunate. I hope we never see anything like it again. I have to wonder if this debacle and the ensuing negative press is what prompted United to offer some very low fares in recent days. I took advantage and purchased three round-trip tickets to London for a little over $550 each. They're for travel next spring, and other airlines are showing fares almost three times as high. I can't afford to boycott an airline when it saves me that kind of money on travel I'd already planned to take.
MtnRdRedux
7 years ago
Up to 10k for being bumped... I'd say that's bluster; highly unlikely they will ever need to pay that much. But it means they should never want for volunteers.
Gooster
7 years ago
#3 was all that was required (even at a less overhyped amount) to avoid this whole mess.

I got the email as well. I did not realize there was a fare sale. Time to book a bunch of new trips :)

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