United We Stand (or Fly)

@moffittjc (118221)
Gainesville, Florida
April 15, 2017 8:58am CST
I have been following the United Airlines debacle for the past few days, where a passenger who refused to give up his seat was forcibly dragged off the plane, all captured on cellphone video that went viral. The public outrage that followed became a financial and public relations nightmare for United Airlines. I'm not here to debate who was right or wrong. If you've seen the video, or read the factual accounts of what happened, you can judge for yourself. I'm here to say that if I had to fly anywhere right now, I'm pretty sure the best possible deal and cheapest ticket prices right now is probably on United Airlines. I'm willing to bet that they are practically giving away seats on their flights just to draw customers back to their airline. Oh, how I wish I had somewhere to fly! And who knows, maybe they would overbook my flight and offer a sweet deal to give up my seat! Hmmm...maybe I could actually come out profitable on this! Oh, wait...look what Delta is doing: they have just announced that they will offer up to $10,000 for passengers to give up their seats. Maybe I need to reconsider this United thing and fly Delta instead! Maybe I can finally afford to go visit Dani (@VivaLaDani13) and Judy (@JudyEv) in Australia!
32 people like this
30 responses
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
15 Apr 17
Horrible what happened. I hope United goes under for their actions and not owning up to their error.
5 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 17
I don't know if I'd go so far as to wish United to go under, because that would mean less competition in the airline industry, which would then lead to higher ticket prices. But I think some good could come out of this whole situation in that airlines will re-write their policies regarding how they bump passengers and overbook flights, which could lead to better conditions for passengers.
3 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
15 Apr 17
@moffittjc I only fly southwest, for several reasons. They have never been nothing but nice and polite to me. They have pretty good air fares, they are mostly always on time or early. And the biggy, I have stock in the company they buy their metal from to build new planes, and they just purchased 200 some new planes, so my stock is going up and up lol.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (454987)
• Switzerland
15 Apr 17
@fishtiger58 I fully agree with you, I have never liked United Airlines, they have always been rude.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (454987)
• Switzerland
15 Apr 17
I remember that Delta used to offer huge amounts when they overbooked. We were frequent flyers and we were upgraded to first class all the time so our two tourist class tickets became available. Be assured that we never refused, especially on the long International fly.
5 people like this
@LadyDuck (454987)
• Switzerland
16 Apr 17
@moffittjc Surely it was less expensive to upgrade the frequent flyers than to offer 10,000 $. I have to check the rules about the overbooking, but I feel that United Arline is facing a serious problem.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
@LadyDuck Many airlines don't offer first class accommodations or different classes of seats anymore. It all depends on the where the flight is going and the size of the aircraft. I know that airlines such as Southwest and JetBlue only have business class seats on their flights, so if a flight is full, they have nowhere to upgrade the passengers to!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 17
I was reading an article today that said Delta leads all airlines in the amount of money they offer to passengers that they bump from flights, and they just upped the amount again this week. Either they are good about not bumping passengers, or else they have a lot of money to throw around!
3 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45226)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
15 Apr 17
Hmmm... get rich quick?
4 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45226)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
15 Apr 17
@moffittjc Just don't take any guitars with you...
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 17
Unfortunately, I don't think the airlines will give you cash, I think they just provide you with airline vouchers to use for future tickets. If I flew frequently, it would probably be a great deal!
2 people like this
@sol_cee (38224)
• Philippines
15 Apr 17
@BarBaraPrz had a really bad guitar experience. Guitar case was broken despite the costly additional fee. Sad.
2 people like this
• United States
15 Apr 17
I thought it was up to 1000 something. Don't forget to get a check not air lies or wait air miles! I checked flights from where I live to sf there and it isn't cheap still it's $200+ But yeah the whole story on what happen was horrible!
3 people like this
• United States
15 Apr 17
@moffittjc I believe it was one way! Might be attending a wedding in September but probably will drive to enjoy areas on the way up north!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 17
Is it $200 for a one-way ticket, or is that the round-trip fare? I flew round-trip from Florida to New York City and back to Florida last year for $140.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
@infatuatedbby I think driving is a great idea! There is just so many beautiful things to see along the drive north!
2 people like this
@nanette64 (20368)
• Fairfield, Texas
15 Apr 17
What United did was absolutely horrible @moffittjc and for it to have been a doctor that was dragged off? Shameful.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
United's new slogan: Board as a doctor, leave as a patient!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
@nanette64 United: we put the hospital in hospitality!
2 people like this
@nanette64 (20368)
• Fairfield, Texas
16 Apr 17
@moffittjc LMAO. Oh lordy!! That's a good one; sad but true.
2 people like this
@Kandae11 (53601)
15 Apr 17
That was really bad customer service.
5 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 17
I agree! They could have handled the situation much better than they did. And companies also have to realize that everything they do is probably being recorded on cellphone video.
2 people like this
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
15 Apr 17
Unfortunately, $1350 is the maximum an airline can compensate you. That is the amount allowed by the FAA. We are no longer a free country when we are regulated like this. A business should be free to compensate a customer as they wish. This is another example of too many regulations. You used to be able to start your own business with no interference from government and run it as you please but now you can't even cross the room without violating some regulation or other.
3 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45226)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
15 Apr 17
2 people like this
@allen0187 (58447)
• Philippines
16 Apr 17
It is indeed a financial and publicity nightmare for United. I doubt if they will recover from it. If you are looking for a sweet deal on flying, I guess, United is a good place to start.
2 people like this
@allen0187 (58447)
• Philippines
17 Apr 17
That thought crossed my mind as well @moffittjc .
2 people like this
@allen0187 (58447)
• Philippines
17 Apr 17
@moffittjc you can never tell with The Donald at the helm.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Apr 17
@allen0187 He'll probably use the opportunity to buy the airline and make it his personal company so that he can profit and get even richer off it! lol
2 people like this
@sol_cee (38224)
• Philippines
15 Apr 17
Any other choice aside from Australia? Lol
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 17
Well, if I have a free ticket, any place around the world would be a good choice! But I am partial to Australia for certain reasons!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 17
@VivaLaDani13 Australia is the perfect choice!
2 people like this
• Perth, Australia
15 Apr 17
@sol_cee Australia is a good choice.
2 people like this
• Eugene, Oregon
15 Apr 17
That Delta offer is amazing. I wonder if they are more cautious about overbooking. I think that United was totally in the wrong and it will probably cost them millions in damages and customer relations. The CEO compounded the problem with his tone deaf comments.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
I was reading an article last night that said one of the reasons Delta jumped at the opportunity to raise the incentives is that they want to show regulators and politicians that the airline industry can fix the problem without Congress stepping in and re-writing the laws on overbooking. The airlines desperately don't want overbooking options to go away.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
@JamesHxstatic This was too big of a PR nightmare to not voluntarily do anything about it. Although this particular issue happened with United, all airlines are guilty of horrible customer service when it comes to overbooking and bumping passengers, so in an indirect way all of the airlines will feel the repercussions of this incident.
2 people like this
• Eugene, Oregon
16 Apr 17
@moffittjc I am sure they don't, but have heard already of some positive changes made by United and others too.
2 people like this
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
16 Apr 17
Thanks for flying United. Right!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
@DianneN Yes, I've heard some pretty good ones since the incident happened.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
United's new slogans: 1. We put the hospital in hospitality! 2. Imagine how we treat your luggage! 3. If you weren't afraid to fly before, you will be now! 4. United Airlines: now serving punch! 5. We offer express checkout service! 6. We'll beat any price...and any customer! 7. You carry on, we carry off. 8. Early boarding. Late boarding. Waterboarding. It's all the same to us! 9. Board as a doctor, leave as a patient!
2 people like this
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
16 Apr 17
@moffittjc . That's hilarious!!!!
2 people like this
@HazySue (39269)
• Gouverneur, New York
17 Apr 17
It's the happening that keeps on going. To bad it isn't good publicity they are receiving. I think going to Australia to visit Dani and Judy is a wonderful idea. Maybe we could make it a group effort.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Apr 17
The more the merrier! It would be fun to have a big myLot travel party. Think of all the crazy fun we would have! I just hope Judy and Dani are ready for us!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Apr 17
@HazySue Well, if we camp out in tents in their backyards, we can truly say we "roughed" it in the Outback!
2 people like this
@HazySue (39269)
• Gouverneur, New York
19 Apr 17
@moffittjc We might have to rent some giant tents for their back yards. Loo out Australia, here we come!
2 people like this
@andriaperry (116876)
• Anniston, Alabama
16 Apr 17
A smart man you are! Now where do I wanna go?
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
How about Fiji or Tahiti?
2 people like this
@andriaperry (116876)
• Anniston, Alabama
16 Apr 17
@moffittjc Fiji sounds wonderful!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
@andriaperry If you go, please take me with you! I've always wanted to go to Fiji!
2 people like this
@VivaLaDani13 (59989)
• Perth, Australia
15 Apr 17
@moffittjc Well, I'm ready when you are!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 17
I definitely need to come visit! Are you sure you're ready for me? LOL
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Apr 17
@VivaLaDani13 You getting close to coming to Texas? I still think you should do a little side trip over to Florida while you're here!
2 people like this
• Perth, Australia
15 Apr 17
@moffittjc You have no idea.
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (168441)
• United States
16 Apr 17
I used to love getting bumped off of flights and reaping the benefits. If you try to fly at holiday times, alot of bumping goes on. I have benefitted from that practice more than once. However, at the moment, I can't afford a ticket for anywhere. 10,000 come on baby! You could buy a car for that!
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
I have often thought of that myself before. Volunteering to get bumped so that I can reap the rewards. If I ever have a nonstop flight, I would consider doing that. If I have a connecting flight somewhere, then it becomes a little more difficult to do.
1 person likes this
@suziecat7 (3350)
• Asheville, North Carolina
16 Apr 17
It was terrible - I don't know why they just didn't offer a good sum of money to anyone who was willing to give up their seat. I'm sure there would have been a few takers and it would have cost the airline much less in both bad press and money.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Apr 17
I agree with you. But from the way the news stories are coming out about the whole situation, United didn't empower their gate agents and on-site supervisors to make such easy decisions. Plus, they were all so seriously overworked and understaffed that they probably couldn't think clearly. They were under tremendous pressure to get the flight off on time, or else they would be penalized.
2 people like this
@pgntwo (22412)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
16 Apr 17
This cartoon appeared in a UK paper here this weekend, apt!
2 people like this
@pgntwo (22412)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
16 Apr 17
@moffittjc I'd forgotten about the "being bumped from a flight" expression, and very funny - Nick Newman is the cartoonist, you can find him on Twitter.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
@pgntwo I'll look him up and follow him on Twitter.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
That's pretty funny!
2 people like this
@KristenH (33355)
• Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
15 Apr 17
Wow! That's some deal to give up your seats for money.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
If I was flying nonstop to somewhere, I would voluntarily give up my seat for cash incentives and ticket vouchers, but if I had a connecting flight, I would be less inclined to give up my seat because it would get quite complicated trying to re-book everything.
2 people like this
@KristenH (33355)
• Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
16 Apr 17
@moffittjc That makes sense to me.
2 people like this
@spaceseed (2843)
• India
16 Apr 17
I wish your wish to visit dani and judy in australia fulfill
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
Me too! I really want to meet both of them in person!
2 people like this
• Nanjing, China
16 Apr 17
It was really sad to see what United did on the news. I would never thought an airline would do something like that. To be honest, my experiences flying with United had been flawless, so this was mind-boggling for me, as this is the first time I've seen an airline treat their customer like this.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
@definitelynotaziz That is true. We can only blame ourselves for the way the news media reports the news. Bad news sells stories. Good news doesn't. At the end of the day, the media is looking to make a profit just like any other business would, so they are going to report news that sells the most stories and generates the most viewers.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118221)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Apr 17
I have seen so many people tell horror stories about flying Delta airlines, but I've had nothing but great experiences flying Delta. So I'm sure it's the same way with United. Most people probably don't have bad experiences when they fly United, but we only hear the bad stories, not the good stories.
1 person likes this
• Nanjing, China
16 Apr 17
@moffittjc That's true, the same goes with just about anything really. The media often portrays the one bad thing that happened to someone/something, but they never show the good thing about it that may actually happen daily. And that's not really their fault actually, since we people are more attracted to out-of-the-ordinary things on the news.
2 people like this