[News] "You and your wife will be in jail and your kids will be taken away from you."

[Kinky Gerbil]

But the toddler would have been checked in for that seat, with the ticket and a boarding pass issued. I can understand it if the airline said the seat couldn't be used before boarding.

Did they change the 18 year olds ticket for the toddler?

If not it would have still been down for him and toddler as a lap seat.


Mr Schear said he had originally booked the seat for his older son, who had taken an earlier flight to make sure one of his other children would have a seat.

It doesn't seem to clear that up - they would have needed to change the name on the ticket.

From that point the airline did nothing wrong - how they acted after was rubbish.

 

[PeterOut]

But the toddler would have been checked in for that seat, with the ticket and a boarding pass issued. I can understand it if the airline said the seat couldn't be used before boarding.

And that's the point that I don't know, because I have not seen the information. IF the parents boarded with just the toddler, and the 3rd seat was originally booked for oldest son, then from the airline perspective, it is a spare seat for the no-show oldest son, and youngest child never had a seat (if only 3 were booked originally), and was intended to sit on parent's lap. I can see a situation where this is how the 3 of them were boarded, from the airline's perspective, as 2 parents and a toddler sitting on their laps.

I'll repeat again, the way the staff handled the situation was disgraceful - no defence for them at all - just trying to understand how such a major issue might have developed from a small difference in perspective.

 

[Insel affe]

Nice work Delta...

Oi...

It is not my daughters fault, leave her alone.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

As with the Vietnamese doctor, the airlines have no right to ask you to leave a plane, once you have boarded.

 

[Justice]

Everything smacks to me as though the customer is in the right on this one but here's where ''legal eagle'' in me comes into play. The mobile phone is strategically placed so that the guy is clearly filmed throughout the verbal altercation. It sort of smacks to me as PFL (Prepared For Litigation).

Something makes me think he knew he would be in the right but maybe he expected there to be an issue. Either way, he is now in for a winfall through the American Courts where everybody sues everybody.

I hate that culture and the UK is fast following suit in similar matters.

Also the wife didn't seem to bothered about leaving the plane after filming the episode and maybe that's why the guy kept his cool because most people wouldn't.

 

[PeterOut]

As with the Vietnamese doctor, the airlines have no right to ask you to leave a plane, once you have boarded.

As far as I understand it, they do.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/flight/airlines/news/a26010/united-airlines-bump-passenger-rights/

 

[whitelion]

As with the Vietnamese doctor, the airlines have no right to ask you to leave a plane, once you have boarded.

Are you being serious?

There could be any number of reasons the airlines might ask you to leave a plane.

 

[NooBHA]

Also the wife didn't seem to bothered about leaving the plane after filming the episode and maybe that's why the guy kept his cool because most people wouldn't.

My thoughts too. It seemed ''contrived'' and given the last episode he possibly knew that public opinion would be on his side. I mean. Who can position a camera in haste to get their target right in the middle of ''shot''

 

[cloud]

The technicality seems to be that one of the tickets was in the name of the family's 18-y-o son who was not with them. They'd bought him another ticket on an earlier flight in order that they could use his seat for one of their toddlers, so that they didn't have to have the toddler on their lap for the duration of what was a night flight. Any parent who has flown with young kids will know how much fun that isn't.

Delta seemed to want to use the ticket for a standby passenger but the Dad was essentially saying "But we've paid for that seat. Why should you give it to someone else?"

A few years back I bought a full-price ticket for my son, aged about 2, so he could have a seat and not have to be on my lap for a long haul flight. It surprised me the number of times during the journey that their system/staff could not cope with that. At one point I was allocated just one seat based on his age, and I had to fight my case to get the seat I had paid for.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Are you being serious?

There could be any number of reasons the airlines might ask you to leave a plane.

I realise that, but overbooking is not one of them.

Here is the legal jargon from the United airlines case.


Under United’s Contract Of Carriage (COC) rules (which follow federal rules), a passenger may only be bumped from a flight before they board (Rule 25). After they have taken their seat, Rule 21 is in effect, which would allow security to forcibly remove the passenger for many reasons — none of which includes accommodating last minute needs for a seat for other airline employees (or even overbooking).

The flyer is in a contractual relationship with the airline, and each has rights and responsibilities under that contract. United Express violated the terms of the contract, and injured the passenger in the process.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I realise that, but overbooking is not one of them.

This wasn't an overbooking

 

[Thunder Bolt]

This wasn't an overbooking

Four people took those seats when the family left.

Edit to add - read the link in my post #9.

The family eventually left the flight, and Mr Schear said their seats were filled by four other passengers waiting with tickets.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Four people took those seats when the family left.

Which has nothing to do with him being removed


The issue is because he was trying to use a voided ticket in his sons name for the infant

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Which has nothing to do with him being removed


The issue is because he was trying to use a voided ticket in his sons name for the infant

He had checked his toddler in at the boarding desk, with a ticket he had paid for.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

He had checked his toddler in at the boarding desk.

Not for that seat it seems.

You still have to check a toddler in.

Unless the name was changed on his other sons ticket for the toddler he will go down as a no show and the seat resold/released

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Not for that seat it seems.

You still have to check a toddler in.

Unless the name was changed on his other sons ticket for the toddler he will go down as a no show and the seat resold/released

He did check the toddler in, and bought a safety seat for the flight.

From the articie

Despite Mr Schear later relenting and agreeing to hold the child, the crew member tells him the family was being removed from the plane because "it's come too far".
When he responds that there is nowhere for his family, including two infants, to go and no more flights, the crew member can be heard saying: "You guys are on your own."

Later, he told CBS News: "The bottom line is, they oversold the flight."

His wife, Brittany, who recorded the video, told NBC News that she was upset they were threatened with prison.
"When you're a mother and you have your one-year-old and your two-year-old and they threaten to take your kids away from you, I mean whether that's possible or whether that's, you know against the law, it just, it made my heart drop," she said.
On Thursday evening, a day after the video was posted, Delta released a statement about the incident.
"We are sorry for the unfortunate experience our customers had with Delta, and we've reached out to them to refund their travel and provide additional compensation," the company said.
"Delta's goal is to always work with customers in an attempt to find solutions to their travel issues. That did not happen in this case and we apologise."

 

[Wilko]

Interesting. Today I have put a claim in for a delay I had through Delta of 11 hours for a flight to NY. Despite numerous complaints all I ever got was a 20 quid voucher to spend at the airport restaurants. Got an email today from the claim company that I can expect anywhere between 300-900 in compo, prob at the higher end as the delay was significant. Take that DELTA YOU ANUS LICKERS.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

He did check the toddler in, and bought a safety seat for the flight.

From the articie

Despite Mr Schear later relenting and agreeing to hold the child, the crew member tells him the family was being removed from the plane because "it's come too far".
When he responds that there is nowhere for his family, including two infants, to go and no more flights, the crew member can be heard saying: "You guys are on your own."

Later, he told CBS News: "The bottom line is, they oversold the flight."

His wife, Brittany, who recorded the video, told NBC News that she was upset they were threatened with prison.
"When you're a mother and you have your one-year-old and your two-year-old and they threaten to take your kids away from you, I mean whether that's possible or whether that's, you know against the law, it just, it made my heart drop," she said.
On Thursday evening, a day after the video was posted, Delta released a statement about the incident.
"We are sorry for the unfortunate experience our customers had with Delta, and we've reached out to them to refund their travel and provide additional compensation," the company said.
"Delta's goal is to always work with customers in an attempt to find solutions to their travel issues. That did not happen in this case and we apologise."

Mr Schear argued that he had paid for the seat – albeit for his teenager – and so should not be ordered to give it up.


Doesn't look like he changed the name on that ticket - which is the issue.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Mr Schear argued that he had paid for the seat – albeit for his teenager – and so should not be ordered to give it up.


Doesn't look like he changed the name on that ticket - which is the issue.

That's the mistake made by the check in desk.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

That's the mistake made by the check in desk.

Not at all, if they didn't tell the check in agent what was going on how are they meant to know - from his comments on board (see above) it seems he assumed the seat was his whatever.

They dealt with it badly, but he wasn't kicked off for an over booking, it was his initial error.