United, again.

This forum has been developed to discuss aviation related topics.

Moderators: sky's the limit, sepia, Sulako, lilfssister, North Shore, I WAS Birddog

Post Reply
TheStig
Rank 8
Rank 8
Posts: 824
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:34 pm

Re: United, again.

Post by TheStig »

Without knowing the full details in the case it would seem like a mistake occurred and I'd guess that the airline acknowledge this and reimbursed the family all of their airfare cost.

Since deregulation there has been constant pressure to drive airfares down, time and time again consumers display their primary focus is the cheapest fare. Overselling flights has proven to be an effective was to keep airplanes full and costs' per seat low.
In what business is it legal to buy and pay for something - many months in advance- that is not refundable - non-transferable and then find someone else has it when you come to get it? Does this make sense?
If you want a transferable, refundable, confirmed seat; it's already there for you to purchase, you just have to be willing to pay for it. Any time I've searched for airfare there are 4 or 5 different fares displayed, the more expensive fares have those features. You seem to think you're entitled to more than you're willing to pay for, feel free write some letters to your MP and demand they change the regulations, once they do that you can kiss the base airfares goodbye then the only thing that will cause you to be more apt to avoid flying will be the ticket cost (once again). Think about it, a generation ago how many 13 year old kids were able to fly across the country to visit relatives?

While there is always room for improvement, air travel today is safer, more reliable and and cheaper than it has ever been, despite what you think, the airlines know how to run their businesses and are quickly learning how to adapt their commercial policies in a world full of lunch-hour consumer rights social media activists, I personally don't want to see off-the-cuff politically motivated regulations put in place where business solutions can be implemented.
---------- ADS -----------
 
pei
Rank 0
Rank 0
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2014 1:39 pm

Re: United, again.

Post by pei »

I am actually aware of and even agree with most of what you say. But I think improvements need to be implemented quickly by airlines as an industry if they wish to avoid mandated regulation. Perhaps it is in the quality of some of the people they hire or or their training or perhaps they need to give more direction and discretion to staff to avoid bumping 10 year olds and dragging paying passengers from their seats.

When you expect a doctor to spend an extra day in Chicago for $800 or to bump children flying with their parents it is really not reasonable. I doubt many would argue with this and it is these essentially stupid mistakes that need to be addressed. And yes these are isolated incidents - but for every one incident that hits the press there must be many, many more that happen every day that no one ever hears about.

In the Chicago incident for instance, who decided to limit the offer at $800 when they were allowed to go to (I believe) $1300? I would be willing to bet there would be a stampede to the desk when the offer hit $1,000. What would that couple of hundred bucks mean in the overall scheme of things. And in bumping children, how would you like to be catching a connecting flight in some strange city only to be told that you have to leave one of your kids behind?

Airline travel can be stressful and can lead to unforseen results. Lets not forget the Robert Dziekanski incident in Vancouver
---------- ADS -----------
 
TheStig
Rank 8
Rank 8
Posts: 824
Joined: Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:34 pm

Re: United, again.

Post by TheStig »

I completely agree.
---------- ADS -----------
 
User avatar
Old fella
Rank 10
Rank 10
Posts: 2394
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:04 am
Location: I'm retired. I don't want to'I don't have to and you can't make me.

Re: United, again.

Post by Old fella »

What happens on an oversold/booked situation with those travelling on a rewards plan like Air Miles or Aeroplan, shouldn't they be denied boarding over somebody who paid a fare.
---------- ADS -----------
 
User avatar
rookiepilot
Rank 11
Rank 11
Posts: 4403
Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2017 3:50 pm

Re: United, again.

Post by rookiepilot »

It is constantly amazing to me how much people value saving 5, 10, or 50 dollars, that can be created through hard work and enterprise, over their quality of life, stress, time and energy, none of which when spent, can ever be replaced.
---------- ADS -----------
 
photofly
Top Poster
Top Poster
Posts: 11306
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2011 4:47 pm
Location: Hangry and crankypated

Re: United, again.

Post by photofly »

Why do you have a British motorway sign on your profile?
---------- ADS -----------
 
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
User avatar
rookiepilot
Rank 11
Rank 11
Posts: 4403
Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2017 3:50 pm

Re: United, again.

Post by rookiepilot »

photofly wrote:Why do you have a British motorway sign on your profile?

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
---------- ADS -----------
 
User avatar
Cat Driver
Top Poster
Top Poster
Posts: 18921
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2004 8:31 pm

Re: United, again.

Post by Cat Driver »

Even better why not use the M25, so you can park here. :)
---------- ADS -----------
 
The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no


After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
User avatar
rookiepilot
Rank 11
Rank 11
Posts: 4403
Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2017 3:50 pm

Re: United, again.

Post by rookiepilot »

Cat Driver wrote:Even better why not use the M25, so you can park here. :)
:mrgreen:
---------- ADS -----------
 
Antique Pilot
Rank 7
Rank 7
Posts: 538
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:52 pm

Re: United, again.

Post by Antique Pilot »

TheStig wrote:Maybe I just don't trust the media to accurately report the story. The airlines comment was that they were investing what happened, unfortunately that leaves the reader assuming that what they're reading is accurate. Tell me which aircraft in the AC network has 28 seats?

There are what? one hundred million people boarding flights every year in Canada? Things don't always go according to plan. It's hard to keep everyone happy in a competitive business with huge customer volumes and tiny margins.

This event would have happened a month before the United incident in ORD, to me it just seems like the media went looking for this story to captitialize on a flavour of the day topic. Not that complaining out airlines isn't always an easy way to garner clicks and reader comments.

Nobody is going to say these incidents are acceptable, but its import to understand how many moving parts are in place within the airline industry, and the balance between the 'production' of moving passengers and the human element of customer service is difficult to maintain.
Official Air Canada website shows it operates Beech 1900's with 18 seats. Can't find the 28 seater.

AP
---------- ADS -----------
 
kevenv
Rank 7
Rank 7
Posts: 680
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:19 am

Re: United, again.

Post by kevenv »

Antique Pilot wrote:
TheStig wrote:Maybe I just don't trust the media to accurately report the story. The airlines comment was that they were investing what happened, unfortunately that leaves the reader assuming that what they're reading is accurate. Tell me which aircraft in the AC network has 28 seats?

There are what? one hundred million people boarding flights every year in Canada? Things don't always go according to plan. It's hard to keep everyone happy in a competitive business with huge customer volumes and tiny margins.

This event would have happened a month before the United incident in ORD, to me it just seems like the media went looking for this story to captitialize on a flavour of the day topic. Not that complaining out airlines isn't always an easy way to garner clicks and reader comments.

Nobody is going to say these incidents are acceptable, but its import to understand how many moving parts are in place within the airline industry, and the balance between the 'production' of moving passengers and the human element of customer service is difficult to maintain.
Official Air Canada website shows it operates Beech 1900's with 18 seats. Can't find the 28 seater.

AP
If they were YYG to YUL direct it would have been on an RJ 100
---------- ADS -----------
 
User avatar
Canoehead
Rank 8
Rank 8
Posts: 951
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2005 11:08 pm
Location: YEE 220 @ 4

Re: United, again.

Post by Canoehead »

You mean CRJ200. Jazz doesn't operate those heaps of garbage anymore.
---------- ADS -----------
 
kevenv
Rank 7
Rank 7
Posts: 680
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:19 am

Re: United, again.

Post by kevenv »

Canoehead wrote:You mean CRJ200. Jazz doesn't operate those heaps of garbage anymore.
No I meant 100, Jazz may not operate them but SKV does.

I also overlooked the fact that depending on the day, JAZZ does have a Q400 make the flight.
---------- ADS -----------
 
User avatar
Canoehead
Rank 8
Rank 8
Posts: 951
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2005 11:08 pm
Location: YEE 220 @ 4

Re: United, again.

Post by Canoehead »

You mean GGN. SKV (you meant SKR) doesn't fly those heaps of garbage either.
---------- ADS -----------
 
kevenv
Rank 7
Rank 7
Posts: 680
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:19 am

Re: United, again.

Post by kevenv »

Canoehead wrote:You mean GGN. SKV (you meant SKR) doesn't fly those heaps of garbage either.
My bad, typing too fast without thinking. Thanks (SKV is the identifier for Sky Regional not SKR)
---------- ADS -----------
 
User avatar
Canoehead
Rank 8
Rank 8
Posts: 951
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2005 11:08 pm
Location: YEE 220 @ 4

Re: United, again.

Post by Canoehead »

Hmm. You're right... my bad.
---------- ADS -----------
 
pei
Rank 0
Rank 0
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Aug 09, 2014 1:39 pm

Re: United, again.

Post by pei »

And the saga continues....

'Appalling': Woman bumped from Air Canada flight misses $10,000 Galapagos cruise

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/air-can ... ighome.com
---------- ADS -----------
 
Post Reply

Return to “General Comments”