Quote:
Originally Posted by biker1
If spending a good portion of my career sitting on airplanes has taught me anything, it is that you don't, under any circumstance, argue with airline personnel when you are on a plane. When you are on a plane, you do as you are told. If they tell you to vacate your seat, you gather your belongings and you leave, period. Once off the plane, you can then negotiate with the gate personnel or other representatives as to how they will get you to your final destination and what compensation you will receive. If you are unhappy, you can consult with a lawyer. You also don't argue with TSA personnel. These people can cause you to have a bad day.
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That is great common sense advice. But to play devil's advocate, what makes airline personnel any different than the manager of McDonald's or the gate attendant at Belvedere Blvd??? Why are they "above" a discussion/argument??? What LEGAL, not civil authority do they have??? The captain has 100% total authority on that plane, ONCE IT LEAVES THE TERMINAL. Is that true while it is attached to the terminal via the jetway??? Why are the Chicago police involved in a civil matter? A lot of questions remain.
UAL has some responsibility here as well---bumping seated passengers for a flight crew for the next day??? This was the ONLY crew they could get there??? There was no other way to get them there??? Other flights, other airlines???? Sounds like bad management decisions. I once sat on a plane for over an hour, 200 feet from the terminal at O'Hare , watching my connecting flight take off. This was because "our" gate was occupied, even though there were 11 empty gates that remained empty for the whole time we sat there. Didn't any one think to call the airport manager to change the gate??? I suspect that the average airline employee couldn't care less---travelers, especially at an airport connecting to another flight, are a population of hostages.