[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by biker1

The big difference between United Airlines and McDonalds is you are trying to get to your destination and you have already paid for the ticket. Airline personnel can remove you from the plane at the gate for a number of reasons. Whether it is justified or not is irrelevant - you are off the plane and you may very well experience a delay in getting to your final destination. Your other questions will undoubtedly be answered in the week/months ahead but honestly I don't really care.

The person in question made a big mistake by not doing what he was told. Unless, of course, his goal was to get a big settlement from United, which he may very well get. United, of course, made some serious mistakes also. You cannot win those battles and negotiate while sitting on the plane. Rational people get off the plane and resolve the issue with other airline representatives. Knowing the compensation rules and the airline's responsibilities is always a good idea. By the way, I have missed more connections than I care to think about for various reasons. I have also not even bothered to take the first leg of several trips when it became apparent that I would miss the connection. Weather, mechanical problems, air traffic control issues, lack of a crew, etc. can cause delays that cause you to miss connections. It is what it is.

I agree with everything you posted---but I have one question---do airline employees have the LEGAL AUTHORITY to remove a passenger from his seat for no other reason than they want to put another airline employee in that seat?????