Travel expert: You’ve ‘crossed the line’ if you refuse to leave plane
Apr 12, 2017, 5:48 AM | Updated: 11:39 am
KIRO Radio travel expert Steve Danishek says the incident aboard a United Airlines plane was completely avoidable. (AP)
(AP)
The entire incident between United Airlines and a passenger who was eventually dragged out of an overbooked flight could have been avoided with one simple step.
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KIRO Radio travel expert Steve Danishek told Dori Monson that United should have waited until after they resolved the overbooking situation before allowing passengers to board the plane at O’Hare International Airport.
On Tuesday, nearly two days after the incident, the head of United’s parent company announced it was trying to “resolve this situation.”
“No one should ever be mistreated this way,” said Oscar Muñoz, Chief Executive of United’s Parent company.
The passenger was identified as David Dao, 69, of Kentucky. He was convicted more than a decade ago of felony charges involving prescription drugs.
But as The Associated Press points out:
But while Dao’s history quickly became a focus of attention, there’s no indication that his past influenced how he was treated or that the airline or police were aware of his background. And it’s unlikely that officials would have known anything about him other than basic information such as his name and address, if that.
Danishek says what we don’t see in the now viral video of the man getting dragged off the plane is the time before the confrontation.
“When you’re asked by a cabin attendant to move or trade seats or get off the plane, you do it,” he said. “There is no wiggle room.”
If you refuse, he continued, you’ve “crossed the line.”
Though he doesn’t encourage anyone to refuse to get off a plane, Danishek notes that if a flight is overbooked, you can typically hold out for more than $1,000. He said the average amount of money an airline will give someone being asked to leave an overbooked flight is about $1,350.
And if you really don’t want to find another flight, Danishek says if you’re in first class, paid the full coach fare, or are a mileage member, it’s unlikely you will be in the lottery to be removed from an overbooked flight.
