United passenger dragged off flight identified as doctor with criminal past

The United Airlines passenger dragged off a flight was a doctor who said he was trying to get home to his patients.

The Louisville Courier-Journal says Dr. David Dao is a Vietnamese-American immigrant who specializes in pulmonary disease in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. On Sunday, he was one of four United Express Flight 3411 passengers "randomly selected" to be removed from an overbooked plane in Chicago bound for Louisville, 40 miles outside of Elizabethtown.

How about if the crew member told him to do his best bucktoothed Charlie Chan imitation? Ridiculous? So is giving stupid people unchecked power to act capriciously.

It appears that the flight was NOT overbooked. The "guests" were booted (and beaten) to accommodate airline employees. Poor planning on United's part will cost them dearly, and a rent-a-jackboot, or three, their job(s). Rightfully so.

The Captain of the flight has been given authority over the flight in order to safely operate it. At some point in flying, you have to put your faith in the abilities of the Captain. And as an airline captain, if a passenger demonstrates he is unwilling to comply with crew member instructions, I have very few options except to have him removed from the flight. Passengers that are unwilling to comply endanger themselves, other passengers, crew members, and others. E.g. if its necessary to evacuate the airplane, there just isn't enough time to discuss whether or not you can grab your crap out of the overhead before exiting.

United did not have a choice about who to call to remove the passenger. Security at the airport is a combination of the Airport Authority, TSA, and local law enforcement. The Company doesn't even have the authority to overrule the Captain. If the Captain deems the passenger unsafe to fly, FAA says he can't go.

Yes, yes, yes. We will "concede" that Captain Whatshisname is nearly god-like and master of all he surveys.

The options are clear. Plan accordingly to get your crews to where they need to be and not inconvenience paying passengers who are already seated and already have baggage loaded and gong to your destination. Airlines, and their demi-god employees, have thoroughly ruined air travel within the USA. Airlines treat their "customers" like crap, allow and encourage perverts to fondle old ladies, cripples and children in the name of "security" and give 'authoritah' to the incompetent to remove anyone for whatever reason that can be conjured from a fevered brain.

Poke a lion in his cage enough and he'll try to rip your head off. This flight wasn't even overbooked. Four special people were granted special rights to toss passengers off so their lives could be made easier.

If the four special folk were delayed getting to Louisville and a flight had to be delayed, that responsibility would fall on United. Their stupidity, their problem.

-- Once boarded, they cannot remove a passenger without cause (disorderly conduct, emergency, etc.). --

I suggest a slightly different view of that "cannot." Taken literally, the statement becomes "it is not possible for UAL to breach the contract."

What are the consequences if UAL breaches the contract? What if UAL removes a (potential) passenger without cause? UAL guaranteed a seat on a specified flight, and failed to deliver. It may have also committed the faux pas of allowing the passenger to board, which creates an academic discussion of the precise mechanism whereby the guarantee (and maybe contract) was breached.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.