The Airlines Dragged This Out of Me.
By
Staten Island, NY Posted: 4/29/2017 1:00:00 AM
Why do airlines ask people to get off an overbooked flight?
With all the controversy over the recent dragging of a United Airlines passenger this past week or so, I can't help but wonder one thing... Why do they even have to ask in the first place?
While I've never seen anyone dragged off a plane before, I've been on quite a few flights where the airlines have made announcements asking for volunteer passengers willing to accept a cash payment in exchange for giving up their seats. That's pretty common, because airlines traditionally overbook seats due to the potential for last minute cancellations.
If overbooking explains the reason for their volunteer program, what I can't understand is why they have a need to ask passengers who have already been seated. That's is what doesn't make sense to me. The way I see it, they should never need to ask anyone who is already seated if they would be willing to give up their seat, because it sound far easier to tell whomever hasn't yet boarded the plane to simply not get on in the first place.
Simply stated, first come... first served. People who show up early are given their seat assignment first. People who show up late, are given their seats last. If they have too many people, those who show up late should be the ones paid to wait for another flight. It's so simple. Why are they making it so complicated?
What we later learned is that the reason they needed on that particular flight was room for airline staff who needed to be at the destination city for another flight. That's still not a valid reason to ask a seated passenger to leave. The airlines have other alternatives, including paying other airline staff who are already in the destination city to come in on their day off.
Either way, the key point is that there should never be a reason to ask a seated passenger to get off a plane, so that a passenger who has not yet been seated can have your seat. I think the only exception would be if they have a passenger with special needs who shows up at the last minute that needs the seat for medical reasons.
Joe Crescenzi, Founder
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