Airline does it better

[Bill Greenwood]

Everyone knows about the problem with Dr. Dao being injured when foricibly removed from a United ( Republic ) flight when the plane was full and airline wanted his seat for employees to ride free. And how the CEO mishandled the response, saying the employees had do the right thing.

There is another incident, this time on American and this time the statement and treatment from the mangement is much better.
A lady was in the front row with 2 babies, and a stoller, when a male flight attendant jerked to stroller away from her, apparently rudely enough that other passengers, a lady and a man, spoke up and told he that he almost hit the baby. The male passenger and the male steward got into a heated talk that almost came to blows with the flight attendant telling the passenger to hit him. Meanwhile the Mother was crying and asking for her stroller back. Some strollers fold small enough to fit in an overhead and larger ones have to be checked. This Mom was from Argentina and may not have understood that her stroller could do a gateside check, and may have thought she was going to lose it, we dont really know as the story is not detailed on that point.
The pilot even came out to try to calm the male flight attendant down, and things finally did calm. The airline then did what United didnt do. They upgraded the Mom and 2 babies to first class, with an apology and suspended the flight attendant.

We can only guess at the details but it may be that the male flight attendant was in a hurry to get the plane going and got frustrated with the stroller and went over the line of polite customer service. Obviously a crewman jerking a stroller away from a Mom with 2 babies is never going to be the right way, and the airline recognized and tried to correct it.

[DRGT]

Better, but I would suggest a few more steps. I have found the better the employer treats its employees, the better employees will treat the customers. AA needs to do a root cause analysis - looking at its training, policies, employee incentives, etc to determine why the employee's behavior was inconsistent with their expectations. It's too easy to blame the employee when their behavior isn't aligned with the image the employer wishes to portray. AA needs to follow up to determine not only if this is a behavior pattern by this employee, but other employees as well.

[Bob Dingley]

I have not flown on this type AC, so i'm just asking: is the front row exit row seating? If so, it would be a much different deal.

[Bill Greenwood]

I don't know if the front row is exit seating, don't think Ive ever seen a plane where it was. Probably not or the lady with babies would not have been assigned that seat.
But it makes no difference, any passenger is due courteous treatment especially a Mom. The crewman should politely help her fold the stroller and put in the overhead or Politely explain it is large and do the gate baggage check for her. Not jerk it out of her hand.
Lots of airline people are po ed at the companies , loss of pensions etc. but that is not due to any passengers. Go picket the CEO at headquarters or his house, but don't be rude to customers. If the airline alienates customers and business falls off, employees suffer also.

You can imagine what a passenger organized boycott of an airline could do.

[Bill Greenwood]

The passenger deserves polite treatment no matter what row they are in, and probably was not an exit row or they would not have assigned it to a Mom with babies.

[Bob Dingley]

... probably was not an exit row or they would not have assigned it to a Mom with babies.

I don't have that much confidence. After we landed, customer service came to fetch the old gal in the exit row....with a wheel chair. You bet I wrote it up and sent it to the carrier.
Bob

[CDS]

Everyone knows about the problem with Dr. Dao being injured when foricibly removed from a United ( Republic ) flight when the plane was full and airline wanted his seat for employees to ride free. And how the CEO mishandled the response, saying the employees had do the right thing.

Bill, the airline employees weren't just out to "ride free." They were crew members (from Republic as I understand it) and missed their original deadheading flight, so they were then rescheduled to deadhead on the now notorious flight where Dr. Dao was physically dragged off the plane by the Chicago Department of Aviation Police. You do understand what "deadheading" is, don't you? It's part of life for airline crew members to get them to another location in order to work/fly another flight. If they don't get to the destination, then the passengers on that flight will be without a crew and the airline will be blamed for that, won't they?

So as Republic saw it, it was better to remove 4 passengers than as many as 76 the next day. How would you feel if you were one of the 76?

And no, I don't work for Republic.

[Floatsflyer]

You do understand what "deadheading" is, don't you? It's part of life for airline crew members to get them to another location in order to work/fly another flight. If they don't get to the destination, then the passengers on that flight will be without a crew and the airline will be blamed for that, won't they?

So as Republic saw it, it was better to remove 4 passengers than as many as 76 the next day. How would you feel if you were one of the 76?

And no, I don't work for Republic.

Nonsense, absolutely unadulterated nonsense. I don't give a flying fadoo about the airline and their deadheading or any other thing they need to do that is only about their own operational objectives and self-interest. And neither should you. None of my concern as a paying customer. I buy a seat, sit down, fly me to my destination, don't misbehave. Passengers have not entered into any other contract with the airline above and beyond that.

Please stop being an apologist for bad behaviour and horrific corporate policy. Your turn as victim could be next. Then we'll ask you your own question, "How would you feel..."?

[Bob Dingley]

I recall that recurrent training for commercial operators always had an hour on slips and falls. Time to regroup and slip in some classroom time on customer relations.

[CDS]

Nonsense, absolutely unadulterated nonsense. I don't give a flying fadoo about the airline and their deadheading or any other thing they need to do that is only about their own operational objectives and self-interest. And neither should you. None of my concern as a paying customer. I buy a seat, sit down, fly me to my destination, don't misbehave. Passengers have not entered into any other contract with the airline above and beyond that.

Please stop being an apologist for bad behaviour and horrific corporate policy. Your turn as victim could be next. Then we'll ask you your own question, "How would you feel..."?

I'm not apologizing for the behavior of the Chicago Department of Aviation Police. I think they went too far.

Again - look at the facts (do you dispute them?) - Republic needed those 4 crew members at the destination or they'd inconvenience up to 76 passengers on a flight the next morning. In your business, which is the lesser of the two evils? Inconveniencing 4? Or 76?

The Dr. Dao flight was a perfect storm of circumstances and I agree that the airline botched their initial response BIG TIME. But one more question - where I come from, it's not legal to refuse the orders of a law enforcement officer (as Dr. Dao apparently did). Is that legal in your area?

And did you know that Dao exited the airplane and then ran back on, telling the police they'd have to drag him off?

I've never been a fan of overbooking and have long thought that the airlines should treat reservations just as hotels do. That is, if you make one and don't cancel, you pay for the flight or room anyway. And in that way - no overbooking, but charged regardless - you'd own the seat. Are you OK with that?