United Airlines at it again. Gives paid customer's seat to another passenger.

[Unlockable 7,314]

Mother paid for a seat for her and her toddler son which was over $900. The flight was overbooked (of course) and they ended up giving the toddler's seat to a standby customer. The mother ended up having to hold the toddler in her lap for the duration of the flight.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/united-airlines-toddlers-seat-forces-mom-hold-flight/story?id=48463404

 

 

United Airlines gives away toddler's seat, forces mom to hold him during flight

• By ABC NEWS
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Jul 6, 2017, 10:07 AM ET

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ABCNews.com

WATCHUnited Airlines gave away toddler's seat, mom says

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A mother from Hawaii said United Airlines gave away the nearly $1,000 seat she purchased for her young son to a standby customer, forcing the mother to hold her son on her lap on the three-hour flight.

Shirley Yamauchi said she at first noticed nothing unusual when she boarded the United flightin Houston last week with her 27-month-old son, Taizo, while traveling from Hawaii to Boston.

 

United Airlines passenger apparently dragged off flight after refusing to give up seat

 

 

United CEO feels 'shame,' passengers will be compensated

 

"The tickets were scanned without any incident," Yamauchi told ABC News. "I didn't see any difficulty or anything strange."

Yamauchi said once she and her son were seated on the plane, a passenger who was on the standby list arrived at their row of seats with a ticket for Taizo's seat.

"The flight attendant, when I let her know that these were my seats, she came back and told me that the flight is full and she shrugged and that was the end of it," Yamauchi recalled.

Yamauchi’s experience came just a few months after an April incident in which passengers on board a United aircraft recorded fellow passenger David Dao wrenched from his seatYour text to link... and dragged down the aisle after refusing to deplane to make room for crew members.

Yamauchi said she "didn't want to cause a scene" so she held her son in her lap for the flight.

"I didn't want [Taizo] hurt especially," Yamauchi said, explaining why she did not argue with the flight attendant. "I, of course, feared my personal safety with everything I've seen with United Airlines. I didn’t want to see anybody get hurt."

Yamauchi claims holding 25-pound Taizo in her lap during the flight caused her to temporarily lose feeling in her legs and left arm.

 

Shirley Yamauchi

Shirley Yamauchi, of Hawaii, took photos of her 27-month-old son, Taizo, sitting on her lap while traveling on a United Airlines flight to Boston.more +

 

 

" />Shirley Yamauchi

Shirley Yamauchi, of Hawaii, took photos of her 27-month-old son, Taizo, sitting on her lap while traveling on a United Airlines flight to Boston.

 

more +

 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says in its guidelines, "The safest place for your child on an airplane is in a government-approved child safety restraint system or device, not on your lap ... You aren't capable of holding your child securely, especially during unexpected turbulence."

United's own manual states that "children under the age of 2 are allowed to travel on an adult's lap."

United Airlines told ABC News in a statement that the mix-up occurred after someone had "inaccurately scanned the boarding pass of Ms. Yamauchi's son." The airline also said it refunded Yamauchi's ticket and offered her compensation.

"On a recent flight from Houston to Boston, we inaccurately scanned the boarding pass of Ms. Yamauchi's son," the statement read. "As a result, her son's seat appeared to be not checked in, and we released his seat to another customer and Ms. Yamauchi held her son for the flight."

It continued, "We deeply apologize to Ms. Yamauchi and her son for this experience. We are refunding their tickets and providing compensation as a goodwill gesture. We are also working with our employees to prevent this from happening again."

[Dashinka 24,487]

I saw this story as will.  This does look like a screw up by United which did admit to the mistake.  The thing that I question is why the flight attendant just shrugged it off.  If this mother had a boarding pass for the child, why not call the gate agent to fix the mistake immediately.

[Unlockable 7,314]

Agreed. Definitely, the fault of those who were involved. The CEO of United says he feels shamed. There needs to be a company-wide memo to all United employees to step back and think things through in situations like this and the others now they are under the microscope.

[Dashinka 24,487]

2 minutes ago, NuestraUnion said:

Agreed. Definitely, the fault of those who were involved. The CEO of United says he feels shamed. There needs to be a company-wide memo to all United employees to step back and think things through in situations like this and the others now they are under the microscope.

I do everything I can to avoid United and American.  Sure Delta has issues too, but no where as bad.

[8bit_Theatre 64]

1 hour ago, Bill & Katya said:

I saw this story as will.  This does look like a screw up by United which did admit to the mistake.  The thing that I question is why the flight attendant just shrugged it off.  If this mother had a boarding pass for the child, why not call the gate agent to fix the mistake immediately.

I think a semi-forceful passenger probably would have won in this situation. I get the impression the mother did not press the situation, all because United has fostered a culture of fear to silence people speaking out on a flight. IE. You speak up you get thrown off.

[bcking 3,157]

11 minutes ago, 8bit_Theatre said:

I think a semi-forceful passenger probably would have won in this situation. I get the impression the mother did not press the situation, all because United has fostered a culture of fear to silence people speaking out on a flight. IE. You speak up you get thrown off.

Agreed. I feel bad for the lady because she has made it clear she was worried about "making a fuss" because the reputation United now has.

 

To me that is the WORST thing about it for United. The CEO better feel shamed. His customers are too afraid to point out that they purchased a seat because they are worried they are going to be bullied and beat up by his employees. 

[OriZ 3,157]

I think her not wanting to press on it is also on her honestly. It's already been everywhere that that policy has changed; They are now not going to forcefully remove you once you are already in your seat, and if you're afraid that they're going to anyway, well you can potentially make the best out of that situation as well. Honestly I feel like there is no reason in the world why she shouldn't have just told them that ticket is paid for and she is already in her seat and reminded them that the policy now is to let people remain in their seats. I think that's all it would have taken and that's personally what I would have done. At least they refunded BOTH of their tickets and provided compensation. 

[TBoneTX 45,264]

16 minutes ago, OriZ said:

that policy has changed; They are now not going to forcefully remove you once you are already in your seat

If United breaks FAA policy (making child to be held on lap), they'll break their own policy without qualms.

 

I have a vivid mind-movie about what might have resulted if this flight had made an emergency or rough landing.

Edited July 6, 2017 by TBoneTX

[OriZ 3,157]

8 minutes ago, TBoneTX said:

If United breaks FAA policy (making child to be held on lap), they'll break their own policy without qualms.

 

I have a vivid mind-movie about what might have resulted if this flight had made an emergency or rough landing.

Maybe, maybe not. There's no way of knowing without trying. And since he was only 3 months older, they would not be able to tell unless they actually checked but she made her own decision to do that - nobody asked her to. At that point I think they were just trying to leave her alone to do whatever she wanted to because they figured it was best for everybody since she wasn't complaining.

 

2 hours ago, bcking said:

Agreed. I feel bad for the lady because she has made it clear she was worried about "making a fuss" because the reputation United now has.

 

To me that is the WORST thing about it for United. The CEO better feel shamed. His customers are too afraid to point out that they purchased a seat because they are worried they are going to be bullied and beat up by his employees. 

It wasn't United employees who actually did the beating, it was the police force and they already said they will not call a police force anymore. I'm not here to defend United - I fly both United and Delta and as mentioned in one of the previous threads have had plenty of screw ups with them as well. Hell, even since my last post on it just this last time 6 weeks ago when we were on our way back from our trip, our plane was actually EARLY to EWR(a poor excuse for an airport which should be bulldozed and started all over again somewhere else but that's for another thread)...however we sat waiting for another plane to clear the gate. We finally got a gate but now we were running late to a tight connection. We got to our gate and our plane was still there but gate closed. We were not allowed on it even though we could see it through the window sitting right there because supposedly it was an order from traffic control and not United's call...but...screwing things up is what they do best at EWR.

 

Anyway we went to united CS at the airport, and at first they tried to tell us since it wasn't their delay or a mechanical issue basically we're on our own(it was the last flight of the night). Well the funny thing is to start with - the dude there in an attempt to find a close flight that does still run was like "wanna go to Maine?" to which my wife replied "for WHAT?"(she has no filter). Anyway we told him it was not acceptable and my wife mentioned her medical issues and that she can't sleep in the airport and that she'd call news stations and this and that - not that we would not have paid for a hotel ourselves mind you but they don't need to know that - that seemed to get his attention and now it was something like "who said anything about sleeping in the airport we can check...." as he's clicking through his computer screen. At one point he raised his head and looked at us and asked "you flew first class?" which we did, so we're not sure if that had anything to do with what we got in the end. If it does then thankfully it was a long flight as we normally only tend to do first class on flights 6 hours or longer. 3-6 hours we do economy plus and under 3 hours we're fine with coach. So to make a long story short we ended up getting $80 in vouchers for food for the night and morning and a free stay in a hotel for the night. We ended up meeting other people on the same flight who ended up in the same situation the next day once we boarded our flight finally. They just basically went 'oh ok' so they never got anything. Luckily for them they had a family member in the area whom they stayed with.

 

Moral of the story - while we weren't on a plane afraid of being taken off of it so it's a different situation, it's still always worth it to at least try. I don't accept someone saying they were afraid of "getting bullied" based on other people's experiences when they never even made an effort to try and change the situation. This has nothing to do with love for United I think it's just common sense. This reminds me of the story not long ago also of the French woman flying to San Fran by mistake cause she didn't realize the gate changed(again EWR). There are so many screens and all you need to know is your flight number - you don't even need to understand English. In both cases I feel like while initially it was a screw up by the staff/crew which was not the passenger's fault, with some more diligence and not being afraid of opening your mouth the outcome could have been different. Also when they scan our ticket we always make sure it actually scanned, we don't just trust them. All things to consider when flying. To be fair I am NOT saying this was the woman's fault and I am glad United compensated her, I just think that much like them - she could and should have handled the whole situation differently from start to finish for a better outcome for all involved. Surely, there would not have even been a need for that had they done their job right.

[Dashinka 24,487]

52 minutes ago, OriZ said:

Maybe, maybe not. There's no way of knowing without trying. And since he was only 3 months older, they would not be able to tell unless they actually checked but she made her own decision to do that - nobody asked her to. At that point I think they were just trying to leave her alone to do whatever she wanted to because they figured it was best for everybody since she wasn't complaining.

 

It wasn't United employees who actually did the beating, it was the police force and they already said they will not call a police force anymore. I'm not here to defend United - I fly both United and Delta and as mentioned in one of the previous threads have had plenty of screw ups with them as well. Hell, even since my last post on it just this last time 6 weeks ago when we were on our way back from our trip, our plane was actually EARLY to EWR(a poor excuse for an airport which should be bulldozed and started all over again somewhere else but that's for another thread)...however we sat waiting for another plane to clear the gate. We finally got a gate but now we were running late to a tight connection. We got to our gate and our plane was still there but gate closed. We were not allowed on it even though we could see it through the window sitting right there because supposedly it was an order from traffic control and not United's call...but...screwing things up is what they do best at EWR.

 

Anyway we went to united CS at the airport, and at first they tried to tell us since it wasn't their delay or a mechanical issue basically we're on our own(it was the last flight of the night). Well the funny thing is to start with - the dude there in an attempt to find a close flight that does still run was like "wanna go to Maine?" to which my wife replied "for WHAT?"(she has no filter). Anyway we told him it was not acceptable and my wife mentioned her medical issues and that she can't sleep in the airport and that she'd call news stations and this and that - not that we would not have paid for a hotel ourselves mind you but they don't need to know that - that seemed to get his attention and now it was something like "who said anything about sleeping in the airport we can check...." as he's clicking through his computer screen. At one point he raised his head and looked at us and asked "you flew first class?" which we did, so we're not sure if that had anything to do with what we got in the end. If it does then thankfully it was a long flight as we normally only tend to do first class on flights 6 hours or longer. 3-6 hours we do economy plus and under 3 hours we're fine with coach. So to make a long story short we ended up getting $80 in vouchers for food for the night and morning and a free stay in a hotel for the night. We ended up meeting other people on the same flight who ended up in the same situation the next day once we boarded our flight finally. They just basically went 'oh ok' so they never got anything. Luckily for them they had a family member in the area whom they stayed with.

 

Moral of the story - while we weren't on a plane afraid of being taken off of it so it's a different situation, it's still always worth it to at least try. I don't accept someone saying they were afraid of "getting bullied" based on other people's experiences when they never even made an effort to try and change the situation. This has nothing to do with love for United I think it's just common sense. This reminds me of the story not long ago also of the French woman flying to San Fran by mistake cause she didn't realize the gate changed(again EWR). There are so many screens and all you need to know is your flight number - you don't even need to understand English. In both cases I feel like while initially it was a screw up by the staff/crew which was not the passenger's fault, with some more diligence and not being afraid of opening your mouth the outcome could have been different. Also when they scan our ticket we always make sure it actually scanned, we don't just trust them. All things to consider when flying. To be fair I am NOT saying this was the woman's fault and I am glad United compensated her, I just think that much like them - she could and should have handled the whole situation differently from start to finish for a better outcome for all involved. Surely, there would not have even been a need for that had they done their job right.

Aren't all the airports in the NYC area the worst?  I know on one of my trips to see Katya, I took the route through JFK to Moscow SVO.  I first flew from DTW to LGA and had to transfer to JFK via a taxi.  I did get to where I was headed, but my luggage didn't either coming or going.  Back then this was one of the things I liked about Delta as I was able to scan my claim ticket when I got back to DTW and immediately found out my luggage was still sitting at JFK, so I didn't have to waste time at the caroseul wondering when it would drop.  Long story short, we now fly through China when going to Russia and have never had any issues, although PEK does not have a lot of lounge amenities.

[OriZ 3,157]

5 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

Aren't all the airports in the NYC area the worst?  I know on one of my trips to see Katya, I took the route through JFK to Moscow SVO.  I first flew from DTW to LGA and had to transfer to JFK via a taxi.  I did get to where I was headed, but my luggage didn't either coming or going.  Back then this was one of the things I liked about Delta as I was able to scan my claim ticket when I got back to DTW and immediately found out my luggage was still sitting at JFK, so I didn't have to waste time at the caroseul wondering when it would drop.  Long story short, we now fly through China when going to Russia and have never had any issues, although PEK does not have a lot of lounge amenities.

Indeed they are all terrible. However I have flown through JFK and LGA and have not had nearly as many issues as EWR. I seriously say demolish it and start from scratch, that place is ridiculous. Only time I ever had a luggage issue was this past Jan through ORD due to the weather(I also mentioned this in an older United issue thread). After endless phone calls we ended up receiving it the next day in the afternoon but had to drive 20 minutes to pick it up from MKE(they initially wanted me to go all the way back to ORD which I refused). We ended up getting compensated a total of $330 for it just being late because of all the hassle. I say never give in to an airline, try to get whatever you can out of them it can't hurt.

[bcking 3,157]

35 minutes ago, OriZ said:

Indeed they are all terrible. However I have flown through JFK and LGA and have not had nearly as many issues as EWR. I seriously say demolish it and start from scratch, that place is ridiculous. Only time I ever had a luggage issue was this past Jan through ORD due to the weather(I also mentioned this in an older United issue thread). After endless phone calls we ended up receiving it the next day in the afternoon but had to drive 20 minutes to pick it up from MKE(they initially wanted me to go all the way back to ORD which I refused). We ended up getting compensated a total of $330 for it just being late because of all the hassle. I say never give in to an airline, try to get whatever you can out of them it can't hurt.

 

...Can't hurt at all

 

 

(I know United has changed their policy, but like someone else mentioned....I wouldn't put it past them to do it again)

[OriZ 3,157]

8 hours ago, bcking said:

 

...Can't hurt at all

 

 

(I know United has changed their policy, but like someone else mentioned....I wouldn't put it past them to do it again)

Sorry, there is a major difference between refusal and being disobedient(this dude argued with them until police were called and then even argued with police), and trying to reason with people until you know it's lost. Still not buying it. If she was so scared to speak I'm honestly not sure how she gets through life.

[bcking 3,157]

2 hours ago, OriZ said:

Sorry, there is a major difference between refusal and being disobedient(this dude argued with them until police were called and then even argued with police), and trying to reason with people until you know it's lost. Still not buying it. If she was so scared to speak I'm honestly not sure how she gets through life.

I was mostly playing with you

 

I agree that she could have very easily spoken up and it would have been fine.

 

That being said, as I said before I could see a scenario where she genuinely wasn't concerned about speaking up. Not everyone follows and analyzes stories as much as we do on this forum. We had several pages on that man being dragged off the plane. I'm sure there are many people out there who only got headlines and as we all know that can lead to misinformation. I could easily see people thinking about that story and just thinking "He was just this poor man saying he didn't want to give up his seat and they beat him up". Even the distinction between the cops/flight attendants may not have been clear to her. SHe was travelling with her child, and if she had misinformation about that prior case it is not unreasonable to think she would just prefer to keep her head down.

 

Image is everything and no matter what the details of that case were, this is proof that it hurt United's image in a way that isn't just going to go away with an apology. It is sad, but also somewhat reasonable, that a person is genuinely scared to point out something.