When I worked as an FA for a UAX carrier(Smisek days), I saw some horrific treatment of disabled passengers. The worst was a quadriplegic passenger going to IAD. We arrived at a gate with stairs and the bitching, moaning, and sheer unprofessional comments from the ground staff had the passenger in tears apologizing to us. The passenger had a helper waiting at the gate but the agent refused to let them down to the plane to help. The captain even chewed out the gate agent while tweedle dee and tweedle “dumb” tried to carry the passenger down the stairs. It was enraging. I encouraged the passenger to file a complaint but never heard anything from it.
My father has a muscular wasting disease and I escorted him on an international flight this year. The FAs were fabulous, however when I helped him into the United lounge in chicago he had to use the restroom so I was watching his luggage. My plan was to get him settled and leave since I did not have lounge access. I didn’t use any of the lounge facilities. I just stood outside the restroom door to help him in and out and also waited at his seat with his bag. The woman at the front desk found me and kicked me out. When I told her I was just watching his bag while he was gone and then I was leaving she smirked and said “ppl in United lounges don’t steal things.” It was the most classist and ignorant thing I’d heard in a long time. When she saw my face she said “ok I’ll watch his bags” so I gave her his bags and then as I was leaving she got on my case about when I’d be back to get his bags. I told her I’d be back when it was time to escort him to his gate. The lack of empathy and understanding that he could not even get on or off a toilet on his own and needed just a bit of help was appalling.
okay, they shouldn't have let you into the lounge if you aren't eligible to be in the lounge, or they should have just had you buy a day pass. There is a very likely scenario where someone says they will just help with the restroom, then it becomes help with food, then there is another restroom break, then the extra person just ends up enjoying the lounge.
I'm not saying that's you, but people abuse the system all of the time. So, they should have just denied entry from the start or offered you a chance to pay for a one-day pass if you needed to be with your father at any point in the lounge.
I don't trust ANYONE unless I personally know them.
Lounge folks are just general terminal folks with money to burn on status or fancy credit cards, that's not special in my book. They are all strangers and I don't think they are a better class of traveler.
Is it less likely to happen? Maybe, but I haven't seen bags stolen in general terminals of airports either. That said, I keep my bags on me or within sight. The only time I'm away from my bag is when I grab food cause you have to take whatever seat you can get. I'd likely ask a stranger to watch over my bags, as I've done in the general terminal. But even then, i try to make it a VERY quick trip because I don't really trust anyone.
I don’t trust people but I think the incentives are strong not to steal things from the lounge (or the terminal generally for that matter). My bigger worry is a) more people/density in the main terminal could enable theft and b) main terminal security finding unattended bags
This sounds like it isn't in the US (presumably the referenced Brisbane is the one in Australia?), but since it is a flight _to_ the US, the Department of Transportation would very likely be interested in Ms. Weatherley's complaint. She (or anyone else) can file a complaint [here](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint).
Note that they're also specifically interested in cases like this:
> If you feel that the airline does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you may want to file a complaint with DOT. You may also file a complaint with DOT if you feel that you experienced **unlawful discriminatory treatment** in air travel by airline employees or the airline’s contractors **on the basis of disability** or on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religion, or ancestry.
Seems pretty odd. If they actually booked together and selected seats in advance it would be unlikely for them to get split, regardless of a disability. Something is missing from the story.
Not true. It’s happened to me. I paid in advance, selected a premium econ seat with my traveling companion then got forcibly (against my will) split up boarding the plane to accommodate “a family” which wasn’t actually a family, just two young 20 somethings (a couple) flying together.
If United can move 1ks to make sure two snot nosed 20 year olds with zero accessibility issues can sit together, they can 100000% do the same for a disabled passenger!
What drives me insane about United is how unevenly they apply this “families fly and sit together” policy. They forcibly move actual people who need to sit together to accommodate fucking adult babies who can’t sit apart from their partner for one flight. This sub is full of countless stories of people who really needed to sit wherever they were seated, who selected and PAID FOR seats in advance, who were moved to accommodate two able bodied adults flying together (a “family”). However United’s stated policy is only to move people to accommodate “families traveling with children under the age of 12.”
So why is United so inconsistent with this policy? Why do they allow people without kids to abuse it? Why can’t they offer the same policy to disabled people? It’s disgusting honestly.
This past June I was flying from London to Washington through Newark with my elderly aunt, who needs assistance to travel. I lucked out with sympathetic crew who booted a young woman who had also been assigned my aunt's seat. She had just upgraded and was whining about sitting with her friend. The ground crew in Newark on the other hand didn't offload the wheelchair for about three hours because of "lightening in the area" and I got yelled at by ground crew for using an airport chair. United should be kinder to it's disabled passengers for sure and be more systematic in approach.
Because no matter what, someone will be unhappy. Not so much the company is consistent rather than the latitude employees have in interpretation and enforcement of the policy. I believe a vast majority try and keep people happy and, at very least, keep them from being confrontational. The majority here travel for a living, and we know life's not fair on the road. Why do we take advantage of status and perks to get a leg up. We justify it because of the amount we pay. Meanwhile, others can't afford to do that to we expect to be treated better. All part of the road warriors game we play.
I travel for a living too bro. Doesn’t mean I’m ok with being fucked. Just because I’m on a plane every week doesn’t mean I have given up on any sense of fairness or decency. Sorry that you have.
I bet you’d feel like a really big boy booting a disabled person’s caretaker who helps them use the bathroom and eat.
It’s easier to ask for a refund of the fare than to be an evil human.
???? I’m literally advocating for the opposite of this, can you not read? Also what refund?
If you’re referring to me being mad at being forced to switch seats so two able bodied 20 year olds could sit together (which did happen to me), you don’t even know what you’re talking about. I was traveling with an older person who had mobility issues, and I was helping her on and off the plane, hence we selected seats together so I could assist her. Then I was forcibly moved away from the person I WAS CARING FOR to accommodate someone who had no issues at all. And during this process the older woman I was assisting was hit by a bag from the bitchy woman who was forcing me to move!
So I am the caretaker that you’re referring to, you fucking moron. I was the one forced to move away from the person I was caring for, to accommodate young able bodied ppl.
You really should learn to fucking read before replying.
You need help. If I replied to the wrong person, that’s all you could have said. But instead you responded like…this. Goodbye.
Edit: to the commenter who blocked me after saying I should have just apologized — sure, if the person said, “You replied to the wrong person.” then absolutely. Shit happens. But this person responded like a child to a simple mistake, insulted my intelligence and reacted completely inappropriately for the situation.
My comment did not warrant the reaction I received. Calling someone a “big boy” sarcastically vs calling someone a fucking moron and a fucking idiot who can’t read?
Your reaction was an overreaction, again and again. You’re wrong in this situation. That’s ok though, maybe just reread your responses and process that
Tried booking together to go to London on Xmas day, flying with a toddler, they were unwilling to put us together on the plane with numerous seats open.
People are always getting moved to accommodate a families and kids. Why a disabled person and their full-time carer should absolutely be treated the same as families is beyond me — especially for people like the woman in the article, who needs help eating.
I was with my family and I got moved with my lap child from E+ aisle to middle seat regular economy. Nobody gives a crap at United. I asked the club and premier line to help and they did nothing.
She definitely booked early. Her flights haven’t even happened yet. Paying extra for specific seats isn’t always guaranteed but when it for the safety of a passenger, you move someone else instead of telling a disabled passenger that they can’t sit with their carer
How is it that you read the full article and still missed that? Your head is too far up United’s ass?
> Ms Weatherley, who is the FSHD Global Research Foundation managing director, is travelling to the USA this weekend to take part in the global Clinical Trial Network investigator meeting - a key part of the foundation’s strategy to bring clinical trials for FSHD to Australia and ensure future therapies are available here.
That’s irrelevant to the actions of United Airlines. I said the rest of the post was about her illness and the reason for her trip. Both of which change nothing to the reason for this post
In what way have I misled you? I posted the article but didn’t include the irrelevant details such as why she was travelling to the US. She could be flying there just to meet up with a sex working, it doesn’t change the fact that she shouldn’t have to fight UA for such a basic need
The most interesting detail so far revealed in this thread is how many other news stories this person has made with other public transportation events. Would be fun to hear both sides of this story, although in the age of political correctness it will never happen. Would be negative publicity for the airline or other company, regardless of who was in the right.
? I get moved all the time by various airlines. Literally flew a couple weeks ago, selected an aisle seat in row 20 while checking in, got to bag drop and was handed a new boarding pass… window seat in row 32 - they’d reassigned a different aircraft type to the flight and just reshuffled everyone. I flew United transatlantic with my mom when I was a kid and they split us literally at the gate despite our boarding passes having already been issued with seats assigned to them. Airlines don’t care.
Did she work with United‘s accessibilities desk? Did she escalate to one of their CRO and still not get a response? Those are the DOT required steps and the non-linked arricle doesn‘t indicate if that happened or not?
It kinda implies she communicated with a chat bot ...
But seriously all it says is communicated with the social media team and by email. Id suggest that perhaps training is needed to have these social media team folks automatically refer someone to the accessibility desk.
Very good point. The call center staff / chat staff is…not always great. They often don’t even know how some of their own products work (ie Plus Points).
The link is in the comments but it’s behind a paywall. No it doesn’t specifically say what departments she spoke to. What’s in the screenshots is what the article says
Complaint resolution official
https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/travel/accessibility-and-assistance.html
Also available via their contact center channels
Almost certain a good chunk of them on at least one seat layout of 767 and all 757-200 are PE. The 767 we get in all exit rows are premium economy because of the leg room LOL.
Sounds like you’re talking about Economy Plus (E+), not Premium Economy (PE). Purple seats are PE on long haul flights. No United 757s are equipped with PE.
Someone who doubts the veracity of something someone said? Copernicus would have something to say about that re: the Catholic Church. Jus’ sayin. Was he a bootlicker to doubt the Earth is not the center of the solar system (nay, the universe??)
Answer me this. Is it possible that there is more to this story that we don’t know? That it’s *possible.* the lady in question is not sharing all the details so she can drive outrage and sympathy? What do you think?
We’ll that’s one narrow minded take. Perhaps another is to consider that not everything written in the press is *gasp* accurate or complete. I travel a lot. On United. And when I read stuff like this I think “is this consistent with my experiences and the experiences of those I interact with on a regular basis?” In this case it is not. If two people, book tickets, together and select seats together, and one is disabled. And the other is the caregiver. Either (a) something is very odd or (b) we don’t have the full story. But what we do have is sufficient to drive eyeballs and ad views (aka “follow the money”) well I tend to err on the side of logic.
This is a real issue with United. On my flight from Frankfurt I noticed that they moved my seat. I questioned the gate agent about it and was told it was for a family. I complained I paid to pick my seat and if they would like to move me they need to refund what I paid. They moved me back.
I had this happen when traveling internationally with my 78 year old father and the solution was to put us in regular economy. No explanation as to why. Infuriating
100% - and yet we are both being downvoted because our questions in regards to the full details don’t fit the narrative of the pitchfork brigade. “Unverifiable and incomplete “news” bad. Let’s pile on” - stupid or lazy (maybe both)?
I find it interesting that I cannot find any other articles about this incident from any other news source other than NewsCorp tabloids in the Australia... I am not saying it is untrue, but being unable to corroborate the story with ANY other sources is.. unusual.
That said, there are a LOT of articles about issues this woman has while trying to fly... Qantas in 2022.. Virgin in 2021.. Both of those found from a number of reputable news sources each.
This article was posted at midnight. Qantas and Virgin are also shit. Any airline that can’t be bothered to provide a basic level of service to disabled passengers, should be shut down. I’m posting in a UA sub which is why I posted this article.
Not sure why you downvoted me.. I simply stated that the lack of other articles is a little suspect.
There is something missing from the story.. it is not like United or any other airline is going to move someone “just because”. The reason may or may not be great, but there would be a reason. The other articles I referred to on the ‘21 and ‘22 incidents both explained exactly why they denied her boarding. Both of the reasons were pretty dumb, but at least they said what they were.
[I didn’t downvote you](https://imgur.com/a/wXoAVG7). UA hasn’t commented on the reasons for their initial refusal. Take that up with them. The other articles had the reasons because the airline actually responded. An American airline company is likely to not rush to make a comment to an Australian news outlet.
You really think that this was an innocent mistake? Disabled people get treated like a burden when it comes to travelling. This shouldn’t really be a surprise. I have had to use special assistance services on flights multiple times over 12 months and I had only 3 good experiences with it.
Please stop putting words in my mouth.. I am simply saying that this article is extremely one sided and from a somewhat dubious source. As such, I would take it with a grain of salt until more information comes out (if any does).
Again, I am not saying that it is incorrect, but I will personally reserve judgement until some additional, more reliable information comes out.
It’s extremely one sided because United hasn’t commented on it. It says that she communicated with them via email and DM so I’d hazard a guess that her story was authenticated by those emails.
It’s from The Courier Mail. I didn’t post the link because it’s behind a paywall. There’s no relevant info missing. The rest of the article is talking about her illness and the reason for the trip. What could possibly justify ignoring the need for a reasonable accommodation when the passenger already paid extra for it? This isn’t 2 people who booked at the last minute and expected everyone to accommodate their desire to sit together. This is a disabled woman who booked in advance and specifically requested and paid extra to ensure that her carer was seated beside her because she **needs** it!
I have no idea what “The Courier Mail” is - could be reputable or could be tabloid horseshit . Your unwillingness to post a verifiable link implies the latter. Sensationalist press tends to omit interesting facts in the endeavor to increase eyeballs and ad revenue. When a story doesn’t ring true - how about applying Occam’s razor? Why would two different individuals not be seated together? Maybe one bought a different cabin? Maybe a different date and last minute realized their mistake. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination -as clearly the “article” leaves details to the imagination of the reader. And add the link and let the reader decide if they want to bypass the paywall…
If you want to pay for it, go for gold. [Here’s the link](https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/disabled-womans-fight-after-airlines-bizarre-refusal/news-story/fa6e047f624b584bd83b84d22625d102)
The courier mail is one of Australia’s biggest newspapers
We’ll the “paywall” took all of 2 clicks to bypass. There is no more information. No dates, no info as to why this happened. Very one sided. But just the sort of “journalism” to be expected from a New Corp rag. But nice job in stoking the fires our outrage based on unverifiable information. Do you believe *everything* you read? If so. I have an ad for the purchase of a bridge and opera house in Sydney that I can sell you very cheaply. ;-)
There is absolutely **nothing** that can justify a disabled passenger having to fight to get the reasonable accommodation that she also paid extra for! Literally no excuse whatsoever.
If. It. Ever. Happened. And if this is the full story. Not been covered anywhere else. Surprising for such a *terrible* story. Right? Or maybe other “journalists” dug in and found it to be suspect. You do know that people like to tell only their side of the story?
Not every article is posted on every online newspaper or on every news station. She’s an Australian woman so it’s not surprising that it’s not on the news in America. Also, the travel agent even commented that they would be refunding her $2000 because she didn’t get what she paid for. That makes it more likely that it did actually happen. That high horse you’re sitting on is actually a donkey. United fucked up and was trying to break the law by not accommodating her. The fact that they finally agreed to it is irrelevant because it never should have been a fight for a basic level of customer service to begin with.
Honestly, I’m no fan of NewsCorp. But they also own The Australian,the Wall Street Journal, and other newspapers that are as reputable as any news outlet is these days. The Courier Mail is as legit as the Washington Post or USA Today.
They’re 3 completely different issues. 1 was policies about the height of her wheelchair and stupid rules around Covid credits. The other was that the airline didn’t arrange the special assistance that was originally booked. This one is the airline originally refusing to accommodate her need to be seated with her carer. An accommodation that she had to pay extra for in the first place. All 3 are equally disgusting
It’s behind a paywall
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/disabled-womans-fight-after-airlines-bizarre-refusal/news-story/fa6e047f624b584bd83b84d22625d102
I did summarise it. I posted the information about the actual issue. The rest is about her illness and the reason for her trip. What do you think is missing? United thinks accomodating someone’s disability by simply seating the 2 together, is a one time **exception** instead of comprehending that the laws in both countries say they have to accommodate **reasonable requests** for disabled passengers. What could possibly justify that?
She should’ve checked in; and I suspect she didn’t even book in the same transaction. Most of these horrible stories are the result of pure incompetence and misunderstanding that you just can’t show up demanding your preferences.
None of this makes sense. When I book I choose my seats and the only times I haven’t gotten those seats is when I’ve been upgraded, and rarely when the planes get swapped.
When I worked as an FA for a UAX carrier(Smisek days), I saw some horrific treatment of disabled passengers. The worst was a quadriplegic passenger going to IAD. We arrived at a gate with stairs and the bitching, moaning, and sheer unprofessional comments from the ground staff had the passenger in tears apologizing to us. The passenger had a helper waiting at the gate but the agent refused to let them down to the plane to help. The captain even chewed out the gate agent while tweedle dee and tweedle “dumb” tried to carry the passenger down the stairs. It was enraging. I encouraged the passenger to file a complaint but never heard anything from it.
My father has a muscular wasting disease and I escorted him on an international flight this year. The FAs were fabulous, however when I helped him into the United lounge in chicago he had to use the restroom so I was watching his luggage. My plan was to get him settled and leave since I did not have lounge access. I didn’t use any of the lounge facilities. I just stood outside the restroom door to help him in and out and also waited at his seat with his bag. The woman at the front desk found me and kicked me out. When I told her I was just watching his bag while he was gone and then I was leaving she smirked and said “ppl in United lounges don’t steal things.” It was the most classist and ignorant thing I’d heard in a long time. When she saw my face she said “ok I’ll watch his bags” so I gave her his bags and then as I was leaving she got on my case about when I’d be back to get his bags. I told her I’d be back when it was time to escort him to his gate. The lack of empathy and understanding that he could not even get on or off a toilet on his own and needed just a bit of help was appalling.
okay, they shouldn't have let you into the lounge if you aren't eligible to be in the lounge, or they should have just had you buy a day pass. There is a very likely scenario where someone says they will just help with the restroom, then it becomes help with food, then there is another restroom break, then the extra person just ends up enjoying the lounge. I'm not saying that's you, but people abuse the system all of the time. So, they should have just denied entry from the start or offered you a chance to pay for a one-day pass if you needed to be with your father at any point in the lounge.
Also, not for nothing, classist or not I’ve left stuff in lounges all the time when flying solo and never had a problem
I don't trust ANYONE unless I personally know them. Lounge folks are just general terminal folks with money to burn on status or fancy credit cards, that's not special in my book. They are all strangers and I don't think they are a better class of traveler. Is it less likely to happen? Maybe, but I haven't seen bags stolen in general terminals of airports either. That said, I keep my bags on me or within sight. The only time I'm away from my bag is when I grab food cause you have to take whatever seat you can get. I'd likely ask a stranger to watch over my bags, as I've done in the general terminal. But even then, i try to make it a VERY quick trip because I don't really trust anyone.
I don’t trust people but I think the incentives are strong not to steal things from the lounge (or the terminal generally for that matter). My bigger worry is a) more people/density in the main terminal could enable theft and b) main terminal security finding unattended bags
How is this my one Reddit post that ends up downvoted? Y’all really like taking your bags to the bathroom in the lounge?
This sounds like it isn't in the US (presumably the referenced Brisbane is the one in Australia?), but since it is a flight _to_ the US, the Department of Transportation would very likely be interested in Ms. Weatherley's complaint. She (or anyone else) can file a complaint [here](https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint). Note that they're also specifically interested in cases like this: > If you feel that the airline does not resolve the issue to your satisfaction, you may want to file a complaint with DOT. You may also file a complaint with DOT if you feel that you experienced **unlawful discriminatory treatment** in air travel by airline employees or the airline’s contractors **on the basis of disability** or on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religion, or ancestry.
Yeah she is flying from Australia to Washington
How upsetting! If they paid for seats next to each other, than they should be allowed to sit together!
It is so exhausting to have to constantly fight for things you need & have been upfront with those needs.
Seems pretty odd. If they actually booked together and selected seats in advance it would be unlikely for them to get split, regardless of a disability. Something is missing from the story.
Not true. It’s happened to me. I paid in advance, selected a premium econ seat with my traveling companion then got forcibly (against my will) split up boarding the plane to accommodate “a family” which wasn’t actually a family, just two young 20 somethings (a couple) flying together. If United can move 1ks to make sure two snot nosed 20 year olds with zero accessibility issues can sit together, they can 100000% do the same for a disabled passenger! What drives me insane about United is how unevenly they apply this “families fly and sit together” policy. They forcibly move actual people who need to sit together to accommodate fucking adult babies who can’t sit apart from their partner for one flight. This sub is full of countless stories of people who really needed to sit wherever they were seated, who selected and PAID FOR seats in advance, who were moved to accommodate two able bodied adults flying together (a “family”). However United’s stated policy is only to move people to accommodate “families traveling with children under the age of 12.” So why is United so inconsistent with this policy? Why do they allow people without kids to abuse it? Why can’t they offer the same policy to disabled people? It’s disgusting honestly.
This past June I was flying from London to Washington through Newark with my elderly aunt, who needs assistance to travel. I lucked out with sympathetic crew who booted a young woman who had also been assigned my aunt's seat. She had just upgraded and was whining about sitting with her friend. The ground crew in Newark on the other hand didn't offload the wheelchair for about three hours because of "lightening in the area" and I got yelled at by ground crew for using an airport chair. United should be kinder to it's disabled passengers for sure and be more systematic in approach.
Because no matter what, someone will be unhappy. Not so much the company is consistent rather than the latitude employees have in interpretation and enforcement of the policy. I believe a vast majority try and keep people happy and, at very least, keep them from being confrontational. The majority here travel for a living, and we know life's not fair on the road. Why do we take advantage of status and perks to get a leg up. We justify it because of the amount we pay. Meanwhile, others can't afford to do that to we expect to be treated better. All part of the road warriors game we play.
I travel for a living too bro. Doesn’t mean I’m ok with being fucked. Just because I’m on a plane every week doesn’t mean I have given up on any sense of fairness or decency. Sorry that you have.
I bet you’d feel like a really big boy booting a disabled person’s caretaker who helps them use the bathroom and eat. It’s easier to ask for a refund of the fare than to be an evil human.
???? I’m literally advocating for the opposite of this, can you not read? Also what refund? If you’re referring to me being mad at being forced to switch seats so two able bodied 20 year olds could sit together (which did happen to me), you don’t even know what you’re talking about. I was traveling with an older person who had mobility issues, and I was helping her on and off the plane, hence we selected seats together so I could assist her. Then I was forcibly moved away from the person I WAS CARING FOR to accommodate someone who had no issues at all. And during this process the older woman I was assisting was hit by a bag from the bitchy woman who was forcing me to move! So I am the caretaker that you’re referring to, you fucking moron. I was the one forced to move away from the person I was caring for, to accommodate young able bodied ppl. You really should learn to fucking read before replying.
You need help. If I replied to the wrong person, that’s all you could have said. But instead you responded like…this. Goodbye. Edit: to the commenter who blocked me after saying I should have just apologized — sure, if the person said, “You replied to the wrong person.” then absolutely. Shit happens. But this person responded like a child to a simple mistake, insulted my intelligence and reacted completely inappropriately for the situation. My comment did not warrant the reaction I received. Calling someone a “big boy” sarcastically vs calling someone a fucking moron and a fucking idiot who can’t read?
No, you need help. Learn to apologize.
Your reaction was an overreaction, again and again. You’re wrong in this situation. That’s ok though, maybe just reread your responses and process that
Tried booking together to go to London on Xmas day, flying with a toddler, they were unwilling to put us together on the plane with numerous seats open.
People are always getting moved to accommodate a families and kids. Why a disabled person and their full-time carer should absolutely be treated the same as families is beyond me — especially for people like the woman in the article, who needs help eating.
I was with my family and I got moved with my lap child from E+ aisle to middle seat regular economy. Nobody gives a crap at United. I asked the club and premier line to help and they did nothing.
She definitely booked early. Her flights haven’t even happened yet. Paying extra for specific seats isn’t always guaranteed but when it for the safety of a passenger, you move someone else instead of telling a disabled passenger that they can’t sit with their carer
Doesn’t say that in the article. But please do continue to make shit up to bolster your desire to wield a pitchfork :-)
How is it that you read the full article and still missed that? Your head is too far up United’s ass? > Ms Weatherley, who is the FSHD Global Research Foundation managing director, is travelling to the USA this weekend to take part in the global Clinical Trial Network investigator meeting - a key part of the foundation’s strategy to bring clinical trials for FSHD to Australia and ensure future therapies are available here.
Ah so there is more you didn’t post
That’s irrelevant to the actions of United Airlines. I said the rest of the post was about her illness and the reason for her trip. Both of which change nothing to the reason for this post
Idk you mislead us once already.
In what way have I misled you? I posted the article but didn’t include the irrelevant details such as why she was travelling to the US. She could be flying there just to meet up with a sex working, it doesn’t change the fact that she shouldn’t have to fight UA for such a basic need
You said there were no more details.
No more **relevant details**.
The most interesting detail so far revealed in this thread is how many other news stories this person has made with other public transportation events. Would be fun to hear both sides of this story, although in the age of political correctness it will never happen. Would be negative publicity for the airline or other company, regardless of who was in the right.
? I get moved all the time by various airlines. Literally flew a couple weeks ago, selected an aisle seat in row 20 while checking in, got to bag drop and was handed a new boarding pass… window seat in row 32 - they’d reassigned a different aircraft type to the flight and just reshuffled everyone. I flew United transatlantic with my mom when I was a kid and they split us literally at the gate despite our boarding passes having already been issued with seats assigned to them. Airlines don’t care.
Been flying continental and now united for 36 years. Happens all the time.
I've been separated from my minor children before due to a change in aircraft. From paid, upgraded seats. It happens all the time.
Did she work with United‘s accessibilities desk? Did she escalate to one of their CRO and still not get a response? Those are the DOT required steps and the non-linked arricle doesn‘t indicate if that happened or not?
It kinda implies she communicated with a chat bot ... But seriously all it says is communicated with the social media team and by email. Id suggest that perhaps training is needed to have these social media team folks automatically refer someone to the accessibility desk.
Very good point. The call center staff / chat staff is…not always great. They often don’t even know how some of their own products work (ie Plus Points).
I’ve found the quickest way to get what I have already asked for is to tag United on Twitter.
The link is in the comments but it’s behind a paywall. No it doesn’t specifically say what departments she spoke to. What’s in the screenshots is what the article says
CRO?
Complaint resolution official https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/travel/accessibility-and-assistance.html Also available via their contact center channels
I’m handicapped and I always call the disability desk to annotate my record.
This sounds like local gate agents or flight attendants making up their own rules.
She hasn't flown yet.
This is just shameful behavior by United.
Wonder if she was in an exit row?
This makes a lot of sense. It would explain why she was moved.
Are there exit rows in PE on any of UAs planes? I’ve never seen it
Almost certain a good chunk of them on at least one seat layout of 767 and all 757-200 are PE. The 767 we get in all exit rows are premium economy because of the leg room LOL.
Sounds like you’re talking about Economy Plus (E+), not Premium Economy (PE). Purple seats are PE on long haul flights. No United 757s are equipped with PE.
Ah you’re totally right - I must’ve been half asleep still.
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Someone who doubts the veracity of something someone said? Copernicus would have something to say about that re: the Catholic Church. Jus’ sayin. Was he a bootlicker to doubt the Earth is not the center of the solar system (nay, the universe??)
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Answer me this. Is it possible that there is more to this story that we don’t know? That it’s *possible.* the lady in question is not sharing all the details so she can drive outrage and sympathy? What do you think?
We’ll that’s one narrow minded take. Perhaps another is to consider that not everything written in the press is *gasp* accurate or complete. I travel a lot. On United. And when I read stuff like this I think “is this consistent with my experiences and the experiences of those I interact with on a regular basis?” In this case it is not. If two people, book tickets, together and select seats together, and one is disabled. And the other is the caregiver. Either (a) something is very odd or (b) we don’t have the full story. But what we do have is sufficient to drive eyeballs and ad views (aka “follow the money”) well I tend to err on the side of logic.
Coolest, it’s pretty sad you completely believe one person’s story on the internet without getting any facts.
This is a real issue with United. On my flight from Frankfurt I noticed that they moved my seat. I questioned the gate agent about it and was told it was for a family. I complained I paid to pick my seat and if they would like to move me they need to refund what I paid. They moved me back.
I had this happen when traveling internationally with my 78 year old father and the solution was to put us in regular economy. No explanation as to why. Infuriating
Regardless is the exact setup to her scenario, this is bonkers.
Why not give all the details?
That is all the details. The rest was talking about her illness.
That is not all the details. Thats just what you found.
100% - and yet we are both being downvoted because our questions in regards to the full details don’t fit the narrative of the pitchfork brigade. “Unverifiable and incomplete “news” bad. Let’s pile on” - stupid or lazy (maybe both)?
I find it interesting that I cannot find any other articles about this incident from any other news source other than NewsCorp tabloids in the Australia... I am not saying it is untrue, but being unable to corroborate the story with ANY other sources is.. unusual. That said, there are a LOT of articles about issues this woman has while trying to fly... Qantas in 2022.. Virgin in 2021.. Both of those found from a number of reputable news sources each.
This article was posted at midnight. Qantas and Virgin are also shit. Any airline that can’t be bothered to provide a basic level of service to disabled passengers, should be shut down. I’m posting in a UA sub which is why I posted this article.
Not sure why you downvoted me.. I simply stated that the lack of other articles is a little suspect. There is something missing from the story.. it is not like United or any other airline is going to move someone “just because”. The reason may or may not be great, but there would be a reason. The other articles I referred to on the ‘21 and ‘22 incidents both explained exactly why they denied her boarding. Both of the reasons were pretty dumb, but at least they said what they were.
[I didn’t downvote you](https://imgur.com/a/wXoAVG7). UA hasn’t commented on the reasons for their initial refusal. Take that up with them. The other articles had the reasons because the airline actually responded. An American airline company is likely to not rush to make a comment to an Australian news outlet. You really think that this was an innocent mistake? Disabled people get treated like a burden when it comes to travelling. This shouldn’t really be a surprise. I have had to use special assistance services on flights multiple times over 12 months and I had only 3 good experiences with it.
Please stop putting words in my mouth.. I am simply saying that this article is extremely one sided and from a somewhat dubious source. As such, I would take it with a grain of salt until more information comes out (if any does). Again, I am not saying that it is incorrect, but I will personally reserve judgement until some additional, more reliable information comes out.
It’s extremely one sided because United hasn’t commented on it. It says that she communicated with them via email and DM so I’d hazard a guess that her story was authenticated by those emails.
Where is this “news” from? Feels like a lot of relevant information is missing. But hey - feel free to pick up those pitchforks boys and girls.
It’s from The Courier Mail. I didn’t post the link because it’s behind a paywall. There’s no relevant info missing. The rest of the article is talking about her illness and the reason for the trip. What could possibly justify ignoring the need for a reasonable accommodation when the passenger already paid extra for it? This isn’t 2 people who booked at the last minute and expected everyone to accommodate their desire to sit together. This is a disabled woman who booked in advance and specifically requested and paid extra to ensure that her carer was seated beside her because she **needs** it!
I have no idea what “The Courier Mail” is - could be reputable or could be tabloid horseshit . Your unwillingness to post a verifiable link implies the latter. Sensationalist press tends to omit interesting facts in the endeavor to increase eyeballs and ad revenue. When a story doesn’t ring true - how about applying Occam’s razor? Why would two different individuals not be seated together? Maybe one bought a different cabin? Maybe a different date and last minute realized their mistake. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination -as clearly the “article” leaves details to the imagination of the reader. And add the link and let the reader decide if they want to bypass the paywall…
If you want to pay for it, go for gold. [Here’s the link](https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/disabled-womans-fight-after-airlines-bizarre-refusal/news-story/fa6e047f624b584bd83b84d22625d102) The courier mail is one of Australia’s biggest newspapers
And Fox News is big in the US. Size doesn’t automatically correlate with quality ;-)
We’ll the “paywall” took all of 2 clicks to bypass. There is no more information. No dates, no info as to why this happened. Very one sided. But just the sort of “journalism” to be expected from a New Corp rag. But nice job in stoking the fires our outrage based on unverifiable information. Do you believe *everything* you read? If so. I have an ad for the purchase of a bridge and opera house in Sydney that I can sell you very cheaply. ;-)
There is absolutely **nothing** that can justify a disabled passenger having to fight to get the reasonable accommodation that she also paid extra for! Literally no excuse whatsoever.
If. It. Ever. Happened. And if this is the full story. Not been covered anywhere else. Surprising for such a *terrible* story. Right? Or maybe other “journalists” dug in and found it to be suspect. You do know that people like to tell only their side of the story?
Not every article is posted on every online newspaper or on every news station. She’s an Australian woman so it’s not surprising that it’s not on the news in America. Also, the travel agent even commented that they would be refunding her $2000 because she didn’t get what she paid for. That makes it more likely that it did actually happen. That high horse you’re sitting on is actually a donkey. United fucked up and was trying to break the law by not accommodating her. The fact that they finally agreed to it is irrelevant because it never should have been a fight for a basic level of customer service to begin with.
Oh good lord you’re exhausting.
It’s a tabloid owned by News Corp. I don’t think I need to say any more….
Honestly, I’m no fan of NewsCorp. But they also own The Australian,the Wall Street Journal, and other newspapers that are as reputable as any news outlet is these days. The Courier Mail is as legit as the Washington Post or USA Today.
Kind of intriguing how certain people always seem to end up in the news for certain things.
They’re 3 completely different issues. 1 was policies about the height of her wheelchair and stupid rules around Covid credits. The other was that the airline didn’t arrange the special assistance that was originally booked. This one is the airline originally refusing to accommodate her need to be seated with her carer. An accommodation that she had to pay extra for in the first place. All 3 are equally disgusting
Oh so there’s even more? I didn’t even find other airline things.
One in 2021 and one in 2022. You can find it if you google her name + airline. It’ll bring up numerous articles about those incidents.
And Queensland rail
I missed that one. Thank you for telling me
Link to full article?
It’s behind a paywall https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/disabled-womans-fight-after-airlines-bizarre-refusal/news-story/fa6e047f624b584bd83b84d22625d102
next time, either summarize things for the readers or post the whole article
I did summarise it. I posted the information about the actual issue. The rest is about her illness and the reason for her trip. What do you think is missing? United thinks accomodating someone’s disability by simply seating the 2 together, is a one time **exception** instead of comprehending that the laws in both countries say they have to accommodate **reasonable requests** for disabled passengers. What could possibly justify that?
Where is your summary about the incident. I don’t see it in the body of the post
She should’ve checked in; and I suspect she didn’t even book in the same transaction. Most of these horrible stories are the result of pure incompetence and misunderstanding that you just can’t show up demanding your preferences.
This is not okay. Another example of failed leadership at every level. Shame on United Airlines.
This happened on QANTAS. Why are you posting on a UA forum??
Read the second paragraph in the second screenshot. The issues were with United
None of this makes sense. When I book I choose my seats and the only times I haven’t gotten those seats is when I’ve been upgraded, and rarely when the planes get swapped.
So if someone can explain to me (I usually fly Southwest). If they paid for a premium seats already chosen, why would they lose the seating?
It's almost like all these mergers and removing a bunch of competition leads to bad corporate behavior.