Carol Gotbaum death: US Air makes billions in "diligent overbooking."

[pnwmom]

This writer tells of her own experience with US Air and overbooking, which resulting in her suing the airline in small claims court. US air settled with her.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/12/AR2007101201887.html

There's every reason to believe that Gotbaum would be alive today if she had been allowed to board her flight to Tucson and take her rightful seat. While her tragedy has been a Page One story in many newspapers, few reports have focused on the fact that the airlines involved, US Airways and its subcontractor, Mesa Airlines, are notorious for overbooked flights. According to the New York Times, US Air had revenue last year of $11.56 billion. Of that, $1 billion was the result of diligent overbooking.

SNIP

At various airports, I interviewed any US Air/Mesa staffers who would talk to me. On one flight segment, we sat with several Mesa/US Air staff members and a pilot and heard quite an earful. This small group said that to increase profitability, Mesa understaffs all its sales counters, baggage staff and other personnel and slashed health care and pensions, while US Air overbooks all flights and often issues duplicate seat assignments. We learned that the staff and the pilots were virtually at war with Mesa's chief executive, Jonathan Ornstein. We listened as one flight attendant told us that they have schemed and dreamed of "flying over his home and dropping the lavs," referring to the airplanes' toilets. The pilot told us they were terribly underpaid and overworked and that flying conditions were unsafe. Some pilots, he said, made only $19,000 a year and did not have adequate training.


SNIP

But what about the passengers? US Air has said that it gave away Gotbaum's seat on a connecting flight because she arrived at the gate with only 25 minutes -- instead of 30 -- to spare. But she had already checked in for that flight at John F. Kennedy airport in New York. You don't have to check in again in the connecting city, as I understand US Air's regulations. The rules as posted on the airline's Web site also state, "Reservations are subject to cancellation if you are not checked in and at the departure gate at least 15 minutes prior to departure." Gotbaum was still covered. She'd left 25 minutes to spare.

Still, she was denied her reserved seat on the 1:30 flight. Nor did they allow her to board the next flight at 2:58 -- which, of course, was also overbooked. Finally, Mesa's counter personnel refused to let willing passengers switch with the clearly distraught Gotbaum. When she began to weep and protest, they called the police, who handcuffed her arms behind her back and dragged her away to a holding cell. They left her chained alone to a bench, crying inconsolably. Not long after, she was found dead, the chain shackling her to the bench stretched across her throat.

SNIP

[Horse with no Name]

1. My daughter ran into this with US Air when she flew over the summer

There were over 20 people bumped from her flight. That is insanely ridiculous.

[pnwmom]

2. 20 people bumped on one flight? There should be large penalties for that. n/t

[AlCzervik]

3. same thing when i flew on united this summer, they switched the actual plane at O'Hare

kept the same flight number and everyone that got bumped were those who booked through hotwire or expedia. Hotels also bump those those customers as well.

[Horse with no Name]

4. Interesting. Her ticket was purchased on Expedia as well.

:shrug:

[AlCzervik]

5. not surprised at all. I didn't even know that happened until my niece who worked at a hotel

in Boston told me about "Expedia, hotwire and travelosity are the first ones shown the door". when i was on the plane and they started booting pople off i heard 3 people yelling about their tickets and how they bought them at expedia.

[AZBlue]

6. Don't all airlines do this, not just US Air?

I know I've been bumped enough times and I don't think I've ever flown US Air. Or maybe I just have bad luck. ;)

[AlCzervik]

9. they almost all overbook, there used to be conventional wisdom that 10-20%

of passengers didn't show so they oversold to ensure a full flight.

[NRaleighLiberal]

7. Last year I vowed I would never travel US Air again...and I haven't.

I fly Raleigh Durham to either Philadelphia or Providence quite often - and Southwest is the only airline I will take, if at all possible. Everyone involved with the US Air operations is miserable, depressed, and in no way concerned with the customer. And I am sure that it is the company culture, and that the problems start right at the top. There are too many examples to note here. Southwest is just about always on time, always cheerful, adds a bit of humor to the miserable experience of air travel.

[aikoaiko]

8. Its kind of cheap to imply that US Air was the cause of her death.

"There's every reason to believe that Gotbaum would be alive today if she had been allowed to board her flight to Tucson and take her rightful seat."

One could say that Gotbaum had already blown off the original direct flight to Tuscon, but if she had shown up for her original on that plane.

Overbooking if a part of the terms of agreement on almost every commercial carrier. No is forced to fly with US Air or any carrier.

[pnwmom]

10. You're mistaken. Gotbaum didn't "blow off" any flight.

She properly checked in on her originating flight -- that's all anyone has to do, check in once. And then she showed up ready to board her connecting flight 25 minutes before flight time -- and the requirement is only 15 minutes.

(Not 30, as some have misunderstood. The 30 minute requirement applies to the original check-in in NY, which Gotbaum successfully accomplished.)

US Air also had it within their power to have her bump another passenger from the subsequent flight -- and there was a VOLUNTEER -- but they chose not to help her. The airline employee who made that cold-hearted decision bears some of the moral responsibility, in my opinion.

[aikoaiko]

12. Sorry you are mistaken

She was originally booked on a direct flight that same morning but decided she would rather drop her kids off at school that morning and write them some notes. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/06/nyregion/06gotbaum.html

Apparently the decision to get her on a direct flight was a good one since she was incapable of handling being calm when bumped from a flight.

Sure, US Air should probably adjust their business practices and not overbook so much, and try to be accommodating to hysterical drunks and other people with special needs, but they are not to blame for her throwing her cell phone at someone, ranting and raving, failing to calm down when police intervene, and getting detained.

Her death was in the holding room and we have yet to see any evidence of who was responsible for it. The police say it was her -- lets see if the autopsy reports bear this out.

[mvccd1000]

11. Anyone know of an airline that DOES NOT overbook? I don't.

So why is US Airways the bad guy for following the SOP for the entire industry?

As for the gate agent being "morally responsible," what would YOU do in that person's shoes? You have an oversold flight; people are going to get bumped. Do you give the seats to the people who cooperate with you and make your job easier, or do you give the seats to the belligerent jerks who yell and scream and make a scene?

Keep in mind that, as the gate agent, you don't know this is a mentally unstable alcoholic, you just know it's another loud-mouth making your life harder.