8 Year Old Bumped Off US Flight

[N109UW]

Hard to believe the mother and other family member left the gate area. Most people stay until the plane has left the gate to leave, just incase something happens and they might get on. I think we need to know more facts about this situation. All we have heard is mom, which of course will make it sound like her child was left to run arouns Sky Harbor airport. After removal, did the gate agent page the mother? As, I said, more info is needed.

 

[beachboy]

Speaking for the flight attendants I can tell you these days boarding is complete CHAOS! Dup seats everywhere, call the captain to call the tower to call the gate! 2 PAX in row 4 are arguing over overhead space. (Ding) Row 15 that I can't get to at the moment has another dup seat. Now I have 4 people standing in the galley blocking everything waiting on new seat assignments. Bags are piling up because we have no more room. Everyone wanted to bring on Grandma and her steamer trunk. Meanwhile, I am suppose to be delivering pre departure drinks during the chaos. That's leg 1 at 6am only 5 more legs of CHAOS to go so I can get 6 hours sleep and do it all over again. You fly UA, AA or pick any other airline and it's like night and day. The boarding is orderly and the entire flight has a different tone. Civil. I don't have enough fire extinguishers to put out all the fires this management wants me to fight anymore. They bring the problem on themselves and think we are there to clean it up! I can see where an 8 year old sitting quietly in a seat might slip by. Especially with the door being rushed closed 10 min prior by the agent in fear of getting called in by supervisors. This place has turned into a Marx Brothers skit. You know, the ones with them trying to put the lady in the wheelchair outside the hospital.

 

[Twicebaked]

All of you who are contributing come up with answers . Try to be creative someone has to have a system. We are not just sitting here casting blame. In fact the only thing that I care about is the 8 year old and how her father felt. You do not want to work together with solutions that we can all grow from. Do you ever wonder why we are treated with such little respect.

The only way to stop this is:

1) Only allow ONE reservation under each name or charge a ticket to EACH reservation.

2) If you don't show up for that flight......your loss! You should not be able to rebook for ANY amount of a fee.
I feel this would deter people from not showing up.

Hey, if you are on say a cruise.....if you don't show up.....you lose your money. Same should go with anything...train, bus, and ESPECIALLY a plane.

 

[Twicebaked]

Speaking for the flight attendants I can tell you these days boarding is complete CHAOS! Dup seats everywhere, call the captain to call the tower to call the gate! 2 PAX in row 4 are arguing over overhead space. (Ding) Row 15 that I can't get to at the moment has another dup seat. Now I have 4 people standing in the galley blocking everything waiting on new seat assignments. Bags are piling up because we have no more room. Everyone wanted to bring on Grandma and her steamer trunk. Meanwhile, I am suppose to be delivering pre departure drinks during the chaos. That's leg 1 at 6am only 5 more legs of CHAOS to go so I can get 6 hours sleep and do it all over again. You fly UA, AA or pick any other airline and it's like night and day. The boarding is orderly and the entire flight has a different tone. Civil. I don't have enough fire extinguishers to put out all the fires this management wants me to fight anymore. They bring the problem on themselves and think we are there to clean it up! I can see where an 8 year old sitting quietly in a seat might slip by. Especially with the door being rushed closed 10 min prior by the agent in fear of getting called in by supervisors. This place has turned into a Marx Brothers skit. You know, the ones with them trying to put the lady in the wheelchair outside the hospital.

Couldn't have said it better!!!!!

PHX is the WORST at chaos.

Went through there multiple times last week and each time they are trying to board with cleaners in the middle of the aircraft.

Did you know we don't take delays for maint.???? That's what one agent told me. lol

 

[SegmentKing]

Due to the recent developments, USAirways is now more concerned about your children. And since we're so bad at it and discontinued accepted unaccompanied minors on connections, we're now even more aware that we lose children even WHEN flying with you!!!


USAirways believes in keeping families together, and to help facilitate that we are going to start selling leashes at all USAirways ticket counters, baggage services offices, and USAirways Club Rooms.

and in the event you have more than one,

We accept all major credit cards and America West gift cards for all purchases, and if you buy before December 15th, you can earn 20,000 Divident Miles, ensuring that you will fly us again so we can lose your children again!

And don't forget...




USAIR..... begins with YOU!

 

[Fixed Wing]

I think it's tough to tell any details of what really hapenned by way of the "news" here...those clowns will paint anything in the most "dramatic" fashion possible. I was put off pretty well, untill the mother noted that her daughter appeared at her side. I didn't get any immediate impression from the "news" cast that there was another family member even present at the gate until then. I'd think there might have been some significant hose-up through not ensuring that the child was delivered directly to her mother immediately.....but who knows what really took place? For all we know: the agent might well have checked with the kid and been told "my mom's right there"/etc. The last appropriate thought's to hang the flight attendant, who was doubltess busy, and isn't responsible for bumping pax, nor follow up actions when working a departure.

Could this have been handled a lot better? = No doubt.

Well put...agree 100%

 

[phlus2]

Isn't AW the airline that lost an UM many years ago? Seem to recall something about that in the news many years back. Just proves the point that this joke of an airline will never change - only the name is different and the paint on the planes - otherwise it is still an incompetent bunch of fools trying to run an airline.

 

[CLT CS AGENT]

The company's response was one of the most embarrasing statements they've made yet. WHO IS THAT LOSER SPOKESWOMAN?!?! Flying is stressful??!!?? Who is she related to? She obviously didn't get that job based on her ability to handle an interview with a single reporter. She has to be related to someone in Tempe' or they will hire any POORLY SPOKEN SLOUCH of a LOSER to handle questions. :jerry:

None of us have all the details but whoever escorted the child off the aircraft had to know the child WAS NOT a UM so she was NOT traveling alone. Anytime an 8 year non UM child is removed from a flight a red flag should have be raised. UM's are never "bumped", it's company policy (at least at old US) and it's common sense.

If the gate agent came onboard and took the child off then the responsibility belongs to the Gate Agent. Whoever walked this child off the aircraft had to know something was not right, if they couldnt' see this wasn't right and that something else had to be done then maybe they need to find another job.

According to the mother, she was at the Customer Service counter being rebooked when the child ran up to her. Why did someone not step up to the plate and go tell the father. The Gate Agent knew this family was separated. The Gate Agent knew this child was not a UM and should have made an attempt to get to the bottom of this situation (again, UM's are NEVER TO BE "BUMPED" so someone should have known something was WRONG!) IT'S EVERYONES JOB TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN AN 8 YEAR OLD UNESCORTED NON UM CHILD IS REMOVED FROM AN AIRCRFT, you can't possibly believe anything else.

You do not have to know all the details to see something wasn't handled properly.

If the gate agent could not handle it they should have called a supervisor. To blame the parents is ABSOLUTLY UNACCEPTABLE and is the Tempe way of doing business. If the father walked his daugthter on the aircraft and there was no seats available, he would have known it at that time and would not have just walked away. Whom ever escorted this child off the aircraft dropped the ball be it the gate agent or the FA.

 

[Dog Wonder]

THAT IS ENOUGH!!!!

Hell yes we lose kids. We lose bags, we lose employees, we lose liquor kits.

But we don't lose money.

Yet.

 

[JS]

It sure was nice to see an updated video of US aircraft on the news. Usually they dig up some old video that's one or two liveries ago.

 

[Bradly71]

:down: Wow... everytime I read things like this I am more amazed. I realize I was "furloughed" 5 years ago and my opinions mean nada. However, when I think back to the when I did work for the real US, I can't ever recall things like this happening. We had our problems back then, but it just seems problems have increased ten fold since the "merger". It's all just very sad for the public and the employees.

 

[redogleader]

The company's response was one of the most embarrasing statements they've made yet. WHO IS THAT LOSER SPOKESWOMAN?!?! Flying is stressful??!!?? Who is she related to? She obviously didn't get that job based on her ability to handle an interview with a single reporter. She has to be related to someone in Tempe' or they will hire any POORLY SPOKEN SLOUCH of a LOSER to handle questions. :jerry:

None of us have all the details but whoever escorted the child off the aircraft had to know the child WAS NOT a UM so she was NOT traveling alone. Anytime an 8 year non UM child is removed from a flight a red flag should have be raised. UM's are never "bumped", it's company policy (at least at old US) and it's common sense.

If the gate agent came onboard and took the child off then the responsibility belongs to the Gate Agent. Whoever walked this child off the aircraft had to know something was not right, if they couldnt' see this wasn't right and that something else had to be done then maybe they need to find another job.

According to the mother, she was at the Customer Service counter being rebooked when the child ran up to her. Why did someone not step up to the plate and go tell the father. The Gate Agent knew this family was separated. The Gate Agent knew this child was not a UM and should have made an attempt to get to the bottom of this situation (again, UM's are NEVER TO BE "BUMPED" so someone should have known something was WRONG!) IT'S EVERYONES JOB TO FIND OUT WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN AN 8 YEAR OLD UNESCORTED NON UM CHILD IS REMOVED FROM AN AIRCRFT, you can't possibly believe anything else.

You do not have to know all the details to see something wasn't handled properly.

If the gate agent could not handle it they should have called a supervisor. To blame the parents is ABSOLUTLY UNACCEPTABLE and is the Tempe way of doing business. If the father walked his daugthter on the aircraft and there was no seats available, he would have known it at that time and would not have just walked away. Whom ever escorted this child off the aircraft dropped the ball be it the gate agent or the FA.

In my experiences with the Tempe "Elite", they hire anyone who will take their lowest salary offers. Experience, or lack of,.... no problem.

 

[Doc]

I sincerely hope that the family involved contacts Kate Hanni and joins the movement for a Passengers Bill of Rights. I'm coming to the conclusion that while I loathe government regulation that this legislation may well be needed to address the ongoing issues with airline customer service.

Kate Hanni's Website

Oh please .....customer service issues

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

THIS AIRLINE IS SO POORLY RUN IT'S A JOKE.

 

[flytchick]

Isn't AW the airline that lost an UM many years ago? Seem to recall something about that in the news many years back. Just proves the point that this joke of an airline will never change - only the name is different and the paint on the planes - otherwise it is still an incompetent bunch of fools trying to run an airline.

I am trying to remember exactly what happened - but I do remember that it was an employees kid and she was bumped off a flight - they actually put her on another carrier to get her home and the parent's never picked her up. Seems the drop off party forgot to tell the pick up party the change in plans. In the end after all the hoopla it was not the airlines fault because they had actually helped get her to her destination which as a non-rev you have no guarantees - and putting her on OAL was pretty much above what they could have done.

 

[SegmentKing]

there were a couple of incidents over at HP. I think UA has screwed up a few more though. I remember that UA put a gurl on a PVD flight that was supposed to go to LAN. That's *quite* the variation in destination!