Why do people threaten to sue for everything that goes wrong with their flight?

[DeltaSteve]

I do work for Delta in their reservation office but recently I have been watching the show Airline through Netflix. I see many situations either caused by the customer themselves, or even by the airline and their first response is they will sue the airline.

I find that an odd threat when they have a $200 plane ticket. Do they honestly believe we (the airlines) will even be scared of threat of suit when we know a lawyer will cost of a ton more than their $200 ticket, lol.

So why do you think people do this threat a ton?

 

[focusoninfinity]

I was a ramp serviceman at Eastern Air Lines, RDU, in the late 1960's. The counter ticket agents in those days used International OAG books to "construct" tickets; none of which I ever worked with. One day I observed a very pleasant and polite middle-aged male passenger, order an international ticket on a complicated route, I think involving several airlines. In about five minutes the agent had constructed a (seemingly fair) fare. The passenger pull-out his own earlier fare construction on paper, it was a valid construction--he's saved five bucks or some such. This executive was so bright (as was his pleasant personality), I'm confident his five or ten minutes of executive-level time he took to save five bucks in international air fare, was likely worth $50 bucks or more! Go figure?

Another item from that EA RDU ticket counter and era. Before the airport bank got it's own banking office, it shared the adjoining RDU ticket counter with Eastern. You actually conducted your banking at the counter. On the bank's part of the counter next to one Eastern ticket agent's adjoining position, the bank had a sign on it's portion of the counter, in big type "HAVE YOU WRITTEN YOUR WILL?"; then below in small type, "See our Trust Department today!".

 

[Theojt]

I do work for Delta in their reservation office but recently I have been watching the show Airline through Netflix. I see many situations either caused by the customer themselves, or even by the airline and their first response is they will sue the airline.

I find that an odd threat when they have a $200 plane ticket. Do they honestly believe we (the airlines) will even be scared of threat of suit when we know a lawyer will cost of a ton more than their $200 ticket, lol.

So why do you think people do this threat a ton?

Since you stated it was an initial response, I would just write those people off as angry as*hats that try to make the worst of any situation. In all likelihood, they couldn't afford an attorney anyway.

For people who are more thoughful and reserved, yet pushed to the point of this threat, I think it's (1) their frustration and (2) perceived as the only thing that will get their voice heard. It's more of a response to poor service received.

I have only once said those words, to a rude agent who would not correct an obvious mistake on his company's part - and I was ready to spend whatever money necessary to follow through on principle. Once I said that however, he immediately corrected the issue to my satisfaction.

Another way of asking the question is: "Why must a customer threaten to sue to receive appropriate corrective action"?

 

[Code Name V]

Since you stated it was an initial response, I would just write those people off as angry as*hats that try to make the worst of any situation. In all likelihood, they couldn't afford an attorney anyway.

For people who are more thoughful and reserved, yet pushed to the point of this threat, I think it's (1) their frustration and (2) perceived as the only thing that will get their voice heard. It's more of a response to poor service received.

I have only once said those words, to a rude agent who would not correct an obvious mistake on his company's part - and I was ready to spend whatever money necessary to follow through on principle. Once I said that however, he immediately corrected the issue to my satisfaction.

Another way of asking the question is: "Why must a customer threaten to sue to receive appropriate corrective action"?

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